Ringing Like a Bell

Summer's nearly over. In just a few days, all the concerns about the new school year will rush in, and I'll be consumed by it completely. For now, I find myself languishing in a lovely middle ground. I have rested from all the demands of last year, and since the new year is still several days away, I'm in a good place. I'm a tiny bit bored in a pleasant sort of way, which is what led me to re-watch an old romantic comedy I already saw years ago -- New in Town .  I remember watching the movie when came out in 2009, but there's something about it I forgot. It slipped my mind that one of the characters in the movie is an uncomfortably exact reflection of me. Let's just say it isn't Renee Zellweger's character Lucy -- if only. As I saw the film again a few days ago, I was transported back to 2009. The first time I watched the movie I was transfixed -- not by the plot, the actors, or any kind of amazing special effects. On the whole the movie is just wha...

Since school has been out, I've been catching up on all the little things I've put off during the year. One of those things, besides resting and going to the dentist, is listening to all the podcasts I've missed in the last few months. One of my favorites is the Freakonomics podcast. The subtitle is "The Hidden Side of Everything." So if you like thinking about off-beat things in a weird way, let me recommend it. The Stevens (Levitt and Dubner) do a lot of talking about unintended consequences, and last week I listened to one called " The Cobra Effect ." Here's a quote: MEHROTRA : So the “cobra effect” refers to a scheme in colonial India where the British governor, or whoever, the person in charge in Delhi, wanted to rid Delhi of cobras. Apparently in his opinion there were too many cobras in Delhi. So he had the bounty placed on cobras. And he expected this would solve the problem. But the population in Delhi, at least some of it, responded by f...

Each Thursday after school a group of students meets in my room. There aren't many of them, but that's okay. Each week a different one of them offers a brief devotional, and they pray. They pray for all sorts of things, but, most importantly they pray . I'm not able to participate in the group with them because of school guidelines about staff and religious activities, but I can offer them a place to meet and my supervision. Interestingly, I think my being just an observer is a good thing. First of all, the students bear the responsibility for the group. The decisions are theirs -- not mine. Second, watching them has been such a gift. Let me explain.  I know most of them outside school from church or the community. I teach in a small town, so I get to know my students in their actual lives -- not just as bodies in a classroom. The Bible Buddies, as they call themselves, have encouraged me so much. Each of them takes leadership and discipleship seriously. They are commit...

Do you ever think about what your younger self would think about you now? I do that sometimes. Usually the younger self I envision is my nine-year-old self. There are reasons for that -- my ninth year was a big one. I was put on my first diet then; something that has been an ongoing struggle ever since. I got baptized and committed my life to Jesus that year, still the best decision I ever made . When I think back, that was the year right before I waded out into the choppy waters of being a teen. As best I can tell, that year was the end of my childhood. I understood for the first time that I was responsible for this life of mine and that I had decisions to make. I also spent a lot of time then imagining my grown-up self. My friend Joey and I talked about it all the time. We discussed important things: whether or not we'd move away from our home town and what we thought middle school would be like.  I imagine my nine-year-old self would be ...

Last year I read Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers . In the book he uses historical anecdotes to illustrate his overarching claim: success doesn't happen the way you think. He brings out several interesting points about community, experience, and simply being at the right place at the right time. He also points out some interesting things about the link between perseverance and over all success. I won't tell you all about it because you might want to read the book. I'd recommend it; it passed my fifty page test. Linking self-control and perseverance to success isn't a new thing. In the late 1960's a psychologist named Walter Mischel performed The Marshmallow Test . His original intention was to simply study the mental processes behind delayed gratification. It wasn't until years later when the children used in the study grew up that he realized the experiment had uncovered much more. What is the experiment? Watch this: Isn't Theo adorable? Mischel...

This past week was Spirit Week at my school -- a big deal. It's fun, especially since I like to dress up. I've been Mrs. Claus, a Ninja Turtle, and Hermoine Granger all in the space of a few days. Our students really love it, too. I teach in a community with a strong sense of unity and tradition. Not everyone is dedicated to those things, but almost everyone is. In the past few years I've caught that spirit myself. It's irresistible, like a virus. When good things are happening, you just want to join in. At least that's how it is for me. I could tell you lots of things about this past week: face paint, pop songs, cheers, tractors, football, seeing former students, and jumping on trampolines. Instead I'd like to tell you about a few moments yesterday afternoon, moments that made me so proud to be a part of my community and to work at my school. Earlier this year,  a new teacher on our staff decided to sponsor a Project Unify group at our school. Th...

Have you ever listened to the radio show, This American Life ? I 'd heard it a time or two in the past on public radio, but it's now available in podcast format. I've been downloading each new episode and enjoying them. If you've never listened to it, the producers pick a theme and offer different variations on that theme throughout the show. This morning I listened to the re-broadcast of an old episode from 2007 called Special Ed . In many ways the show was just like you'd expect, but simultaneously not what you'd expect either. You should follow the link and check it out. I can't stop thinking about it. As a younger woman, I walked around with the unconscious assumption that the way I experienced the world was the way that all "normal" people experienced it. I've since realized it isn't true -- at all. Different people have different temperaments and experiences that shape them. I found that out when one of my best friends and I disco...