Dear Friends,
Competition comes in many forms, officially and subtly. Our sports teams are competitive and so is our debate team! This is official competition. There is a winner – and there is a participant. For many, competition is a primary motivator for success. We are in for the experience, we love the competition, and we aim to win.
Competition is a motivator is subtle ways. We will host a Fine Arts Festival on our campus (May 7) where middle school students perform before an adjudicator. Students aren’t competing against each other – but they are watching the performances of others and will be watched…
I have a feeling that the “competition gene” is stronger in some than in others. In my 30 years in education, I have learned that competition is toxic for some. Some just don’t seem to win at anything and some just don’t seem to care… For these, competition is an exercise in futility.
I have compassion for the student who has very little success at grades or sports. I’m grateful to be part of a school that recognizes the worth of each individual student as created in the image of God. Each student needs to do his or her best – and that is enough. And I have seen how students who were at the bottom of the grade scale, never got the lead solo or drama role, and never made the varsity team – SHINE in their role as parents, or in the work place.
We will use competition to motivate students to achieve – but we understand the bigger picture. In God’s Kingdom, we are all victors!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Yosemite
Dear Friends,
Perhaps you read my earlier posting that laments the fact that all of our children are out of the house (two in college) and Pat and I are “empty nesters” for the first time. After this past weekend, however, I’m beginning to see the possibilities…
It was Pat’s birthday. Our plan was to spend Saturday cleaning the house and working in the yard. It is time! I arranged a restaurant reservation and had the present ready. As we sat reading the paper on Saturday morning with a cup of coffee (yes, empty nesters can do that...), we talked about the weather report, and Pat lamented that she hadn’t had her “snow fix” this year. One thing led to another and an hour later we were on our way to Yosemite! I actually got a last minute reservation at Curry Village for a tent cabin, really a wooden cabin with tent windows, and a heater, for $60. Does that sound romantic to you? Read on. The weather on Saturday was partly cloudy but Yosemite is a magical place when light and shadow enhances the mystery. There were no crowds, parking was available, and peace was all around. As we drove through the valley, strains of a bagpipe lured us to pull over and open our windows. The fog cleared to show the piper standing in front of the Chapel, announcing a wedding that would soon take place. We had dinner at the Mountain House Room in Yosemite Lodge while watching the light of dusk paint the upper Yosemite Falls. Yosemite; mystery; serendipity; celebration; and romance. This day was a rare gift, unplanned and un-orchestrated. Could it get any better?
We were greeted by deep blue skies on Sunday morning. The rain and fog of Saturday seemed to scrub the skies and cliffs, leaving a sheen of moisture that reflected the bright sun of Sunday. We missed church – but felt like we were in a cathedral of light. We drove to the Ahwanee for Sunday brunch (yes, we had made a reservation the day before) and sat next to a window in the high ceilinged, multi-windowed, much-celebrated dining hall. The food was amazing and plentiful. Richard, Jose, and scores of others treated us like royalty. It was a birthday meal to remember! Needing to walk off the feast, we found a meadow that was still covered in snow. We put on our boots and Pat got her “fix.” Reluctant to leave paradise, we found a quiet spot near El Capitan where we sat in the sun and read novels, uninterrupted, other than the song of a few sparrows that were sensing spring.
Driving home, we felt a sense of gratitude for a great weekend. We were struck by how none of this was planned and how this wouldn’t have happened if our kids were home. We are beginning to see that there is a silver lining to empty nesting!
Perhaps you read my earlier posting that laments the fact that all of our children are out of the house (two in college) and Pat and I are “empty nesters” for the first time. After this past weekend, however, I’m beginning to see the possibilities…
It was Pat’s birthday. Our plan was to spend Saturday cleaning the house and working in the yard. It is time! I arranged a restaurant reservation and had the present ready. As we sat reading the paper on Saturday morning with a cup of coffee (yes, empty nesters can do that...), we talked about the weather report, and Pat lamented that she hadn’t had her “snow fix” this year. One thing led to another and an hour later we were on our way to Yosemite! I actually got a last minute reservation at Curry Village for a tent cabin, really a wooden cabin with tent windows, and a heater, for $60. Does that sound romantic to you? Read on. The weather on Saturday was partly cloudy but Yosemite is a magical place when light and shadow enhances the mystery. There were no crowds, parking was available, and peace was all around. As we drove through the valley, strains of a bagpipe lured us to pull over and open our windows. The fog cleared to show the piper standing in front of the Chapel, announcing a wedding that would soon take place. We had dinner at the Mountain House Room in Yosemite Lodge while watching the light of dusk paint the upper Yosemite Falls. Yosemite; mystery; serendipity; celebration; and romance. This day was a rare gift, unplanned and un-orchestrated. Could it get any better?
We were greeted by deep blue skies on Sunday morning. The rain and fog of Saturday seemed to scrub the skies and cliffs, leaving a sheen of moisture that reflected the bright sun of Sunday. We missed church – but felt like we were in a cathedral of light. We drove to the Ahwanee for Sunday brunch (yes, we had made a reservation the day before) and sat next to a window in the high ceilinged, multi-windowed, much-celebrated dining hall. The food was amazing and plentiful. Richard, Jose, and scores of others treated us like royalty. It was a birthday meal to remember! Needing to walk off the feast, we found a meadow that was still covered in snow. We put on our boots and Pat got her “fix.” Reluctant to leave paradise, we found a quiet spot near El Capitan where we sat in the sun and read novels, uninterrupted, other than the song of a few sparrows that were sensing spring.
Driving home, we felt a sense of gratitude for a great weekend. We were struck by how none of this was planned and how this wouldn’t have happened if our kids were home. We are beginning to see that there is a silver lining to empty nesting!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Oh Canada!
Dear Friends,
I loved watching the Olympics, didn’t you? We weren’t the only ones watching; ratings for the Olympic telecasts topped the charts. In Canada, the U.S. / Canada hockey games were the most watched event in Canadian television history. What causes this passion in our friends to the north?
My older brother met his wife at Trinity College (Chicago area). A few years after they married, they located close to her family near Toronto, Canada, where they have lived for over 30 years. The children in the family of five boys and one girl are fiercely Canadian.
I learned, when my brother’s children were young (1980’s), that there was a gap between families. I represented the United States in their eyes, not just Uncle B.J. At first I was perplexed. Why such animosity? Why did I have to take the blame for everything that is bad about the United States, and why did I have to listen to the complaints over and over again? I became a little self righteous and defensive. I didn’t mind Canada, in fact I loved it, so why couldn’t we “all just get along!”
The attitudes haven’t changed much over the years but I have grown a bit wiser. The United States has ten times the population of Canada and is a world superpower. There is a bit of big brother – little brother syndrome going on. Canada is dependent on the U.S. economy more so than the other way around. When you are in the same bed as an elephant (that’s us!), you jump every time the elephant turns over…whereas the elephant doesn’t even seem to know that you are there!
The simple truth is that Canada is an amazing place, the second largest country in the world (bigger than the U.S.), blessed with tremendous resources (much untouched), and a unique diverse culture. Remember, when you look at the Olympic medals count, that the Canadian performance, in light of their population, is quite impressive. Canadians have reason to be proud – and a bit resentful of the Americans next door.
It seems that Americans often buy into the myth that “bigger is better.” We know different. The Bible is full of examples to prove otherwise. And our school is a perfect example to show that “bigger is NOT ALWAYS better.”
I cheered for America in the Olympics, but I think I understand why the performance of the Canadian Olympians, especially the hockey teams, was so important to my Canadian relatives and friends.
I loved watching the Olympics, didn’t you? We weren’t the only ones watching; ratings for the Olympic telecasts topped the charts. In Canada, the U.S. / Canada hockey games were the most watched event in Canadian television history. What causes this passion in our friends to the north?
My older brother met his wife at Trinity College (Chicago area). A few years after they married, they located close to her family near Toronto, Canada, where they have lived for over 30 years. The children in the family of five boys and one girl are fiercely Canadian.
I learned, when my brother’s children were young (1980’s), that there was a gap between families. I represented the United States in their eyes, not just Uncle B.J. At first I was perplexed. Why such animosity? Why did I have to take the blame for everything that is bad about the United States, and why did I have to listen to the complaints over and over again? I became a little self righteous and defensive. I didn’t mind Canada, in fact I loved it, so why couldn’t we “all just get along!”
The attitudes haven’t changed much over the years but I have grown a bit wiser. The United States has ten times the population of Canada and is a world superpower. There is a bit of big brother – little brother syndrome going on. Canada is dependent on the U.S. economy more so than the other way around. When you are in the same bed as an elephant (that’s us!), you jump every time the elephant turns over…whereas the elephant doesn’t even seem to know that you are there!
The simple truth is that Canada is an amazing place, the second largest country in the world (bigger than the U.S.), blessed with tremendous resources (much untouched), and a unique diverse culture. Remember, when you look at the Olympic medals count, that the Canadian performance, in light of their population, is quite impressive. Canadians have reason to be proud – and a bit resentful of the Americans next door.
It seems that Americans often buy into the myth that “bigger is better.” We know different. The Bible is full of examples to prove otherwise. And our school is a perfect example to show that “bigger is NOT ALWAYS better.”
I cheered for America in the Olympics, but I think I understand why the performance of the Canadian Olympians, especially the hockey teams, was so important to my Canadian relatives and friends.
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