Lessons and Desks

Structure and content don't always match. They can send mixed messages. For example, screaming "I love you," with a gnarled face and two middle fingers waving is mixed (well, in most families and friend groups). The body is saying one thing and the words another. Another example, chow mien in a corn tortilla. The contents don't match the casing. 

As a student, I was ticked because this sort of mixed communication seemed to be built in the school system.  

On one side the teacher says, "We want you to lead, and learn, and be creative, and get As." But the form of the classroom would be, "Sit at your desk. Be quiet. Don't talk. Learn what I'm telling you. Do what you're told. Learn at my pace. Do all your work. More work. Stress. Stress. Control. Stress." As a student it's hard to hear the content over the structure; the lessons get lost in the desks. 

As a teacher, it's challenging to make structure and content team up. It's hard to make the information I'm teaching, and the way I'm teaching it, dance without stepping on each other's toes. I wonder how much of my lectures get lost in my students desks. I'm tripping over the same stuff as a teacher that I was as a student, except I'm the bad guy now.  

Last week we had outdoor school. Two of the days we were led by a professional outdoor education program nearby. I was talking with the operations manager, Rob. He has served as a dean of students, a school counselor, a social worker, an expedition leader with several different outdoor education programs in places such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, the PNW, and now Hong Kong. He has some experience I guess. 

He had some great things to say about teaching and learning, but he wasn't very fond of the traditional school system. He said school is a lot about fear and control, not so much about teaching students as it is about separating the weak from the strong using stress. I've had similar conversations about education with friends in college, but this time it was different. Now I'm an employee of the system, not a victim of it. 

Rob, in a very kind and gentle way, was calling me as a teacher, 'the man;' which puts me in queue with the likes of (insert least favorite disciplinarian #1 here) (insert # 2 here) (insert corrupt politician here) (insert government philosophy you don't like here) (insert Stalin here, and CaPD here). 

But I'm staying positive on this one. I imagine myself more like 'the bullet' than 'the man' on this one,
more like 'the bull' than 'the rider' on this one. And it may take me more than eight seconds on this one,
but I'm gonna buck these mixed-messaged desks and lectures if its the last thing I do.  

More than a Machine

Somewhere beneath this 

oil stained skin 

runs something stronger than

the underground

trains and fast fueled bones

of steel and nerves

strung by the hands of man, 

beating with the breath of God,

set in 

motion with the rest

of us

stronger than hope.

Teaching

I'm reading a book called "Creative Bible Teaching." It says, "Most human endeavors require planning."

"Oh yeah?" I think. "Well, I'm a natural planner. Tell me more."

It continues, "As a general principle, things done right are done with a plan."

"Uh huh, uh huh."

"Generals need battle plans, coaches need game plans, and teachers need lesson plans."

"Way ahead of you."

Tomorrow's lesson is "WINNING!!!!!": "Class has started, take your seats please. Today I want you to WINNN!!! MAKE IT HAPPEN KIDS!! Do winners ask questions Jared? NO! PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!"

Growing

Last week I was shooting free-throws on the outdoor court between the church and the ad building. I almost had to stop, because I suddenly felt that we only live once.

This week I got a message from home. There had been an accident, and my nephew almost died. Thankfully he's home now, recovering, living, growing.

When in Hong Kong...

... do as the Hong Kongers.

Stoping the sickness dead in my face. 

Clean and Unclean?

Meat is on the cutting edge at HKAC. In the past, the school posted a "NO MEATS" policy on campus. Students having their cup o' noodles thrown down in the cafeteria because of their fleshy/fishy content wasn't unheard of, even as recent as last year. Many students struggled with this policy. Those who couldn't find vege coup o' noodles (not sure if they exist in HK), or stomach cafe food, elected to fast until supper. Some of them even skipped breakfast, which meant their one and only meal was supper.  Granted, this isn't due to poverty, mostly lack of creativity, or laziness, still, a challenge.

This year, the ad com committee voted to quietly do away with the eleventh commandment (no meat), on the grounds that it's impossible to enforce.  Today in staff meeting, the 'decision' was communicated to the staff, creating a small uproar.

Dean of Students: "... so we have decided that we can't enforce the 'no meat' policy any longer." 
Low murmur
Staff 1: "What?!?"
Staff 2: "You mean we're allowing animal flesh here, on campus?"
Staff 3: "I don't know. What happens if someone brings pork inside the cafeteria? We're just supposed to let them eat it?"
Dean of Students: "Yep."

Tonight in the weight room, discussing carnivorism with another teacher, I told him about my discussion with Donni the night before.

Me: "Yeah man, rules about meat eating can be funny sometimes. Last night, Donni asked me if it was okay to eat horse, so I showed him Leviticus and had to explain to him that horses don't chew their cud..."
Luis: "Horses chew their cud."
Me: "What?"
Luis: "Yeah, man. They're just like a cow."
Me: "Noway. Are you sure?" 
Luis: "I'm sure. They're unclean because their hoofs aren't split."
Me: "That makes so much sense." 

Look! I don't even know why I eat what I eat. Am I then going to fault the local 'heathens' for having two grocery isles of cup o' noodles with a plethora of mystery meats? Or Donni for wanting to eat a horse? Or the local Adventists for having a "NO MEATS" policy?

Do pink dolphins like bubble tea?

__________

A joke I heard a few weeks ago, pertaining to the topic.

"How do you know Adam and Eve weren't Chinese?" ... "They would have eaten the snake." 

Which offers some interesting theological what ifs.

Clean and Unclean

Donni: "Teacher?"

Me: "Yeah?"

Donni: "The Bible says its okay to eat horse?"

Me: "No."

Donni: "But the horse and cow are same?"

Me: "Here, look." (pointing to Leviticus 11) "See, the animal must have split hooves and chew its cud."

Donni: "So we can eat horse?"

Me: "I don't think so." (google "Does a horse chew its cud?" ...)

The horse's (non-ruminant herbivore) gastrointestinal tract differs from that of cattle (ruminant). The horse's soft palate closes after it swallows food, trapping the food in the larynx. In addition, the horse has muscular contractions in the esophagus that only go in a downward direction. Unlike cattle, the horse cannot reverse the direction of esophageal contractions. The cardiac sphincter muscle closes tightly when food enters the stomach and does not release, trapping food in the stomach. Therefore, horses cannot regurgitate their food and chew it again like cattle can.

Donni: "So we can eat horse?"

Me: (... finishing reading) "No, a horse doesn't chew its cud."

Donni: "What is chew cud?"

Me: (I thought about laying it out, "Well Donni, the non-ruminent herbivore horse gastrointestinal tract differs from that of ruminant herbivore cow, you see? .... Instead I just opened my English-Chinese Ap and searched "chew cud.")

Donni: "Oh, I know, I know."