Tell Me Again Why I'm Doing This...

A phrase from the text I'm supposed to be reading tonight for my doctoral work:

"Pedagogy requires a hermeneutic ability to make interpretive sense of the phenomena of the lifeworld in order to see the pedagogic significance of situations and relations of living with children."

That means ya gotta get where the kid's coming from in order to teach 'em.

Yeah, fun stuff.

Beauty in the Form of a Young Poet

I first met this kid when he was about 17, at a poetry slam at the Underground at the U of MN. I was so taken with one of his poems that I introduced myself and asked for a copy to use with my students. I was working with my school's poetry slam team at the time and Ryan's work was inspirational to all of us. We've kept in touch & he recently sent this video for me to check out. You may need to watch it more than once. Beautiful.



Check out more of Ryan's work at www.myspace.com/homelessryank

What Would the World Look Like if Everyone Lived Like You?

OK, still thinking about lifestyle, here's another interesting thing to consider. How do I impact the planet?

Play the Consumer Consequences Game from American Public Media and find out!

I did, and my reactions is - wow – I did much worse than I thought! My scores were good for recycling and saving energy, but because I live alone in a 3-BR home and drive my own car everywhere, my overall impact on the earth is not even close to proportionate to my fair space on the planet!

TRY THIS – it’s really interesting. (It's also quick & easy - will only take a couple minutes.)

Living Biblically

The new book "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible" is not fiction. The author, AJ Jacobs, really did spend a year trying to follow ALL the bible's rules. (The book goes on sale Oct 9, so I haven't read it yet, but I imagine I will!)

I love the concept and the outcome. Apparently a task that was sort of a joke turned into a genuine spiritual quest, after which the author found himself a changed person.

Some of the rules he followed:
* No clothing of mixed fibers
* No sitting in a chair that a menstruating woman has used
* No beard cutting
* No winking

Apparently the bible has 72 pages of explicit rules. Not sure what following all of that would do for my soul, but I have a pretty good idea of what it would do to my lifestyle!

Gen X in Power

I’m intrigued by Gen X in power. More of my friends are moving into spaces of influence in their careers and I wonder – how are we different from those who held those positions before us? In some cases, no one did – some are in positions that didn’t even exist a decade ago. But others, like me, are in positions that have existed for a long time. How do I approach my work differently than my predecessors?

A couple things come to mind.

I suspect I’m more inclusive. Is that because I was born in 1968? Yes, I am a product of the feel-good education movement of the 70’s, but I was a high-achiever, so I don’t think that affected me much – certainly not by creating in me any great need for the opinions of others. I am inclusive because I want to be included, so I extend that to others.

I’m not authoritarian. But what does that have to do with my birth year? I suffered under many teachers and bosses who were, and didn’t like it, so I’m different? Hardly. Generations for centuries have learned from authoritarian leaders and turned out just like them. Why should I be different?

I think my leadership is an expression of my personality, and maybe that’s where Gen X comes in to play. It’s not about my age or birth year, except that we believe more in authenticity. I allow my personality into my work because I believe in living out loud, in being who I am, and impacting the world accordingly.

That would not be a bad legacy for our generation.

Pressure Check

My friend Melissa takes a walk, goes by some firemen testing their equipment, and the result is a fascinating set of questions about life. (She's like that!) Get the context at her blog: QueenMAB Contemplates

What does it mean to do routine pressure checks?
If a particular hose can withstand 400 pounds of pressure, what is the equivalent for a human being?
How do we check our own pressure? (Is this called a "physical"?)
What is the equivalent of us laying ourselves out flat and running force through our bodies?
Do we swell and expand just like fire hoses? What do our hearts look like under pressure?
How does a mind or spirit expand or contract with pressure?
If we are in tune and can withstand such levels of pressure, what is our power in the face of fire?
Are our bodies capable of being conduits for water flow, a kind of saving energy?
As humans, do we have a routine way of doing this?
What happens if we aren't doing routine checks?
Is there any way we can make sure that we can withstand the fire, and be a positive force, rather than add to mess and damage?
What is it to be certain?

Above and Beyond...

from Thoreau:

“Do not be too moral. You might cheat yourself out of much of life. Aim high above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.”

Yes.

Although I was raised in a home that prized integrity above just about everything, this quote resonates with me. Love in action. Making a difference. Appreciation of beauty. These things exist beyond the plane of simple morality. Beyond right or wrong... to intensity and passion, where we really live.

Controversy in Chaska

There's a new law in Chaska:

Should parents be held legally liable for the results of underage drinking that goes on in their home, even if they did not actually procure the alcohol themselves? Even if they are not at home at the time the alcohol is consumed?

First reaction - of course! Raise your kids right, darn it.

Second reaction - hmm... what would that law have meant for my own parents?!

I told my daughter that we could lose our home if anything drug or alcohol related ever happened on our property. (That's actually true in some townhome communities around here - a drug-related arrest is cause for eviction. But Golden Valley hasn't adopted it yet...) I think she believed me!

My parents pretty much had no clue about any of the teenage drinking that went on in their home because it never happened with them there. That's an interesting twist within the law - they don't even have to be home to be responsible.

But if they don't shovel the sidewalk they don't have to be home to lose the lawsuit when someone falls...

Perspective

Shimu's story is not as different from some of our local children's lives as we would like to think. Many American - and Minnesotan - kids still struggle with expectations from families that they work to support the family, and some are still pressured to get married young.

Panthar, on the other hand, truly lives in a different world. Herding cattle is not how most 12-year-old American boys spend their days.

The stories of these two young people are detailed in the StarTribune today under the headline "Their stories reveal struggles of the young for a different future." In Shimu's case, she is resisting her family's pressure for her to quit school & get married, hoping to continue to study and work toward a better future. Panthar's older brother, Bol, goes to school in a nearby town, with the hope of a better life through a "new way."

I will never call any of my students lazy, though some are very unmotivated and unambitious. But I wish they had a clearer sense of what the options are, and how lucky they are not only to have school available to them, but to live in a society that actually expects them to attend & learn. "Poor" in America is nothing like poor in Bangladesh or Sudan. I just wish they all understood that!

Wish I Was This Generous

My friend Melissa shared this poem she just wrote about love found and lost - with a guy she met at my cabin - I am in awe of her ability to know and express herself so openly and honestly!

With Deep gratitude, emotional Clarity,

a poem for this beloved and divine presence:

divine man that appeared, so angelic even.

this beautiful adonis, brown and muscled, tender and sweet.

so amazingly articulate on manners of politics and faith,

conservative core that i appreciated.

touch that inspired a kind of transcendence in wake of wonder, woe.

"what you want: this is what I want."

blessings on the lips.

He is gone. He is sweet. We are friends, if that is called for. Or calls us further. I ask for your prayers as heart matters unfold, life and love manifests. (May God's will, not mine, be done.)

Gratefully,

Melissa

Amen!

Word of the Day

HYPERGOLIC (hy-puhr-GOL-ik) adjective: Igniting on contact. Refers to substances that ignite or explode on contact (without needing an external aid such as a spark). Hypergolic substances are used as rocket fuel and explosives.

[From German Hypergol (hypergolic fuel), from Greek hyper- (over, above) + erg- (work). Ultimately from the Indo-European root werg- (to do) which gave us ergonomic, work, energy, metallurgy, surgery, wright, and orgy.]

Thinking of things that can ignite on contact...

* Hyper middle-school kids
* Democrats & Republicans
* Some couples
* Mitch's gun if anyone ever breaks into his house
* Media with a big story

I'm sure there are more...

Conservatives Starting to Like Clinton?

Gotta love it...

Weekly Standard editor William Kristol:
"Obama is becoming the anti-war candidate, and Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez:
"In response to more than a few answers tonight - on Iraq, on China - I've said 'she sounds reasonable.' That's really hard to admit."

Bruce Bartlett, in the Los Angeles Times:
On economics, Clinton seems likely to be... fiscally conservative, free-trade-oriented, pragmatic. Clinton said: 'There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets." That's about as good as any conservative can hope for from a Democrat."

Salute to the Wingman!

This is a riot - haven't we all been in this position at some point?

Fun Stuff

Oh the fun things we can find on the web! I'm not too familiar with Tarot Cards, but I love random quizzes, so when I ran across this one I had to do it. And since I found the result amusing, I had to share it!

You are Strength

Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy.

This is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot, which might be why, in some decks, it is Justice that is card 8 instead of Strength. With strength you can control not only the situation, but yourself. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Poets of the City

Our local arts community is growing - we just hosted 9 of the best spoken word artists from around the country at one event last night! Poets of the City hosted it at the U of MN and not only was it an amazing show, but I was just really proud that our little town on the prairie has reached the level that we can attract things like this! Two of the young poets I've worked with in recent years provided the opening act, and that was pretty powerful too.

Of course all the poets were from cities bigger than ours - LA, Atlanta, New York, Baltimore, Milwaukee... that's where the spoken word scene really thrives. But I know we have professional poets here - Sha Cage, Frank Sentwali - who are right up there with the talent I saw last night.

I love Minneapolis!