Showing posts with label Amanda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amanda. Show all posts

2007-08-19

Practice Laughter and Love

I came across these pictures while looking for some to include with the "Winners Learn to Like Themselves Through Practice" post I was doing on my students' web page.

All three of these girls are among the best in the nation, and perhaps the world, in at least one area. After seeing the pictures of this "Dream Team", Three Musketeers, Tres Amigos, etc.......three words began to sound off in my head as to how they got this way:

"Practice", "Laughter" and "Love."

While pouring a cup of coffee with this chanting still in my head, I realized this was the reason for their remarkable success. As I drank to this epiphany, the words began changing order. They went from:





PRACTICE











LAUGHTER







LOVE









to






LOVE PRACTICE











PRACTICE LOVE







LOVE LAUGHTER








and when things don't work out






PRACTICE LAUGHTER









LAUGH LOVINGLY









LOVINGLY PRACTICE


*just rinse and repeat as necessary, UNTIL the desired results are reached. This simple formula works whether you're a child or adult, between children and adults, children, and adults.


And most importantly, it works with ourselves. We are humans "being". This takes practice. Nature has evolved through 4.6 billion years of practice. It must have laughed at some of the things it's created. And it certainly must have loved so many of the beautiful things it's loved and laughed into existence through practice.

We, "(wo)man", are universal babies, barely 3.6 million years old. We owe it to ourselves to never give up on who we are, and who we are capable of becoming.

We are all so much more than we give ourselves credit for. What race, sex, religion, nationality we are and income we have has nothing to do with our capabilities. I've personally seen this (or maybe personally seen to it) happen in every type of classroom among every type of student.

We are more than the macroscopic physiology of our looks and the materialistic pursuit of our neighbor's acceptance. We are the spirit that lives inside each and every one of our cells, our atoms, and our nuclei.

So let's practice laughter and love with each other, and most importantly, with ourselves. Our evolution requires it. We don't evolve through hate or victimization. We grow through practice, or struggle. And there's no better way to do this than with the water of laughter and the sunshine of love.

Impossible growth IS possible, miraculous results ARE achievable, and the human species making the world a better place IS attainable.


WE CAN DO IT!



WE ARE DOING IT!

"...You are here....Life exists...Let the powerful play go on that you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
- from Dead Poets Society (you can see Robin Williams' photo in the LAUGHTER and PRACTICE pictures, which he signed, "To Mr. Stuart's class, DREAM BIG!", using a photo from the movie. I'd say he is contributing a GREAT verse to our play. Thank you, Robin!

2007-03-03

The Nagging Truth?

**This is a post I did on the students' weblog. I honestly have no idea why I'm putting it on here, except for this nagging voice telling me to. Since I'm no longer married, I'm assuming this voice is my intuition (I'm sorry, I was watching The Odd Couple (1968) earlier and laughed when Oscar told Felix that if he wanted to be nagged he'd get back together with his ex-wife).

It made me chuckle...........I only hear male laughter. Don't women have a sense of humor, or is it only when they're making fun of men? Another joke - let it go if you're miffed, and get a much bigger problem than wondering if I'm just a big, dumb male. I am in many ways, and that's OK. I believe in being the very best you can be, having people in your life that make you better, and surrounding yourself with others better than yourself........

...........Now I've gotten off track (but thanks to my married friend Amy (proof happy marriages do exist) for helping me not worry about unintentionally offending someone. It's my blog and I can write what I want, so there!)

So here's my post to Bridget. There's another one over on their site about a student who darn near made me cry with her reflection after testing (Belle). One minute I feel like Arnold in Kindergarten Cop saying "I don't have a tumor". The next minute they make me feel so happy I'm holding back tears of true joy. The post is worth checking out. (click here to read it)


I'm trying to hide behind Bridget to check up on some classmates to make sure they really are working. As you can see Bridget wasn't big enough to hide me, and the students saw me coming. Fortunately they were working, just like I hoped they were.

Why I'm writing is because I'm hearing a voice in me saying that as great as I know Bridget is, and as much as I've already been impressed with her this year.....I have this feeling that I still have no idea how wonderfully talented this person already is, and I tend to be able to see the gifts students have, waiting to be developed.

Forget the top 10% of her field, it could really be as high as the top 01%; she might just be a real world-changer.

**I have these intuitions about every student in the class, some stronger than others, some clearer than others, but they're all there. Please have patience with me while they connect themselves with the neurons they're looking for. A few I feel are close are:

The Amazing Amanda, Mighty Malcolm, The Light of Ryan (your eyes hold the key - I think I have to adjust my personality to flow better with yours, and I'm working on that), the Strength of Skyler, Sandeep's Hammer (like Thor's), and Quiet Genius (Zack).

As Bruce Lee said "Be water my friend". The meaning this has for me is to let the flow between you and I flow naturally.