Out Of The Toys Of Babes
Portfolio projects for this year are all turned in and graded. If you have access to my Facebook account, you can see pictures of the really cool ones from last year and this one. One in particular caught my attention and will be shown here.
The portfolio on a whole was expressing why Christianity has fallen into disrepair. Multiple papers and creations explaining that Christianity is not doing what it should be in the world, mostly because the Christians suck so much.
One of the pieces was a church scene rendered in legos. I’ll show the pictures I took of it in the relevant, most revealing order. An interesting indictment to say the least.
Enjoy.
Dear Boss
I am taking the time out from grading to inform you that my kids prove you’re an idiot.
The paper I am reading is from a student who barely speaks English, whose language skill are poor, but is a really hard worker. He was stuck in an Intro to Ethics class because of the fundamental brokenness of the racist system which is being created in the district. Not that you concern yourself with social equity.
In his paper he put together concepts that he understood from class with others from his church service; he was able to find connections between the story of Job and Gottfried Leibniz’s Best of all Possible Worlds ideas, specifically the Principle of Sufficient Reason, and coherently present his personal views in the limited English proficiency that he has. It’s good. Really good. Almost made me cry. You couldn’t write this paper on your best day.
This is what I do in class.
Thus, I humbly say, stay out of my class affairs: you are irrelevant and a hindrance to their educational endeavors. I would cite the multiple other examples of student work which has clashed with your sense of propriety, but I have other matters to attend to. Please find another white whale to chuck your spears at: I have work to do.
Meekness
Meekness is having the power to respond in force and choosing not to. I feel like I’ve written that here before.
There is way too much going on in my life right now. Future and current decisions to be made. None of them small. All of them important.
It is at times like these that one (read: MEH) needs to stop, take inventory of life, and calm down, because sometimes things present themselves as an outlet to release frustration and rage. But that doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing.
Righteous indignation is a beautiful thing. Having the complete and utter moral footing and height over someone else, which allows you to drop kick them in the mouth. And it would be glorious. But wrong. Probably. You think of Jesus in the temple with the whip and the table throwing and the quickly dispersing, slightly brusied robes and I’m happy. But that was specifically about that scene. I can’t say the same, competely, or honestly, for my situation.
Oh yes, I am well within my rights to say various things, it’s moving beyond those which is the problem. Staying to what is relevant and not passive-aggressive, or simply mean. I have the paper work, the back up, the signed documents to display, all saying “you are an idiot: I have proof,” in a nice way; But beyond that . . . there really is no reason to bring up someone else’s daddy issues, failed life choices, or myopic nature into the mix. That would just be mean. It would feel good, but it would be wrong. Jesus wouldn’t smile.
And there it is: meekness. Knowing the power you have and chosing not to weild it. Knowing that silence might be the best tool. Or trying to pray, again, for the situation. Or simply keeping your head down for little while longer. Running out the clock.
sigh.
Writer’s Block
(Only cool kids get this reference.)
I Try To Stay Out Of Politics . . .
I was an English and education double major with a philosophy minor once upon a time. “Close readings” and logical proofs were a way of life.
I now teach both to high school students. I yell and throw desks when talking about having a thesis (the point you will prove in your paper), and supporting that thesis with accurate, reseached, or at least convincing, details. As a result, I really only ask those around me to think, just a little, before they open their mouths, or put something on paper.
The ADHD in me laughs at the irony.
Thus, I actually try to avoid tv during election time. Ignoring the ad campaigns and all the stupid press. I can’t be bothered with bad argumentation. I have a stack of papers on my desk to grade, I don’t need more poorly worded bullshit in my life.
But I watched the debate between Biden and Palin a moment ago.
Part of me regrets it. Part of me . . . nope, still regrets it.
This will be a short rant, in the form of a list. A list of advice I would/do give to my students.
1. Answer the question asked. Yes, the public will be, often, swayed by pithy statements, and down home colloquialisms, but if you jump from sound bite to sound bite, and don’t answer the question asked, you look stupid once someone who was listening the question responds by actually answering it.
If you are lucky, they will have the good manners to not bluntly say, “well, since she didn’t answer the question, I’ll do it for both of us.”
2. Do your homework. If you are going to tell a story to make yourself look better, make sure that the person responding to your story doesn’t have a better one, esp. if you are comparing tales of hardship, esp. if you are female and he is male, esp. if moves between anger at your insinuation and tears himself.
3. If you screw up number two, you better not get emotionally moved by his story, and then have nothing more than another sound bite to babble along with, until you gain your composure and attempt to accomplish #1.
4. Know the documentation you are citing, which includes your job description, esp. if you’ve been asked the question before, esp. if you screwed it up the first time and tried to pass it off as a lame joke, esp. if the person who is speaking after you can quote the documentation that you don’t apparently know, still, and make your answer, which was rehearsed, look even more foolish.
This also includes things such as knowing that Congress is elected, not appointed by the president or vice president, but that blunder was about not listening to the question, and rolling with a nice sound bite, but, again, the person opposite you is being nice and not pointing out an obvious blunder like that.
5. When the bar is set really freaking low, just step over it, don’t try to jump. If you land on your face, you look even dumber.
Five is my favorite number, so I will stop there.
The media will say what they want (”she didn’t implode” has been my favorite so far), but seriously, wtf?!
God bless America.
I’m moving to Canada.