Oh what to do with an old ghetto Beamer
The window’s stuck open and the steering fluid leaks
I guess if I cared I’d at least keep it cleaner,
But I’m grateful at least for the soft leather seats.
Yes, I know the words don’t rhyme perfectly; I am an English teacher, after all (by the way, does anyone know what part of speech “prithee” is? I made up an answer for my students today, and though I sounded confident, I’m not at all sure).
Friday night, I watched perhaps the worst street performer I’ve ever seen. He dropped his juggling sticks, the flames on them kept going out, he fell off his unicycle, he took so long leading up to his tricks that people left, and he was rude to some audience members. I turned to my new friend (his name is Nature, and he doesn’t have a permanent home but travels all over, but that’s another story), grinned and said, “This is the worst street performer I’ve ever seen.” Nature said, “Everyone has to start somewhere. He’s not as good as the guys who have been performing for 20 years, but at least he’s out here trying, and he’ll get better as he works at it.” I learned another lesson about grace just then. Thanks, Nature.
No school on Fridays for me, which leaves it wide open for writing lesson plans and catching up on my Examiner articles. I have been very slack in keeping up with articles, so hope to write one or two today on the current news. Suggestions for article topics, of course, are always welcome.
Today at school I met with incoming students one on one to go over their scores from the placement tests and start talking about goals. It was a short consultation with most, but I took a little longer with one woman. I thought we were about done, and asked her if she had any further questions or concerns. She was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’m scared.” I set down my pen, relaxed, and asked her what scared her. She said she was afraid of going back to school again after so many years away. She was afraid that the other students would laugh at her. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up. She says she wished she had done this before she had her 4 children so that she could have given them a better life. I admired her courage, not only to come back to school, but also to admit her fear, and I told her so. I told her that her children would admire the hard work she is doing, and that she would be an inspiration to them. I told her she was going to do very well, and that I would be there to help her and encourage her whenever she needed. The smile on her face was the most beautiful thing I saw today.
Today I discovered a new hero of mine. As another teacher and I were introducing an assessment test, one of the students made a rude remark to the other teacher. She stopped and told him that that language was unacceptable. He raised his voice and spoke to her again in a very disrespectful manner. I missed it yesterday, but I guess he did the same thing then. So, she told him he could leave and reenroll in October. He didn’t budge, but neither did she. In fact she walked over to his table and told him again, with a smile on her face, to leave. Now, this woman was easily half his size and strength, but the determination, as well as the kindness, on her face stood its ground. He finally left, and I stared at her in abject admiration as she calmly resumed administering the test. Elise, you are one of my heroes. I would fear nothing if you had my back.
This week is training week for new instructors in our program at school. Because of the federal funding, there are tons of forms to keep up with for each student, and we have to be sure to dot every i and cross every t. I’m really looking forward to it, though. When teaching and writing, I’m in my element. It’s not so much imparting knowledge to others as opening their minds to new horizons, helping them see just a little bit further and a little bit broader. I love to see a new glimmer in someone’s eyes, and feel alive when the teaching goes both ways, when I delve into a conversation with someone where we are teaching each other. But for now, another day of training.
Today is my first day as a community college instructor. I’ll be teaching Language Arts, which one friend commented is just a fancy name for English. I have some hopes that I can talk the math dean into giving me an Algebra class or two. All those years of Calculus in Engineering school have to be good for something.
I truly love teaching, so am looking forward to this opportunity. I’m considering what to wear today. My most inspirational English teacher in high school was famous for her hot pinks and reds- hot pink nails, red clothes, pink lipstick. I could never pull off garish like she did, but the hot colors contributed to the excitement in the classroom, so maybe I will at least wear my red shoes in her honor.
This morning I awake and remember that there will be someone who needs to see a smiling face, and I have the opportunity to be that face. There will be a song to sing, and I could sing it. Someone may need just a word of encouragement, and I could provide it. The grass is still green, even though it’s August, and children are still laughing, so it’s a good morning.
Laughter can be healing. We all know that, but it never ceases to amaze me. It’s a healing that takes place from the inside out, working on our hearts, relaxing our muscles, soothing our minds. I would even say that worship is in our laughter; it is something sacred. Thank you God, for creating something so beautiful, powerful, life-giving.
I love the music of Sara Groves. She has special insight into the human soul. One of her songs has been running through my head: In the Girl There’s a Room
In the girl is a song
In the song there is hope
in the hope there's defiance...
Tell me what you know
About God and the world and the human soul
How so much can be wrong
and still there are songs
In their hearts and souls
an unstoppable refrain
Hope stands/sings in defiance
What a beautiful picture she paints here. In God’s grace we find that even when it seems that so much in us and in the world is wrong, God still sings songs into our hearts and souls.
