In class today, I did a very shoddy job of explaining the 7-point Creed to you all. Sorry about that--my mind was wandering ;)
In any case, I have copied and pasted a brief explanation taken from Wikipedia below:
John Wooden's Seven Point Creed,[1] given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:
* Be true to yourself.
* Make each day your masterpiece.
* Help others.
* Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
* Make friendship a fine art.
* Build a shelter against a rainy day.
* Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
If you don't know who John Wooden is, look him up--his story is quite remarkable. As I said, I deeply admire him and the things he has accomplished as a coach and as a human being. As you know, I don't say that about very many people.
In any case, your task for this week is to come up with your own 7-Point Creed and share it here. I know that I am asking a lot of you. I know that this is not something you can do in two days. And this is why I am extending the deadline until Sunday night. You will really need to put a lot of thought into this. Ask yourself these questions to help you along:
What do I value?
What are my morals?
How do I want to be perceived by others?
What do I want my legacy to be?
What have I learned in my life?
What else do I want to learn?
Now, I certainly don't want you to answer those questions and consider that to be your creed. Remember, a creed is a sort of guideline for living, but it is also completely subjective. Look at Wooden's creed again. The statements there are kind of ambiguous and can be open to interpretation, don't you think? So, when you are doing this, try to keep that in mind. However, it is precisely BECAUSE the statements are ambiguous that you will have to explain what you mean by them, what they mean to you and why you chose them. Always the why.
What you are basically doing is creating a blueprint by which you can live your life. YOUR life. Nobody else's.
After all, who is more important than you?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tanks, Tanks!
So, yesterday, a beautiful day indeed, found me walking a trail I had never seen before with my dog, Josie, faithfully traipsing by my side. I suppose that doesn't sound particularly noteworthy, except for the fact that this trail I had never seen before exists on my property. [As a sidebar, I live on 123 acres of property, most of which consists of woods and a pretty little lake that I like to refer to as "Lake Bunj."]
So, in any case, there I am, walking with Josie when I see an opening in the woods that opens up to a trail, so immediately I want to explore it.
Which started me thinking and drawing parallels. For instance, the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc. Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops. I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't be here, in room 204, typing out this blog.
And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for? Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is. But what I want you to do here is go a little deeper. I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis. I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.
Use the force.
(450-500 words/60pts)
So, in any case, there I am, walking with Josie when I see an opening in the woods that opens up to a trail, so immediately I want to explore it.
Which started me thinking and drawing parallels. For instance, the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc. Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops. I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't be here, in room 204, typing out this blog.
And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for? Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is. But what I want you to do here is go a little deeper. I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis. I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.
Use the force.
(450-500 words/60pts)
Monday, November 16, 2009
F.alse E.vidence A.ppearing R.eal
Over the past few months, we have begun the process of trying to make sense of who we are, what we believe and what morals, values and ideas we are trying to develop. Doing this, while sometimes extremely stressful and dare I say even aggravating, is an integral part of determining our place in the world. For those of you sitting at your computers week after week, cursing me to the fiery pits of the abyss for coming up with questions that make your brains bleed, please know that the reasons above are my motivation. Now, with that said, onto this week's brain blaster!
"You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith."
First, in your own words, interpret that quote from Mary Manin Morrissey.
Now that your interpretation is finished, and again, in your own words, ones that make the most sense to you, define for me the idea of "fear." It means different things to different people; what does it mean to you?
What is your biggest fear? What keeps you awake at night?
Is whatever your fear now the same as it was when you were a sophomore, a freshmen, an eighth-grader? How has the idea of fear evolved for you? What do you notice about the evolution? From where do you think this fear comes?
How often do you stop yourself from doing something because of fear? Do you ever regret not doing what you wanted to do?
When, if ever, is fear a good thing to feel? Why?
How do you deal with it?
A lot of scary questions, I know. Do your best.
(450-500 words/60pts)
"You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith."
First, in your own words, interpret that quote from Mary Manin Morrissey.
Now that your interpretation is finished, and again, in your own words, ones that make the most sense to you, define for me the idea of "fear." It means different things to different people; what does it mean to you?
What is your biggest fear? What keeps you awake at night?
Is whatever your fear now the same as it was when you were a sophomore, a freshmen, an eighth-grader? How has the idea of fear evolved for you? What do you notice about the evolution? From where do you think this fear comes?
How often do you stop yourself from doing something because of fear? Do you ever regret not doing what you wanted to do?
When, if ever, is fear a good thing to feel? Why?
How do you deal with it?
A lot of scary questions, I know. Do your best.
(450-500 words/60pts)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Define This....If You Can...
Warning: You cannot respond to this blog in less than 15 minutes. Manage your time wisely, poppets.
We've been together for...what? Approximately 12 weeks or so, right? So, I think we have reached that point where we can really start to do some introspective reflection. So, although I cannot make you do this, I would like you to minimize all distractions while you think about this blog. Exercise your right to have "You" time, put away your iPods, cell phones and Wii remotes and for the sake of all that's holy--close Facebook!
Every day, you wake up, go through your morning rituals, come to school, do your thing(s), go home, go through your evening rituals and then go to bed. There are obviously some variations to this routine from time to time, and I am not trying to downplay your life in any way by making it sound mundane; that is not the idea here. What I am saying is, that through all of this, these daily activities, rituals and routines people interact with you. They talk to you, refer to you, question you, yell at you, soothe you, talk about you, defer to you or, in some cases, though hopefully not many, ignore you completely. The point is, they KNOW who you are, at least enough to do one or more of the previous things. But, when you stop to think about it, do they really know? And, more importantly, do YOU?
Beyond names, job titles or academic accomplishments, beyond labels given by yourself or by others, beyond traits and hobbies and virtues... who are you? Who are you inside? If you had to write your name, and then your definition, what would it say?(substantive response/50pts)
We've been together for...what? Approximately 12 weeks or so, right? So, I think we have reached that point where we can really start to do some introspective reflection. So, although I cannot make you do this, I would like you to minimize all distractions while you think about this blog. Exercise your right to have "You" time, put away your iPods, cell phones and Wii remotes and for the sake of all that's holy--close Facebook!
Every day, you wake up, go through your morning rituals, come to school, do your thing(s), go home, go through your evening rituals and then go to bed. There are obviously some variations to this routine from time to time, and I am not trying to downplay your life in any way by making it sound mundane; that is not the idea here. What I am saying is, that through all of this, these daily activities, rituals and routines people interact with you. They talk to you, refer to you, question you, yell at you, soothe you, talk about you, defer to you or, in some cases, though hopefully not many, ignore you completely. The point is, they KNOW who you are, at least enough to do one or more of the previous things. But, when you stop to think about it, do they really know? And, more importantly, do YOU?
Beyond names, job titles or academic accomplishments, beyond labels given by yourself or by others, beyond traits and hobbies and virtues... who are you? Who are you inside? If you had to write your name, and then your definition, what would it say?(substantive response/50pts)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Last Guys Don't Finish Nice
I am feeling a bit cynical this evening, pumpkins, and for that, I apologize; I think that my internal struggle with cynicism may have influenced this week's intellectual proposition. I shall let you be the judge, however, as to whether or not this was a good or a bad thing.
As many of you know, and if you didn't you do now, I am not that into people. There are a select few I would ever willingly share time with, and more often than not, it shows. Now, before I go any further, I feel it pertinent to actually define what I mean when I say "people." (sidebar: the fact that we are about to start the Definition Mode unit is simply serendipity!) So, here it goes, for lack of a more...academic definition: PEOPLE: Individuals who are not kids or animals, mostly over the age of 25 and under the age of 80.
And there you have it--the definition of people in the world of Cassie Bunje.
This rather pessimistic and certainly asocial view of the human race is not something with which I was born, however, I feel that it began cultivating itself at a rather young age. My childhood was not one to be looked back upon wistfully, and it didn't really get much better as I grew into young adulthood. This was due, almost entirely, to my interactions with and observations of, you guessed it--people. In fact, until I became a teacher, I held out very little hope that I would ever be able to gaze upon the face of another human being without a hint of scorn, mistrust or distaste. True story. Truth be told, and this is not me being dramatic at all--you could probably accurately say that teaching saved my soul. More on that later.
So, in my reading today, I happened upon an interesting quote. I would like you to read and reflect on this quote and tell me what you come up with in terms of whether or not you agree with what it says, and what it even means. As always, qualify your answer with an anecdote of personal experience to help illustrate the point you are making.
Here it is:
"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."
Have fun, poppets...
(450 words/50pts)
As many of you know, and if you didn't you do now, I am not that into people. There are a select few I would ever willingly share time with, and more often than not, it shows. Now, before I go any further, I feel it pertinent to actually define what I mean when I say "people." (sidebar: the fact that we are about to start the Definition Mode unit is simply serendipity!) So, here it goes, for lack of a more...academic definition: PEOPLE: Individuals who are not kids or animals, mostly over the age of 25 and under the age of 80.
And there you have it--the definition of people in the world of Cassie Bunje.
This rather pessimistic and certainly asocial view of the human race is not something with which I was born, however, I feel that it began cultivating itself at a rather young age. My childhood was not one to be looked back upon wistfully, and it didn't really get much better as I grew into young adulthood. This was due, almost entirely, to my interactions with and observations of, you guessed it--people. In fact, until I became a teacher, I held out very little hope that I would ever be able to gaze upon the face of another human being without a hint of scorn, mistrust or distaste. True story. Truth be told, and this is not me being dramatic at all--you could probably accurately say that teaching saved my soul. More on that later.
So, in my reading today, I happened upon an interesting quote. I would like you to read and reflect on this quote and tell me what you come up with in terms of whether or not you agree with what it says, and what it even means. As always, qualify your answer with an anecdote of personal experience to help illustrate the point you are making.
Here it is:
"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."
Have fun, poppets...
(450 words/50pts)
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