Did you read that? That is totally, utterly, disastrously ridiculous. How is the younger generation supposed to "lead the future" if they can't even get a decent education for a decent price. Hey Government, if you really want to fix our nation - if you really want to be able to compete against those upcoming countries called China and India - maybe you should think abut cutting education costs. China has their college yearly costs (including books, boarding, etc.) at $400-$2200 (http://www.foreigncredits.com/Articles/the-cost-of-college-in-china-60.htm). Wow. Perhaps instead of focusing on foreign relations, you should focus on American education. I rather would like that, thank you.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Chocolate and Media
Today is 9/11. As much as this will probably irritate people, honestly, I don't feel much today. Yes, I remember the day it happened and I remember watching amazed as the scene of two planes crashing into two huge towers replayed over and over on TV. I remember where I was and I remember everyone's reaction. But I was miles away. 9/11 didn't happen to me - I wasn't in the towers, I wasn't in New York, I didn't have any family or friends affected by the tragedy. So how did I understand that it was tragic? By the media. The media sensationalized this event - replaying the scene over and over. They dragging the event out and blowing its significance up by millions, especially today on its 10th anniversary. Time magazine printed out a commemorative issue filled with pictures of smoky faced firefighters and children who lost parents. Even the comic section of the newspaper was full of 9/11 - Baby Blues featured a single square where Baby Wren stacks building blocks into two towers.
The one thing I would think an enemy of the United States would love to see is the country being shattered by their deeds. Think of a terrorist group like a baby - it will shout when it knows that you will pay attention to it when it does so. I fear that the media has fallen right into the terrorists' hands in this way - by sensationalizing 9/11 and making it seem like it impacted more people than it actually did. Won't they be inspired by this? Won't they repeat it? They already found our weak point - knowing that we would make a big deal out of a significant anniversary (10) the US were tipped about yet another threat in New York on the same day. Suppose the news had been quiet. Trust me, we would all remember still - the event would be written in history books, would it not? But I would see the United States that is able to grow and mend; one that is incapable of being broken so easily; one that gives no media 'fame' for disgusting terrorism acts and therefore discourages it altogether.
Perhaps I have now alienated three quarters of the American population. But I write about this for a reason. I am angry at the American media. 9/11 is one example of its mistake. Another example is something that shook me to the core - my own personal September 11th, 2001.
I was teaching a class of young boys ages 7-10. They were working on a project to create a game with a certain program I was teaching at the time. We went through step one which was deciding the theme of the game they wanted to create. I went around to each student asking what they would like to do. Most of them were normal - a maze or a pacman sort of game. And then I was blown away. One youngster told me that he wanted to create a game where there is a person who goes around shooting people and then at the end, he kills himself. He then laughed. The boy sitting next to him overheard and started laughing as well. He asked me if he could change his game so it was the same.
At the time, I was so shocked that all I could do was tell another instructor and have the other instructor go and talk to them about this. I honestly believe that they wouldn't do such a thing in real life, but you know what, I couldn't know. They were good kids. At this point, I believe now that its all because of what they see on TV. Please tell me which kid doesn't want to be famous... when kids see that people who do that kind of stuff get TV time, they think nothing of it. The media is to blame for making events such as these seem so important and so relevant when in reality, most of us don't cannot understand the emotions that actually occur for those who are first hand witnesses. So it makes us immune. And for little kids, these events are misunderstood to be important. What happened to the good old days when kids played with see-saws and swings? Why must life revolve around guns and bombs?
What we really need in this country is a media revolution. Let media be the parents and the American public be the kids. Don't feed us what we want - candy and marshmallows. Feed us the broccoli and spinach. Give us happy news and emphasize that. Give us educational news that makes us smarter and more prepared to lead the nation. Don't you feel embarrassed broadcasting crap about the latest Kardashian outing? Is that reflective of what we want to be? As a warning, we will scream. We will be begging for that old stuff. But you know what's best right? Think long run, not short. I conclude with a small metaphor: I used to love white chocolate and milk chocolate, full of butter, sugar and milk. But after reading articles I found the benefits of dark chocolate and started eating it. My god it was bitter. But now what has happened? I cannot stand white or milk chocolate. Dark chocolate grew on me over time - its bitter taste is now pure and wholesome to my tongue. Teach me to love wholesome news. Ditch the sensationalism, once and for all!
The one thing I would think an enemy of the United States would love to see is the country being shattered by their deeds. Think of a terrorist group like a baby - it will shout when it knows that you will pay attention to it when it does so. I fear that the media has fallen right into the terrorists' hands in this way - by sensationalizing 9/11 and making it seem like it impacted more people than it actually did. Won't they be inspired by this? Won't they repeat it? They already found our weak point - knowing that we would make a big deal out of a significant anniversary (10) the US were tipped about yet another threat in New York on the same day. Suppose the news had been quiet. Trust me, we would all remember still - the event would be written in history books, would it not? But I would see the United States that is able to grow and mend; one that is incapable of being broken so easily; one that gives no media 'fame' for disgusting terrorism acts and therefore discourages it altogether.
Perhaps I have now alienated three quarters of the American population. But I write about this for a reason. I am angry at the American media. 9/11 is one example of its mistake. Another example is something that shook me to the core - my own personal September 11th, 2001.
I was teaching a class of young boys ages 7-10. They were working on a project to create a game with a certain program I was teaching at the time. We went through step one which was deciding the theme of the game they wanted to create. I went around to each student asking what they would like to do. Most of them were normal - a maze or a pacman sort of game. And then I was blown away. One youngster told me that he wanted to create a game where there is a person who goes around shooting people and then at the end, he kills himself. He then laughed. The boy sitting next to him overheard and started laughing as well. He asked me if he could change his game so it was the same.
At the time, I was so shocked that all I could do was tell another instructor and have the other instructor go and talk to them about this. I honestly believe that they wouldn't do such a thing in real life, but you know what, I couldn't know. They were good kids. At this point, I believe now that its all because of what they see on TV. Please tell me which kid doesn't want to be famous... when kids see that people who do that kind of stuff get TV time, they think nothing of it. The media is to blame for making events such as these seem so important and so relevant when in reality, most of us don't cannot understand the emotions that actually occur for those who are first hand witnesses. So it makes us immune. And for little kids, these events are misunderstood to be important. What happened to the good old days when kids played with see-saws and swings? Why must life revolve around guns and bombs?
What we really need in this country is a media revolution. Let media be the parents and the American public be the kids. Don't feed us what we want - candy and marshmallows. Feed us the broccoli and spinach. Give us happy news and emphasize that. Give us educational news that makes us smarter and more prepared to lead the nation. Don't you feel embarrassed broadcasting crap about the latest Kardashian outing? Is that reflective of what we want to be? As a warning, we will scream. We will be begging for that old stuff. But you know what's best right? Think long run, not short. I conclude with a small metaphor: I used to love white chocolate and milk chocolate, full of butter, sugar and milk. But after reading articles I found the benefits of dark chocolate and started eating it. My god it was bitter. But now what has happened? I cannot stand white or milk chocolate. Dark chocolate grew on me over time - its bitter taste is now pure and wholesome to my tongue. Teach me to love wholesome news. Ditch the sensationalism, once and for all!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Dang
There are no other words. Dang its been a while. I wish I had the time to write every single day. Become someone else in writing and vent all those emotions that otherwise are bottled down. I am fairly good at managing emotions (I have to be for my profession) but I have learned that keeping them down for too long can be harmful. I run, I write. It keeps me sane. But a good job always helps. I have decided that I will never subject myself to a job that I cannot enjoy. I work long hours at the job I have now, but I do not complain. I love it to death and I would do cartwheels if required. I will sign off very soon because I must but before I do, I want to say a little something for everyone reading this post. Love your job. It might be dull and boring. But finding that little silver lining in the dark cloud is the best thing you can do. You should love what you do with your life. It is your life after all. Take care of it well. Take care of you always.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Creativity Moments
When do you get your best ideas for anything? I've noticed that sometimes, actually most of the time, the best ideas for new posts come right before I go to bed - just before I nod off. It's a little annoying because most of the time, I tend to forget in the morning what that idea was but I remember that whatever it was, it was good.
I had a good idea for a post last night - and like the usual I forgot. Oops :) So I thought anyway I'd do a little research on how people generate ideas.
Occasionally, I am competent enough that I remember these late night ideas; when it happens (which is extremely rare) I write them down in the morning. I even have a friend who actually keeps a notebook next to her bed so that she can write them down. I fear that if I did the same, I would probably end up not going to bed at all and peruse the ideas all night long. Once I get started, it's hard for me to stop. But it's interesting to see that I never get this fountain of ideas in the daytime - so I did a little research.
According to an UK AOL My Daily article (http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2010/11/14/sleep-think-more-creatively/) it turns out that the brain reorganizes and reconfigures memory while you sleep. Interesting because a computer actually acts in a similar way. You know that defragmentation program you can run manually? Did you know on most modern computers it runs in the middle of the night? Kinda cute comparison. Not sure which came first, though... the computer or the human mind???
Another interesting article I read was on CBS (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/21/tech/main594879.shtml). This article had an interesting paragraph on how Dmitri Mendeleev came up with the periodic table of elements that scientists still use today. Apparently, he had gotten frustrated for many days and suddenly he woke up to this new idea. Lucky guy!
As crazy as it sounds, it strikes a familiar chord with what I have experienced. I don't think of physical things when I sleep - it's just new ideas and not just limited to posts and things. Very frequently, the things I think of are problems that I had been solving for an entire day. For example, I did some programming the other day and couldn't debug the program. In my sleep (or perhaps right before) I thought of the error. Maybe I am just imagining it, but it turned out that error did cause the problem. So basically, all I did was think in a different way outside of the box. According to both articles, this seems plausible. A little daunting though when it happens in real life. Almost like an out of body experience.
Oh well... what is the message to take away from this post? I guess it is to go and get a good night sleep! And I think I'll do mine just now :) Night!
I had a good idea for a post last night - and like the usual I forgot. Oops :) So I thought anyway I'd do a little research on how people generate ideas.
Occasionally, I am competent enough that I remember these late night ideas; when it happens (which is extremely rare) I write them down in the morning. I even have a friend who actually keeps a notebook next to her bed so that she can write them down. I fear that if I did the same, I would probably end up not going to bed at all and peruse the ideas all night long. Once I get started, it's hard for me to stop. But it's interesting to see that I never get this fountain of ideas in the daytime - so I did a little research.
According to an UK AOL My Daily article (http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2010/11/14/sleep-think-more-creatively/) it turns out that the brain reorganizes and reconfigures memory while you sleep. Interesting because a computer actually acts in a similar way. You know that defragmentation program you can run manually? Did you know on most modern computers it runs in the middle of the night? Kinda cute comparison. Not sure which came first, though... the computer or the human mind???
Another interesting article I read was on CBS (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/21/tech/main594879.shtml). This article had an interesting paragraph on how Dmitri Mendeleev came up with the periodic table of elements that scientists still use today. Apparently, he had gotten frustrated for many days and suddenly he woke up to this new idea. Lucky guy!
As crazy as it sounds, it strikes a familiar chord with what I have experienced. I don't think of physical things when I sleep - it's just new ideas and not just limited to posts and things. Very frequently, the things I think of are problems that I had been solving for an entire day. For example, I did some programming the other day and couldn't debug the program. In my sleep (or perhaps right before) I thought of the error. Maybe I am just imagining it, but it turned out that error did cause the problem. So basically, all I did was think in a different way outside of the box. According to both articles, this seems plausible. A little daunting though when it happens in real life. Almost like an out of body experience.
Oh well... what is the message to take away from this post? I guess it is to go and get a good night sleep! And I think I'll do mine just now :) Night!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Facebook Abstinence
I read a post recently (sorry, I forget whose it was) that talked about the appropriateness of "friending" various types of people on facebook and how that line is sometimes a bit shady.
I don't have a Facebook. Occasionally, I have had doubts about staying away from Facebook. Many of my friends have Facebook pages and have tried to convince me to join. I have never actually faced peer pressure that much before and my god, it is one of the hardest things to not succumb to especially if it is not something too dangerous that they are pressuring. But after reading innumerable accounts of haywire posts on Facebook and this last post that I mentioned I am certain that I have made the right decision. I'd like to share.
My number one point that I dislike about Facebook is what bugs a lot of people - privacy. I don't care about what the company says about improving security settings and all that. Unfortunately I can google peoples' names and find posts of theirs on Facebook even though I cannot access their account. On more than one instance that I tried this, I found a post that potential employers probably would not like to read. It is very difficult to make Facebook like email where only people you trust can see what you so openly and casually write. Many people consider Facebook as their primary means of communication between close friends and family. It's great, but it's dangerous. Not everything that you share with your family should be shared with your friends and vice versa. Sometimes what you want to share is to a very nit-picky set of people and Facebook doesn't allow that. It is way too easy to just post something and realize later the consequences of it, even though it had no value.
From what I have heard about Facebook, many people use it to share photos. Why not use some other tool for that? Picasa or Jalbum or the sort? For writing, I just simply disagree that Facebook is the proper form. Not only does it break down lines of privacy, but it also breaks down any intimacy. I remember even when email came out, people thought that was totally emotionless writing. It is why that when I thank people for anything, I handwrite my notes. Now Facebook is overpowering email. Email has more intimacy than Facebook. When I email a friend about something that has happened in my life that has caused a certain amount of emotional turbulence, the stuff I write is most definitely something cringe-worthy. However, I have that sense of relationship with that friend and I know that it will not be forwarded to the rest of the world. What we wrote stays between us forever. Not so with Facebook. If I were to do the same, who knows who will read that post? And by the time you realize, it may be too late.
So, I guess that last point stresses first impressions. Jumping to conclusions is something Facebook stresses because of its open nature. To those who use Facebook, I wish I could tell you to be careful, but you will not heed my advice. It leads me into my next point which is how it allows youngsters to register even though they are at an age that they know nothing about the cruelty of the world. They do not know or understand these intimate emotions and I personally think it is detrimental to their mental learning. Brevity is not always the best for writing. Good writing is eloquent and engaging. Good writing incite emotions in people while brevity kills them. Youngsters do not realize what impact writing can have and by allowing them input it to the world at such a young age, we are being careless. Protect them a little while longer. We should teach them how to write before we allow them to join the ultimate social network.
My last point about Facebook is one that a lot of people don't understand. I like having a few, close friends not tons of impersonal ones. To me, having one hundred people friend you on Facebook is more of a way to increase your self esteem. It makes you feel popular. Temporarily. What I enjoy from my friends is respect for being me. I can be me and they like it that way. My nuances and glitches are apparent to my friends and they accept me for that. To me, friends are the greatest gift. I can honestly contact them anytime when I need help. They are there to support me because they believe in me. And I only have a few. If a friend is worth keeping, then it shouldn't have to be kept over Facebook. Someone who randomly contacts you 20 years later on Facebook isn't one worth keeping in my opinion. I would like my friends to stand by me the whole time - even if it means that we do not have constant contact. A friendship bond should be bigger than contact - it is about giving something up for that person and being there when he/she needs it the most. Other than that, friends are more of acquaintances. People that I say hi to if I see them.
Perhaps I am bit harsh on what I expect from friends but I do not hesitate to say that I would do the same for them. For these reasons, I am extremely proud and happy that I have been obstinate about not getting a Facebook page. And guess what? I never have to complain about how addicting it is! I can put my time into something more meaningful... perhaps another post on this blog :)
I don't have a Facebook. Occasionally, I have had doubts about staying away from Facebook. Many of my friends have Facebook pages and have tried to convince me to join. I have never actually faced peer pressure that much before and my god, it is one of the hardest things to not succumb to especially if it is not something too dangerous that they are pressuring. But after reading innumerable accounts of haywire posts on Facebook and this last post that I mentioned I am certain that I have made the right decision. I'd like to share.
My number one point that I dislike about Facebook is what bugs a lot of people - privacy. I don't care about what the company says about improving security settings and all that. Unfortunately I can google peoples' names and find posts of theirs on Facebook even though I cannot access their account. On more than one instance that I tried this, I found a post that potential employers probably would not like to read. It is very difficult to make Facebook like email where only people you trust can see what you so openly and casually write. Many people consider Facebook as their primary means of communication between close friends and family. It's great, but it's dangerous. Not everything that you share with your family should be shared with your friends and vice versa. Sometimes what you want to share is to a very nit-picky set of people and Facebook doesn't allow that. It is way too easy to just post something and realize later the consequences of it, even though it had no value.
From what I have heard about Facebook, many people use it to share photos. Why not use some other tool for that? Picasa or Jalbum or the sort? For writing, I just simply disagree that Facebook is the proper form. Not only does it break down lines of privacy, but it also breaks down any intimacy. I remember even when email came out, people thought that was totally emotionless writing. It is why that when I thank people for anything, I handwrite my notes. Now Facebook is overpowering email. Email has more intimacy than Facebook. When I email a friend about something that has happened in my life that has caused a certain amount of emotional turbulence, the stuff I write is most definitely something cringe-worthy. However, I have that sense of relationship with that friend and I know that it will not be forwarded to the rest of the world. What we wrote stays between us forever. Not so with Facebook. If I were to do the same, who knows who will read that post? And by the time you realize, it may be too late.
So, I guess that last point stresses first impressions. Jumping to conclusions is something Facebook stresses because of its open nature. To those who use Facebook, I wish I could tell you to be careful, but you will not heed my advice. It leads me into my next point which is how it allows youngsters to register even though they are at an age that they know nothing about the cruelty of the world. They do not know or understand these intimate emotions and I personally think it is detrimental to their mental learning. Brevity is not always the best for writing. Good writing is eloquent and engaging. Good writing incite emotions in people while brevity kills them. Youngsters do not realize what impact writing can have and by allowing them input it to the world at such a young age, we are being careless. Protect them a little while longer. We should teach them how to write before we allow them to join the ultimate social network.
My last point about Facebook is one that a lot of people don't understand. I like having a few, close friends not tons of impersonal ones. To me, having one hundred people friend you on Facebook is more of a way to increase your self esteem. It makes you feel popular. Temporarily. What I enjoy from my friends is respect for being me. I can be me and they like it that way. My nuances and glitches are apparent to my friends and they accept me for that. To me, friends are the greatest gift. I can honestly contact them anytime when I need help. They are there to support me because they believe in me. And I only have a few. If a friend is worth keeping, then it shouldn't have to be kept over Facebook. Someone who randomly contacts you 20 years later on Facebook isn't one worth keeping in my opinion. I would like my friends to stand by me the whole time - even if it means that we do not have constant contact. A friendship bond should be bigger than contact - it is about giving something up for that person and being there when he/she needs it the most. Other than that, friends are more of acquaintances. People that I say hi to if I see them.
Perhaps I am bit harsh on what I expect from friends but I do not hesitate to say that I would do the same for them. For these reasons, I am extremely proud and happy that I have been obstinate about not getting a Facebook page. And guess what? I never have to complain about how addicting it is! I can put my time into something more meaningful... perhaps another post on this blog :)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
It's Really Really Rude
What's rude? Texting.
Haha.... I just noticed that the word "texting" has a red underline in it. Seems kind of ironic that a word we use so frequently and execute so many times as to cause me to vent about it, isn't even a valid word.
I just came back from a friend's debut performance very vexed with what I saw. No, not the performance itself - it was with the way that the younger members of the audience conducted themselves throughout the performance. Texting texting texting. God, they were texting more than probably the top CEOs in the nation do. I was upset by the fact that the friend had spent a good amount of time working her ass off to make this performance a successful one and these inconsiderate young girls spent the entire time glued to their phones and not even bothering to look at what was going on on stage. The entire time. I am not kidding. At least they sat up in the balcony of the performance hall, but there were people (like me) behind them because they sat in the first row. It was extremely rude of them to have their smart phones constantly lit up and do the whole flying fingers thing which was extremely distracting for me. I really wanted to thwack their heads with my program flyer!
So I guess the key thing is that there are no etiquette rules to texting and there should be. I never got a phone until I really needed one and even then, I was not allowed to text. I got texting, again, when I truly needed it - when I was actually leading projects in college and for other reasonable and practical reasons. Looking back, I am ridiculously glad that I did that. I cannot believe the girls' ignorance when it comes down to phones. Scratch that - I cannot believe all teens' addiction to phones. What need is there to be texting that frequently? What need is there, at that age, that they need smart phones with unlimited texting and unlimited data plans to access the internet every where they go? Honestly, I believe it is all a distraction to what they should be concentrating about at that point of their life. Don't mistake me, I am not saying that having a phone is a bad thing - in fact I believe that cellular phones are truly one of the smartest inventions of all times. But like any good thing, too much is just well, too much. I like to compare it to wine - a little is excellent for the heart, but too much caused addiction and poor health.
A normal teen should be having some of the best social life of their lifetimes and should be gearing up to be successful in life by concentrating on excelling at school. They should be in their prime of communication. Texting is not a form of communication. When someone communicates, there should be emotions involved. Words should have meaning and should impact the listener. This even includes one girls physically talking to another girls about a hot new guy at school. With this example, there are emotions involved, hand gestures, and tones. All of which make a memorable conversation. This is communication. You may say that then I characterize blogs and newspapers and magazines as not being communication. No, I say that they are. Why? Because they impact the reader. When bloggers blog and writers write, they do it with some meaning in mind. There is a reason and they wish to impact someone with their writing. So it is good. What impact does it have if someone picks a dozen contacts out of their contact list and texts them "dont have nething 2 do"? Exactly nothing. No impact no nothing. This is useless writing and will get them no where.
I admire parents who limit the amount of texting their children are allowed to do and wish that this rule was universal. There are certain cases where unlimited would be OK but for the majority as far as I have seen, it should be completely and utterly banned. Teens have not yet learned what is considered too much and clearly have not been taught yet on the basic rules of etiquette in life. I was extremely displeased with what I saw today and wish that it did not happen. Perhaps it is time go backwards a little in technology to see the benefits of life without cell phones. But perhaps we have already gone too far.
Haha.... I just noticed that the word "texting" has a red underline in it. Seems kind of ironic that a word we use so frequently and execute so many times as to cause me to vent about it, isn't even a valid word.
I just came back from a friend's debut performance very vexed with what I saw. No, not the performance itself - it was with the way that the younger members of the audience conducted themselves throughout the performance. Texting texting texting. God, they were texting more than probably the top CEOs in the nation do. I was upset by the fact that the friend had spent a good amount of time working her ass off to make this performance a successful one and these inconsiderate young girls spent the entire time glued to their phones and not even bothering to look at what was going on on stage. The entire time. I am not kidding. At least they sat up in the balcony of the performance hall, but there were people (like me) behind them because they sat in the first row. It was extremely rude of them to have their smart phones constantly lit up and do the whole flying fingers thing which was extremely distracting for me. I really wanted to thwack their heads with my program flyer!
So I guess the key thing is that there are no etiquette rules to texting and there should be. I never got a phone until I really needed one and even then, I was not allowed to text. I got texting, again, when I truly needed it - when I was actually leading projects in college and for other reasonable and practical reasons. Looking back, I am ridiculously glad that I did that. I cannot believe the girls' ignorance when it comes down to phones. Scratch that - I cannot believe all teens' addiction to phones. What need is there to be texting that frequently? What need is there, at that age, that they need smart phones with unlimited texting and unlimited data plans to access the internet every where they go? Honestly, I believe it is all a distraction to what they should be concentrating about at that point of their life. Don't mistake me, I am not saying that having a phone is a bad thing - in fact I believe that cellular phones are truly one of the smartest inventions of all times. But like any good thing, too much is just well, too much. I like to compare it to wine - a little is excellent for the heart, but too much caused addiction and poor health.
A normal teen should be having some of the best social life of their lifetimes and should be gearing up to be successful in life by concentrating on excelling at school. They should be in their prime of communication. Texting is not a form of communication. When someone communicates, there should be emotions involved. Words should have meaning and should impact the listener. This even includes one girls physically talking to another girls about a hot new guy at school. With this example, there are emotions involved, hand gestures, and tones. All of which make a memorable conversation. This is communication. You may say that then I characterize blogs and newspapers and magazines as not being communication. No, I say that they are. Why? Because they impact the reader. When bloggers blog and writers write, they do it with some meaning in mind. There is a reason and they wish to impact someone with their writing. So it is good. What impact does it have if someone picks a dozen contacts out of their contact list and texts them "dont have nething 2 do"? Exactly nothing. No impact no nothing. This is useless writing and will get them no where.
I admire parents who limit the amount of texting their children are allowed to do and wish that this rule was universal. There are certain cases where unlimited would be OK but for the majority as far as I have seen, it should be completely and utterly banned. Teens have not yet learned what is considered too much and clearly have not been taught yet on the basic rules of etiquette in life. I was extremely displeased with what I saw today and wish that it did not happen. Perhaps it is time go backwards a little in technology to see the benefits of life without cell phones. But perhaps we have already gone too far.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Most Beautiful Profession
It is an amazing day when you first realize that for the first time in your life, you are proud of an accomplishment. Done by someone else. Although we thing it happens often, think about a time when you saw someone else achieve something and you watch without even a trace of jealousy. Just pure pride. I witness it in two cases only - one is parenting. The other is what I think is the most honorable and truly beautiful profession that anyone can take - and that is teaching. When I first started teaching, honestly, I did it for the money. I wasn't a professional teacher or anything, just a high school student that wanted to make some extra easy cash. But I have grown to love teaching inside and out. There is something remarkable about watching your students grow and know that it was because of you and solely because of your teaching. I have not even begun of thinking about children yet because of my goals to grow professionally, but each student is a child to me. It is one thing to hear about this relationship like this - even in elementary school, teachers always go on about how each class is a class of children. I thought it was all bull. It is not.
What is probably the most revealing aspect of teaching is that is turns selfishness into dust. It is spiritually engaging and mentally clearing. If I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, I think at this point I would say teaching just because of how it affects me mentally. Yesterday I was growling in frustration. After putting on a happy face for my student, a half hour later, I was in great spirits. No lie.
So what is my point? Maybe sometimes we take teaching for granted. However, I feel like becoming a teacher is one of the greatest efforts you can put in towards making society a better place. You take a step towards becoming a better person while changing the world. What more beautiful profession can there be?
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