Punch Those Darn Keys

Need to Write

For some reason I have it in my head that I need to #write. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to write a book on basketball. My problem has always been my belief that it needed to be great and the thought, “who would want to read something I wrote?”

Well, it doesn’t have to be great and nobody has to read it. Plus I’ve moved past the desire to write a basketball book and now I just need to write. I need a creative release.

So now I’m just ‘punching those darn keys’. At least I’m punching the keys on my iPhone and feeling relieved. The relief is from the burden of doing nothing and finally putting pen to paper (or actually thumb to screen).

To top it off, I’m using a writing app that I keep meaning to use and investigate. So many toys, so little time.

Is Minecraft the future of education?

The question of whether Minecraft is the future is may be a little specific, but I do believe it’s a great one. According to the article on CIO.com, the question should be, “The fundamental question we should be asking children as they grow up is no longer what they want to “be” but rather what they would like to “do”. “

I agree with the premise of both questions. It is my believe that games like Minecraft are the future of education. It is also my opinion that we need to focus more on the “do” than the “be” when it comes to the future of our students.

Why do I think Minecraft is the future of education? Simply put, games, especially video games, lay the foundation of a growth mindset and help to create the critical thinking skills that are so sorely needed in today’s youth.

How many times have you heard a student say math is too hard? Or I really don’t like Reading? To many to count I am sure. But give those same students a difficult task inside a game that requires math and reading and they will play until they figure it out.

What gives? It’s the “doing” that is different. When doing a math problem or reading a specific passage, there is no real reason to do it. Both lack a sense of authenticity that our students need and yearn for. Games give them that authenticity.

As for the “being”, I am in my mid fifties and I like to say I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. But I do know I love to try new things and share my experiences with others. I also love helping others reach their dreams.

Sounds to me like I like doing over being, and our kids are the same.

Is Minecraft the future of education? No, it’s the present and it’s time for others to jump in the sand box and play with us!

Doing Life

One of my favorite things about being a teacher is doing life with kids.  I feel as if I was put on the earth to take part in this grand experiment of helping middle schoolers through what I feel is the most difficult portion of their lives.  And doing life with them is how I do it.

What is “doing life”?  It’s really simple, going through the daily trials and tribulations of pre-puberty, puberty and post puberty.  Or maybe even simpler, I walk beside them and try to feel what they feel (I’m really just a big kid who still doesn’t know what I want to be when I grow up).  Need simpler? I do life, what ever that is, without judgement and with empathy.

When they need a cheerleader, I cheer.  When they need a laugh, I tell stupid jokes.  When they need a push to get started I tell them to stop picking their nose and eating boogers. But most of all, I allow them to get through the day and be a kid, because that is truly the most important thing my students should be.

In today’s world everything is fast forward (I’m still traumatized by all day kindergarten).  We forget what it’s like to get home, have dinner at a table with our family and then watch TV (with our family) until it’s time to go to bed (9 pm when I was a kid).  And who could forget those special days when, because you were ‘good’, you got a bottle of pop or a handful of penny candy from Murphy’s on the corner.

I miss those days (and my Grandma Murphy) so I try to slow things down, be more like her and let those darn kids do life.

Now that I think about it, maybe I’m not doing life with them…maybe they’re doing life with me.

RAIN

This has been on my mind for a while now and the day of our first snow of the season felt like a great day to let my fingers do the talking.

Recently we had a stretch of rain in my area and I was forced to take a walk on one of the days we were blessed with the wet stuff.  It was during this jaunt I finally figured out why I like rain.

Over the years, some of my favorite activities have taken place during a rain.  Like the time I shot 39 in a down pour.  Or that time I made it home from a run just as the storm hit (trees were down everywhere) and I got soaked.  Then there is that time we drove home in a torrential weather system, hail and all, moving along at 35 MPH and probably still going too fast.

There are many more moments like these but I’ll spare you the trip down memory lane.  The point of this is to share with you how I finally figured out why I enjoy rain during my most recent adventure.

What I realized was thatnduring all of those events, the isolation forced upon me through the curtain of rain was in fact a meditating experience.  I know this now because recently I began my journey of mindfulness practice and the similarities between them are striking.

The calm, quiet focus of that round of golf is unforgettable.  Even though I was in a foursome, I was alone because of the rain.  Dripping water off of the bill of my cap placed a wall between my companions and me.  The solituted was incredible.  I was able to eliminate the chatter of meaningless conversation (with my playing partners, but also myself) and elevate my concentration.

The rainstorm I almost beat home was a similar experience.  I could see the clouds move in and feel the still in the air.  Instead of focusing on the aches and pains of the run, I focused on being efficient and beating the storm.  Although I did get drenched, I felt like I still won the race.  The calm I felt as I pushed my body to it’s limits was exhilirating.

Back to my recent walk in the rain.  Once again, rain drops were creating a wall of solitude, this time off of my umbrella.  I was getting wet on the edges of my body, my feet, my elbows, my knees.  Just the places I couldn’t get covered adequatly.  But the dampness was a reminder that it was the elements and me.

In that moment of solitude, I realized I was meditating.  I was following my breath and focusing only on it.  Time slipped away and I was transported back to the time I was running with a buddy and the sound of his breath and my ability to focus on it, gave me the greatest feeling I have ever experienced.

My practice will get me there again, but this time it will be my breath and I will be dry.

All Full Up

It won’t be long and we’ll be sitting around a table, looking at the mounds of food in front of us and trying to decide the right way to sample a little of everything.  If you are anything like me, you try a lot of everything, go back for seconds of your favorite, get stuffed to the gills and repeat the process with the pie and whipped cream.

Miserable, we loosen our belts, recline in our seats and hit the snore button.  Only to wake up in the middle of a meaninless football game with indigestion and a pit in our stomach, too full to even think about leftovers.  Why are we so gluttonous?

We won’t go down the path of gluttony, but I do wonder if there is a relationship to what ails us.  Regardless, the reason I’m here today is because my love of learning is a lot like my Thanksgiving apetite…bigger than my capabilites.

At this moment in time, I have at least twenty books which are on a book shelf, unread and begging for attention.  Add to that the numerous books on my Kindle and Audible apps, the umpteen Youtube videos I have bookmarked, dozens of podcasts and how many DIY projects I want to try.  Did I mention I dream of building a house from the ground up and I want to run another marathon?

Yep, my capabilities are overwhelmed by my percieved abilities.  Granted, it doesn’t help that I am ADD, but on the bright side I am well medicated.  My biggest struggle is even when my meds kick in and I decide to start, I feel like I’m all full up.  Then all I want to do is hit the snore button and lay back in my recliner.

So what’s the solution?  Believe it or not I do have a solution… PRIORITIZE.  Easier said than done, I know, but at least I know what to do.  It’s just so difficult.  Just like the first time through the line on Thanksgiving, I struggle with saying no.

But this year it’s going to be different.  Bye-bye mashed potatoes.  So long green bean casserole.  No more salad with the mini-marshmallows.  It’s turkey, stuffing, candied yams and gravey for me.

That is after I take the advice of an old friend who told be years ago how to beat the bloated belly of Thanksgiving.  It’s really the ultimate in prioritzation. So ridiculously simple I am stunned it’s not a tradition everywhere.

What is this secret of all secrets?  Eat your desert first.

Now, pass the whipped cream while I decide exactly which of my dreams is the pumpkin pie of my learning deserts!