Star Trek

I just watched "The Drumhead" (Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 21).

This episode epitomizes why I value this series so much. The writers were able to create timeless content surrounding topics of moral and ethical conduct. It amazes me that our world has made so many strides and yet the same pitfalls remain. If you have not watched Star Trek in a while and think you might have time for an episode, I would encourage you to consider this one.

Community

Ukiah has been wonderful but it isn't really on the way to anywhere and at times a feel a bit isolated. For the most part I enjoy the feeling of being off in my own little corner of the world but sometimes you need a bit more. During the last two weeks I have had the blessing of being surrounded by friends and family from all over. I especially enjoyed seeing a few people that I haven't seen in a very long time, meeting some of Laura's family, and spending time with my siblings. Life is all about community. Our community helps us to grow and mature from when we are born to when we die.

On another note, I always get really nervous going to church the Sunday closest to the 4th of July. I always get a sinking feeling in my stomach when I see churches hung with flags. While I have political and religious objections to our churches forgetting that separation of church and state was meant to go both ways and that I don't pledge my allegiance to anything but God (included our flag) I was pleased with how our church here in Ukiah handled this day. With a respectful nod, a challenge to how we live out our faith and our patriotism (if we have it), and a wonderful hymn.

This Is My Song

Lloyd Stone

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

a song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;

but other hearts in other lands are beating

with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;

but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,

a song of peace for their land and for mine.

I have found my place

While I do not know what the future holds for me I know that this is where I want to be. I have successfully finished my first year of teaching without too many sleepless nights or emotional breakdowns. While I didn't avoid the constant sickness that comes from the exhaustion of a first year teacher I was spared many of the darker sides of teaching. I have a wonderfully supportive principle who was always understanding and supportive (even when I made mistakes). I have a wonderful mentor who cares about his students so passionately that I can't help but want to be a better teacher. I also think that it is awesome that he takes me to the driving range on occasion. The staff at our school truly believes that we can make a difference in these students lives. While I must admit to complaining occasionally I am happy that my complaints have to do with personality quirks and minor differences. I have no doubts that every single one of our teachers are completely committed to the students. I work in a school that cares and follows through on their desire to make our school a safe place for students to learn and thrive.

I hadn't even finished my last two weeks of school before I was planning for the next! I am so excited to be teaching the same classes next year plus two more sections of P.E. Not only do I have all of my curriculum, I can focus on making my teaching and my lessons better instead of starting from scratch. I will also get to coach our school's first sport (Track and Field).

Also.... a shameless plug for a project that I am working on. I am hopeful that I can get enough outside funding to purchase heart rate monitors and pedometers so that I can do a semester long unit on personal fitness with my P.E. classes. I know that this technology will be outside of the reach of my budget but I think it would be a great addition to our program. I used heart rate monitors while I was teaching P.E. to the Moderate to Severe class at Somerset and they were awesome! I would love to be able to use these tools again. You can donate to help me out by clicking here and using the promo code INSPIRE to have your donation matched up to $100. If you don't want to, that's fine too. You don't need to feel obligated.

Knowing me I won't post again until the fall. So, have a wonderful summer!

Renewal

When I was in high school spring break generally meant that I could spend extra time working on debate without my mom hassling me about getting my math and science done as well. In college it was a time to catch up on school and chores while fitting in some time to hang out with friends who had traveled back to Modesto for break. This year spring break has had an entirely new meaning.

After teaching for eight months this has been the first week where I went more than one day without looking at school. Thanks to being sick I went several days. Laura and I spent the first part of the week catching up on the cleaning that has fallen by the wayside but we also planted a garden, pruned some trees, watched the rain, spent time with my mother, had friends over for games, baked, did taxes, talked with friends and family on the phone, and hiked through a flooded redwood forest.

My "to do" list has been reduced to a much smaller (and mostly not stressful) list but more importantly I had some time this week to be thankful for everything that I have. I get so busy trying to do my best at two jobs that I love (teaching Middle School P.E. and coaching gymnastics) that I often forget about all of the other wonderful things around me. This year has been good. I can confidently say that this last year has been one of the best. I miss my family terribly. I am missing out on my solace's "firsts" (though videos help a bit). But I am whole here. I have meaning and purpose in life. I have a role to play at both of my jobs, in my church, in my community, and at home. This must be what life is about.