I pray for wisdom...I pray for wisdom FREQUENTLY. Seems Social Studies is the source of my need for wisdom right now. On Tuesday night our instructor passed out a rubric (a guide for scoring or grading) for a debate. He suggested that we could used this rubric to score a classroom debate, and, HEY, let's use it to score the Presidential Debate which he just happened to run across a web site where we could get live feed in the classroom. A groan went up across the room...I guess everyone feels the same way I do: we're tired of beating our heads against the wall in a conversation that isn't going to change. Regardless, we watched the first 30 minutes of the debate. Afterward, we tried to use the rubric to score both Senator McCain and Senator Obama but it was obvious that few members of the class were able to view the debate without bias. It would work in a classroom where the students haven't yet formed the biases color adult vision.

Sometimes I feel like I can make a strong point in this class, like wisdom just might be seeping into what I'm saying, and other times I just feel like I'm better off not saying anything. Maybe that is wisdom, knowing when to speak and when to remain silent..."How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" (Proverbs 16:16) Good thing that wisdom is more valuable than gold, since I won't be making much gold as a teacher!

Side note: If you watched the Presidential Debate last Tuesday, you probably saw Todd Smith, lead singer of the Christian group Selah. He sat on the front row to the immediate left of Senator McCain. He submitted a question for the debate and was chosen to attend. He met Senator Obama afterward, who asked him what he did. When Todd Smith told him, Senator Obama said he would look up his music when he got home. Todd Smith offered to send him some of his recordings. I'm sure he was seeing it as a evangelical opportunity. The Lord can work through music!

Biting my tongue...

Political conversations are never easy. Most people try to avoid them. In fact, it is considered polite (in an unwritten kind of way) to avoid political conversations with strangers so as to avoid conflict. What happens when you're forced into the conversation? Well, sometimes I try to gracefully bow out, other times I state my belief with the caveat "But that's just how I feel." Other times I blow people out of the water so that they have to add the caveat of their own. However, among my school friends, we mostly try to avoid political conversations. We know who's a Democrat and who's the Republican. We know who's been around the block a few times, and who allows their lack of experience to rule their mouth.

Welcome to Social Studies, the elementary study of all things historic and GOVERNMENTAL. Political conversations are unavoidable, since they are requisite fodder for classroom discussion. Add to that the fact that the field of education is predominantly Democratic...well, what's a poor Republican to do? Pray for wisdom, campaign for McCain, and hope November gets here REALLY soon!

It begins

The semester is in full swing; two weeks down, fourteen to go!

Changes include a couple new instructors, Suzi Figuoroa, a spunky, dynamic BME instructor and Jim White, a committed, passionate educator teaching Assessment and Social Studies methods. Focus is on 5th & 6th grade and most of us are set for practicum in those grades. Student teaching letters are beginning to circulate, although no one expects firm answers until some time in late October/early November.

I'm seeing some stress among my cohort friends, inability to concentrate, lack of interest in the intense amount of reading, more bordem than concern about assigments--the end is in sight and we're all ready for it!

An interesting comment from an instructor...we were doing a group analysis of a chapter. Our group finished up and I was lamenting that I was afraid that I was going to forget EVERYTHING that we'd learned and some poor kid would suffer for my lack of knowledge. The instructor reassured me that we would forget it all, that it wasn't that important, and everthing would be fine. That diploma will be the most expensive piece of paper I've ever owned!