"HOW WILL YOU PROVIDE?"

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

A young woman brings home her fiance to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother tells her father to find out about the young man.
The father invites the fiance to his study for a chat. "So what are your plans?" the father asks the young man.
"I am a college student." he replies.
"A college student. Hmmm," the father says. "That's admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she's accustomed to?"
"I will study," the young man replies, "and God will provide for us."
"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asks the father.
"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replies. "God will provide for us."
"And children?" asks the father. "How will you support children?"
"Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replies the fiance. The conversation proceeds like this, and each time the father questions, the young idealist insists that God will provide.
Later, the mother asks, "How did it go, Honey?"
The father answers, "He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I'm God."

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Monday, March 05, 2007

"First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."

The above quote is from Martin Niemoeller. It is one of my favorites. We must--we absolutely must speak out. Stand up for what is right! Stand up against what is wrong! Speak out!

ADMIT YOUR FAULTS

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Carl Jung said, “The only person I cannot help is one who blames others.” When we blame others we make it difficult, if not impossible, to solve our problems. We need to focus on the problem, not the person.

JOHNNY CAN'T READ

Saturday, March 03, 2007

I learned to read by a method known as phonics and I have been reading and loving it for many years. Phonics was scrapped in favor of the whole-language approach. This approach was predicated on a belief that reading came naturally and that kids would learn to read literally by osmosis. Kids were left to guess at what words meant and never corrected because it is unpleasant to be corrected. When California schools tossed out phonics workbooks, they had had the highest level of reading in the country. But after seven years of whole language, the state was tied with Louisiana for last place in the country.

When George W. Bush was governor of Texas he was shocked to learn that 43,000 third graders could not read but were just passed to the next grade. The numbers continued to grow larger. Bush went to work and changed things for the better and his success is now history.

Today, Johnny still can’t read. Our schools are turning out millions of kids who cannot read. As with so many things this is a struggle between liberals and conservatives. Liberals want a laissez-faire approach because they see it as being liberating, joyful and creative. Conservatives, on the other hand, see nothing wrong with practice, drill, and testing. Practice is the way you get to Carnegie Hall or play tennis.

People don’t understand how profoundly our country is being harmed by turning out millions of kids with heads full of mush. (I realize there are many kids who learn in spite of all this and I am thrilled every time I meet one). Our poverty, our crime stem basically from kids’ inability to access society.

IT’S CRAZY!

'WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE"

Friday, March 02, 2007

Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. So many of us spend our days wishing we were someplace else. We trick ourselves into believing that if we were on vacation, on a different job, with other people, that we would be happier.

SORRY! THIS IS JUST NOT NECESSARILY TRUE!

Sure, we might enjoy getting away, having a different job for awhile. But alas, at some point we would “wake up” and discover that once again we are longing to get away.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT ‘WHEREVER WE GO, THERE WE ARE.”

Keep a Teachable Spirit

Thursday, March 01, 2007

"When you begin to be open to feedback, another very healthy thing happens to you: you swallow your pride and realize that no matter what age you are, you always have something to learn. You realize you can always improve. Every critique has some kernel of truth. Take what’s true and let the rest fall by the wayside.” ~ Rory Noland, from The Heart of the Artist