Same

Yesterday I wrote about how you can change your place, how change is inevitable. I thought it neatly dovetailed into today's Thought. Back on New Years Day, I found this picture and thought about the accuracy of it's message.

Despite all of our resolutions, promises and fanfare, 2014 is eerily the same as 2013. It's the same earth, same people, same day to day routine. But what about this change thing? Are you the same?

As I've alluded to, lack of change means stagnation. Change, although inevitable, must be purposeful if we are to make any headway toward our goals. Although things may seem the same, change is (and should be) happening behind the scenes, often in subtle, yet far-reaching ways. Move with purpose. Do the little things with the authority that comes from knowing the implications of your actions. Are you the same? I hope not.

Place

Yesterday I was able to sit in on one of my cooperating teachers class where the topic of the day was organization. She posed the question : what does it mean to be organized? Granted, this was to a group of seventh graders, so you can imagine the answers to the question. However, one student (rather unexpectedly) repeated today's Thought as a definition for being organized.

What is your place? I firmly believe that each and every one of us has a place in this world. I received a good reminder of this from that class of 7th graders. The funny thing is, I don't think any of us truly know if we are in our place. We are just running around in this world hoping we are doing the right thing.

In the end, our places, just like any good organizational system, constantly changes. Your current place will most certainly not be the same in a year from now. Looking back, I can't believe the changes that have happened in my own life in the last year. Yes, some of them are bitter, but the sweet changes more than make up. What is your place?

Cold

I'm officially declaring it that time of the winter. The time where you don't care what happens, it's just been so cold for so long that you're ready for it all to be done. I think everyone has a natural tendency to get a little grumpy. However, some people deal with it better than others. Some even end up being happy. How do they do it?
I think the winter doldrums really challenge us and our ability to adapt and accept our situations. Think about it, there are these situations where we just have to gut it out and survive. How will you adapt?

Doing

Today is the day. The day I begin the final chapter in my collegiate career as a student teacher at Mountain Lake Schools. Now, my task is taking all the knowledge that I have learned in the last 22 years of my life and somehow teach high school and middle school students.

As a student I found most things quite easy. It was my attitude that I could learn anything with enough effort and practice. And for the most part it was true. The knowing, understanding how something works was not that hard. However, when asked to do something, when asked to teach, I've found much  more struggle.
How hard is the doing? According to my experience, pretty gosh darn hard. However, that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. It's good to know, but being able to apply that knowledge to an action is a whole other level. How hard is the doing? Pretty dang hard. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Training

I must confess that I've never seen this saying before. I've always heard of people 'rising to the occasion', but I've never really thought about what that means. The more I have thought about it, this saying gets to the point much better.

As I've been going through this teacher prep period, spending six hours a day, about the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I am being given some of the best training possible to be a teacher. Going forward, it will not be some unknowable force within me that will allow me to complete my duties and dreams, it will be the training that I have received. I won't 'rise' to any situation, I'll sink to the level of my training.

What is your level of training? When really pressed, how low will you sink? I don't think it's particularly a bad thing to sink to the level of training, it's just a different way to think about it. What will you sink to?

Swans

Today's Thought is a rather fancy looking way to sum up the last four years of my life. While I found it on an educational page I follow on Facebook, I hardly took it to mean strictly formal, classroom learning.

As some of you may know, tonight I am giving my Swan Song, a symbolic final speech for members as they move to alumni status in my fraternity. If you wish to hear the speech, I will be recording it and posting it somewhere on these inter-webs.
As I think back on the last 3-4 years I am simply astounded. I've made and lost friends, I've joined the best group of gentlemen I've ever had the pleasure to be associated with, I've pursued my dream of teaching, I've lived half-way across the country, I've met the woman whom I'm pretty sure will be my future wife, I've had experiences beyond my wildest dreams. Talk about a big mess.
You see, I don't think I'm at college so much to get a degree in a given career field, as much to get a complete education in life. As an educator, I don't teach agriculture, I teach students. Learning is messy. People get hurt but people are strong. We bounce back to leave legacy's beyond our wildest dreams. Sorry about the mess for the last four years, but I've been learning.

What is your swan song? If you had the chance to tell the world anything for one night, what would you say? Would talk about how you've developed and learned as a person? Would you talk about the messes in your life? I think so much of the time we don't think about these messy experiences as times of learning. However, messes are the ONLY time we are truly learning.

Hunger

I think we've all had those experiences that we dread, yet know the necessity of. For instance, I am currently in the midst of the three week period in the 'dungeon' before being released into the world of student teaching. I don't know about you, but six hours in the same room really doesn't appeal to me. However, I'm still going to subject myself to this three week, six hour block of instruction if only because I am hungry to be a teacher.

Are you hungry? Maybe you have an intense desire to prove yourself. Maybe like the man in this picture, you are just thankful to have some baked beans in the middle of winter.

No matter what you are hungry for, I'm betting that you had to go through some tough times, a crucible of sorts, to get to that moment of satiety. It's that hunger, that desire to see what's on the other side that keeps you going even in the toughest of times.