We are not alone, but the ones on the margins are the most visible. The ones in the middle are hidden from our view.
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Self Discovery
Father Richard Rohr wrote an excellent meditation this morning. He wrote about discovering the self and all day his words came back into my quiet moments. I am tired, but I feel more awake now, because there is something exciting in being lost.
Discover self–
Imperfect, unrefined;
Genuine, real–
Not hidden;
Unvarnished, vulnerable.
Happiness appears;
Refuge
Falsehoods recede–
Ever so slowly,
Spirit wakens–
Revitalized and awake.
Although I think there are limits to what is acceptable literature, I believe we need to include the great books that pass the test of time and enhance learning, curiosity, and human growth at appropriate ages. This post struck me as important to our conversation about these big topics.
I don’t know why I had to read Scarlet Letter, but I know that the themes of hypocrisy, sin, redemption and religion imposing on individual will should have resonated with me. My guess is that I hated it, because it was assigned. It’s why I loved Brave New World, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye and The Color Purple. None of them were assigned. None of them required a book report.
So, a former student bitches about Beowulf. Pardon the language, but that phrase just sounded fun, so I kept it. Anyway, he’s all upset about how irrelevant it is to his life. He mentions slaying dragons and dying a hero’s death and says that none of it makes sense to his world.
My first response is this:
Thoughts on Beowulf: Because if you haven’t do so yet, you will someday have the chance to slay dragons and in…
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Teaching on the Margins
Last week, I wrote Mojo Gathers Momentum. A gift of my journey to Bainbridge was the realization I had lost the belief I was a good teacher. I have never believed this was my place to speak to that. There is a certain humility a teacher should have and extends beyond patting myself on the back. What I do know and recognize is I am different teacher. I have modeled my approach after teachers I believed operated on the margins and accepted that is their place. It was a place that they could do more good for students and the communities we live in.
false security
when hidden
yet, fully surrounded–
paradox of my humanness.
stand out
reveal blemishes
make them obvious
revel in them.
great teachers
found comfort on the margins
not hidden in the crowd
stepped out with pride.
humanness lived;
so fully
it reveals imperfections
for I am human, after all.
Brought some wonderful memories back of walking in Jasper and Waterton this past summer with the mountain lakes reflecting the sky, mountains, and trees. We need mirrors in our lives.
Heaven and earth joined seamlessly
in the quest to calm your mind
gently sustain your soul
provide you with peace
and still you to quietly reflect
on the grandeur of creation.
Beyond Questions
I close my week with this wonderful poem by May Sarton. As I reflect on the week passed, I hope I am left with more questions than answers and the time to luxuriate in the space between the question and answer. I noticed today and yesterday, when I pause and let go, my monkey mind chatter is greatly reduced. It has been helpful.
The phoebe sits on her nest
Hour after hour,
Day after day,
Waiting for life to burst out
From under her warmth.
Can I wave a nest for silence,
Weave it out of listening,
Listening,
Layer upon layer?
But one must first become small,
Nothing but a presence
Attentive as a nesting bird,
Proffering no slightest wish
Toward anything that might happen
Or be given,
Only the warmth, faithful waiting,
Contained in one’s smallness.
Beyond the question, the silence.
Before the answer, the silence.
This is a wonderful poem and image to begin the day.
A Space for All Stories
It was a long week and I am not sure, in my tiredness, where this poem came from, but it appeared on the horizon. I thought I would try to let it write itself.
Listen–
Stories seek space
A space where they come to life
A space to speak their words.
Listen deeply–
Some stories
Of those oppressed
Remain unheard.
Listen with your heart–
Lean into those words,
Give those voices life
Join them with yours.
Each day we set out, interact with our environment and its inhabitants, and write a story in some medium. We create and author our life’s story in this fashion.
Courage on the Edge
The dominant society or group within believes they control the conversation. What would happen if we trusted each other and made ourselves vulnerable? What would happen if we acknowledged and accepted differences? It takes courage, but it is possible. It takes us to acknowledge the other and reach out. In those moments of vulnerability and courage, we expose our self in ways that take us outside comfort zones.
There is courage in vulnerability
One sits on the edge;
The perimeter
Or margins
Not hidden in the crowd.
Expand boundaries–
Encourage and pull
Do not discourage and pull
Make invisible visible
Give a name to the other.
Create spaces;
Not for agreement
But, where agreement meets
On the edges
Reveal the other in your welcome.
Teacher as Transformer 