When I was working in banking many years ago, we were doing home renovations. I would work in the basement and have Jimmy Buffett on listening to his “pirate music.” I got a lot done and the music always helped me get where I wanted to go in my work. It reminded me it was OK to have dreams and be a pirate at times.
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Lifting weights
This is a little Monday humour. Can you imagine the muscles we might develop if we lifted weights like this?
Sound of many Left Hands clapping
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Originally posted on smilecalm:
birthday bath pedals ~d nelson ? I’m the sound of one hand clapping deeply peaceful in near silence. Among a cohort of other one-hands clapping calm thickly absorbing into concentration at any moment bursting into insightful rose pedals of colors. in my heart singing there comes a time when kids of all…
“I’ve learned …
The other day I received an email from a former student. The final comment about people remembering how people make us feel was the message in the email. John Dewey argued that teachers created spaces, I would say hospitable spaces, where students felt good and comfortable learning, including making mistakes. It was not about what was taught and about the relationships emerging in those spaces. Classrooms should provide a feeling of safety and security even when things are not going well. Maya Angelou’s words make this point.
Washington Irving And I~ Tears
Vulnerability is the hallmark of strength. Admitting we are wrong, hurt, seek forgiveness, etc. is challenging. It calls upon us to look inward and embrace our vulnerability as we ask others to accept it, as well.
By Maya
And, Maya Angelous’ poetry and writing made me feel like I could make a difference in the world.
The mystery of the unknown; the wonder and ecstasy that it brings….
There is a always mystery in the universe. We are surrounded by it and it calls to us to engage in it. It is not a search for certainty, but a welcoming that certainty is itself uncertain. However, that does not prevent us from being in awe of the certainty of uncertainty. We can always find a place in that wonder.
The sky is full of the sun and the stars
The universe is full of life
Among all these I have found a place
And in wonder and amazement I sing.
The world is swayed
By eternity’s rushing tide
Rising and falling
I have felt its tug in my blood
Racing through my veins
And in wonder and amazement I sing.
While walking in the woodlands
With my feet I have touched the blades of grass
I have been startled by the flowers’ fragrance
They have all maddened my mind
The gifts of gladness and joy
Are strewn all around
And in wonder and amazement I sing.
I have pricked my ears
I have opened my eyes
I have bared my heart to the world
In the midst of the known
I have sought the unknown
And in wonder and amazement I sing
-Rabindranath Tagore
(Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali…
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Wednesday Poetry Corner: Featuring Sue Lobo
This poem was a tribute for mothers on Mother’s Day, but it is a tribute any day. It is a reminder of how the maternal instincts we all possess to a certain extent contribute to a better world. We tend to children and the world through those instincts.
Sue Lobo has submitted a beautiful poem about MOTHER from the perspective of Africa’s mothers. Don’t forget to send in your poem. There is still time!
MAMA AFRICA:
by Sue Lobo
(PHOTOGRAPH OF BABY ON MOTHER´S BACK-SHOWING ONLY BABY´S FEET- BY WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHER-Christian Baillet)
Your face etched upon old cave walls,
Your smile painted by a million suns,
Your laughter echoes through eon’s halls,
Your legacy to Africa´s daughters & sons.
Water pot carried upon your head,
Baby strapped tight to your warm back,
Feet plodding, cracked as drought & hard as lead,
Carrying all you own in old hessian sack.
You search, you carry, you sow, you reap,
You walk for miles seeking food & herbs,
You smile, but inside you eternally weep,
You tell your secrets only to beast & birds.
As the spider, you weave strong web of silk,
Uniting your continent in a colourful quilt,
Backbone of…
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Today’s Quote
The other day I blogged a poem from Lao Tzu which carried the same message. Confucius and Lao Tzu did not appear to live at the same time, but Lao Tzu contributed to Confucius’ thinking. We begin the process of order internationally and it slowly ripples outwards as it takes hold first with us.
“Something Helpless Wants Our Love”
Rilke is one of the timeless poets who always challenges my thinking. I get set in my ways and think the world is as I understand it, but as Rilke points out it might be something quite different. As a teacher, I always understood the necessity of relationships with children, particularly those who struggled academically, socially, emotionally, etc. It provided not just them with a sense of hope, but I think it provided me with a sense of hope, as well.
Teacher as Transformer 