Teacher as Transformer

Fueled

Posted on January 8, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

I thought I was ready to get into the swing of things after Christmas break, but I recovering from the blight of the time of the year-the flu. I feel better today, but took it pretty easy the last couple of days. I think tomorrow will be a transition day and the break ends on Wednesday.

I spent time in reflection, as best as that happen when medicated, and considered how rarely the small things in life, that make it incredible, are uplifted. I applaud human endeavours, and some of them are worthy, but forget the triumph of the unobservable. Marcie Hans provided this wonderful poem that shines a light on this dilemma.

Fueled
by a million
man-made
wings of fire-
the rocket tore a tunnel
through the sky-
and everybody cheered.
Fueled
only by a thought from God-
the seedling
urged its way
through thicknesses of black-
and as it pierced
the heavy ceiling of the soil-
and launched itself
up into outer space –
no
one
even
clapped.

–Marcie Hans

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Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged eloquent questions, Fueled, Marcie Hans, Mindful Practice, nature, servant-leadership, stewardship, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on January 7, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

A beautiful reminder that Christmas is an every day undertaking. We are fortunate. Here in Edmonton, we celebrate the orthodox Christmas used by Slavic peoples and their religions and today is Christmas again or still.

Grits and Grains

“When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.”

Howard Thurman

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For the Children

Posted on January 6, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

I began reading Meg Wheatley’s book So Far From Home. Similar to Parker Palmer, she uses poetry to bring her message to life. She quoted Gary Snyder at one point and I recognized it from a retreat I attended. Her point is we live in a world of relationships and not just science. When I look at the sadness of our world, the constant conflict in it, and the violence, I can only wonder if it is a result of loneliness and separation we experience? I will ponder that during my Sabbath.

The rising hills, the slopes,
of statistics
lie before us.
the steep climb
of everything, going up,
up, as we all
go down.

In the next century
or the one beyond that,
they say,
are valleys, pastures,
we can meet there in peace
if we make it.

To climb these coming crests
one word to you, to
you and your children:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

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Posted in Community, Leadership, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged community, education, eloquent questions, Gary Snyder, Margaret Wheatley, Mindful Practice, Parker Palmer, poetry, spirituality, stewardship, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on January 5, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

Every teacher should take a few minutes this post and the underlying posts the Larry Cuban refers to and, then, take a few minutes to watch the video. It is what we should take stock of each day. What do I do this for?

Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The following article and YouTube selection comes from a story written by Tara Pope published in the New York Times, December 24, 2012. It is an uncommon story of a gifted teacher whose life story becomes part of the physics lessons that he teaches. I saw this story on Joanne Jacob’s blog, “Linking and Thinking on Education” (http://www.joannejacobs.com/)

Jeffrey Wright is well known around his high school in Louisville, Ky., for his antics as a physics teacher, which include exploding pumpkins, hovercraft and a scary experiment that involves a bed of nails, a cinder block and a sledgehammer.

But it is a simple lecture — one without props or fireballs — that leaves the greatest impression on his students each year. The talk is about Mr. Wright’s son and the meaning of life, love and family.

It has become an annual event at Louisville Male Traditional High School (now…

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The Drum Major Instinct

Posted on January 3, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

I found a few minutes to check my blog and post. We visited and are ready to head home early tomorrow morning.

This is an excerpt from a Martin Luther King Jr. passage. Being a servant is a significant part of being a leader.

If you want to be important–wonderful. If you want to be recognized–wonderful. If you want to be great–wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s your new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing I like about it…by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. Because everybody can be serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve, you don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.

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Posted on January 3, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

Here is great poem that echoes the way I can see the upcoming year. It is a mountain to be climbed and this mountain of life, although it has challenges, always provides a view. It is the hope and faith I have in myself and others around me that helps me climb and conquer.

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Foolishness? No, It’s Not

Posted on December 31, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I am a little rushed, but found some time to sit and work with the blog. I was unable to spend the time answering all the comments, but hope to find some time late after we do a bit more visiting. As well, I apologize for not attending to the awards that we so generously bestowed on me. I will attend to them when we get home after the New Year.

I think, as I enter 2013, there will be considerable change upcoming for me professionally. I look forward to some times of transition and building relationships like I have over the past few months with this blog. Mary Oliver always seems to find the words I seek as I look ahead.

Sometimes I spend all my day trying to count the leaves on a single tree. To do this I have to climb branch by branch and write down the numbers in a little book. So I suppose, from this point of view, it’s reasonable that my friends say: what foolishness! [He’s] got [his] heads in the clouds again.

But it’s not. Of course I have to give up, but by then I’m half crazy with the wonder of it–the abundance of the leaves, the quietness of the branches, the hopelessness of my effort. And I am in that delicious and important place, roaring with laughter, full of earth-praise.

Take care friends, ring in the New Year, and be safe my friends.

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Posted on December 31, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

As I enter a New Year, I wonder whether I can live up to the wonderful quote taken from the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh? Awareness of my words, thoughts, and actions is important as I move forward into 2013 which will be a year of substantial change.

Gurly's collection of quotes, notes & video's made by great people who have been sharing their enlightenment through their words and actions.

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You Shall Above All Things

Posted on December 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

When I teach poetry, I always include ee cummings. I include him for several reasons. First, he was a pretty good poet. Second. junior high students worry too much about style and conventions. Third, he was a rebel and junior high students like rebels. Fourth, and I doubt it is last, he had something important to say like all good rebels.

I am not sure our schedule. We leave within the hour and will be on the road most of tomorrow. If I do not find my way back to the Internet, I wish you all a good New Year.

you shall above all things be glad and young.

For if you`re young, whatever life you wear

it will become you;and if you are glad

whatever`s living will yourself become.

Girlboys may nothing more than boygirls need;

i can entirely her only love

whose any mystery makes every man`s

flesh put space;and his mind take off time

that you should every think, may god forbid

and(in his mercy)your true lover spare:

for that way knowledge lies,the foetal grave

called progress,and negation`s dead undoom.

I’d rather learn from one bird how to sing

then teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.

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Posted in Education, Lesson Plans, Mindful Life, Poetry and tagged creativity, education, ee cummings, Mindful Practice, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Reminded me of the way poetry is written. The words find the poet. It is interesting how, if done well, we do not even really search for ourselves when we are lost. We only need to stop, be quiet, and our self will come to us.

Expressions of my life - An evolution of art.

**Lost and found**
Eyes of almond, be still my heart for your voice
has returned to this world.
How not a day has passed that I craved not your tender
voices echoing these halls, of shaky ghost and broken muses of the past.
Such rich tender words drip from your hand
Linger languid long on my heart
does pitter patter like that of a child in your world.
My first of this plane, o crush of words, of northern chill, and lips stained of wine.
I will stand quiet on afar mount range and speak not your name
but hold you softly above this madness,
oh my first..welcome..