Teacher as Transformer

Stranded

Posted on December 6, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I was not sure I had a poem today. It is a bit hectic with parent-teacher interviews, but this morning I had an email waiting and saw a path. I am not sure about the title, but here goes.

The last few days I have watched a friend struggle with being involved in something she is very passionate about. As I watch, I see her struggling. Her contributions are simply expected and thus unappreciated. Often, I think, we feel this way and believe we are alone in our struggles. Me experience points to another truth. We need to look up and across, open our minds and hearts and discover there are others who we can lean on.

Stranded–

Alone on an iceberg

Look around;

Look up;

Open your eyes–

Recognize others with you

Share stories–

Pearls of wisdom

In those oyster shells–

Found in deepest waters.

Experiences fully lived–

Reflect on them

Open heroic hearts;

Extend welcoming arms;

Proffer capable hands;

Share construction–

Bridge open water,

Calm perilous seas–

You are not alone

Others await your company.

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Posted in Community, Leadership, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged community, conversational journey, creativity, leadership, Mindful Practice, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 6, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

This is a beautiful poem with a a powerful message. When do we have time for the important things in life?

Live & Learn

We have time for everything
Sleep, run back and forth,
regret we made an error and err again
judge others and absolve ourselves,
we have time to read and write,
edit what we wrote, regret what we wrote,
we have time to make projects and never follow through
we have time to dwell in illusions and stir through
their ashes much later.

We have time for ambitions and diseases,
to blame destiny and details,
we have time to look at the clouds, at the ads, or some random accident, we have time
to chase away our questions, postpone our answers, we have time
to crush a dream and reinvent it, we have time to make friends,
to lose them, we have time to take lessons and forget them
soon after, we have time to receive gifts and not understand them. We have time for everything.

No time, though, for a…

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The Peace of Wild Things

Posted on December 5, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I have parent-teacher interviews for the next two evenings. It limits the time available for posting my own words. I began thumbing through one of my many poetry anthologies and came across this wonderful Wendell Berry poem that echoed yesterday’s post, Children in ways. Two of his poems at the link are about mad farmers. Wendell Berry is a compassionate, opinionated person. When I grow up, I want to be similar.

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

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Posted in Education, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged creativity, education, Mindful Practice, nature, poetry, spirituality, teacher as transformer, Wendell Berry. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 5, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

We talk about a kinder, gentler world, but is it happening? It is not just about letting others win. It is also about being gracious and humble in our lives. Leaders need to find new ways to allow others to rise up and be part of the solutions in a complex and messy world.

Passion For Truths

Some people just want to win,
At all costs-
In competitions,
In business, and even
In arguments.

And so …
What value is the reward,
When opponents are humiliated,
Livelihood of rivals ended,
And friendship lost?

Sometimes …
Allowing others to win,
Delivers the greatest prize,
By unlocking the nobility within.

When others have a chance to win,
Rivalry is defused,
And animosity is laid to rest.

In the end,
Harmony prevails.
And what better world to create,
Than a planet filled with peace?

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Children

Posted on December 5, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I have thought about the role children play in the lives of adults. Our role as stewards reminds me of the Native American proverb: We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. With responsible adult and community stewardship, this is possible. It takes a special effort, but it is its own reward.

Children–
Nature’s gift;
Craft and hone–
Appreciate their future;
Nurture and cherish–
Mature under our watchful gaze,
Cradled in loving community.
Elders shepherd;
Care and tend–
A most precious flock
Share wise words
Open hearts
Act prudently
Generous, ceaseless, joyful work.

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Posted in Community, Education, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged children, community, creativity, education, leadership, Mindful Practice, poetry, stewardship, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 4, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Here was another of the blogs that posted around a theme in November. The theme was writing psalms which I can only imagine as challenging and rewarding experience.

Blog of the Year – 2012

Posted on December 4, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I thank Nizy at Nizy’s Life Copendium and Cristi at Simple.Interesing for nominating my blog for “Blog of the Year 2012” award. I am grateful for this generous honour and the people who follow Teacher as Transformer. It has been a reflective, creative, and transformational journey for the blog and this blogger. This is a result of the wonderful blogs I discovered along the way, the support I receive from that community, and from the more immediate community of my day-to-day life.

I know I will miss some bloggers who deserve this award and I know others do not accept awards. To the first group, I apologize and, to the second group, I am deeply grateful for your contributions.

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

Select another blog or other blogs who deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award;
Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award;
Include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award at the Thought Palette and provide these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

This next part I am unsure about, so I hope you will be able to follow better than I did.

There are stars to collect! Yes, there are stars to collect!

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different! When you begin you will receive the 1 star award, and every time you are given the award by another blog, you can add another star!

There are total of 6 stars to collect.

You can check out your favourite blogs, and even if they have already been given the award by someone else, you can still award them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

For more information check FAQ on The Thought Palette

The blogs I follow are an eclectic group, but they share one thing: they bring joy into my life on a daily basis and I am thankful for that. Here are the bloggers and their sites I would like to nominate:

Poetry Blog of Mine

Francine in Retirement

4 Writers and Readers

Ralphie’s Portal

Lizzie Joy’s Photo Suite

Who is Bert?

My Own Heart.Me

Writing Between the Lines

I Am for Change

Positive Boomer

Waiting for the Karma Truck

Cindy Knoke

Elizabeth’s Ramblings

The Future Is Papier Mâché

Violet Gallery

Lyrics, Sentiments, and Me

The Other Side of Ugly

Deep and Wonderful Thoughts

Simply Simple Complexities

Notes from the Bluegrass

Lead, Learn, Live

What I See, What I Feel, What I’d Like to See…

ABC of Spirit Talk

Leanne Cole Photography

Tracie Louise Photography

One Hot Message

Tea with a Pirate

Practical Practice Managment

Stay human friends. I find great inspiration in all the blogs I visit each day.

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Posted in Awards, Blogging, Community, Leadership and tagged awards, blogging, community, conversational journey, leadership, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 3, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I mentioned in Saturday’s re-blog of Yaz’s 30 day commitment about how much I admired the dedication and am inspired by people who take on a theme. Rob did a similar thing as he wrote about his thankfulness for an entire month. I think it is an example we might try to carry into our daily lives. What am I thankful for today? Thank you Rob and Yaz.

Settled In Heaven Blog

Let Us Thank The Lord For His Forgiveness When We Fail To Recognize His Great Blessings

Ps 106:1-2 (KJV) … Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?

http://wp.me/pU88A-1C7

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Winter Nights

Posted on December 1, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

It is December 1 and Christmas is just around the corner. The last few days I recalled what it was like in rural northern Alberta at this time of the year. We used to sit upstairs and look out the window on cold, cold nights shimmering with white. What caught my eye and ear was the magic provided by the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. They don’t appear in Edmonton as I recall them from my childhood memories. What message was in those celestial colours and sounds?

Small children–

Breathlessly wait,

Peer through frosted window

Soak it in.

Heavens ripple–

Lights undulated;

A celebratory fury

An indisputable guide.

This old house speaks;

Nature answers–

Crackles from the heavens

Sweet symphonic sounds.

Earth’s floor–

Blanketed in white

Celestial colours shimmer

Captures young eyes.

A vivid winter scene,

A sensual, sensory palette,

Reminds me–

Christ’s Mass draws near.

The photo came from Seven Wonders of Canada.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Poetry, Sabbath, Uncategorized and tagged Chistmas, creativity, eloquent questions, Mindful Practice, nature, poetry, teacher as transformer, winter, winter scene. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on December 1, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

The Bodhistattva Prayer at the bottom has universal meaning. As we move into this time of the year, I need to ask, “What can I do for those who need my help and my protection?” I follow Yaz’s blog and her dedication in November to posting each day about an important health issue is an inspiration.