Nellie McClung - Higher Ground

Sometimes we have experiences from when we are younger that have a great impact on us when we get a little bit older. What childhood experiences were related to adult experiences in the story of Nellie McClung? What is her significant contribution to Canadian History? Share one childhood experience that would be connected to an experience you have had this year.

Motivation to Teach

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting the vice chair from ALPHA Toronto.  ALPHA Toronto is an organization dedicated to the memory of the many Chinese people who suffered severe atrocities from 1931 through the end of World War II.  One of the projects that ALPHA sponsors is a yearly trip offered to educators to raise awareness of these often forgotten atrocities.  In fact, many are not even aware that any such atrocities ever happened.  Part of the presentation included a video which used a teacher's journal as its narration.  As I watched the video I could hear the material that she was witnessing becoming embedded in her.  She spoke of how she would never forget what she saw because she had heard the stories first hand.  History had become alive to her.  It was almost like she was experiencing the very events she was reflecting in the first person.  Near the end of her reflection she commented on how she would teach the material.  It is worthwhile to quote her because she captures something that needs to be central for all teachers.

"When I teach this I will be motivated by more than curriculum, I will motivated by personal memory, by passion and by a sincere desire to prevent these horrors and atrocities from happening again." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcjSEErQ6Vw&feature=related

The part of this quote that struck me the most was that this teacher was committing herself to be motivated by more than just curriculum. It is true that teachers must teach the curriculum that is mandated by their jurisdiction.   However, what this teacher is saying is something that no government can really mandate.  The Ministry of Education can spell out what they believe to be the goal of educating the students is.  The Ministry cannot tell a teacher what their motivation for teaching curriculum really is.  I am becoming more and more convinced that teachers need to approach the subjects that we teach as living organisms.  They are alive.  Teaching is an intrinsic activity.  It must come from a place that is deeper than just finishing what the curriculum mandates us to cover. Teachers must connect with the subject that they teach.

During a Language/Literacy lecture, the professor asked a very challenging question.  She asked the class if they thought it was possible for a teacher who was not passionate about literacy to teach literacy effectively.  A spirited debate ensued.  A teacher who is teaching to the curriculum will see a result that will be lacking.  Although a student may receive a grade that indicates a level of success the student could very well leave that class missing out on something that is far greater than a successful grade.  They will be missing that personal connection that is demonstrated by a teacher who is connected and passionate about what they are teaching.

I leave the following question.  What kind of teacher should be in the classroom?  I would love to be a student in the classroom of this teacher who openly shared her own passion and desire.  When teachers connect to the material that they teach so that they are motivated by more than curriculum than we are successful.  We are creating lovers of learning.  I am convinced that students can easily tell when a teacher is putting in time or if a teacher absolutely loves what they are doing.  Frankly, we can all remember teachers who were enduring their days by merely attempting to fulfill curriculum.  We also remember the teachers who took our minds to places that we were not even aware we were capable of going there.  So, thank you to David Frostad, Rod Appleby, Anne MacTaggart, Ryan Hall, Dr. Carl Hinderager, Dr. Norman Regier, Dr. Scott Masson, Dr. Ben Reynolds, Dr. Eric Crouse, and Dr. Brad Faught for being people who took me to those places that made learning come alive.  They challenged me to think for myself.  They challenged me to think critically.  They fostered the love of learning in me which remains alive and well in me today.  They were bold people who were never satisfied with merely teaching curriculum.  They were motivated by something greater.  It was intrinsic.  It was passion that drove them and it is passion that continues to drive them.

The Need for Roots

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree
   planted by streams of water... (Psalm 1: 2b-3a, ESV)

So, why start a blog about thinking?  Why start a blog about thinking with an introduction like what the Psalmist has offered here?  Well, I think a lot about the power of visualization in the words we choose.  I have often stopped to think about words and their meanings.  I have sometimes stopped to think about the words that I choose to use and then I inevitably ask myself, why did I just use that word?

The Psalmist uses some vivid imagery that I really connect with.  He accomplishes this by using a simple literary device known as a simile.  He compares knowledge of the law to a stream.  We are trees.  These trees, it seems, can move around and transplant themselves.  The Psalmist focuses on one particular tree which has chosen to root itself near a living spring of water.  The spring of water is compared to meditation on the law.  What is the law composed of?  It contains more than mere suggestions but rather directions for life.  Laws are communicated to us in words.  We are to meditate on the words of the law.  Meditation is more than a mere glance.  It is immersion.  It is carefully studying what is in front of us.  It asks the question, "What is happening here?"  In this particular situation we that a tree that roots itself in meditation of the law will grow stronger with each day.

So, how does this apply to thinking?  I know that meditation requires thought.  Some would have us believe that meditation is clearing our minds to focus on one thought.  I believe that meditation is taking all our thoughts captive and really wrestling with those.  Life is crazy and if we do not stop to think - to root ourselves - we will eventually whither.  Sure there may be signs of life there but what is the quality of life?

Recently I had to write a descriptive paragraph for a Language assignment.  My paragraph described a situation in which I needed to be refreshed and re-rooted.  I ended up taking a journey to a solitary island in which the water was the primary focus of how I was to regain the delight that the Psalmist talks about.

We are all in need of roots.  Strong roots require us to always meditate on the law regularly.  I need to bring myself back to this place constantly.

I leave my writing assignment up for those who need to be brought back to this place and wish to have an avenue to get there.

Descriptive Paragraph – Beside Still Waters

I am walking.  The ground is soft beneath me.  Last year’s leaves crunch beneath my feet.  These leaves create a blanket protecting the earth beneath.  I feel a warm, golden glow as the sun rises over the tall spires of the majestic spruce trees; much like the thin, pointy spires of a baroque cathedral.  It is a cathedral of sorts for it is a sanctuary.  The waters on the lake are still.  Not unlike the waters of the baptistery.  These waters bring healing and refreshment and renewal to this place as well as to my own body and soul.  The long, red keel of my canoe rests from its weary journey through the cold, clear water on the shore of this small, yet not insignificant rock.  I have journeyed to this special place to be fed and restored by the food of solitude.  This solitude, however, is not lonely.  The warm, hunter orange flannel of my sweater wraps around me like a warm embrace.  I breathe in deeply and slowly.  The sweater carries a light smokiness from the crackling campfire which guards my little campsite.  It mingles with the fragrance of sweet spruce needles which begin their cleansing work immediately.  First it clears my breathing passages and then it moves beyond the physical and clears my mind.  My ears hear the lonely cry of a single loon echoing over the shimmering glass of water.  I stop walking.  My eyes scan the ground beneath me.  I bend down to sit on a long and flat, smooth rock.  I am mesmerised by the stillness of the water.  The glass that I look into is special glass.  For it is both transparent and reflective all at the same time.  The solitude of this lonely place overwhelms me with peace.  This peace patiently whispers softly into the boiling turmoil that rages war in the inner depths of my being.  I peer intently in the water and see the reflection of my own face.  I see through the troubles that weigh heavily on me like concrete and they slowly fade away as I regain perspective.  A small rainbow trout darts through the water.  I can see the red and green markings on the scaly side of the fish flash as it swims past me.  I smile and pause.  There is peace here.  I pull my stainless steel mug up to my mouth and feel the hot coffee reach my waiting lips.  The slightly sweet and creamy coffee trickles down my throat.  It is a good brew this morning even if it was prepared over a campfire.  However, it is the reason why it is such a good brew.  I may be alone, surrounded by water, but it is beside these still waters that the Good Shepherd has restored my soul.