The Terrors of Teaching: Part I

The Terrors of Teaching: Part I

First and foremost, I love being an educator. I decided when I was in elementary school that teaching was what I wanted to do with my life. I also wanted to be a fashion designer, a singer, and an actress; teaching was always on the top of my list, though.

I have taught for 7 years. I returned to the school from which I graduated many years ago. Walking down the halls during my first couple of years, I was fill with a variety of emotions. There is one stop that alumni refer to as The Indian Tile. Each time I would cross that section, an area where many of us would meet up between classes, I felt like I was being transported to the past.

I was an academically advanced student and I was raise with very high morals. Yet, I became a state ward who did not have any regard for my future. 

Despite the best attempts by my parents, I had serious behavior and mood disturbances throughout junior high and high school. After trying every intervention possible, I had come to a place of potential legal trouble and/or serious physical injury. By 10th grade, there was nothing anyone could do to stop me from "going 100 miles per hour towards a concrete wall," as my mother would say. She mostly likely suffered the most because she could not save me from myself.

I wasn't a drug user, I wasn't a thief, and I wasn't promiscuous (although, all those rumors followed me throughout high school). I was angry and very defiant; it sounds so simple and easy to handle, but it certainly was not for those that tried to help me. I couldn't control my rage and anyone was a potential victim of a blow-up or a fight. I lived for picking fights during those days for the slightest offense, even if I knew that I wasn't going to "win." With what we as a society now know, one could say that I was a bully. It can also be argued that I was teenager with long-standing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and clinical depression. Anger and depression was all that I felt for many years; the only way that I knew how to cope with my "diagnoses" was to lash out with vicious verbal and physical attacks.

I can never apologize enough to the people who I unjustly hurt.

As a teacher, I have seen children who truly know what trauma and suffering is in their young lives. While most parents seem to do the best that they can, there are always those that abuse and/or neglect the needs of their children. 

My school has many problems, but the lack of security at home and the amplified rate of "fight or flight" is a major factor. In fact, school serves as a safe haven for many kids. 

The fact is that our schools are not going to have great change until the community rallies together to bring about change in our neighborhoods.

Sadly, the socioeconomic struggles have bled over to the schools. The two schools in this video are within walking distance from another. It was said that the "lesser school" mentioned was said to be transformed into a similiar school to the "nicer one." There have been changes that have occured within our district since that was stated and I am holding faith that all students will recieve a "fair and equitable" education regardless of any behavioral or socioeconomical struggles.


Until Next Time,

LEARN LOUDLY

The Best Pope Yet

Before I converted to Catholicism, I had gained a lot of respect for Pope John Paul II.

My opinion of the following Pope was very low. In fact, one of his first acts as Pope was to bless a fleet of Ferraris; shortly there after, he warned us about the evils of consumerism during the Christmas holiday. It never settled with me.

Our current Pope truly has my heart and is inspiring, not only as a Catholic or even a Christian, but simply as a human.

Here is some advice that he has shared about living a happier life. I am so moved by his respect for others and use of common sense that I had to share.

http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/07/31/the-pope-just-released-a-list-of-10-tips-for-becoming-a-happier-person-and-they-are-spot-on/

Until next time,

LIVE LOUDLY!!!

Out of Context: My Favorite Newlyweds: Ace and Lovey

When you grow up in the Bible Belt you become well-versed in all things that could possibly be a sin. I found myself resentful towards all the fire and brimstone and judging. That attitude hurt my faith for a very long time.

My favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 13:13, which states, “Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.” If you are a Christian, you will probably agree that Jesus was all about love, sharing, and accepting. Even if you are not a believer in a Christian faith, the principles of Jesus are admirable to say the least.

Love. I could give clichés on love and I could give insight, but I am no expert. Here is what I do know: Love is something that all humans experience in one form or another, if not many.

Love is found in a wet nose nozzle from your dog (or a walk across your computer with a loud purr from your cat) after a long day. Love is found the first time your child touches your face during a feeding. Love is found when you have broken your mother’s heart, only to learn that all the things that she ever did in your life were to make you the best person possible.  Love is found in moments of silence where you find a voice of acceptance and reasoning, whether it is through prayer to a god, meditation, or experiencing nature. Love is found in a classroom when that one teacher pushes you to do your best because that teacher sees what you are capable of doing in life (Thanks, Mrs. McKinnon). Love is found in a friend who has seen you at your worst and knows when to kick your proverbial tail into shape and when to just hold you, yet always supporting you. Love is found when you find someone who takes you as you are and wants to spend their life making memories and growing with you.

Love is everywhere. Maslow has acknowledge the need for love since 1943.

There are those that will argue that a marriage between a same-sex couples is a sin. Okay. If Jesus were walking around today, he would have accepted these men and women because that is what love is about: accepting others. The Christians that I choose to surround myself do not judge others, for we know that is not our place. As a Christian, I personally look at the content of one’s heart because that is what I believe God sees. Jesus accepted, loved, and at times, humbled himself to all kinds of people despite their beliefs, status, or gender.

John Cusack gets it and he is still cute. 

Whether you believe in that theology or not, everyone deserves to experience love in all forms possible. A genuinely deep and simmering love between strong couples should be celebrated.

Considering that the divorce rate in America is approximately 50% (which Biblically is a sin), I will never understand how some people believe that allowing more people to join in marriage could be a threat to the marriage between a man and a woman. To me, this is allowing more people to experience and be fulfilled through love.

A few days ago, Pulaski Circuit Judge Chris Piazza struck down the ban on same-sex marriages in Arkansas, declaring it unconstitutional. He reminded us of Loving v. Virginia (1967), a historical case that allowed for interracial marriages to be legal and recognized.  Judge Piazza ended his ruling with the following statement, “It has been over forty years since Mildred Loving was given the right to marry the person of her choice. The hatred and fears have long since vanished and she and her husband lived full lives together; so it will be for the same-sex couples. It is time to let that beacon of freedom shine brighter on all our brothers and sisters. We will be stronger for it.

IT IS SO ORDERED this 9th day of May 2014.”

Pope Francis stated in an interview with the “Jesuit Catholic Journal”, "A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”

Although the Bishop of the Little Rock Diocese is fighting the lifting of the ban, I put more weight in the words of my Pope (I am a Catholic). A statement from Bishop Taylor can be found in this article by Max Brantley of The Arkansas Times: Catholic bishop says diocese will intervene to support ban on same-sex marriage.

I do not know a single same-sex couple that is expecting every church to open their doors for a religious ceremony (the Methodist and Episcopal are completely open to same-sex marriages in the church, just so you know).  The idea that a same-sex couple is going to ruin the sanctity of a Christian marriage makes me question the strength of the marriage of those who are hollering the most. No person or couple has the power to destroy my marriage (which is Christian based) because our union is ours and ours alone. We make a choice to dedicate ourselves to making our marriage work, despite that the traditional marriage structure is currently failing in our country.

Love. Every person in this country should be given equal rights and opportunities, regardless of your personal views on same-sex marriage. Freedom of religion is a wonderful thing. Freedom from being forced to live in a society that demands you follow a specific doctrine is one of the things that keeps this country great. Sadly, the love of our freedoms are lost on those that fight so hard to deny all people equal rights, much like the similarly minded people who protested the ruling of Loving v. Virginia and protested the segregation of schools in Little Rock in 1957.

Despite an apology decades later, Hazel Massey will forever be "that" person. Don't be like Hazel Massey. 

I write this blog tonight in honor of my “Ace Boon Coon.” 

My Ace Boon Coon (the best friend that just "gets it" and would do anything for you) indulges my love of selfies. 

She spent her day with hundreds of other couples at the Pulaski County Courthouse. Although she and her partner had a ceremony years ago and have lived as a married couple, today she was given the legal right to have her significant other recognized as her spouse. Today, one of my best friends, got to experience the same joy of making a legal and acknowledged commitment to the person that she loves most. She could do this freely with love and support.

Regardless of what you believe personally, I will always believe that of all the things, “the greatest is love.” My Ace and her Lovey are officially my favorite newlyweds and my heart soars for them both. My heart swells with pride that my friend, who has loved and accepted me always, is finally being treated with respect and was granted one of her greatest wishes. 

Congratulations Mrs. and Mrs. Ace Boon Coon - Lovey