Readers, I'm sure you remember a recent post about apathy. Last time, it was in the context of World War Two and the politicians who signed their own death warrants through apathy.
Today, I want to tell you about a recent encounter with apathy that I had. It was the first week of classes, and the teacher was introducing himself and explaining how he grades and what he looks for and how we can get an A in the class. He paused and said "Hey, all you students who have to get an A in every class...don't worry about it. Settle for a B, will ya?" And the class chuckled and the teacher moved on. I thought to myself, how awful!? The teacher is telling us to NOT give all our effort, to NOT try, to NOT be hard on ourselves and strive for the best grade we can earn. Why would he tell us that!?
I have disregarded his advice. Now, that is NOT to say that I'm going to jump off a cliff to my sudden, instant death if I earn an A- or even a B+, but it does mean that I am going to work with an A mentality. As my high school adviser and mentor told me, "What level do you want to play at [in life]? THAT is the level that you have to train at." So if I want to "play" in a world-renowned school of business, I better be training at the top as I prepare to go there!
Don't let apathy rob you of potential. Or rather, don't give away your potential to apathy.
Showing posts with label apathy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apathy. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Follow Up
Dear readers, if you would like to add another log to the fire burning inside of you against public schools, read this article published today by the Seattle Times. As you read this article, or even if you don't, think about something that my mom told me.
I was complaining to her about my English 101 teacher. He would continually make comments about us writing our papers the morning before they were due, or he would give us time in class to read something that we should have read before class. I was telling my mom this, and she said something like this, "Your students will only go as far as your expectations. The lower your expectations, the less the students will do, because they will respond to the level of expectation on them."
This message was confirmed by my pastor at the beginning of my year as a Master's Commission student. My pastor encouraged my class to write down our expectations for the year, and then as we neared graduation, look and see how many of our expectations had been met and exceeded. I have to say, all of mine were, and I believe it's because I was expecting it!
If I had thought that nothing would change, that I wouldn't learn anything, that life would just be the same, I believe that that reality would have been established. But because my pastor encouraged our expectations, they were met, and things changed! Expect more.
I was complaining to her about my English 101 teacher. He would continually make comments about us writing our papers the morning before they were due, or he would give us time in class to read something that we should have read before class. I was telling my mom this, and she said something like this, "Your students will only go as far as your expectations. The lower your expectations, the less the students will do, because they will respond to the level of expectation on them."
This message was confirmed by my pastor at the beginning of my year as a Master's Commission student. My pastor encouraged my class to write down our expectations for the year, and then as we neared graduation, look and see how many of our expectations had been met and exceeded. I have to say, all of mine were, and I believe it's because I was expecting it!
If I had thought that nothing would change, that I wouldn't learn anything, that life would just be the same, I believe that that reality would have been established. But because my pastor encouraged our expectations, they were met, and things changed! Expect more.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Convictions
Hello again, dear readers,
I was talking with a dear friend today, and she encouraged me to write down some of my thoughts, specifically those about which I am particularily passionate. So here goes!
First of all: public education Since WHEN did the government get permission to stuff our young children full of their personal worldview!?!?!? When did responsibility transfer from the family to the state?! Since when do parents only interact with the educators of their children on a quarterly or semi-annually basis?! When did parents LOSE the ability to dictate what is and isn't taught to THEIR OWN offspring!?!?!? As you might have guessed, beloved readers, this subject "gets my dander up," so to speak. I am so very passionate about the responsibility of families to educate children, and so very against the idea-that-is-present-reality of the government controlling the promotion of the worldviews that shape the next generation.
God set up the biblical model in the Old Testament: parents were to educate their children, from a very early age, about the Scriptures. Later, a local, family rabbi might further instruct students, but keep in mind that the rabbi was only instructing the children about more and more Scriptures and commentaries that were already discussed and taught at home!!! I think that now for our current situation, a homeschool co-op is one of the best models of God's model. The parents are the main educators of their children, but for some subjects that are not the parents' particular strong suit, another parent would step in and teach the subject.
For example, my mother is an English major, so I know English backwards and forwards. However, when I finished Algebra 1 and continued into Algebra 2 and beyond, my mother found another person, who shared our beliefs and convictions, to help me understand the mathematics that I now so adore.
However, I have found that I am the exception to the rule, rather than the rule. Most of my peers were educated at public schools, and all I can say is that I am grateful that I was not! My passionate dislike of public schools encompasses more than just the worldviews taught and the way that it contradicts God's model; I don't like that the teachers don't expect practically anything of their students!
Excuse me, but in "real life," as in after graduation, bosses and college instructors don't give assignments for you to do "if you have time..." or "if you want to..." or "if you feel like it..." Teachers and bosses tell you to do something and they expect it to be done on the time line they give you, and to the specifications that they require. But you never would learn THAT in a public high school!
Let me give you one example: a former co-worker of mine attended a public high school that has a reputation for academics. His senior English class was assigned a 5 page paper. My co-worker wrote 2 & 1/2 pages... and got an A. I asked him how on earth he got an A on a 5 page paper that was half the assigned length, and he shrugged and said, "At least I turned it in. Some kids didn't."
I ask you, readers, what do you expect of future presidents' inauguration speeches? Do you think they will stay the same length they are now? Do you think that there will even be speeches? How many of these future presidents will have college degrees? I don't even want to think about it!
Well, dear readers, this is only one of many subjects about which I am passionate, but I'm saving more for later. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that this causes you to ponder education in new ways, and to pray for leaders to rise up and speak out for biblically-based education.
First of all: public education Since WHEN did the government get permission to stuff our young children full of their personal worldview!?!?!? When did responsibility transfer from the family to the state?! Since when do parents only interact with the educators of their children on a quarterly or semi-annually basis?! When did parents LOSE the ability to dictate what is and isn't taught to THEIR OWN offspring!?!?!? As you might have guessed, beloved readers, this subject "gets my dander up," so to speak. I am so very passionate about the responsibility of families to educate children, and so very against the idea-that-is-present-reality of the government controlling the promotion of the worldviews that shape the next generation.
God set up the biblical model in the Old Testament: parents were to educate their children, from a very early age, about the Scriptures. Later, a local, family rabbi might further instruct students, but keep in mind that the rabbi was only instructing the children about more and more Scriptures and commentaries that were already discussed and taught at home!!! I think that now for our current situation, a homeschool co-op is one of the best models of God's model. The parents are the main educators of their children, but for some subjects that are not the parents' particular strong suit, another parent would step in and teach the subject.
For example, my mother is an English major, so I know English backwards and forwards. However, when I finished Algebra 1 and continued into Algebra 2 and beyond, my mother found another person, who shared our beliefs and convictions, to help me understand the mathematics that I now so adore.
However, I have found that I am the exception to the rule, rather than the rule. Most of my peers were educated at public schools, and all I can say is that I am grateful that I was not! My passionate dislike of public schools encompasses more than just the worldviews taught and the way that it contradicts God's model; I don't like that the teachers don't expect practically anything of their students!
Excuse me, but in "real life," as in after graduation, bosses and college instructors don't give assignments for you to do "if you have time..." or "if you want to..." or "if you feel like it..." Teachers and bosses tell you to do something and they expect it to be done on the time line they give you, and to the specifications that they require. But you never would learn THAT in a public high school!
Let me give you one example: a former co-worker of mine attended a public high school that has a reputation for academics. His senior English class was assigned a 5 page paper. My co-worker wrote 2 & 1/2 pages... and got an A. I asked him how on earth he got an A on a 5 page paper that was half the assigned length, and he shrugged and said, "At least I turned it in. Some kids didn't."
I ask you, readers, what do you expect of future presidents' inauguration speeches? Do you think they will stay the same length they are now? Do you think that there will even be speeches? How many of these future presidents will have college degrees? I don't even want to think about it!
Well, dear readers, this is only one of many subjects about which I am passionate, but I'm saving more for later. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that this causes you to ponder education in new ways, and to pray for leaders to rise up and speak out for biblically-based education.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Apathy
Hello, dear readers,
What I'm about to post is pretty heavy. I mean, it's not light and fluffy; it's dark and powerful and inspiring.
Let me tell you the context. The series is called the Zion Covenant, by Bodie & Brock Thoene. It's the story of several Jewish people in Germany, Prague, Munich, Poland, and Jerusalem during World War II. There is an American reporter who is stationed in Europe, and even as he communicates the horrors of the Nazis to his superiors, he knows that his report will be a small blip in the back of the newspaper, because Americans and British and French people didn't want to become involved.
Here is his revelation: "...apathy was the glove into which evil slipped its hand. Apathy protected the fist of evil from skinning its knuckles as it slammed babies against a wall. The searing of a man's conscience was, in the end, just as deadly as a machine gun fired into a classroom of children, just as final in the end as the sinking of a ship."
Please contemplate this, dear, dear readers. Think about any apathy in yourself; now, what are you going to do about it? If you answer "nothing," then let me tell you, reader, that you have just given into apathy and let it rule over you. Your conscience has just been seared. I hope that thought scares all the apathy out of you.
Let me tell you the context. The series is called the Zion Covenant, by Bodie & Brock Thoene. It's the story of several Jewish people in Germany, Prague, Munich, Poland, and Jerusalem during World War II. There is an American reporter who is stationed in Europe, and even as he communicates the horrors of the Nazis to his superiors, he knows that his report will be a small blip in the back of the newspaper, because Americans and British and French people didn't want to become involved.
Here is his revelation: "...apathy was the glove into which evil slipped its hand. Apathy protected the fist of evil from skinning its knuckles as it slammed babies against a wall. The searing of a man's conscience was, in the end, just as deadly as a machine gun fired into a classroom of children, just as final in the end as the sinking of a ship."
Please contemplate this, dear, dear readers. Think about any apathy in yourself; now, what are you going to do about it? If you answer "nothing," then let me tell you, reader, that you have just given into apathy and let it rule over you. Your conscience has just been seared. I hope that thought scares all the apathy out of you.
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