washed away
April 19, 2013 § 6 Comments
This week read like a child’s rhyme, a trick of prose between iambic pentameter. Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go. Yesterday my mood matched the sky cluttered with heavy clouds, shadows and foreboding darkening the dawn.
After two days of carrying conflicting emotions for what I could not control, I found myself watching flashes of lightning and measuring the endless, lazy drips seeping into our home thinking of the universal vulnerability Mother Nature gifts us. Looking to the sky my blessings became greater than my grief.
Without power I gave thanks for my roof, warm clothes, and blankets. While the storm battered trees and flooded the streets, I gave thanks that my children were home safe and distracted by the novelty of darkness. Then the voice of a friend reminded me that for some school was a welcome safe haven from homes flooding and I became more mindful of others’ burdens. My simple comforts became almost indulgent in their reassurance.
Tuesday’s trouble is never far from my mind and Wednesday’s worries are still present, but today I am holding tightly to my blessings least I allow negativity to wash away my gratitude for what remains: hope, home, and health.
scribblechic 
Sometimes all it takes is the confidence that hope is warranted. Trust me, it is :>)
BTW–I particular like the comment about being distracted by the novelty of the darkness. So true and something of a shame as it’s in the quiet darkness that some of our best thoughts emerge.
Ever so often I will erase the distractions of technology to create room for creativity. Still yesterday I was a walking comedy of habitual activity, flipping useless switches and planning meals I could not cook as both children huddled over a relic, electronic toy cautiously disassembling the guts and alternately unpacking board games for something to do.
Speaking of that.
At the moment, and for the past decade or so, I am a Program Development Specialist with the Department of Education in my province. Back when I earned an honest living–:>)–though I was a physics and math teacher.
Physics, when taught correctly, is all about learning to interpret the physical world and though its base language has to be mathematics its roots have to be experiential. At the high school level, then, you have to ensure that the students have an intuitive feel (pun intended) for things before moving to the theoretical realm.
In the early days of my career–the 1980’s–my students spent the most of their free time interacting directly with the physical world–playing athletic games and such. Things like forces, acceleration and circular motion were things they understood. They did not have to explore these basic ideas much in my classes because they could easily draw on personal experience. Students knew, for example, that if you tied a metal washer to a string and spun in in the vertical plane that it felt heavier at the bottom than at the top. They ‘knew’ it so I could just move then to explaining WHY.
But that’s changed.
Today’s students spend far less time directly interacting with the physical world. in fact the only times they seem to get to spend exclusively there is when they are babies! As soon as they can manipulate the ipads and such we move them over thinking that’s the best thing. develop that higher level stuff and all that!
Well guess what? Now we have to introduce our students back to the physical world right there in our classrooms. We have to tie that washer to the string and get them to spin it around because many of them have never skipped rope, used a slingshot, shot a hockey puck, hit a tennis ball…on and on.
What a shame. Look–I depend on computers. I have four kids of my own aged 15-22 and between them and my wife we have 3 PCs, 6 laptops, 3 tablets, 3 ipods and 6 smartphones in the house. More at work. I work in eLearning so I have a sound belief in the value of modern communication and computing technology.
BUT…
I also know that as we, collectively turn our backs on the physical world and more and more use technology as an intermediary we are moving ourselves in some new and not necessarily desired directions. I do hope that as a people we find balance.
I have just posted on my blog a post mentioning thunderstorms, children, mother nature etc. Then the very first post that I read on here was yours.
The synchronicities Mrs Scribblechic, the synchronicities!
Lovely synchronicities. I peeked at your blog before running out this morning to replenish my perishables. I look forward to a longer read, later.
Maurice, may I call you such? I agree completely that many children are lacking the experience of exploring their environment and creating a rich personal reference of the world around them. Your concern was beautifully articulated and your closing word, poignant. Balance, indeed.