BOUND FOR GLORY

Centers for Children (google)

     I have two boys. My oldest is a visual/auditory learner, and my youngest is a kinesthetic/visual learner. My oldest had no problem moving from one activity to another, but my youngest, fell apart. I learned to give him three warnings within the last five minutes of the activity, i.e. we are going from here to there in 3 minutes, etc. It helped him to deal with change incrementally. There are learners who crash and burn when you give them the "plan," but will plow through assignments if you just give them one at a time.
     When I was in Kindergarten, my teacher wrote 1 to 100 on the board, and told us we couldn't go to recess until we had copied them on our paper. I burst out crying. When Ms. Usepi came over and inquired, all I could manage was, "I dus can't do it!" I'm kinesthetic too. Knowing that I was not, technically, a "writer" yet, and being required to act as though I was, just way too much to deal with. Apparently, I won her heart, and she was one of my favorite teachers.
     Even back in the 70's, centers were a necessary part of the school day. We had half day Kindergarten which was awesome! My Grandma Raines would come pick me up sometimes. I loved spending time with her and my Mama. I learned more about relationship from them than playing in centers. For those of you who don't know, centers are set up around any given class room. Children take turns moving from one center to another during free time. It helps them not to fixate on one particular project, how to move from loss to gain, cooperate with classmates, use silence to their advantage, etc. The teacher walks around the classroom, carefully listen for any signs of distress.

Field Trip (google)

      Back in the 70's and 80's, field trips were part of the curriculum. They were viewed as a necessary part of any educational system. Learning can not be confined to the classroom. By the time we got to the 90's, we became "enlightened" to the grand goal of making lifetime learners rather than teaching toward "the test." That was short lived, because right when we got there, "No Child Left Behind" arose from the pits of hell. Rather than education thriving with the new found knowledge, all it got was major pruning.
      Both of my boys attended a local middle school that took an overnight trip with 5th graders to a science camp. They had a booklet, classmates, and a camp guide with them to help them locate various plants and animals in nature. So cool! In our day, our science teacher just went to the principal and asked if she could have her classes outside in the shade due to it being such a nice day. The teacher could do that, because the hooligans were already contained in the principal's office.
      Even though I don't teach in a public school, I have worked diligently with my boys and their teachers to forgo the grade and concentrate on the concept. They are in 10th and 8th grade; they are lifetime learners. I love watching them come home totally psyched for what they are learning in school. We are total nerds, always discovering, always learning.
       So, you can imagine my surprise, when God gives me a dream that challenged MY location. He led me to a home that I had been in before. I had secretly longed for it in previous dreams, but shushed my desire. This time, I was in the kitchen when I realized that my boys and their dad were there. I needed a shower, so I took one. Then I began to explore the rooms...my joy becoming full. I went into the final room and heard the voice of my Father say, "It's yours!" Oh, but that isn't all...I got a new car too...a standard. I got into my car and backed into traffic. Any prolific stick driver can shift gears without thinking about it. I backed up, and was putting into first, because that's what you do, but my new car said in a SIRI voice, "Why don't you try third?" I said, "I'm trying...." Just in the nick of time, I got it. I woke up so irritated.

Career Shadowing (google)

      Strange...never said I ain't strange, cause I am weird to the nth degree. When I get irritated, that's when I do my best work. Why would anyone skip first and second gear to start in third? That's difficult even for one who has been driving standards their whole life...and, it's not good for the car. I began to analyze: first gear is for gaining momentum for second gear that pulls you up steep hills. Third gear is for coasting...level ground...patient...not in any hurry. Then, I saw it. I got out of my head and saw that a car, is for moving you from place to place.
        As Christians, we say we believe that God is omnipresent, but we don't reflect that in our belief systems about the circumstances we find ourselves in. Instead, we find ourselves in Kindergarten, stuck at the stupid station where you lace string through a cardboard shoe, declaring, I don't need this. I've been able to tie my shoe since Grandma taught me at 4. Missing the point, all together, at every station. Moving in time, has to do with WHOM you are moving, not where.
         When I got up from bed, I said, "Jesus, not one more dream about some pie in the sky, please. I just can't be disappointed anymore." He is so patient, and has a great sense of humor. He says, "Are you irritated? Then work at it." The moment I saw that He IS ever present, that I am never away from Him, I saw my surroundings for what they are. It never has been about getting a job, a house, a car, etc. that meets the criteria of success in America. It has always been about my Center partner who never fails to teach me something, even if I am lacing a cardboard shoe. I'm Career Shadowing with Jesus, who is teaching me how to move eternally in a time centered world.