Be Creating

J - A Student Who Was My Teacher J was a student in the fourth grade – I was his inexperienced teacher.  I taught fourth grade language arts and math for 4 th , 5 th , and 6 th graders in a small rural community in Nebraska.  J was the student who taught me to dig deeper and to reflect before you act.  Later having learned perceptual control theory, I recognized J was the epitome of you can’t tell what someone is doing by looking at what they are doing. One day J sat for 20 minutes while the rest of the students were at PE and repeated “I hate you.” This was said very slowly over and over again the entire 20 minutes, while I sat quietly at my desk doing work.  J was probably the one student in my class who needed PE more than any other – he could hardly contain himself long enough to read for 10 minutes.  Sitting still was just not part of his make-up.  He is the only student in all my years of teaching that I spoke to in a way that showed every o...

Spring conjures thoughts of the legends and lore surrounding the Trickster.   The leprechauns of St. Patrick’s Day, the jokers on April Fools’ Day and the deceptive nature of spring weather are all like the archetypal Trickster.   Each is a reminder of the Wise Fool within.   In stories, the Trickster provides humorous relief to offset dramatic tension.   In life, the Trickster is your teacher, your great balancer.     Like a rebel with a cause, the Trickster uses riddles, puns, puzzles, mischief, wit and cleverness to teach you and help you grow in unexpected ways.   Blessed with curiosity that can lead to trouble, armed with cunning and wit the trickster faces challenges and evolves to a higher level. In life, your greatest lessons often come in unexpected ways such as tempting choices and strife.   It is only after the fact, when you dig deeper, that you “get the joke,” learn the lesson and grow from the experience. Bugs Bunny, the...