My oldest son received a reading award today at his school for reading a set amount of books in a certain time period. I was very proud of his achievement and happy to be there to see him receive his certificate and frisbee. He was happy to get the frisbee. This award was particularly special because of the amount of work he had to do in a short time in order to qualify for the award. His mother and I are beaming with pride.
There were several awards given today and many children went home with the spoils of victory that come from hard work and dedication. I couldn't help but notice, though, that there were more children who went home with nothing than there were children who received awards. That got me to wondering about the whole concept of awarding those who achieve and giving nothing to those who do not acheive in the specified methods. Certainly, I understand that achievement should be noted and I do believe that rewarding one for achieving can be a powerful encourager to further success. I'm also thinking that repeated failure to award might be more powerful and do more harm that awarding acheivement does good.
My other son is playing tee ball in a league where no score is kept and no one is gotten out and parents clutter the field of play. The league leader told us all of this up front and made the comment that if we were there to win a game, then we were in the wrong league. The purpose of the league is to teach children team work, fundamentals of the game and things of that sort. So...after the first game, all the kids wanted to know who won. You should have heard the parents trying to explain who everyone was a winner and no one was a loser. It was interesting.
This concept of there being a winner and a loser and the idea of awarding those achieve and doing nothing for those who do not acheive is etched in our collective pschy. What might be better, though, is if we could teach every child to do his personal best and to compete with himself, then everyone would truly be a winner. There would never be a kid left out. There would never be a kid ridiculed for not excelling. Every person would be free to become his or her personal best and that is all any of us should hope for.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Power of Play
Yesterday was my second son's end of the year "fun day"! Can I tell you how fun it was? They had inflatables. They had waterslides. They had snowcones. They had popcorn. We had FUN! The most fun, though, was the large number of water guns David's teacher brought for the kids. She bought the guns from some dollar store and they amounted to nothing more than huge syringes that would suck up the water and expell it under pressure at a very high rate of speed. The kids couldn't really use them to the maximum level because they were strong enough. That's really why the parents stepped in. We only wanted to show them how to use the water guns.
The next thing I know I'm involved in a major water battle that envy any sailor. People were falling. Water was flying. We were all laughing. At one point, one parent remarked, "You know what the sad thing is? She bought those water guns for the kids and not one kid has a water gun!" That was ok, though, because they had the inflatables. Of course, as in any battle, there was collateral damage - those who did NOT want to get wet, but did. You can't always retrieve a bullet once it has been fired and you can't always predict exactly where your water bombs may land. They did come from the dollar store! All in all, I had as much fun shooting water guns at people yesterday as I've had in a long time.
The result of all this fun.... I was thoroughly tired when I got home last night. I was refreshed and de-stressed (if there is such a thing). I benefited greatly from the day. It reminded me of the Jeffersons episode where George and Wheezy fought each other and the neighbors with those enormous orange q-tip looking things. When that battle was over, they were de-stressed (if there is such a thing) and their relationships were strengthened. One man even told me when it was over, that I should write into our church's constitution a provision that requires the entire church family to fire upon one another with water guns after every vote that is note a unanimous vote. I'm seriously considering it. Maybe we could even use the baptistry as a reloading station?
The next thing I know I'm involved in a major water battle that envy any sailor. People were falling. Water was flying. We were all laughing. At one point, one parent remarked, "You know what the sad thing is? She bought those water guns for the kids and not one kid has a water gun!" That was ok, though, because they had the inflatables. Of course, as in any battle, there was collateral damage - those who did NOT want to get wet, but did. You can't always retrieve a bullet once it has been fired and you can't always predict exactly where your water bombs may land. They did come from the dollar store! All in all, I had as much fun shooting water guns at people yesterday as I've had in a long time.
The result of all this fun.... I was thoroughly tired when I got home last night. I was refreshed and de-stressed (if there is such a thing). I benefited greatly from the day. It reminded me of the Jeffersons episode where George and Wheezy fought each other and the neighbors with those enormous orange q-tip looking things. When that battle was over, they were de-stressed (if there is such a thing) and their relationships were strengthened. One man even told me when it was over, that I should write into our church's constitution a provision that requires the entire church family to fire upon one another with water guns after every vote that is note a unanimous vote. I'm seriously considering it. Maybe we could even use the baptistry as a reloading station?
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Peace of God and Birds
The peace of God is something that almost transcends our ability to reason. In our clearest moments, we understand the peace of God as the absence of confusion / chaos. God's peace is more than that, though. God's peace is an abiding reality of living in His presence and expressing that reality by faith. The peace of God, then, is the absence of confusion and in the positive is the abiding reality of his presence with us.
Recently I acquired a pair of keets or two parakeets (whichever you prefer....) and I've learned a great deal about the peace of God from them. The previous owners doubtless cared for them because them seem healthy and vibrant. I already had in my possession a larger cage and this past weekend I transferred them from the smaller cage to the larger cage. They seem to enjoy it. I initially named them Pete and Re-Pete, but I found out that one is a girl. Now I call them Green Pete and Girl Pete. They like their names.
I really enjoy sitting on the porch where I keep the birds and I gain great joy by watching them. It is surprising, really. I never expected two birds to bring anything of substance into my life, but they have. By watching them, I've been reminded of Jesus' teaching that he cares for the sparrows so that not one falls to the ground without his knowledge. I think of his discourse on discipleship when I look at those birds and I hear Jesus saying, "The foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head..." There is something about those birds that points me to the Creator. Exactly what it is, I do not know. That it is, I'm certain.
It could be simply that I take time to sit with my new bird family each day and in that time with the birds I still myself and experience peace - both the absence of chaos and the abiding reality of His presence. I do feel a bit guilty, though, because it took me getting two birds before I would sit down long enough to meditate upon the loftier things of life rather than just allow my mind to atrophy in front of the silver screen. Could it be that we might all learn a lesson from Green and Girl? Be still and know that He is God...
Recently I acquired a pair of keets or two parakeets (whichever you prefer....) and I've learned a great deal about the peace of God from them. The previous owners doubtless cared for them because them seem healthy and vibrant. I already had in my possession a larger cage and this past weekend I transferred them from the smaller cage to the larger cage. They seem to enjoy it. I initially named them Pete and Re-Pete, but I found out that one is a girl. Now I call them Green Pete and Girl Pete. They like their names.
I really enjoy sitting on the porch where I keep the birds and I gain great joy by watching them. It is surprising, really. I never expected two birds to bring anything of substance into my life, but they have. By watching them, I've been reminded of Jesus' teaching that he cares for the sparrows so that not one falls to the ground without his knowledge. I think of his discourse on discipleship when I look at those birds and I hear Jesus saying, "The foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head..." There is something about those birds that points me to the Creator. Exactly what it is, I do not know. That it is, I'm certain.
It could be simply that I take time to sit with my new bird family each day and in that time with the birds I still myself and experience peace - both the absence of chaos and the abiding reality of His presence. I do feel a bit guilty, though, because it took me getting two birds before I would sit down long enough to meditate upon the loftier things of life rather than just allow my mind to atrophy in front of the silver screen. Could it be that we might all learn a lesson from Green and Girl? Be still and know that He is God...
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