As I write this Blog, I am reflecting on the old saying: 'You made your bed now you have to lie in it.' as to invoke a sense of ownership and accountability in our choices and actions. It does not help if the person I am teaching does not have this experience. Sooo... I choose to recite common threads. Popular genres for any particular age group.
Ingredients -
I was teaching class and I was desperately trying to relay how easy it is to learn and yet how hard it is to understand. I found myself comparing and contrasting relevant, and yes contrived, life experiences to the lesson plan for the day. As I was teaching, I remembered the day I asked my math teacher this question: "When am I ever going to use this equation in my life?" His response was merely a smile and a body twitch. What I learned from his brief expulsion of turrets was that I had inadvertently thrown the proverbial salt into his masterpiece. My math teacher was now forced to relay a life time of experience into the class planner. As if I could comprehend that the problem was so much deeper than just the simple equation. I had asked the man on the mountain "WHY?". And to add insult to injury, he knew that the next thing out of my sophomoric mouth was ... "yeah, but". My math teacher just smiled and twitch and continued with his ingredients. I learned nothing..... YET.
Building character and self esteem and guiding people to make right choices is not black and white. Or as simple as numbers. I needed a venue that touched all walks of life. The media!
What is pertinent today. Hmmm.. Let's start with the ingredients:
"American Idol"
"Survivor"
"Spongebob Squarepants"
"Gilligan's Island"
"Hogan's Hero's"
"I Love Lucy"
Bill Cosby
"Of Mice and Men"
"1984"
Rush - the rock group
"Young Frankenstein"
"Art School Confidential"
Etc....
Staple home grown, fulfilling and emotional connections of my very core. I can almost identify with any one character in any one movie, rock group,sitcom, comic strip or sound byte that is available on the net. (or at netflix)
... and the list goes on ... I cannot even begin to list the books,the movies and/or actors that are alive and stirring in my head. Freud would have a field day with me. The academy awards celebrate the imagination of the storyteller. What I found from this myriad of media concoctions was a recipe for a connection. A connection that is intertwined in every one's psyche. Here is what I see and this is what is going to happen. Proof! Tangible proof! No GPS needed! WHY? Because Shakespeare wrote a love story about me! End of story and Happily ever after. I know where I am going because my actions speak louder than words.
THE PUDDING is a product of my actions. (the pudding is a metaphor) Is it just me or can't everyone see this? I am amazed when someone asks 'how did you know?' I respond with: "I slept at a Holiday Inn Last night." If only I could relay my point of view by making a connection. An emotional connection perhaps. What was your favorite movie or book or song that gets you so emotionally connected that the author speaks to YOU. This Pudding might have relevance in the choices you make and the type of person you are.
How do I know this. Certainly not from any Oracle or Man on the Mountain, but from the aforementioned literary and video archives. The product of my recipe. I have certainly burned a few biscuits and left some things out to rot, but hey this is what I have to show for it. I am a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. A little bit Jack Nicholas and a little bit Al Pacino.
When someone is too hard on their kids I compare them to mommy dearest. When someone is too aggressive in their nurturing I compare them to Nurse Rachett. If someone is too sweet I compare them to Ms. Honey from Matilda. If they have not seen these characters, then I reach a little deeper from my database. It has been my experience to make the lesson non-confrontational and a little humorous.
Experience comes from making mistakes. Risk. Failures. Success. Evolution and Contradiction. My math teacher knew that I would one day use that particular formula to calculate the amount of gas and time I would need to get to my destination. This is why guys do not stop and ask for directions. We all ready KNOW! My math teacher was right.. I am sooo empowered.
I am where I am in life based on my ingredients. There is a lot of potential out there for a mini me or two. But my humble advice would be to call upon any form or tool available to you to get your message across. What recipe do you use? Let me know...
Tofu serves its purpose. I cannot begin to imagine what that purpose might be; however, if you add some chili pepper it becomes palatable. Life has to have its risks. Does yours?
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