Trivia night

There are 17 syllables in a haiku, written in a 5-7-5 pattern. How do I know that? I'm a teacher; poetry is inevitably one of the writing units we teach. On trivia night at my favorite sports bar a few weeks back, I scored a point for my team by answering that question correctly.

Pyrite

Broken soul halts sleep
Dawn comes bearing hopeful minds
Deep breath, actor, me

Today I needed a mental health day. Wistful thinking...

Hurricane Warning...

Stop the presses everyone - it looks like Armageddon has arrived!

As much as we can make light of the fact that we 'only' had a 5.9 earthquake and that Floridians have hurricanes all the time and survive, a 10-year old experiencing these things for the first time has every right to be frightened.

I was reading through their daily journals today and I came across several students who wrote about their fears. It is incredible how much kids have to say if only they had someone to listen and take them seriously! The depth of their thoughts is beyond anything I could have imagined, speaking with an earnestness that can only come from a mind still so uncorrupted.

If only a standardized test could show the value of child's thoughts, then perhaps we could truly have no child left behind.

The Replacements

Since we will be one short on our 5th grade team starting on Monday, we have been conducting interviews for her replacement for the past week or two. Inevitably, we always come to the conclusion that the person isn't the right fit for one reason or another and say,

"If only..."

(fill in the quality missing)

Our most recent candidate was someone that we liked a lot however. When I turned to my science counterpart, I said that she reminded me of the teacher that she would be replacing. To my surprise, my colleague's response was,

"Me too!!! I think that's one of the reasons we liked her so much."

Isn't it interesting that when we lose someone important to us, we often draw comparisons to others that we know - maybe even the person whose spot they are taking? I know that many children that suffer through parents getting divorced or being widowed often have trouble embracing a step-parent for this very reason. In reality, everyone has God-given strengths that we can embrace. On the flip side, we all have inherent flaws as well - ones that those around us love us enough to overlook.

Our team mom will always be our team mom, even after she officially starts her new position. I also know our new teammate won't be an exact replica of our old one. However, I hope I (and my team) can embrace her in the same way. Her qualities are sure to go far beyond her semblance to the person she's taking the place of.

Earthquake!!!

A slow, seemingly harmless rumble turned into a violent shaking a few seconds later. After running the possible scenarios through my head about what could be happening, disbelief became reality as I - and all the other teachers in the school - went into the hallway and began ordering children around.

"Get on your knees, face the wall and put your heads down! Put your hands behind your neck!"

There are days where even long-time teachers will experience things for the very first time. Today was one of them: here, far away from California or any other known earthquake mecca, we had an earthquake. Not a huge, destructive earthquake like the one in Japan last year, but still big enough to make fear a reality. Several children were crying near where I posted myself, and I looked at all the teachers. Although I knew we were all either a little worried or thought it was kinda fun, all of us kept a cool and serious demeanor as we evacuated the building.

In the safety of the adjoining softball field, one of my students came up to me and asked,

"Mr. Lin, were you scared?"

I paused for a moment before I answered him. Fear is not a bad thing; there is a reason why it is an instinctive reaction that helps define us as humans.

"Did I look scared?"

"No, but I was still wondering," he answered.

"Yes I was," I said calmly. "I was scared for the safety of my students."

Tomorrow, I will have the class write in their daily journals about how they felt during the earthquake. After that, maybe we can have a discussion that will (hopefully) dispel the notion that men should never be afraid. Boys should not grow up thinking that fear makes them less of a man.

Do not play with glitter

It's been a long day. One of those that, if I wasn't a teacher, I could slink into work and ease slowly into my day behind the barrier that is a computer screen and 'busy' IM status.

Unfortunately, it's go time all the time for the few, the proud. So, on a day like this, I leave you with...

Do not play with glitter. It gets everywhere, and it never comes out of carpet.

That's all I got. Thank goodness for hops, malt, and fermentation... AFTER school, of course.

Hatfields and McCoys

The people that know me best know that I am a nerd. I played violin in high school, I love math, and - more than anything - I ingest 'fun facts' like a fat kid ingests cupcakes.

History is probably the area which I love collecting interesting morsels of information the most. This is one of many reasons that the speaking of my church pastor appeals to me greatly - he loves tying in stories from history into his sermons. Today's sermon focused on conflict resolution, and the pastor introduced the message through the story of the Hatfields and McCoys. For those history nerds like myself, here is a link that gives a great comprehensive history of the story between the Hatfields of West Virginia, and the McCoys of Kentucky:

http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa043000a.htm

Passion, intrigue, and violence - it carries all the ingredients necessary for a good tabloid story. Also, it carries a story of how conflict resolution is such an important part of healing and building unity - shown by this event that came after the September 11th attack on our nation:

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/13/earlyshow/saturday/main558660.shtml


One of the elements of education that gets missed by those that aren't educators is the role of teachers in preparing students for life. In school, students learn skills and traits that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Persistence, effort, and the ability to work with others is something we as teachers actively seek to develop.

Hopefully - in between the math, science, social studies, and language arts - we are teaching the kids at our school things that will serve them well regardless of what career they end up with. Today's sermon added a few more skills to the list - effective communication, seeing another person's side, and conflict resolution.

Lesson #1: There are 3 sides to every conflict. My side, your side, and the truth. It's never too late for any of us to forgive, accept responsibility and heal. Just ask the Hatfields and the McCoys.

On careers, passions, and hobbies

I went to work this afternoon. As my mentor opened the door for me at school this Saturday afternoon, I mentioned to her,

"You know, you work harder than anyone I know."

To this she replied with a smile,

"I was thinking about the hours I put in and yes, I do work hard. But that's because teaching is not only my career, but it's also my passion AND my hobby!"

Honestly, how cool is that? To have a job that you are so passionate about and enjoy so much that you think of it as your hobby is wealth beyond any person's dreams. And, I have to say, she is one of the best teachers that I have ever been around. I hope one day to have my lessons as well thought out and creative as she does.

I also am very passionate about what I do for my career. To be honest, I never really thought of it as my hobby, but it probably is if you look at how much I enjoy it and the work I put in to make myself better. However, since it was a Saturday, I left work after 2 hours to compete in another of my time consuming hobbies - rock climbing (that's me in the photo, taken about 2 years ago).

I've been climbing off and on for about 4 years, but have taken enough breaks that I call myself a 'poser climber.' This means that (along with my somewhat-frequent long hiatuses) I know enough to get by and enough terminology to SOUND like I'm a real climber, but I don't spend a large proportion of my money and vacations on climbing gear and climbing trips. Those that have 'drank the kool-aid' live to climb, and to me it is just a hobby. However, today was the first time I entered into a climbing competition. I fully expected to finish in the bottom 10% but, lo and behold, I did halfway decent for my level (intermediate). I mentioned to my buddy that I felt like I didn't climb my best, and he said,

"Fool, that's because you are always on, then off, then on again. If you climbed regularly for a long period of time, you better believe you'd be competing at a higher level!"

Moral of the story: To be as good as you want at something, it needs to be important to you and you have to be willing to work at it every day. Whether its your career, your relationships, something you've always wanted to do or change about yourself, or as simple as a hobby, this rule applies.
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Next year, I hope to be competing in the advanced category - in BOTH hobbies that I am devoted to.

Math Motivation

One of the girls in my class has been telling me how much she hates math. She thinks it's hard and thinks it's boring. I've tried a few different approaches to motivating her and trying to change her thinking - telling her how good she is at math (she is), trying to relate math to something she loves, etc. - but to no avail.

Over the past few days, her and a few other students have been bugging me about when my birthday is since we've had our first few class birthdays recently. I decided that, instead of continuing my ruse of saying I didn't have a birthday or saying that I'm 756 years old, I would allow them to figure out my birthday using math concepts we had just learned in our 1st unit. Therefore, my morning message today read:

Good morning 5th Grade!

Today is Friday, August 19th and today we will be going to Mr. Murphy for Art during Encore. After you have unpacked quietly, you may either write in your writing journal about something you are looking forward tothis weekend or try to figure out what Mr. Lin's birthday is.

Mr. Lin is born in September on a day that is a 2-digit number. This number is a multiple of 2 and is is a factor of 20 - but it is NOT 20.

He was born between 1966 and 1982, and the YEAR he was born is divisible by 3, but not by 2, 4, 5, 6, or 9.

What date and year is Mr. Lin born? You may use the divisibility rules in your math binders to help.

Have a fantastic Friday,

Love,

Mr. Lin

A little girl that is still convinced that she hates math and isn't good at it figured out my birthday in seconds, and is puzzling through figuring out my birth year. Hopefully I can keep tricking her into doing math problems voluntarily!

What goes on in these kids' minds???

For those of you that haven't been exposed to the full spectrum of kid types, you should know that one of the perks to teaching is the really wacky things that they say or do that just leave you scratching your head and wondering,

"What in the world goes on between those ears?"

Almost every day has a story, and today contained two gems, this one being the first (although it was my science counterpart who told this to me):

Science Teacher (pointing at the above picture):

"What do you think is happening with these animals?"

Student (completely serious answer):

"I think maybe they are having intercourse."

Science Teacher:

"Please leave the classroom, that was inappropriate."

Student: (exits classroom with a dumbfounded look on his face)

I'm sure it made complete sense in HIS mind...


This second story is all mine:


Mr. Lin:

"Please go to the bookshelf and get your reading book that contains the story we have been reading. Read the directions and you may begin your test."

(students get their books from the bookshelf and sit down. Question #1 reads, "Please read pages 254-258, then answer the question below.")

Student (holds up the book he just got from the bookshelf):

"Mr. Lin, are we allowed to use these books on the test?"

Mr. Lin:

"No, I just had you get the books from the shelf so you could get some extra exercise since you'll be inside for recess for asking silly questions."

At least the kid understands sarcasm. Written and oral directions on the other hand are clearly a problem.

*Editor's note - I didn't actually take his recess. Not even for asking a silly question.

Hypothetically speaking...

In the 5th grade, kids are starting to get pretty big. I have a boy dominated class and today at the end of the day, one boy looked at me with an overconfident smile on his face and said,

"Mr. Lin, I'm almost bigger than you!"

Hypothetically speaking, in this situation would it be appropriate to say,

"Yes, you're ALMOST as big as me. But I'm still bigger and badder than you,"

and then proceed to accept a challenge to arm wrestle? Yes, I realize that beating a 5th grader in arm wrestling is no reason to carry any swagger, even if he one days grows up to be an NFL lineman or MMA fighter. Not that this actually happened or anything... just wondering if that could be deemed an appropriate response.

WWJD...

Visitors from another planet

OK well not really. But I did have visitors today. Not the kind that comes in unannounced and observes your every mistake. I've had really great administrators that try to make these necessary observations as unobtrusive as possible. They are kind and give great feedback after the lesson and have been very encouraging. The fact of the matter is however, your mistakes are on full display and you are only as good as your last game. Well, not really... but since I've been told I'm my own worst critic, it sure feels that way. So... who were my visitors today? They were 2 of my students from last year who came in to say hello, to sit on my couch, and (I suspect) to tell my students that I wasn't as mean as I say that I am.

"Mr. Lin SAYS he's mean, but don't believe him. He's NEVER hit anyone with his whacking stick,"

announced one former student to the class. Apparently she didn't heed my warning not to come visit if she was going to tell the class I'm a nice teacher.

"She's only saying that because she knows she'll be buried under the school with the other 2 kids that stepped out of line last year,"

I said as I glared at her.


No avail however; I'm pretty sure that I've already blown my own cover. With kids, they often do something that is just so out of whack that you can't help but laugh. And once you laugh, they know you aren't the Marine Drill Instructor that you might pretend to be.

I do enjoy having students visit me however. And, I'm pretty sure that I'll get visitors from the previous year every once in a while. I've had a few different students come by this year and I'm sure I will always appreciate and cherish these visits. One of my hopes however, is to have young adults come visit me many years after they are students in my classroom so I can see what they have become. I hope to see them with successful and promising careers. Most of all however, I hope I have been able to model the love that goes beyond our human comprehension to my students - a love which doesn't come from me, but from the One who prepared this career in advance for me.

At a time like that, I'll be able embrace the words of a student that tells me how nice I am. Heck, I may even crack a smile.

Is it ever too late?

This morning as I was driving into work, I listened to a story about a girl whose goal was to raise $300 by her 9th birthday to donate to countries without access to clean drinking water. What a noble cause! Sadly, she was $80 away from her goal when she was killed in a car accident.

The silver lining to this story was that in the aftermath of this tragedy, almost $200,000 was raised towards her cause. This made me pause to think for a moment: why is it that so often it takes something drastic to happen to motivate us to do something?

A few weeks ago I was listening to a sermon at church on procrastination. I had been thinking about making a phone call that was much overdue, but had been putting it off for various reasons - not the least of which because it had been so long since we had spoken. To make a long story short, I put off making the call, and a few weeks later I regretted not doing so earlier. "If I only had called earlier," I thought, "maybe it wouldn't be too late."

Therein lies the question of the day: "Is it ever too late?" Perhaps we often think of the "too late" question from the wrong perspective. If you are anything like me, you think about this question in terms of it being too late for things to turn out the way YOU want them to turn out. Instead, perhaps we can think about whether it's too late for things to turn out in the way God wants them to happen - a way that goes beyond our human comprehension.

A little 9-year old girl had a desire to raise a mere $300 to help people she didn't know get clean drinking water. A big part of me feels that it shouldn't take tragedy to motivate people to do good. Wouldn't it be great if this girl got the satisfaction of knowing her worthwhile goal was accomplished? Although it might feel like it's too late for her to know that her kindness was noticed and supported, somehow I feel like she knows. $200,000 later, it is not too late.

Sweet, with a little bitter mixed in

Selfishness is a condition we all share. Unfortunate as it is, it is a commonality for all of us due to our inherent nature as humans. In children, this is often manifested when they see something good happen to another student. Instead of being happy for their friend, they complain.

"Mr. Lin, why does SHE get to sit on the couch?" a student might complain. Or, if someone shares that he or she is going to do something fun with their family during an upcoming weekend, a child might say "Awww! That's not fair... I NEVER get to go to do anything fun!"

Why is it that kids can't simply be happy when something good happens to another person, even those that they are friends with? And, as adults, do we ever grow out of this? Sure, we're happy for our friends when good things happen to them. But am I the only one that feels a sense of sadness when it seems others are moving on to places and things while I feel like I'm being left behind? Examples that might be common could be a friend getting a promotion, a loved one finding 'the one', or watching a brother celebrate winning a baseball championship from the stands when your own team was eliminated during the regular season (*ahem* Bret Boone in 2003).

For me, I've had a few bittersweet moments recently where I'm sad even though I'm happy for someone a care about. The most recent came today, when one of my team members (we are a very close team) told us today about a call she received last night. The call: she was going to be interning in an administrative position at a different school. In other words, it is a step towards becoming a principal - a position she would excel at.

While I'm extremely excited for her and for the children she will get to influence, I recognize that happiness is not the only emotion I feel. I cannot break the feeling of sorrow that lingers past the initial response of sadness I felt at the news. Even though I know she'll make a great administrator, I already miss her. I love depending on my teammates for support (not only with curriculum, but spiritually and emotionally as well) and losing one is like losing a member of the family and this particular person is like our team mom. While I know that work and life will be fine, the selfish part of me doesn't want things to change when things are going well the way they are now.

In those quiet moments where I stop for a second and think, I know that when things happen that shake up our lives, it will not always be bliss that I feel. However, bliss is not one of the fruits of the spirit; in fact, happiness isn't either. Joy - an emotion that transcends our natural disposition to be selfish - is what we can share with friends and loved ones in these situations.

Friend, although I'm not happy that you will be leaving us, I am joyful.

I'm still a guy

And I’ll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around
Knock some jerk to the ground
‘Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

These days there’s dudes getting facials
Manicured waxed and botoxed
But with deep spray on tans and creamy lotioney hands
You can’t grip a tackle box
With all of these men lining up to get neutered
It’s hip now to be feminized I don’t highlight my hair
I’ve still got a pair
Yeah, honey I’m still a guy

My eyebrows ain’t plucked
Theres a gun in my truck
Thank God I’m still a guy

- Brad Paisley


When I take a moment and think about things, I realize that I'm probably atypical in just about every part of my life. I terrified of heights, but one of my favorite activities is to rock climb. I'm a pacifist (in the sense that I think violence should be the last resort), but I am proud to say I was enlisted in the US Marine Corps - in the infantry no less. And, the first time my buddy Ryan rode in my truck, he heard country music blaring and looked at me like he had just seen Bigfoot. An Asian dude that listens to country music? Who woulda figured?

Another paradox is my profession, since teaching is a woman-dominated profession. So much so that I was once asked at a party if I was gay simply because I chose teaching as my profession. Although I don't feel the need to prove my masculinity, every once in a while the inherent nature of being a guy will come out. Today was one of those days.

After I took my class to P.E., I saw the students were climbing ropes - the long ones that reach the rafters. The P.E. teacher challenged me to jump on a rope, and seconds later I was on my way to touching the ceiling. Problem: I'm now 30 feet from the ground in my work clothes and wishing I had thought about the prospect of rope burn before I jumped on the rope.

As the nurse tended to my bloody hands, she said "Johnny, you're such a guy." Well, at least the kids thought it was cool!

Brad Paisley would have been proud.

"If I could meet anyone in history, it would be..."

Every day, we are all faced with challenges that go unseen by casual observers. In the teaching field, this perhaps is more prevalent than in any of the other profession. If you've been following this blog, you know that my day doesn't end at 3:00 - not even close. This year, we have been implementing new curriculum guides that have been the bane of many of our existences because they cause much seemingly undue work.

I've been asked a few times why I would go into teaching so late in life. I tell them that my venture into the teaching field was brought about by a strong desire to follow my calling, one that is both philanthropic as well as evangelic, and every once in a while God will show me the fruits of my labor. In Virginia, we get a moment of silence before each day so that those of us that pray can do so silently. Last year, my students were curious at first. When they began to realize what I was doing, they honored this silence and asked me respectful questions that allowed me to answer questions about my faith. I am careful not to say 'share my faith' because that is strictly prohibited in the US school system and I dance carefully around this regulation.

This year, just a few days into the school year, one of my students - perhaps emboldened by his teacher's daily morning prayer - asked if he could share his journal response with the class. The question that I asked that morning was "If you could be or meet anyone in history, who would it be?" His answer was stated loudly and proudly to the whole class - "Mr. Lin, if I could meet anyone in history, it would be Jesus Christ."

Inside me, a smile was bursting through my unflinching exterior.

One man's trash is another man's treasure

I'll fully admit that I get scared of things sometimes. If you think that makes me less of a man, then so be it. I'm terrified of heights (and yes, I rock climb. Go figure), of dairy products (ok, maybe the people around me should be terrified, not me), and sometimes I'm scared of random unknown circumstances.

The most recent unknown that I became scared of was my class for the 2011-2012 school year. I had heard that the incoming class was very difficult and had a lot of needs. Considering how difficult last year was, I've been scared that this year would not only push me to my limits, but push me over the edge. Last year I had a few difficult students and circumstances, but overall I had a very sweet class. They showered me with gifts at the end of the year, including one student who gave me a new whacking stick to use on my next class. Very touching.

To prepare for this year, I decided to practice being tough. No smiling until December. After 1 week of school, I have to say that my plan has been implemented with near perfection, as teachers come to the 5th grade hall and ask if it is boot camp over here. My friend Anna came over and told me she looked in my room and couldn't believe it was me, since I'm usually smiling and goofing off with the kids. I asked one kid what the 5th grade thought of me, and he said "Strict. And smart." I like it!

I have to say though, I can't say that this year's class has lived up to their billing. Sure, there are some kids that have trouble staying still or paying attention. But for the most part they are sweet, cute, and they want to please teachers as much as any 5th grade class could be expected. Perhaps it is because it is a boy heavy class, but I feel much more connected with these kids this year. As much warning as I got from other people about these kids, I am cautiously optimistic and even excited about how this year will go.