What My Mother Never Said

What My Mother Never Said

I never heard a bad word come from our mother's mouth. This is from May 28, 2018.

I pray this Memorial Day is a blessed one for you. As far as I know, I have no immediate kin who have died defending our nation but there are a number who have served and came back- for that I am grateful. We are in the debt of those who sacrificed their lives for the rest of us, born and not yet born. Memorial Day also serves as the first official day of summer for many in the education field including my colleagues and myself at WCS. I've started my to-do list, most of which is in some way tied to my month long Vietnam mission beginning July 4th. But, there's also basketball camp, some dental work, and apartment updates on the agenda as well as sleeping a little bit later five days a week. In our end of the year faculty meeting the first year I taught, I made the statement that I wish we could start the next year the next day. Fortunately, I'm wiser than that now.

Last week, one of my 8th graders gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card so I made a morning trek to buy a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I also counted pennies for our Haiti/Honduras project, shopped for shorts at KOHL'S, prepared for my VISA application, and made a trip to buy groceries,specifically for the ingredients for my weekly crock-pot adventure which is cooking now. (Crock-pot lasagna soup in case you are interested!) While in the store, I crossed paths four or five times with a family. There was the mother and several children, ranging from, I would guess, eight to fourteen or so. The mom pushed the shopping court and the kids tagged along behind. We both started out in the produce aisles and made our way through the store in a right to left pattern. The kids seemed mild mannered and behaved but the mom was another story. Every time I was in their vicinity, she was cursing....... loudly. Cursing at the kids. Cursing at the world. It was the bad words, the ones starting with ----- and ----. I'm so embarrassed, I can't even use the first letter. The lady, who I think was in her mid to late thirties, also let it be known that she didn't care who heard her. Some of the employees seemed amused at her outbursts. The kids were unfazed as far as I can tell. I take it they've taken this all in before. In an odd way, I was almost fascinated. I was hoping to get close to them in the checkout to observe some more but I got directed to a different register. It was probably for the best- she might  have started swearing at me.

As I drove away from the store, I was very thankful for my mom and grateful for my upbringing. My mother was upset with me on a daily, perhaps even hourly, basis but I can never recall raising her voice to me, let alone hurl invective my direction. I feel sorry for the mom I saw today. My take is that it was more than a bad day, that she is angry with the world and her lot in life. But I really feel for those children. I can't empathize because I haven't lived it but my heart goes out to them. They must walk on eggshells waiting for the next eruption- I don't know who could totally tune out all that venom although like I mentioned earlier, they did not seem perplexed. And I'm not saying she doesn't love them and they don't love her. I'm just sorrowful that children live with open hostility. My mom wasn't perfect by any means as she freely admitted in her public speaking events. But she quoted the Bible in her interchanges with her children and not the worst part of R rated movies. Some children miss out on that instruction done in a gentle voice and I hurt for them. And, I hurt for their mother as well. Life can't be very enjoyable when you are constantly at the boiling point. It's not enjoyable for you and it's really not enjoyable for the ones held captive in your profanity inhabited universe. They are locked into your orbit.

Applicable quote of the day:
All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. 
Gordie Howe

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Kiss

 

The Kiss

We love where we came from. This is from October 2, 2015.

I was in my room yesterday not long after the end of the day bell rang, getting stuff squared away before I went to work out. The door opened and one of our janitorial staff came in. Our cleaning is contracted out to a service but some of their employees have been with us for three or four years so it really seems they are employees of WCS. This gentleman always calls me 'Maestro' or teacher and I call him 'Hermano' or brother. (My Espanol abilities are very limited!)  He comes in each day about the same time and empties the bag in my trash can, replacing it with a fresh one. To have this make sense, I should note here that the far wall opposite of my desk is perpetually covered with student art work, currently the traced hands of all the youngsters in my five periods. This year, our Director of Curriculum, Gracie Greer, graciously ordered 3' x 5' flags of Honduras and Haiti, the two countries where our student body and staff have helped build and maintain Christian orphanages. These flags now are bookends to the art and remind the students of our project which is based on James 1:27 which says:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
I'm pretty sure my friend did not realize I was watching but he walked to the flag of Honduras, tenderly smoothed it out, and kissed it. I'm not emotional but I admit the scene was touching. I asked if he was from Honduras and he told me he was. I told him I've made eleven trips there, to Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, and San Pedro Sula- he told me he was from San Pedro Sula. Amazing- I never took the time before to ask where he was from.

Today in several of my classes, I asked my students of many of their parents or grandparents really missed their homeland and could relate to that story; a number raised their hands. I can't empathize as my travels are all about a month or so and I'm not gone long enough to get home sick. In my seventh period class this afternoon, I showed a clip from a German based disco band. The song, Rivers Of Babylon, beside having an infectious beat, is solely on words from the Psalms. The first part is Psalm 137:1-4 where the writer is lamenting the Babylonian captivity. (The last verse is from Psalm 19:14 which we often sang as a family when I was little.) I was struck by the hopefulness of the message which had always struck me as totally mournful. I'm reminded that Paul on several occasions spoke of his yearning to leave this terrestrial ball and truly go home:

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling." 2 Cor. 5:1-2 (NIV)

"Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:5-7 (NIV)

We like that phrase, our citizenship is in heaven. It gives us a reminder of our ultimate destination. Meanwhile, we live to praise God here below in a variety of nations and languages and under the authority of a wide variety of flags. Some day, those things will pass and we'll have a home where VISAS and passports are not needed and we no longer miss the shores of our birth. It can't come too soon.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Every man has a map in his heart of his own country and that heart will never allow you to forget that map."
Alexander McCall Smith

*To listen to Rivers Of Babylon, copy and paste the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3QxT-w3WMo

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Quest For Perfection

 

Quest For Perfection

I've been blessed with terrific teacher's aides, including Vanessa Ramirez for the past three years. (Vanessa  graduated from WCS eight nights ago.) This is about another of my aides, the incomparable Minna Wong. It's from August 21, 2014.

In my seventeenth year now at WCS, I have been incredibly blessed with amazing teacher's aides, both in basketball and in the classroom. My basketball assistant coaches started with Ugo Ihekweazu, leading to Brandon Greene and Sean Coleman to Amber Glenn, from Fallon Ellis to Sonja Vuong, from Tiffany Davis to Devin Chance, from Marie Bailey to Christian Chevis. My classroom aides,  have ranged from Kelly Spriggs to Nancy Barrera, from Chelsey Villarreal to Hanna McAdams, from Betsy Kelly to Gloria Oyekanmi, from Samaria Mouton to Karla Zelaya, from Beverly McDonald and Bouba Matuzcek and Viri Maldonado to my amazing aide the past two years, Megan Elizabeth Hill. (Forgive me for I am sure I left someone out!) This year, my classroom aide is Minna who decided in 8th grade she wanted the position which comes with no pay but a Bible for Christmas and a sterling college letter of recommendation! Not great perks but there is always the reward of being idolized by a bunch of eighth graders!

Minna is off to a good start. She has taken over the role of matching my shirt and tie with the proper color of pants/shoes/belts. She has solid reviews from my students and believe me, I am terrible at coordinating my clothes. She also has redone my bulletin board flawlessly as I knew she would. But there is a small glitch in Minna's schedule. The only time she can be an aide is 8th period and I have a class of eighth graders during that final time slot of the day. It makes it more difficult as she has to perform her routine while I teach. I lay out what I need her to do when she comes in- she's always first to arrive- and she immediately begins her duties. Minna, an amazingly talented young lady, is so quiet I sometimes forget she is in the room. She is a terrific organizer and alphabetizer, a big plus in this job. In a normal year, she would call grades and I would log them into Renweb, our school communication system with parents, but we cannot do that when I am teaching. Twice already in this young school year, Minna has stayed after the final bell so we can get all the grades for the day entered- not many are willing to go that extra mile. A great aide makes a teacher's life easier and my beginning for this term has been smooth.

As soon as the final bell rings, I go stand in the confluence of our two upstairs' hallways to help with crowd control and make sure the kids exit smoothly and I did so today. I came back to Room 258 seven or eight minutes later and Minna was still there. She had several stacks of paper laid out and I could tell she was flustered. She had come up with the idea of writing all the grades down on a roll sheet after alphabetizing the quizzes...but someone forgot their name in sixth period and she could not figure out the culprit. Also, some of the kids had neglected to put a final grade on their quiz so she couldn't mark down their mark. Then there was the matter of my third period class quizzes which she could not find- I had neglected to tell Minna I had already graded and recorded them myself earlier in the day. Right then, her friend, Amara, also one of my all-time favorite students, came in to check on Minna. And these words came out of Minna's mouth.
"I'm trying to make this perfect since I can only be in here during a class."
If you know Minna, now a senior, you know she has been here since four year old kindergarten and that she is universally loved by all her teachers and classmates. She is a wonderful student and artist, musician and soccer player. And she was blaming herself for a class schedule that neither of us can control or modify. I told her how grateful I am for ALL she does and how she is doing an incredible job for all of my students and that the schedule absolutely does not matter. (I also told her this would show up in a blog!) Amara chimed in and I think we made Minna feel better. I just hope I haven't done anything to make her feel guilty!

We're all like Minna at times. We try to work harder and be creative and be perfect and hope God will accept us. We get frustrated with our meager efforts so we try to work even harder to make Him proud of us but that has never been a requirement for His love. We will never reach perfection .....but Minna tries. Did I tell you she volunteered to take all the graded memory verses and quizzes home and recycle them in her neighborhood? That's about as close to perfection as you can come as an aide but she doesn't have to go that far. Every other teacher would love to have her as their helper but I'm the blessed one this year. We'll work all this out but next year's going to be tough on me! People  like Minna only cross our paths on rare occasions..... and when we are very fortunate.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect."
 Chinese Proverb

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Pill Bottle

 

The Pill Bottle

We haven't finished counting our Honduras/Haiti money yet this year! This is from May 26, 2018.

I know this is my fourth entry related to our Honduras and Haiti project in the last several weeks but please bear with me. All four have this in common; the focus is on one of our students so each has a different perspective. Several days ago in this last week of the school year, I was walking down our lower school hallway. The classrooms are glass enclosed and when Mrs. Johnson saw me, she gestured. She came to the door and said she had some change for me. I was surprised as we don't start our collection until K-5 and she teaches K-3. But, I never pass up pennies/nickels/dimes/quarters so I stepped into her room. What she gave me was not one of our normal bank bottles, which are a new version every year, or even an older model from years' past. No, it was the pill container you see above filled with an assortment of coins. Mrs. Johnson told me it came from David, a little boy in her class. But that wasn't story- the background of the medicine bottle was. You see, David's mother is from Haiti. She wanted David to be involved as is his brother, Matthew, a WCS first grader.  So, Mom made her son his very own bank bottle and although it looks slightly different than the pale blue version the rest of our students used, it was the most unique receptacle turned in this year or maybe any other year.

I'd like to meet David's (and Matthew's!) mother. I have no idea when she moved to the US or her age at the time. But I'm sure of one thing- she knows the need in her homeland. I spent a week in Haiti so I have a clue.... but she knows. My time in Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding area was life changing....... but I was safe in my nice apartment seven days later. From my brief discussion with Mrs. Johnson, it's evident this mom wants her sons to be compassionate and aware of the importance of helping the less fortunate. Even though David is only three, or maybe four by now, he is being given the best education ever, the one that begins at birth in the home. Jesus told His apostles, when they were chastising Mary for her lavish gift of perfume that, "the poor will always be with you." That's as accurate as any prophecy in the long history of prophecies. Who knows where David's change will go? Food for the kids in the orphanages? School supplies or clothes? Medicine? After all, it came in a pill bottle and Jesus was called the great physician!  As for David? Well, the Biblical version was called a man after God's own heart. Our Kindergarten David has a way to go to be considered a grown up but his mom and dad are putting him on the right track. Big things come in little packages and sometimes pennies can be at least a small prescription in the horrible sickness that is poverty. Someday, David, too, will understand.

Applicable quote of the day:
Poverty is a very complicated issue, but feeding a child isn't. 
Jeff Bridges

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Coach Hawley's Most Excellent Adventure!

 

Coach Hawley's Most Excellent Adventure!

Last Thursday night was our WCS graduation. I have been blessed to teach most of the newest alumni and many of them twice, in both middle school and as juniors. In three months, we start all over again! This is from August 20, 2014. PS One of my this year 8th graders, Evelyn, who was my  student AND basketball player, still calls me "MOST EXCELLENT COACH HAWLEY!"

We had our first quiz of 2014-2015 yesterday in my two eighth grade Bible classes. Our almost-graduated-from-middle-schoolers spend the entire year studying the Gospel of Luke and the assignment on Tuesday was Luke 1:1-25. There were sixteen questions and the grade results were not what I had hoped. I am happy to state that many of the youngsters were also unhappy with their marks, a sign that grades and aptitude matter. It was the first Bible quiz ever for some of our kids as they are new to WCS and they will adapt. If you are not well acquainted with the book of Luke, it is the longest Gospel and was penned by the man it was named after, who was a Gentile doctor. It is written to Theophilus, whose name translated means Friend Of God. That's a pretty good name to have, especially if it's accurate!

As we begin reading Luke chapter 1, we find that Luke addresses Theophilus as most excellent. We talk about how we would address Queen Elizabeth should we meet her as Your Highness. I'll tell them how we as Americans came to address our president simply as Mr. President. I'll tell them how the most excellent is dropped by Luke when he pens the book of Acts, again to Theophilus, and how some scholars believe Theophilus must have become a Christian between the two discourses. We'll get to all that. But we still have the issue of a low grade in the meantime. So, I came up with a possible solution. I might be persuaded to add a point to their test grades next week if for the next five days they refer to me in speech as ''MOST EXCELLENT COACH HAWLEY!'' Not surprisingly, the response has been overwhelming! Today, I heard it in the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the gym, and in my classroom. It even showed up on a number of memory verses this afternoon, as in "Nice tie, Most Excellent Coach Hawley!" This too will pass, albeit in five or so days.

This is what I like. The kids are laughing and smiling when they say it. They know it's silly but they can kid me with no repercussions and they want to improve their grades. I think anybody can respect that. We know in Christ we are equal and that no one is more excellent than anyone else. We are a royal priesthood and we don't require a title to prove it. Ten chapters ahead of where we are now, Jesus told His disciples they should rejoice because their names are written in heaven. I can only hope that our names are listed alphabetically in the sacred Book of Life; Theophilus would come right after Steve! And there would be only one possible response to that good news: excellent!

Applicable quote of the day:
"It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.”
Niccolò Machiavelli 


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

You Wear It Well

 

You Wear It Well

Teaching teens and barely teens, I see quite a few kids who aren't sure who they want to be or at least who they want others to perceive them to be.  Sometimes, we find it uncomfortable to be ourselves and I find it refreshing to see folks who know who they are and accept it.  Once a  year, when I talk about Jesus and His authority as something people recognized, I show an episode of The Andy Griffith Show.  Here is something amazing: many of my students have never heard of The Andy Griffith Show...which means they have ever heard of Barney Fife. You could teach Bible lessons from Don Knotts' character and some people have. We all have flaws and Barney's were often glaring but that's why we loved him. The following is from 2-28-06.

I don't believe in omens but for three straight days, I heard Rod Stewart's hit You Wear It Well on 107.5 FM radio. It seemed like a great title for today's entry so here goes. You can't turn on television or open a magazine without seeing weight loss ads. It might be through diets or supplements or exercise but the goal is the same. One common theme these advertisements share is old clothes. In before and after pictures, we see how the dramatically slimmer customer no longer fits into former wardrobes. It's amazing to see the transformation. We go through life wanting our clothes to fit and suddenly, we are overjoyed when they don't. God bless those who struggle to maintain a certain fitness level. It isn't easy for everyone. Part of us always wants to be changing into the new and improved us. Plastic surgery and cosmetics can change our outward appearance. The inside is harder to deal with.

Don Knotts died this week at eighty-one. To generations, he was simply Barney Fife, the role he perfected in his years on The Andy Griffith Show. The winner of five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Barney was the show to me. He had bumbling down to an art form. We knew he had a good heart and tried to do right but he always messed up. He was so human, a representation of Average Joe. Even when he played in other TV series or in the movies, he played the same role. Oh, the name of the character would change from job to job but he was still Barney Fife. That's what I admired about Don Knotts. I never saw him play a romantic lead or an avenging hero. He knew who he was and he wasn't ashamed of it. He was a nice guy who was brilliant at what he did. In the words of Rod Stewart, Don Knotts wore it well. I saw a cable network is running a 48 hour Barney Fife marathon. I can't think of a more fitting tribute to the only actor who could make "Nip it in the bud!" one of the most memorable lines in television history.

What do I learn from Don Knotts? He was typecast but is that so bad? Isn't that what we want people to see in us, consistency in our life? I would prefer others knew what they were getting when their lives crossed mine and not have to predict my unreliable behavior. I would also hope that I could accept who I am and not be embarrassed by my strong points. Many coaches, especially young ones, mimic famous coaches to the degree they never develop their own style or personality. Christians do that, too. We model ourselves after other Christians instead of being who we are, a child of God. Barney wasn't Andy and when he tried to be, he failed miserably. On the other hand, Andy wasn't Barney but he recognized the gifts and passion that his deputy did have... and honored them. Most of us would rather be Andy than Barney but the world needs them both, just like the world needs you and me.


Applicable quote of the day:
"If there's anything that upsets me, it's having people say I'm sensitive."
Barney Fife

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Dave And Kaeden

 

Dave And Kaeden

 Kaeden is now a rising sophomore!, This entry about Kaeden is from May 23, 2018!
We're almost finished counting our Honduras/Haiti money for the 2018 collection. I said ALMOST because it keeps coming in! A first grade angel named Reagan brought her bank bottle to my door this afternoon accompanied by her teacher, Mrs. Sarah Romain, who happened to be my student a few years back! As she walked out, Sarah lifted Reagan up to touch our LUKE 18:1 sign on the door, a tradition we've had for close to two decades. Reagan looked back at me and asked if she could bring her bottle back if she acquired some more pennies. Of course! But I also reminded her that she can save it for next year. Tomorrow night, Ryan and Jo Lynn are going to bring their daughters and their bottles for the fourth year in a row! Ryan is a WCS alumnus and even though his and Jo Lynn's two girls go to another school, they are integral parts of what we do in this annual project. So, if they bring it, we will count it!

That brings me to Kaeden, who is only seven years old but has already been the subject of two of my previous blogs. He's a Westbury Christian first grader and his three sisters are our students as well. On top of that, his dad, Kenneth, teaches and coaches for us and his mom, Lynnette, is the head of our PTO! Do you remember that beverage commercial with The Most Interesting Man In The World angle? That's Kaeden, substituting Child for Man. He acts like I don't exist and yet there is obviously a thought process going on that isn't always evident to grown ups. Two weeks ago, Kenneth related some things to me about Kaeden and his Honduras/Haiti bottle. It was so intriguing and touching, I asked Kenneth to write it out and allow me to print it in a devotional. Here it is:

During Christmas when Kaeden was three, I gave him three envelopes that came from a Financial Peace Jr. Kit by Dave Ramsey.  The envelopes were titled "Give, Save, Spend".   I showed him that when we get money we are to divide any it into the envelopes in the order of give, save, and then lastly, spend.  He works off of commissions in the house, meaning that if he works, he gets paid and if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid.  He will do certain chores around the house as well as extra things like, clean the car, or flatten boxes to recycle for a dime a box.  It has taken time to build some consistency using the system, but he is starting to get really good at it now at age 7.  The whole purpose for teaching him this is for Kaeden to be able to use money as a tool to further the kingdom of God, and not let it enslave him as it has done many in this world.  I also want him to have the discipline of giving because that is what Jesus did, and I want him to become more like Him.  A few weeks ago I had a real proud dad moment when Kaeden asked "Daddy, can I put all the money that I earn in the Honduras bottle?"  I was touched as a father because he was genuine in his request.  He really wants to help those who are in need.  He may not understand fully what he is doing now, but I pray that he will continue to have this attitude as he grows and matures as a man of God.

WOW. I've penned several entries about Dave Ramsey, a financial planner who puts the Lord at the head of all his advice. Several schools where I've taught have used his materials to teach wisdom in money. I've never heard a child as young as Kaeden being trained this way and like Kenneth says, it's a process. (One of my blogs about Kaeden from two years ago was about his trying to hide money he was supposed to put in the collection plate!) But for a child to have the unselfish heart Kaeden is displaying is just amazing. I've found little ones are much more generous with money because they know their moms and dads will provide for them, sometimes with the parental alter ego of The Tooth Fairy. Shouldn't we have at least that much faith in our Father? Jesus told us that your Father knows you need them.  Them is the necessities of life. Kaeden gets it. And so, youngsters in Haiti and Honduras that Kaeden will never meet will be blessed. Maybe that's why the Savior preached that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children. I'd say it's in very good hands with Kaeden.

Applicable quote of the day:
“It is the heart that does the giving; the fingers only let go.”
Nigerian proverb

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1