The Wall

 

 The Wall

If you read regularly, you know about the mural in my room. Here is the entry I wrote when we began this journey in 2005.

The idea was planted about ten years ago. Like most thoughts in education, it is borrowed. In the mid-1990's, I went to a Christian school in-service in Nashville at Ezell-Harding. After the general meetings, we had specific subject sessions. My area choice was the Bible department, even though most of my teaching load was still in social science. I only remember one thing from but it was a big one for me. The Bible teachers at Ezell-Harding, Joey Spann and Mike McPherson, had transformed the wall of their classroom into a Biblical timeline. The design and painting were all student driven. I was fascinated, not so much with the artistic quality of the work but with the concept itself. The idea has bounced around in my mind for years.

Last Spring, we hosted a prospective student open house at Westbury Christian School. Our classrooms would be toured so I drafted my artistic students into creating a mural, based on the life of Moses. The drawings, in chalk and marker, were sketched on long rolls of paper and stapled above my dry-erase board. The response was so favorable I decided the time was right to turn the wall in Room 258 into the Sistine Chapel. Working with Karen Keese, our art instructor, I came up with a plan. Karen chose five gifted students as the budding DaVincis. At the beginning of this school year, we made a trip to Lanier Middle School in downtown Houston to view their hall length mural, based on medieval literature. Karen took pictures and the kids gained a vision of what we wanted. As often happens in school, urgency is the rule of the day. Contests, competitions, and projects rightfully took precedence over decorating my wall. But today, we got started! Five students- Meg, Gina, Boss, Alyssa, and Joseph- will draw the mural in pencil and then begin applying brush and paint. The mural will be at the front of the room where the chalkboard used to reside. Each student is assigned a section and scene from the life of Jesus, which will be tied together into one flowing form. All we have now are pencil outlines. What will it look like in May? I have no idea but I'm excited. I am excited for my students to see the unfolding of the Christ-saga as seen through the eyes of their peers. I am excited for parents considering WCS to see what our gifted kids are capable of. I am excited for the Alternative Certification Training candidates who use my classroom to see the influence of the Lord in a Christian school atmosphere. Mostly, I am excited for ME! I have to admit I'm selfish in this area. I love my classroom; it's my second home. Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 2:9, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." That's what I am fired up about. I can't see it, hear it, or conceive it but I KNOW it's going to be terrific! I can't say I understand the thrill of becoming a father but this will have to do for now. There won't be a sonogram but I will keep you posted!

Applicable quote of the day:
"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."
Michelangelo

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Masterpiece

 

The Masterpiece

This young man came up at lunch yesterday! It's from December 15, 2015.
Day 2 of finals are in the books for the Fall Semester of 2015. I actually enjoy finals' week which is actually only four days. I am blessed- the Bible exams are on Monday so I have the rest of the week to grade them and sometimes it takes that long. Several years ago, we added another testing day and made a significant change. Instead of testing by period, we began testing by subject matter. For example, at 8 AM Monday, all the English finals were given and at 10:30, every student took their semester Bible exam. The instructors by department stay in the office during the two hour time frame to handle the inevitable questions that arise. I usually handle a couple of inquiries each semester and they tend to be of the typo variety. My computer constantly makes mistakes!

Yesterday, about half way through the testing period, I was summoned to Room 257. David Patterson, our vocal music director, was proctoring. He let me in and directed me to Tre, a student in my third period Gospels class. A junior, Tre came to WCS as a freshman and has shown tremendous growth academically and athletically- he's a solid football player for our Wildcat squad which is looking for a breakout season next year. As I came to Tre's desk, he did not ask about the wording of a question or the directions for one of the four essays. Instead, he pointed to a blank following a question regarding Zechariah burning incense in the temple when Gabriel visited him, announcing the impending birth of the baby who would be known as John the Baptist. This what he said:
"Coach, I crossed out my answer and changed it. I didn't want you to think I was cheating."
That was it. No interpretation or rewording needed. He just was making sure I knew he was honest.

Like many little things, it really had a bigger implication to me. How many people would go to those lengths to insure a teacher's impression would remain positive? And here's the thing- I would not have thought twice about his answer. I have never suspected Tre of cheating but apparently that's not good enough for him. And I like that. I thought of Paul's admonition to avoid the appearance of evil. I tell my basketball players when playing defense to always let the referees see our hands so they will know we aren't fouling. I wish I were more concerned about making sure others knew I was innocent in some matters or at least trying to do the right thing however feebly. I'm sure I'm too comfortable in letting people draw their own conclusions and that drawing may paint an ugly picture of me. Not Tre- he just painted me a perfect picture of transparency. There should be a gallery for that kind of masterpiece.

Applicable quote of the day:

Honesty is never seen sitting astride the fence.

Lemuel K. Washburn

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Children Of The Father

 

Children Of The Father

Cana

Isabel

This is about one of my favorite families in the world. It's from March 17, 2012.
It's become a tradition. For three consecutive years, Cana has put on a yard sale with all the proceeds going to children in Haiti and Honduras, in conjunction with our ongoing project at Westbury Christian School. Today was the day for 2012. She was in full swing by the time I arrived about 9:45 this morning. I told Cana that I knew God really loved her because every day she hosted her event, the weather was perfect; she smiled the sweet smile of the innocent fourth grader. Today, Cana received some help from little sister, first grader Isabel. Both of them deposited money into their WCS Honduras/Haiti bottles based on what was sold. (Older brother Nathan got into the act when the crowd had been whittled down, washing my car with vacuuming help from Isabel.) It was a family affair, with parents Rachel, who works in our Development Office, and Troy, a contractor, pitching in.

It was a pretty typical yard sale with the typical ebb and flow of customers. I brought a few things to donate- vacuum, Dust Buster, nick knacks- and was put on the spot when asked the value. (I always go low- don't want to hurt anyone's feelings!) I engaged in conversation with a charming Hispanic lady who purchased a bag of clothes and some toys for her adorable children, a five year old girl and her three year old brother. As she was preparing to leave, she indicated Cana and Isabel and said to me, "You have beautiful daughters!" I quickly explained my connection with the family and that Troy, the father and husband, was inside at the moment, and we shared a laugh. But I'm not going to lie. I came away from the nice woman's comment with sort of a glow. I don't know if anyone has ever assumed that any child before belonged to me and the lady was right. Cana and Isabel are beautiful daughters- they just don't belong to me.

I wonder if our Father in Heaven gets that glow about us. I hope so! Five times in 1st John, the apostle used the term children of God in describing believers. My favorite of the five comes from chapter 3, verse 1, where he puts it this way:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
WOW- two exclamation points in a row! I don't feel I'm worth even one exclamation point but God does. And I know two little girls who definitely deserve two exclamation points plus a great deal more. All you have to do is just ask Troy and Rachel.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage.  A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, "Daddy, I need to ask you something," he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan."
Garrison Keillor

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Dressing Like Jesus

 

Dressing Like Jesus

One of my favorite HC memories! This is from October 29, 2017.
We survived another Homecoming and it was a good one. In schools now days, Homecoming refers to a week long series of activities and not just a football game/bonfire/dance and possibly a parade if you live in a small town. At WCS, Homecoming week is marked by a different schedule and daily assemblies which pit classes against each other in competitions. It's great fun culminated by the big football game which we won and crowning of the senior royalty, this year being Queen Christina and King Rashard, two of my favorite kids ever! Only fifty-one weeks to plan for next year's celebration!

There is always a unique theme for the kids to wear costumes depending on the day and their grade level. This year we had decades day, holidays day, character day, favorite team/sport day, and of course, blue and gold Friday! Our dressing up goes all the way down to the littlest one. I was upbraided by a tiny girl, in the sweetest possible way. I asked who she was and she said Belle. I asked, "From Frozen?" With four year old incredulity, I was admonished, "NO! Beauty And The Beast!" I'll never learn! Perhaps the greatest reaction came with the appearance of  the Dr.Pepper Guy from the college football playoff ads who in actuality was our own WCS Head of School, Mike White! (Rumor has it even his sophomore daughter Madison was fooled!) But all good things come to an end and inevitably, so did Homecoming 2017. Like I mentioned, we'll do it again next year, Lord willing!

This is the following Sunday so we are five  days back into our normal routine of schedules and school uniforms. I actually like Homecoming as a teacher and don't find it distracting. I simply treat it like any other week, which in reality, it isn't. One thing I find interesting as I reminisce is the different approaches our kids take to dressing up for the annual rite of passage. Some plan like it's a wedding for just the right outfit, almost like they're going to the prom or a wedding. I'm convinced moms are increasingly involved in the process! Some coordinate with a group of friends- some of our teachers do as well, especially our science and fine arts departments. Some do the bare minimum so they don't have to wear their school uniform and some do indeed wear their school uniform. To each their own, even as teens and barely teens.

At times, I have asked my students a question along the line of, if you could be somebody else, who would you pick and why? Homecoming gives a small taste of taking on another identification even if only for eight class periods. This afternoon, as I walked into my fitness club to swim, I was met by the receptionist, Roxana Castillo, one of my very favorite former basketball players. I was wearing scrub pants and an Eddie Bauer jacket (THANKS, DAVE AND SALLY!) and when she saw me, Roxana exclaimed, 'Coach Hawley, you look like a doctor!' Well, I've never wanted to be a doctor but I don't mind being mistaken for one! Roxana even said it might help my dating life! In the end, I just am who I am, at least physically. But, there is great news spiritually! In Jesus, I can be brand new! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that,
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 
Like the kids during Homecoming, we can choose who to be, except this time, it's eternal! We won't change day to day or on a whim. Who we are, if we choose to be, is HIS! Paul even gives instructions, telling us we put on Christ in baptism ((Galatians 3:27) and that we should clothe ourselves with Jesus, in Romans 13:14. That's the kind of dress protocol we can all live with, forever. No waiting til next year. No pretending to be a super hero or a ballerina...... or even a doctor. The role of the Good Physician has already been taken, and praise God that it has been.

Applicable quote of the day:

Every day each of us wakes up, reaches into drawers and closets, pulls out a costume for the day and proceeds to dress in a style that can only be called
preposterous.Mary Schmich

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Daily Report

 

The Daily Report

During the year, I spend quiet a bit of time in our lower school, down through the five year old kindergarten.  It's a different world for a high school teacher when you walk into the kindergarten and pre-kindergarten domain! The following, from April 12, 2006.

I hate trash. I try to pick it up whenever I can at school. We do a pretty good job at Westbury Christian but we could, like almost every other school, do better. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I arrive at 6:00. The parking lot is deserted and if there is litter in my path, I try to do my part to beautify our facility. Yesterday morning, there was a piece of paper lying close to my parking spot. Stooping down, I retrieved it and was about to toss it in one of the playground garbage cans when I looked at it. Much of the world's trash is deliberately dropped but I think this piece of paper was left behind unintentionally. It was an official document, sort of. The only way I can do it justice is to reproduce it below:
Westbury Christian School K3 Daily Report
Date ________________

_________________ would like to share his/her day with you.
Behavior:
I had a fantastic day _________________
I had a good day ____________________
I need help learning to ______________________________________
______________________________________________________Snack:I ate ________ did not eat _________
Lunch:
I ate everything _______ most _______ some _______ none _______
Comment: __________________________________Nap:Slept _____ rested ______Comment: _______________________________Ooops! I had an accident today. Please replace my extra clothes _______

I had fun today: ___________________________

There was a name written on the yellow sheet of one of our three year old kindergarten students. Going down the check list, this young lady had a good day, ate her snack, ate most of her lunch, and slept at nap time. Our little one also had fun making a bird's nest! I would say, all in all, a most impressive performance! Her teacher, Stephanie Lang, told me each child receives one of these scorecards at the completion of each day. I could never keep up with that! Maybe I need one of these for my life. At the end of the day, I could recreate my eighteen waking hours. Did I behave well? Were my food choices healthy ones? Did I get sufficient rest? What was the most fun I had? It would do me good to evaluate myself. Too often, I just let one day roll into the next without holding myself accountable. Children are constantly monitored in school for signs of progress. As Christians, we should take the responsibility to monitor ourselves. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." I know one three year old who had a good day on Monday- I have the paper to prove it! I just wish I was as sure about myself!

Applicable quote of the day:
"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child."
Maria Montessori

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Stranger In The Blue Honda Fit

 

The Stranger In The Blue Honda Fit

There's a bunch of us! This is from October 26, 2013!
Early this afternoon, I drove up to school to write a letter of recommendation for one of our seniors and afterwards, planned to lift at my fitness club, several blocks away. As I came to the corner of Fondren and Willowbend, I saw the light was green for my right turn. I slowed down and clicked on the signal. Lo and behold, there, stopped in the turning lane to make a left onto Fondren, was a car identical to mine; 2010 pale blue Honda Fit! I smiled and waved. The lady in my auto twin waved back, hit me with two thumbs up, and flashed the biggest smile I've seen in a very long time. I glowed from that encounter, carried out through two closed car windows, for the rest of the afternoon.

I really like my car. It carries many memories for me. It was paid for by my mother and father who lived frugally and invested wisely and left their children some money when they passed on. It holds great memories of wonderful basketball trips with three of my teams of middle school girls. (We had a teacher several years ago who insisted on saying the color was periwinkle, a distinction I tried to ignore!) You know, I have no idea how the lady in the other feels about her 2010 pale blue Honda Fit- I hope she has similar good feelings. If I saw her in the grocery store, I would not recognize her but for four or five seconds at a stop light in Houston, we recognized each other. It's amazing how I made a connection wordlessly with someone I'll likely never meet.

In 1968, Catholic priest Peter Scholtes wrote a  song entitled "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.'' I remember knowing it by the title ''We Are One In the Spirit.'' Popular in devotionals and church camps, Scholtes' short hymn became popular quickly. It was based on Jesus' teaching to His apostles in John 13:35 where He teaches them,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What a great way to identify believers! In our school, and in many others, visitors must get a name tag at the front desk with a picture of their drivers' license printed plainly for all to see. As a safety precaution, we have to know who belongs and who doesn't. But in the world, Jesus says we should not need a picture ID for the populace to recognize who we really are. It should be obvious by the way we treat each other and the love that radiates from our daily walk. And while driving a Honda Fit is nice, it's not mandatory. Somewhere in Houston tonight, there's a nice woman who gave me something to write about. I'm grateful and keep repping your Honda Fit! I'll be watching for you at the corner of Fondren and Willowbend!

Applicable quote of the day:
"People get very thoughtful when they are in cars. I no longer care for cars. I don't collect them."
Mick Jagger

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Cone Responsibility

 

Cone Responsibility

This is about my team of twelve  years ago, from October 24, 2013.
We had our first encounter with another team today. After school, my middle school squad practiced with our high school junior varsity girls. We didn't keep score, instead working on situations. It was good for both groups. I warned my kids that the age difference would show up in size and strength and aggressiveness- it did. We acquitted ourselves well, I thought, and I enjoyed seeing the improvement in some of my former players who are now freshman and sophomores. The new young ladies who play for me discovered the validity of my statement that playing is exhausting and the only real way to get in shape is to actually play.

I really love this bunch of kids I have this year which is saying a great deal because I really loved the bunch I had last year. When I was a high school coach, I had kids with me for four years and in several cases, five. There is less turnover and more maturity but at the same time, more distractions. This season, I really rely on the four returning players; seventh graders Lizeth and Sydney and eighth graders Madison and Jenna. I run almost everything we do by them- I trust them and their judgment. I also know they have experienced a season before and know what to expect. When we do conditioning, we usually run relays. I put a traffic cone in the middle of the floor, put one of the vets in each of the four corners, and let them choose teams. (Several years ago, I read that American swimming relay team members always swim better times than they do in individual races, with the conjecture being they go harder knowing others are relying on them. I made the assumption it works in running sprints as well.) We run in sets of thirty touches of the cone and tagging your next teammate. Sometimes, for variety we add closing out and running backwards or several cones to touch before we get to the center one. Basketball is a game of short bursts so we try to do a maximum of starting and stopping.

Other coaches may disagree but I feel the perfect number on a basketball team is twelve because it's the number which breaks down perfectly into groups of three or four, the ideal numbers for drill work. Yesterday morning, we had a dilemma. Elizabeth is hurt and in a boot- she's out for six weeks and can't run. That left us with eleven which is not divisible by three or four. I pulled aside the two eighth graders and told them they would have to be a two player team. They knew what that means- they would have to run 1/3 additional sprints than the other girls with half the recovery time. The response of Jenna and Madison?
"Yes, sir."
That was it. Their lot was more difficult and more was demanded of them but they trust me and they knew it was for the good of the team. They did not complain or make excuses when they did not win. They simply competed as best they could while at a distinct disadvantage.  I made a big deal of it with the other kids; if the girls who've played before can sacrifice, we all can sacrifice. In Philippians 2:14, Paul writes 'Do everything without complaining or arguing.' Some translations us the term grumbling. The point is the same; do what you're asked for the benefit of all. That's not a popular sentiment culturally anymore but it's mandatory to have a healthy team and it all starts at the top. Well, as much of the top as girls who are twelve and thirteen can be! Sometimes, that's a lofty peak.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Life isn't fair. It's true, and you still have to deal with it. Whining about it rarely levels the playing field, but learning to rise above it is the ultimate reward."
Harvey Mackay 

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1