A new take on responsibility

Today, I started working in a new class. US History, but that fact is irrelevant. As I was sitting there just kind of taking in the class and trying to figure out what my role will be I started looking around. This particular teacher has a lot of random things on the walls: maps, laminated newspaper pages from long ago, rules, etc. 

One of the more interesting quote-like things that I read was a 3 step guide to success. The first step was to always take ownership for your actions. This is a commonly used phrase, I am sure that many of us have heard it numerous times during the course of our lifetime. However, for the first time in my life the statement was followed by a conditional statement.

The statement read, “Remember: You are not always responsible for everything that is done to you, but you are responsible for how you respond to it.” I sat that there and thought about that for quite a while. 

Working in a high school has taught me a lot. It has taught me that, at times, I was most likely so frustrating to my teachers and other school faculty that they wanted to pull their own hair out of their head. Yes, this is a feeling I experience weekly. That being said, I have also learned that respect for authority is dying more and more in each generation. I am not too far removed from the generation that I am currently teaching, most of the kids I work with are only like 8 years younger than I am, but they are so different than I was. 

The most glaring difference is an insane sense of entitlement. When presented with a request to stop texting, stop talking, stop touching each other, stop sleeping, or asking them to participate in class they respond like we (faculty) are taking away their first amendment right to speak, like we are violating their civil rights.

This brings me back to that conditional statement under “take ownership for your actions.” I will repeat it again in case you are just skimming my blog.  “Remember: You are not always responsible for everything that is done to you, but you are responsible for how you respond to it.” Man, what if we sought for our young people to live according to this statement. 

While I don’t for a second that I am being unreasonable when I ask a student to stop talking, they seem to believe that I am. The excuses I get are too many to list. The big ones though: “we were talking about the assignment, so and so talked to me first, why are you singling me out – everyone else talks.” Not one of those responses is the student taking responsibility for their own action. I don’t care the reason; they should not be talking when the teacher is talking, end of story. 

What if, instead of giving me an excuse, the student just said “ok.” They may not have been responsible for the talking, but they are responsible for how they respond to my request. That simple, one-syllable word solves so much. No argument between them and me has to ensue and we are able to get back on task much more quickly.

Sorry, if this blog has been disorganized and confusing. I hope you have stayed with me. I have related this idea of taking ownership of what you do to my students, but I think there is an important lesson for everyone here, especially followers of Jesus.

The Bible is pretty clear that no one is going to experience persecution more than Christians. We are going to be dealt a lot of things that we don’t “deserve.” That being said, what better way to emulate Jesus than responding with love and forgiveness in those times instead of debate and anger? Jesus gave us the perfect example with the words that he said on the cross after being physically and emotionally beaten. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We may not always be responsible for what is done to us, but we are most certainly responsible for how we respond and guess what, the world is watching even more in the moments they don’t expect to respond with Christ. Prove them wrong.

Snow isn't all it's cracked up to be

White. Fluffy. Beautiful. These are all adjectives people generally use to describe the frozen precipitation that falls to the ground during the winter. If you don’t know what I am talking about by now, it’s snow people! I have three different adjectives for snow. Dangerous, cold, and beautiful. Alright two different ones and I will keep beautiful because the stuff really is pretty when it falls. That being said, its beauty does not do enough for me that it trumps those other things.

We just got our first snow of the winter down here in Springfield, which is what is inspiring this entry. I start with dangerous because above all else, that is what I think about when snow is on the ground. This is especially true when the snow is being sneaky and covering up ice. Here is my take. Someone needs to invent a driving course that simulates driving in the snow. Every single person that gets in a significant accident (that is their fault of course) should be required to complete said driving course to earn the right to get back on the road. I do not say this out of anger or frustration, I say it for the safety of everyone on the road. There is simply too many people in this world that have no idea the effects that snow has on their ability to control their vehicle. Since my idea does not exist yet, here are some safety tips for those of you that are going to be driving in the snow this winter…

1.   As you approach areas where you will be or could be required to stop, pull up on the gas about 100 feet sooner than you would if there was no snow on the ground. You really want to rely on the car declerating by itself as opposed to having to brake because braking will cause your car to slide. These places would be yield signs (yes, yield signs are essentially stop signs if there is another car coming), stop signs, and yellow lights are the big ones.
2. When waiting for a light to change to green at a traffic signal, give yourself an extra second or two before starting to move. There will be people that do not abide by rule number 1 and will inevitably have to slide through the intersection after the light has already turned red. Be frustrated all you want, but I promise letting that person slide through the red is better than flooring it the instant the light turns green and getting t-boned.
3. Be extra careful turning into the flow of traffic. This is true for either a right or left hand turn, but especially true for left hand turns where you will be crossing a lot of traffic. The ice/snow will sometimes cause your tires to spin out for a second before they gain adequate traction to get your car moving. That extra second or two could be the difference between you safely making your turn and your car getting crushed.
4. If you drive a light vehicle or a vehicle that has rear-wheel drive, put something heavy in the trunk of your car to prevent it from fish tailing. Fish tailing is when the back of your car slides back and forth. The best thing to put there are sand bags, but I know some people will use golf clubs or something else that weighs a lot so they don’t have to buy sand bags. If you don’t know if your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, call your parents. Hopefully they will know.
5. Here is tip number 5 and it will probably be the most heavily disputed. Doughnuts are fun, but please, please be very careful. I struggle to believe the minutes of excitement are worth the potential danger of wrapping your car around a light pole. However, if you insist on doing doughnuts please find a place where there is the least amount of potential danger aka no cars around, no light poles, no buildings, etc.

For me, snow just never seems to be worth it, and this is coming off back-to-back days off of work because Springfield Public Schools closed school due to the snow. In the moment, woo hoo. Out of the moment, boo hoo. Now, those two days will be tacked onto the end of the school year. The other things that I am not a big fan of when it comes to snow: my feet are always wet, I have to do some sort of clearing of my windshields every time I go to drive everywhere, I have to drive slower because I abide by the 5 rules above, and eventually the beautiful white snow turns brown and disgusting. I respect those that love the snow. I understand it, it just isn’t for me. This entry is much more about how to drive in the snow for those of you that don’t know how (admit it some of you are horrible snow drivers) or those that are afraid of doing it. 

Patriots and Packers and Panthers Oh My!

The NFL Wildcard Weekend brought plenty of fun and excitement, following the Chiefs game that is. Man what an absolute stinker. If you haven’t already heard what I thought about the games go check out “What We Learned from Wildcard Weekend.” Time to review my picks and make some last minute picks for the Divisional Round that kicks off around 3:30pm Central time with the Chiefs at Patriots.

Wildcard Weekend Picks Overall: 3-1
Wildcard Weekend Picks against the Spread: 1-3

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans…

                My Prediction: Chiefs win 24-17 (Chiefs -3, take the points)

                Actual Score: Chiefs win 30-0 and cover easily

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinatti Bengals…

                My Prediction: Steelers win 34-24 (Steelers -2.5, take the points)

                Actual Score: Steelers win 18-16 and miss the cover by .5, sad day

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings…

                My Prediction: Seahawks win 24-13 (Seahawks -4.5, take the points)

                Actual Score: Seahawks win 10-9, miss the cover by 3.5

Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins…

                My Prediction: Redskins win 27-20 (Packers -1, obviously gave that because I picked Washington)

                Actual Score: Packers win 32-18, blow the cover out of water

Alright on to the games today and tomorrow…

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots      PATRIOTS -5                Sat. Jan 16 3:35 pm

There has been a lot of buzz about how well the Chiefs have been playing and it is deserved. They have won 11 games in a row and their defense has been the main reason for their success. That being said, this is Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in the playoffs we are talking about, coming off a bye no less. Edelman and Amendola should both be back this week. Even hobbled, that is big time. I expect the offensive line to be better and to keep the great Chiefs pass rush in check. I think the Patriots score a lot in this game, and the Chiefs struggle to keep up. Especially since Jeremy Maclin won’t be 100 percent. When all is said and done, Tom Brady will get the last laugh and the Chiefs historic run comes to an end. Give me the points. P.S. Sorry to all my friends who are Chiefs fans that will read this post.

Prediction: Patriots win 31-17

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals            CARDINALS -7               Sat. Jan 16 7:15 pm

As frustrating as this is for me, I think the Packer offense is back. I hate the Packers. I know it was only a one week sample and against the Redskin defense, but ARod was smiling, receivers were getting open and catching the ball, and most importantly the offensive line was moving the ball on the ground and keeping Rodgers upright. The Cardinals have the make-up of a team that could take this whole thing, and just 4 weeks ago destroyed the Packers. That being said, Carson Palmer still has never won a playoff game and this team is young. They will see their day, but not against the great Aaron Rodgers and this Green Bay offense that I think has refound itself. Obviously I am taking those points, but I am even calling for the upset in a shootout.

Prediction: Packers win 34-31

Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers                 PANTHERS -3                Sun. Jan 17 12:05 pm

I expect this to be the best game of the weekend. The two-time defending NFC Champs against the best team in the NFL this season and the best player in the NFL this season in Cam Newton. The hottest team at the end of the season against the best team for the entire season. Two of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Two of the best defenses in the league. So much to love here. That being said, I think Cam gets the nod. He has just been so good and I think his ability in the red zone is the key. Look for him to have a big fourth quarter, maybe even lead the Panthers on a game winning drive. I am giving those three points though.

Prediction: Panthers win 28-27

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos                  BRONCOS -8                  Jan 17 3:40 pm

Man, the disrespect is real. After the news came out that Antonio Brown would not be playing the line jumped up a couple of points to 8! His absence means the Steelers are going to lose by more than a touchdown? I don’t think so. As long as the toughest dude in the league is under center (Big Ben), the Steelers have a great chance in any game. Not to mention, the always questionable come playoff time Peyton Manning is going to be under center for the Broncos. I was really impressed with the Pitt defense last week and I expect them to play well enough to give Ben a chance. This will be a defensive game for sure. The team that runs the ball better will probably win. I am taking those points for sure, and actually picking the Steelers to roll on.

Prediction: Steelers win 16-13

The Beginning of Something Special

I have decided to write this next installment from a present tense point of view. Hopefully, I will be able to recreate some of my thoughts and emotions from that day. It may turn out to be a total dud, but if you are reading my blogs already you probably know I don’t put a ton of thought into my entries before posting them. Just write what ya feel right?

 Friday August 26, 2011

I hate you. Flashing, making obnoxious noises. I want to rip my alarm clock out of the wall and throw it on the ground. School doesn’t start for three days, yet I have already had to set an alarm to get up for some class called Freshman Seminar. From what my RAs said, Freshman Seminar is used to helped get freshmen acclimated to being at Northwest. Essentially it is a “How to be a Bearcat” class. At the current moment, it falls a close second behind my alarm clock on things I am not a big fan of. If nothing else, it shouldn’t be at 8am the day after one of the most emotionally and physically exhausting days of my life. 

I climb out of my loft and grab my shower caddy. Caddy is a funny word. I slumberly wander into the shower, only to find all eight of them occupied. Great. I am going to wait, the shower will help to wake me up a little bit. After about 5 minutes a shower opens up and get in and out quickly so I can get over to Wells Hall for the first college class of my life. 

Another get to know you game. I do like that all the kids in my Freshman Seminar class are also majoring in journalism. I think to myself, maybe I can find some solid friends in this class since we will be around each other a lot the next 4 years. As the teacher starts going through the syllabus, I begin to hope that not all college professors are like this guy. He is stressing the importance of our attendance to seminar and running through all the things we will have to do this semester. I have to write a paper about and document my experience at a football game. What is this? Before we leave my teacher and some girl named Megan (she identified herself as our peer mentor) run down all the things we are going to be doing together this weekend. The first is tonight, some seminar called “Can I Kiss You.” They both assure us that it is actually one of the more fun things from the weekend. At this point, I refuse to trust someone that expects us to wake up at 8am tomorrow to watch a tree planted to represent our freshman class. 

Today looks a lot like yesterday. FIFA, chowing down at the Union, and meeting new people. Logan and I try to get a football game going with guys on our floor and it is pretty productive. We start talking about having a flag football team on the floor and are actively trying to recruit our RA Jake to take on the quarterbacking roles. He throws a pretty nice ball. After dinner, I go meet up with my Freshman Seminar for Can I Kiss You. This thing just sounds like a nightmare.

We get into the Ron Houston Performing Arts Center and find a seat. The show starts and it appears that our teacher and peer mentor may have actually told the truth. The speaker is really, really funny and what he is talking about is actually really interesting. His presentation is about the dangers of sexual assault. Both with your personal interactions with the opposite sex and how to stop or be made aware of potential assaults that may be happening around you. 

After Can I Kiss You, I have some options. I can go get ice cream with some guys from my floor or go play volleyball with a campus ministry called the Navigators. I was somewhat familiar with the organization because of a girl named Kaylyn Costello. Her mom and my mom work together and Kaylyn had shown us around a little bit when I visited Northwest earlier that year. She kind of explained what the Navigators was and talked a little bit about what they believed.

Honestly, I am kind of scared to go. I am still trying to sort through what kind of role I want religion to play in my life during college. That being said, I knew that my mom wanted me to at least try them out and whether I told her or not she would find out from Kaylyn. Plus, I really love playing volleyball and have enjoyed all the new people around the last day and a half. As I make the decision that I will go, I realize that I don’t really know where to go. Right on cue, I get a phone call from a number that I don’t have. I recognize the 402 area code representing an Omaha number and decide to pick up. It’s Kaylyn. She explains to me how to get to the volleyball court and I start walking over.

As I get nearer I here pretty loud music and see a lot of people. They all look really excited and happy, my fears and apprehension dissipate pretty quickly. I find Kaylyn and she introduces me to a couple of her friends as we get onto the court. Nikita and Evette, so naturally I assume that everyone in this group has some kind of unique name. It is clear that we aren’t playing super competitively, which is fine with me because everyone seems to be asking me questions and answering and playing is much harder than I thought.

After about 15 minutes or so I see both of my RAs walking up to the court with a group of guys from the floor. Cool. Jake comes over and tells me that they had been trying to find me. I explain to him how I know Kaylyn and how she helped me find the place. He steps across the net. I figure that he is probably pretty good at volleyball. I am right. James lines up in our back line with a guy from our floor that I assume is his brother. They look identical and have been spending a lot of time together the last couple of days. 

We play for a long time and then I go get myself some lemonade and sit down on some rocks and just watch, thinking about what has happened the last couple of days. A lot of my life has seemingly changed and I expect for that to continue for the next couple of days. A guy comes up next to me and sits down. He introduces himself, his name is Kyle. We talk about our homes and families. Kyle is from Council Bluffs. Everyone here seems to be from the Omaha area. He asks me a lot of questions and really just listens to what I have to say. I have had a lot of these conversations the last couple of days, but no one really listened like Kyle did. It was cool. 

As volleyball starts to slow down, Jake rounds all the guys up from my floor and we start the walk back to Dieterich. I am feeling good. I am really glad I decided to go play volleyball, and even more glad to see that Jake and James were there too. I can just kind of sense something special happening, even more special than that tree planting tomorrow morning that I am most certainly going to skip.  

Two RAs and a U-Haul

 Thursday August 25, 2011

The day began early, around six in the morning. My house was abuzz and after we got everything loaded into the U-Haul and my mom’s car, we were ready to go. The only missing piece was Logan Miller, my high school friend and soon-to-be roommate. Once he arrived with his family we began our longer than usual trip to what would become our home away from home for the next four years, four and a half for one of us. The “longer than usual” was a result of two things: my dad having to drive a U-Haul and the continued existence of water covering much of I-29 that forced us to take a slower, less direct route. 

Our five car caravan pulled up to Dieterich at 9am to just hilarious faces on what I now know to be Cat Crew. As I mentioned before, we used a U-Haul to transport a lot of our stuff. However, it wasn’t because we had that much stuff, we just didn’t want to try to obnoxiously cram everything into cars. The U-Haul wasn’t even really that full. The friendly people with green shirts and yellow bins didn’t know any of that and thought that we were going to try and fit a U-Haul full of stuff into a 14’ 8” by 12’ 5” room. 

We left our team of family members with the Cat Crew to bring our stuff up to our room and went inside to check in. In the span of about 30 minutes Logan and I met both of our Resident Assistants (RAs). These two guys (names Jake and James) went on to play a big part in one of the best years of my life and are still some of my best friends today. 

After we got everything up in to our room and one of our lofts put together, Logan and I told sent our families away to Wal-Mart with a shopping list so we could put our room together alone. After we got everything put away where we wanted, we decided to test the other loft, the one that Logan and I had put together ourselves. Logan jumped up in his bed and his bed almost fell through on top of the television. The initial reaction was fear, followed by laughter. Logan climbed down and we figured out what we had done wrong and fixed it. He only fell through the loft 2 more times over our freshman year, kind of a bummer actually. It was always a memorable experience.

The goodbyes came somewhere around 1pm. After being an RA myself I realize how record-setting our move in process was. Our parents being gone just after lunch probably happens for 5% of freshmen each year. It was emotional of course, but I know the quick departure was good for my mom. She probably cried much of the way home, but better than her sitting in Maryville thinking about having to leave me there.

Soon after, Logan left to get his books and laptop. Getting them on the first day? What a loser. So I just sat in the room and watched some tv, trying to take in the fact that this was going to be my home for the next 8 months. My door was of course open, and one of those guys I met earlier popped his head in and asked why I was watching tv in the dark. I asserted to him that I prefer watching tv in the dark. He reintroduced himself as Jake and asked if he could sit down. He had a Husker shirt on and looked friendly enough so I said yes. We went on to talk for the next hour or so, a lot about our commonalities: Husker football, growing up in Omaha and he asked what my church background was like. I also remember him asserting that he had worked really hard on his wall decorations and would be really upset if I tore any of them down. As he left he reminded me about our floor meeting that night.

Much of the afternoon was spent losing in FIFA to Logan and meeting some of our neighbors. The guy that lived right next to us was a big FIFA fan himself, so he came over and played a couple of games. For dinner, Jake and James rounded up everyone that was finished moving in and took us to the Union for dinner to show us the ropes. Jake told us we should never, never use a tray because nothing screamed “I am a freshman” more than using a tray in the Union. 

After dinner, it was time for that first floor meeting. Jake had us all state our name, hometown, and favorite cereal. His name: Jake. His hometown: Omaha, Nebraska. Favorite Cereal: Peanut Butter Crunch. If you haven’t noticed by now, Jake appeared to be much more “in charge” than James. That didn’t change at all during the course of my freshman year. Later on in the year, James liked to refer to himself as the “pal” of our floor while Jake was actually the RA. Anyways, the meeting included a lot of rules and it’s pretty much all a blur. Plus, after leading two of those meetings myself I could probably vomit the whole floor meeting to you, but that is really, really uninteresting.

My Home Away from Home

I can almost remember 100% of Advantage Weekend. For those of you that don’t know, that is the catchy name that Northwest Missouri State has decided to use for the weekend before classes start in August. Freshmen Bearcats are required to arrive to small-town Maryville on the Thursday of Advantage Weekend, all other students filter into the city of 10,000 sometime between Friday and Sunday. That being said, for that first weekend, all campus employees seem to be at the expense and service of the freshmen.  They really go out of their way to try and make the new students feel welcomed and cared for. Alright, without further ado…I will break down that life-changing weekend for me. It’ll be long so if you want to, read it in parts. In fact, I will post them separately by day.