Expect the idiot

5 May 2012, 12:46 pm by Giggles
Categories: Education, Work

It’s the end of the semester. And I’d actually be disappointed if I didn’t have at least one student send a frantic email asking what extra they could do to get an A, or can’t I round an 86 up to an A. I have office hours, but these students never say these things to me in person, only by email. And they never say anything till the very last week of the semester.

One student this past week sent me a real long email, several actually, explaining how unfair I have been to him the whole semester and how subjective I have been in grading his assignments. Certain words were even in all caps so that I’d know he meant business. It’s possible I’ve been a bit subjective, but if he really wants me to go back and be more objective, I will, and he’ll have an even lower grade. Despite the passion in his email, I’ll be gobsmacked if he actually comes talk to me in person.

I have expectations for my students, and unfortunately, this is one of them.

When I mentioned it elsewhere online, a friend said that these types of students are created when they never have to face consequences. And when Brett was reading the comment, he saw this next to it:

That’s a kid who is potentially avoiding a few consequences.

These kids who think it’s my fault they don’t have an A, who think they can guilt me into giving them an A to save their scholarship, place in the Greek house, spot on the team, streak of As, are mistaken. But they’ve also probably been given what they wanted their entire life. They’ve been raised to be idiots.

My senior English teacher had three rules in his classroom:

  1. Don’t do anything stupid.
  2. Mr. Helm is always right.
  3. “Fair” is a four letter word used by seniors who don’t get their own way.

Wise words. And I really wish someone had taught these students that long before they get to me. Fair is what I’m doing. Unfair would be doing what you’re asking me to do.

3 Shared thoughts

Developing talents

3 May 2012, 11:14 am by Giggles
Categories: Questions, Random

I hum in the shower. I don’t have to interrupt humming like I would singing or whistling when there’s water all over my face. So I hum.

The other day I kept humming after my shower and Brett was surprised to hear me humming while I brushed my teeth. I thought it was funny he was surprised because it’s perfectly natural for me to hum with my mouth open or closed. Makes no difference.

He tried to hum with his mouth open. He’s going to have to work on that talent. But his tomato dicing talents are superb. Next talent show, that’s what he’s going to do.

So we had a discussion about which one of us is weird. Can you hum with your mouth open? :whistle:

5 Shared thoughts

The problem with form letters

1 May 2012, 9:23 am by Giggles
Categories: Health, Infertility, Politics

Remember back in February (yes, February) when I posted a letter I sent to the White House about insurance coverage for conception? I checked the box that said I would like a reply back. A fact I had pretty much forgotten because that was clear back in February. Yesterday, two and a half months later, I got that reply.

Now you’d probably think if it took that long the reply would have something to with the original letter. You’d be able to see the connection between the two and the reply would be an actual response, even if it was written by an aide. If they were just depending on an automated system with form letters then you’d think they could shoot out a reply relatively quickly (maybe have the system wait a day or two so it didn’t come across as one of those “we got your message, thanks” kind of things) and the automated reply could use the name submitted with the original message.

And if you thought that, you’d be wrong.

Go read the letter I wrote. And then read this reply:

I tell them my name and they reply “Dear Friend.” I’m feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzy right now. I write them about conception, and they reply telling me about contraception. He appreciates my perspective? He clearly doesn’t even know what my perspective is.

Yup. My voice was heard. I need to speak a little louder.

9 Shared thoughts

Called the altar Ed

29 April 2012, 4:33 pm by Giggles
Categories: Gospel

And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the Lord is God.
Joshua 22:34

I must say, that is one of my favorite scriptures. They called the altar Ed. Just seems like a funny name for an altar if you ask me. But that’s because I think of Ed as a name for a horse. In Hebrew it means “witness.” Ed the altar was built by the Israelites that stayed on “this side” Jordan as a witness and testimony so that the children on both sides of Jordan would know they were all Israelite and had part in the altar of the tabernacle. Ed stood for who they were. Ed testified of their devotion to God.

A testimony is a statement of truth. It is not elaborate or ornate. On all the crime tv shows the witnesses are told to stick to the facts and answer the questions they are asked. They are told not to go in to long drawn out stories. A testimony is simple. Like Ed.

When I was preparing to leave to serve as a missionary in Brasil I was really worried about being able to share my beliefs in Portuguese. I did not have the Portuguese vocabulary that I have in English and thought that would diminish what I could say. I was wrong. Powerful testimonies are direct. I could say, “Deus vive” and I could say “Jesus é meu Salvador” (God lives. Jesus is my Savior). Simple. Direct. And powerful because of the truth in the words.

The testimony is not the story of the gaining of it, it is what you know to be true. In the 2008 April General Conference Elder Hales spoke of how he gained his testimony of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. His story teaches. He testifies in the last two paragraphs. Elder Oaks spoke in the exact same session about testimony, what it is and how to get one. His testimony is the last paragraph. I try to remember what he said in the second paragraph though “that the moment we begin preaching to others, our testimony is ended.”

Ed the altar was not words though, grandiose or simple. Ed was a stack of rocks. Ed stood for something. His very presence was a testimony. Each of us stands for something and testifies to what we believe every moment of every day. To do otherwise shows a lack of integrity, a lack of conviction, a lack of sincerity. In small ways and large our actions reveal who we are. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bore testimony with words, but it was their actions to not pray to the idol and to face death rather than deny their beliefs that truly gave strength to their words and bore testimony of the type of men they were. Their integrity was such that their words and actions were in perfect harmony.

I have never been bound and cast in to a fire for my testimony, verbal or otherwise. But in other small ways I’ve risked being “burned” by stacking my stones as a living testimony – at a class party asking that Sprite be provided because I didn’t want to drink Coke, not accepting high school jobs that would have required me to work on Sunday, and now, as I’m coming up to deadlines for research papers, leaving Sunday as sacred and not using those hours to write.

My life is a testimony. It is simple and direct. And whether I want it to or not, it reflects the truth that is in me.

3 Shared thoughts

Current steps to graduation

27 April 2012, 9:38 am by Giggles
Categories: Education

Here’s a reference of the steps I need to do before graduation and the approximate dates that some of them will be happening. Now you can stress about it with me! 😮

  • Minor written comprehensive – It is a paper I wrote titled Expert Teachers “Take Chances! Make Mistakes! Get Messy!”: A Literary Example of Expert Teaching
    Status: Submitted 25 April, awaiting evaluation.
  • Major written comprehensive– This will be two different papers.
    1. Motivation Measure Pilot Study – currently only in outline form. Needs to be submitted by April 30th
    2. Self-Efficacy literature review – need to finish up the last section. Needs to be submitted by April 30th
  • Dissertation data collection – Final data will be gathered the week of May 7th
  • Major oral comprehensive – Meeting scheduled for Monday, May 14th
  • Formal dissertation proposal– Meeting scheduled for Monday, May 21st. Before then I need to have basically the first three chapters of my dissertation written and submitted to my committee by May 7th.
    1. Chapter 1 – Background information, research questions, hypotheses, importance… Currently in bulky outline form (sentences and sections of paragraphs, but not smoothed out)
    2. Chapter 2 – Literature review, See written comprehensive (yes we planned it this way on purpose)
    3. Chapter 3 – Methods. Even bulkier outline than chapter 1.
  • Data analysis – Planned for June
  • Dissertation defense– Meeting to be determined. I’ll need to write the final two chapters before then.
    1. Chapter 4 – Results
    2. Chapter 5 – Discussion/Conclusion
  • Graduation – Determined by when I’m able to schedule my defense.

There are of course all kinds of forms and whatnot that need to be signed before and after each event it seems like. So I need to keep track of all of those. And pay the fees that go with all the forms. But the list is a lot shorter than it has been.

Today’s Story People Story of the Day – Falling Into Place, is actually rather perfect for the way things are going right now.

2 Shared thoughts

Man makes plans…

25 April 2012, 9:41 am by Giggles
Categories: Gospel, Life

My first year in college I was taught that “Man makes plans and God laughs.” And I’m definitely a planner.

When I was 14 I laid out how my life was going to happen. When I turned 16 I was going to date the guy I thought was real cute and it was going to be great. I was going to graduate high school at 17. I was going to go to BYU and study education. I was going to serve a LDS mission at 21. I’d get married on February 2nd at 2:00pm and then graduate from BYU two months later. And then I’d be a wife and mom. That was my plan.

In February of this year I was asked to share how I find joy in who I am, and especially who I am as a woman, with the young women at church. As I thought about it I felt I needed them to know that your plans can go all wrong and you can still be happy. Because we are not the ones making the ultimate plans.

So I pulled out one of my rolls of adding machine tape (because everyone has those lying around), and drew out the time line I thought my life would take when I was 14, complete with lovely stick figures. And then I got an even longer piece of paper out and drew out a time line of what actually happened (with more stick figures).

Turns out there has been a lot more to my life than I’d originally planned. My 14 year-old self only had a ten year plan. Along the way there have been a few other plans that came up. When I graduated BYU I said I’d teach for two or three years and then get a Masters. That plan worked. While I was getting my Masters I decided I wanted a PhD and I figured I’d go to Texas to get that. The PhD part is working out but the Texas part wasn’t right.

AGE PLAN AT 14 REALITY
15
16 Date and enjoy it. Dated, and it wasn’t that great.
17 Graduate from high school. Graduated from high school.
18 Go to BYU and get a degree in education. Went to BYU and studied education.
19 (BYU) (BYU)
20 (BYU) (BYU)
21 Serve a LDS mission in London. Served a LDS mission in Brasil.
22 (mission) (mission)
23 Get married on 2 February at 2:00pm.
Graduate from BYU.		 Student taught in Mexico.
Graduated from BYU.
24 Have kids and be a mom. Got a job teaching computers at Mt. Mahogany Elementary School.
25 (Mt. Mahogany)
26 Got involved in community theater.
(Mt. Mahogany)
27 Learned to belly dance.
Started my Masters Degree at the U of U.
(Mt. Mahogany)
28 (Mt. Mahogany)
(U of U)
29 Finished my Masters Degree.
(Mt. Mahogany)
Moved to Arizona.
Started my PhD at the U of A.
30 (U of A)
31 Got married on 14 November at 1:00pm.
(U of A)
32 (U of A)
33 Almost graduated…

I made a plan and moved my feet. And God shook his head and chuckled at my plan a little and made sure my moving feet were on the path that would bring me the most happiness. I’m really glad my loving Heavenly Father loves me enough to give me the life I actually need rather than the one I think I want.

7 Shared thoughts

Prime time television?

23 April 2012, 12:58 pm by Giggles
Categories: Life, Venting

Remember when prime time television meant it was the prime time to gather the family around and spend the evening together? I remember watching the Cosby Show or the Disney Sunday movie with my family. Now it is more often than not prime time to sell sleaze and filth to make the most sponsorship money. Sure you can vote with the remote and simply turn it off. But how do the sponsors know you aren’t seeing their ads at that time if you see them during other shows and still support their businesses? If you aren’t a Nielsen family, will anyone know if you turn it off? You’ll know of course, but how loud is your voice if it never extends beyond your walls? How bad does a show have to be before you turn it off? Or do we let them slowly desensitize us so we don’t realize how bad it’s gotten? If it’s “Great… Except for That One Part” is that good enough?

Last fall one of the stations wanted to run a show that made me ill inside just at the idea of it. And I decided I would speak with more than my remote. I signed petitions. I emailed the local and national stations. And the emails I got back were telling. The emails told me that it was a tasteful show. That it was a representation of things that had happened, implying that made it okay. There have been a lot of things in history that have happened and are definitely not okay. None of the people who emailed me would admit that they’d let their families watch it, that it was a prime show to gather their children around and watch with them. I tried to find the sponsors for the show so I could let them know that their advertising dollars at that time slot would be wasted. And I was one voice. But my voice combined with several other people who spoke up was heard. And the show only ran three episodes before it was pulled.

One isn’t that many. But when you get a lot of ones together, you can make a difference.

5 Shared thoughts