Deep thoughts. . .
Is Beyonce too "Bootylicious" for Six Mix-a-lot?!?
I mean he does state his love, fascination and respect for ladies that have "back."
Can the Six Mix really handle Beyonce? I'm not sure if he's ready for her "jelly."
Pounder this important question today as you face the world and the challenges of your day.
-Tang
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Enabling Buffy
Sigh . . . it’s not that I mean to enable Buffy but it’s like. . . here’s the thing, Buffy is a very able dog, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t somehow get me to do things for her that she can probably do for herself. For example: Buffy has never been a big eater. Dogs in the wild do not eat on a regular basis. This has resulted in domesticated dogs either gorging on food (which in nature is a logical move just case the next meal is far off) or in Buffy’s case, not eating very much food (an extension of the fact that dogs in nature aren't used to getting food regularly).
Now I am 100% confident that if I leave Buffy food and she doesn’t eat it, she’ll be fine. But of course I worried especially when she was a puppy when she would barely touch her food when we put it out. So now Buffy get wet dog food mixed in with her dry food and even that doesn’t always work. To remind Buffy sometimes I pick her up and stick her face in her food and then she begins to eat or I just bring her bowl over to her so she doesn’t have to walk over to eat. Am I enabling her picky eating habits? Yes.
Then there’s the bed and the couch: Buffy isn’t a jumper. Unlike terriers, Buffy can’t do vertical leaps twice her body length in height, but she is able to jump up on beds and couches. She regularly does this at my mother-in-laws house. At our condo, it’s a different story. When she wants to come up on the couch she will simply walk up to the couch and look up at us. Now I know that she can jump up on her own but looking at cute face, I inevitably pick her up.The same thing happens with the bed. She can totally get up there by herself and at night when I don’t pick her up onto the bed she walks over to the side of the bed closes to me curls up in a ball and look eagerly up at me until I reach up and pick her up onto the bed.
Now my wife, Diana has been doing some NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) training with Buffy. This means that you make your dog work for everything. You have your dog sit or do treats to eat food, go outside, cross the street and basically anything that they dogs wants to do. This totally makes sense and it is important to remind your dog and yourself how much you are doing for her.
Am I doing a huge disservice to Buffy by enabling her? Eh, kind of, but not really. I mean it’s not like she gets to do whatever she wants. She has boundaries and things that I don’t let her do. Trust me, I almost never give her treats unless she does a trick and yes, I do a couple things that enable her but it’s as much for me as it is for her. I like enabling Buffy. Even if it’s stuff she can do for herself it’s feels good to take care of her and do things. She is still a puppy and am I really doing that much harm? Nah, I don’t think so. Could a little bit more NILIF from me strengthen our relationship and engage her more?
Probably and I think I'm going to do more of that but sometimes it’s hard . . . I mean seriously look at her, how cute is she? Buffy can totally pull of that scarf!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Week 24: Kids Being Kids?
So in my job, I give groups of about twenty 8 and 9 year olds plastic recorder and then I get annoyed when they play them when I'm talking. I also get irritated when they blow too hard into those "instruments" and make a screeching sound. The thing is about recorders is that the only way to make an acceptable musical sound is blow slowly and gently.
A couple days ago I had an especially pleasant class in which I spent a good amount of time helping students work on the recorder and finding myself being interrupted by the oh, so pleasant chirps of students playing out of turn. Apparently a couple of my students thought it would be fun to figure out how much of the recorder they could stick in their mouth and then try to make sounds by exhaling. And I can't forget the students who turned his recorder into a spit-ball launcher . . . SIGH.
Is it unreasonable to put a noise-maker into kids hands and expect them to sit quietly and not get distracted by them? If you have spent any amount of time with kids under the age of 10 you probably are thinking yes, especially when they are in groups. I would agree on some level. If I'm teaching a class of students and none of them misbehave or get distracted at all than something is wrong with the class.
I'm not saying this because I think children are hopeless but it's simply a fact of child development.
Children are constantly in a state of redefining their relationships with the people and the world around them. Children need to test and find limits so that they can function. Babies need cribs not only so they don't roll onto the floor into the middle of the night but to feel enclosed, safe and secure. It's like how most of us would rather sleep in a bedroom of a normal size than one the size of a gymnasium.
As children get older instead of a crib they rely on different kinds of structure in there lives and until they are able to construct and maintain these structures independently they need parents and teachers (which for the vast majority of people doesn't happen until they are in college or beyond). Some people never get to this point which is why we have police.
So should I get so annoyed when children are doing exactly what they are suppose to be doing and testing their boundaries? Logically no and of course I shouldn't become personally offended, but c'mon I AM human and children need to learn that even though it is natural and understandable that they are trying to define their boundaries that it does sometimes lead to negative reactions.
While I understand it's hard for a student to not play an instrument that is in their hands, with some work and focus they can fight that temptation. It's hard, but it's not impossible. Teaching is a balance between understanding and embracing children's need reach out and feel the walls in their lives and pushing them beyond that stage to help them grow as young adults.
I could play it safe and not have them play recorders, drums and other instruments and there would be a lot fewer issues with them playing them out of turn but that would be a disservice to them. As much as it is an opportunity for children to be silly, push boundaries and create unspeakable noises, it’s also an opportunity for students to grow, learn how to express themselves and have meaningful educational experiences.
Sometimes, well, most of the time it’s worth the annoyance.
A couple days ago I had an especially pleasant class in which I spent a good amount of time helping students work on the recorder and finding myself being interrupted by the oh, so pleasant chirps of students playing out of turn. Apparently a couple of my students thought it would be fun to figure out how much of the recorder they could stick in their mouth and then try to make sounds by exhaling. And I can't forget the students who turned his recorder into a spit-ball launcher . . . SIGH.
Is it unreasonable to put a noise-maker into kids hands and expect them to sit quietly and not get distracted by them? If you have spent any amount of time with kids under the age of 10 you probably are thinking yes, especially when they are in groups. I would agree on some level. If I'm teaching a class of students and none of them misbehave or get distracted at all than something is wrong with the class.
I'm not saying this because I think children are hopeless but it's simply a fact of child development.
Children are constantly in a state of redefining their relationships with the people and the world around them. Children need to test and find limits so that they can function. Babies need cribs not only so they don't roll onto the floor into the middle of the night but to feel enclosed, safe and secure. It's like how most of us would rather sleep in a bedroom of a normal size than one the size of a gymnasium.
As children get older instead of a crib they rely on different kinds of structure in there lives and until they are able to construct and maintain these structures independently they need parents and teachers (which for the vast majority of people doesn't happen until they are in college or beyond). Some people never get to this point which is why we have police.
So should I get so annoyed when children are doing exactly what they are suppose to be doing and testing their boundaries? Logically no and of course I shouldn't become personally offended, but c'mon I AM human and children need to learn that even though it is natural and understandable that they are trying to define their boundaries that it does sometimes lead to negative reactions.
While I understand it's hard for a student to not play an instrument that is in their hands, with some work and focus they can fight that temptation. It's hard, but it's not impossible. Teaching is a balance between understanding and embracing children's need reach out and feel the walls in their lives and pushing them beyond that stage to help them grow as young adults.
I could play it safe and not have them play recorders, drums and other instruments and there would be a lot fewer issues with them playing them out of turn but that would be a disservice to them. As much as it is an opportunity for children to be silly, push boundaries and create unspeakable noises, it’s also an opportunity for students to grow, learn how to express themselves and have meaningful educational experiences.
Sometimes, well, most of the time it’s worth the annoyance.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Round 11: Buffy Vs. The Hand
Buffy Tang, the fierce Shetland Sheep dog is almost two years old. At a slim 12 pounds she is able to chase down pigeons and even sheep.
Also she is one of the cutest puppies on the planet.
Vs.
The Hand is many things. Even thought it is The Hand that feeds her it also moves around faster than Buffy can often keep track of it. With an opposable thumb and four other digits, The Hand can be everything from a flat moving target to a jaw biting at Buffy.
The Winner:
Also she is one of the cutest puppies on the planet.
Vs.
The Hand is many things. Even thought it is The Hand that feeds her it also moves around faster than Buffy can often keep track of it. With an opposable thumb and four other digits, The Hand can be everything from a flat moving target to a jaw biting at Buffy.
The Winner:
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spiritual by Spain/Johnny Cash
“What do you believe?”
When someone asks you this question, do you tell them what you want to believe or what you actually believe? I would love to believe that there is something out there, a being, a force that provides us comfort and companionship in times of darkness, but I'm not sure if that's what I truly believe.
“Spritual” by Spain is about this belief. I first encountered Johnny Cash’s version of this song on his first album he did with producer Rick Rubin, Unchained, which marked his comeback at the end of his life.
The voice in this song is a man in pain praying to Jesus. He knows that he has sinned but seeks comfort regardless. This is a man who is desperate. All his troubles and all his pains are coming back at this moment and all he wants is to not go through it alone. Deliberate and almost uncomfortably intense to listen to, this song expresses an honesty and sorrow that few songs dare approach.
Is this what believing in Jesus is really about? Not wanting to be alone in life? I want to believe that in all my troubles we will never be alone. It's a comforting thought but it's just that, a thought . . . but maybe that’s enough. Maybe we never really know what we believe because it’s too closely tied to what we want.
Most of the pain humans inject on each other are a manifestations of feeling lonely and regret. Calling to Jesus is an expression of a belief that someone is always out there and this idea of companionship may be the most powerful solution to our world's troubles.
In this way, music is religion for me. It reminds me other people are out there, feeling the same emotions that I am and through music I know that whatever challenges I go through in life are shared with others.
Darkness doesn’t ties us together, rather it is what binds.
The need to be with others and seek companionship during pangs of loneliness are what binds us because. In these moments we realize the strength that we find in ourselves, each other, Jesus or whatever force that fills your heart with faith. Faith that the sun will rise up tomorrow and that nothing is more powerful in the world than love.
That is what I know I believe.
When someone asks you this question, do you tell them what you want to believe or what you actually believe? I would love to believe that there is something out there, a being, a force that provides us comfort and companionship in times of darkness, but I'm not sure if that's what I truly believe.
“Spritual” by Spain is about this belief. I first encountered Johnny Cash’s version of this song on his first album he did with producer Rick Rubin, Unchained, which marked his comeback at the end of his life.
The voice in this song is a man in pain praying to Jesus. He knows that he has sinned but seeks comfort regardless. This is a man who is desperate. All his troubles and all his pains are coming back at this moment and all he wants is to not go through it alone. Deliberate and almost uncomfortably intense to listen to, this song expresses an honesty and sorrow that few songs dare approach.
Is this what believing in Jesus is really about? Not wanting to be alone in life? I want to believe that in all my troubles we will never be alone. It's a comforting thought but it's just that, a thought . . . but maybe that’s enough. Maybe we never really know what we believe because it’s too closely tied to what we want.
Most of the pain humans inject on each other are a manifestations of feeling lonely and regret. Calling to Jesus is an expression of a belief that someone is always out there and this idea of companionship may be the most powerful solution to our world's troubles.
In this way, music is religion for me. It reminds me other people are out there, feeling the same emotions that I am and through music I know that whatever challenges I go through in life are shared with others.
Darkness doesn’t ties us together, rather it is what binds.
The need to be with others and seek companionship during pangs of loneliness are what binds us because. In these moments we realize the strength that we find in ourselves, each other, Jesus or whatever force that fills your heart with faith. Faith that the sun will rise up tomorrow and that nothing is more powerful in the world than love.
That is what I know I believe.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Week 23: Trust
I was talking to a parent of one of my students today and she ended her conversation saying, “well, let us know if there is anything we can do to help, we completely trust you.” While this was a great thing to hear from a parent it was a reminder of one of the most challenging parts about being a teacher.
I’m not parent and all I know about what it means to be one is through my life experiences and what I’ve witnessed is pretty amazing. Parents put their hopes and their dream into their children. Children are often most important and precious parts of many people’s lives. There are things that people do for their children that they would never do for anybody else.
When parents bring their children to school, they are entrusting another person to take care of their child and play a significant role in helping them grow. That’s a huge amount and of trust and faith that a parent is putting into the teacher. While this is something that I never forget, sometimes it is overshadowed by the everyday bustle of being a teacher and the fact that teachers like myself have almost two hundred students.
You can never let a classroom become a see of faces. Behind each students is family member who is rooting for them, believing in them and often believing in you as a teacher and that you see their child as being just as special and just as important that they do. Is that unreasonable? No, it’s not, because every child deserves to be seen and treated as an individual. And the bottom line is that I’m not a music teacher. I don’t teach music, I teach children music.
After talking to that parent this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was a parent of one of my students would I be satisfied with the care and attention the received? In most cases, I would say yes, but in some cases, I'm not sure.
I’m not doubting myself because I feel that I am acting carelessly, it’s just that I think I can do better to be there, really and truly be there for all of my students. How? I’m not sure right now. I feel pretty exhausted at the end of the week as I feel right now. Physically I’m tired but also my heart, the muscle of the care and love feels a little tired as well.
I don’t have answers but I’m trying and the fact that this weight of the trust that parents put in me motivates me to work harder and reflect on how I can be a better teacher is a sign that I am on the right path to one day becoming a great teacher.
To the parent I talked to this morning and all of the parents who have put their trust in me: Thank you. I feel blessed and honored to have had the privilege to work with your children. While I love the study of education, it would all be meaningless with the students. The meaning and joy that my students bring not only to my professional life but also my personal life is indescribable.
I’m not parent and all I know about what it means to be one is through my life experiences and what I’ve witnessed is pretty amazing. Parents put their hopes and their dream into their children. Children are often most important and precious parts of many people’s lives. There are things that people do for their children that they would never do for anybody else.
When parents bring their children to school, they are entrusting another person to take care of their child and play a significant role in helping them grow. That’s a huge amount and of trust and faith that a parent is putting into the teacher. While this is something that I never forget, sometimes it is overshadowed by the everyday bustle of being a teacher and the fact that teachers like myself have almost two hundred students.
You can never let a classroom become a see of faces. Behind each students is family member who is rooting for them, believing in them and often believing in you as a teacher and that you see their child as being just as special and just as important that they do. Is that unreasonable? No, it’s not, because every child deserves to be seen and treated as an individual. And the bottom line is that I’m not a music teacher. I don’t teach music, I teach children music.
After talking to that parent this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was a parent of one of my students would I be satisfied with the care and attention the received? In most cases, I would say yes, but in some cases, I'm not sure.
I’m not doubting myself because I feel that I am acting carelessly, it’s just that I think I can do better to be there, really and truly be there for all of my students. How? I’m not sure right now. I feel pretty exhausted at the end of the week as I feel right now. Physically I’m tired but also my heart, the muscle of the care and love feels a little tired as well.
I don’t have answers but I’m trying and the fact that this weight of the trust that parents put in me motivates me to work harder and reflect on how I can be a better teacher is a sign that I am on the right path to one day becoming a great teacher.
To the parent I talked to this morning and all of the parents who have put their trust in me: Thank you. I feel blessed and honored to have had the privilege to work with your children. While I love the study of education, it would all be meaningless with the students. The meaning and joy that my students bring not only to my professional life but also my personal life is indescribable.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Round 10: Ben E. King Vs. John Lennon
Ben E. King recorded one of the most unforgettable songs in popular music "Stand By Me" in 1961.
Powerful, soulful and beautifully recorded it's no wonder that John Lennon knew this song by heart, like so many of us who have experienced this song.
Vs.
Lennon recorded "Stand By Me" in 1975 for his album Rock 'n' Roll. With a different driving beat and a vocal styles uniquely Lennon's, this song stands as one of Lennon's most popular solo works.
The Winner:
This is a tough one. Both songs are touching and unique in very different ways. While I like the rawness of Lennon's recording, the cleanness and clarity of Ben E. King's recorded showcases his amazing vocals which express the profound meaning of longing and hope in this song.
Powerful, soulful and beautifully recorded it's no wonder that John Lennon knew this song by heart, like so many of us who have experienced this song.
Vs.
Lennon recorded "Stand By Me" in 1975 for his album Rock 'n' Roll. With a different driving beat and a vocal styles uniquely Lennon's, this song stands as one of Lennon's most popular solo works.
The Winner:
This is a tough one. Both songs are touching and unique in very different ways. While I like the rawness of Lennon's recording, the cleanness and clarity of Ben E. King's recorded showcases his amazing vocals which express the profound meaning of longing and hope in this song.
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