So Was I Helpful?

I was in the gym with my group of rowdy and highly competitive day camp boys. My co-counselor and I have many 8-year-olds and also some 7-, 9-, and 10-year-olds. The kids were playing Star Wars, a version of dodgeball that they absolutely love. I, on the other hand, always vote against playing this game because almost every time we play, at least one kid ends up crying. Today was no exception.

I didn't really see what happened but suddenly one of my boys was crying. I have a few boys who will cry if someone so much as pokes them, but this crier wasn't one of them. I saw him storming off to the side of the gym just as my CIT's were stopping the game due to arguing. (Like I said, Star Wars never seems to turn out well.)

The crying boy made it to the side of the gym and angrily punched the door to an adjacent office. Wanting to help him calm down while avoiding getting hit myself, I stood behind him and reached over his shoulders, grabbing his hands. This is my go-to move for upset kids as it both restrains them and feels like a big hug.

"Calm down, buddy," I whispered to him, "if you hit someone, you'll have to go to the office."

He soon ceased to seem dangerous so I let him go and we sat down against the door he had just hit.

"What happened?" I asked, but he was still fuming and did not respond. After I asked a few more times, he responded by informing me that he didn't want to tell me what happened because I would not be able to help.

"Try me!" I countered, knowing I would almost surely be able to help solve this dilemma if I knew the details.

He continued to insist I would not be helpful and that it wouldn't be worth it to "risk it".  This went on for a bit. Then I remembered that I had seen a certain other child push the crier so I asked if that child was involved, already knowing he was. I suppose this led to my gaining his trust as he then told me which other boys were also involved. We walked to the nearby camp office where I sat with the four of them and let each tell his version of what happened. We eventually came to a peaceful solution and left to go join the rest of the group.

As I walked with the boys from the camp office to our group's classroom, I looked over at the original crier, who was still visibly upset and holding back tears.

"So, was I helpful after all?"

"Yes," he admitted and broke into a grin.

Three Strikes, I'm Out

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You know it's serious business when you find yourself emailing back and forth with the Associate Dean of the College of Education. Ya, that's what I've been doing the past few days.

Undergraduate education majors at my university spend their last three semesters in an on-site program involving two semesters of classes and one of student teaching. Students must apply and be accepted to the Teacher Education Program, or TEP, the semester before beginning the three-semester sequence. I was planning to apply this fall, start next spring, and graduate in May 2015.

The requirements to apply are pretty simple: Applicants have to have taken or be currently enrolled in about seven specific classes and have passed the first of a series of state competency exams required for licensure. The test is offered every three months.

I thought about taking the test in January, but it fell on my 21st birthday, so I decided to wait.

I was planning to sign up for the April test but didn't get around to registering until the day after the first deadline which would have added a late fee to the cost. I decided to sign up for June instead.

I was all set to take the test in June, but because of living at my parents' house for the summer and generally being in non-school mode, I forgot to attend. It wasn't until that night that I realized my mistake.

So there you have it: three perfectly good opportunities to take this test and still I have not taken it. Course-wise I am eligible to apply this fall but rules are rules and this test is required for application to the TEP. My next opportunity to apply would be in the spring which would put me in the less awesome three-semester sequence (the same courses but the program is run by a different professor) and cause me to graduate a semester later. Now I just have to see what, if anything, the Associate Dean can do to help. Like I said, you've probably dug yourself into a pretty darn deep hole if you are emailing the Associate Dean.

Proud of All the Wrong Things

I see it all over nowadays, but maybe it's been happening for years and I am just now noticing. People are very proud and they aren't afraid to show it via Facebook posts, bumper stickers, or just flat out saying so.

People are proud of a lot of different things, too. Some are proud to be gay. Others are proud to be straight. There are those who are proud of their race and/or ethnicity. Some are proud to be Democrats while others are loud and proud Republicans. Some people are proud to be Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, while others feel great pride in claiming atheism. On the road are visible displays of proud parents of middle school honors students and proud smart ass dog owners whose Chihuahuas and Pit Bulls are apparently smarter than the aforementioned honors students.

Yes, we are a society of very proud people. But at the end of the day, do you have something to actually be proud of? You didn't do anything special to become whatever ethnicity you may be; you were born that way by random chance. In other words, you don't get any credit there. In fact, what right do you have to be proud of virtually any of the attributes from the previous paragraph? What did you do to become a Republican? Spend five minutes registering to vote? And why should you get to feel proud to be a believer in a certain school of thought? Did you do something meaningful to the world?

Characteristics such as race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, political party affiliation, religious views, and even perceived intelligence are so superficial compared to ones that are actually important. Put together any combination of the above traits and you still don't have anything to be proud of. What really matters is what kind of person you are. Are you kind to strangers as well as family? Do you stick up for the little guy? Are you ethical or a cheater? Do you spend your free time helping others or sacked out on the couch watching TV? Imagine the day when the signs and banners advertising pride in superficial things were gone and replaced simply by "Proud to be a good person". Our world would be forever changed.