3rd annual community Thanksgiving

The most famous recorded Thanksgiving took place in 1621. This ‘festival’, which lasted three days, included the participation of nearly one hundred Native Americans. Governor William Bradford had invited the natives to show them appreciation, for helping his colony survive through the harsh weather conditions. Long before the Europeans celerbated Thanksgiving the Cherokee people held harvest festivals, and corn dances. Thanksgiving stands as a holiday to look at life with gratitude. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends.

The Oakland house held its 3rd annual community Thanksgiving this past Saturday. 35 beautiful faces surrounded the banquet table. 5 children under the age of 5. 9 people under the age of 18, and 21 people over the age of 18. Each person that sat around the table has a story. While our Thanksgiving may not go down in the history books as famous, it truly is a time to acknowledge the amazing relationships in our lives.

One of the members of the Oakland house had her three high school girls set the table with white table cloths, name cards for each guest, and place settings. Two neighborhood high school boys acted as waiters, taking orders for juice or milk. One of our neighbors made her famous macaroni and cheese. Another guest from Lithuania, had never made sweet potatoes and one boy in attendance said they were better than his Mama's!

Life was shared, bellies were filled, and laughter permeated the air. As people sat around the banquet table, something beautiful, and sacred occured. It was a true Thanksgiving.

Thanks again to YouthWorks! for helping us make this meal happen.

Breaking Free

I began writing this two weeks ago. With student teaching, I had to come back to it this afternoon.

On Wednesday I drove up to my block and noticed a woman passed out on the front steps across the street. We will call her Mary. My friend and her husband recently moved into the house where this woman was. I tried to call my friend to check if she was home. Mary eventually got up and left the premises. I also left to run some errands. As I arrived home, my friend also pulled up to her house. I alerted her about Mary, who works the corners of our neighborhood. I walked into my house, and one of my housemates told me about a conversation she had with Mary earlier in the day. I ended up calling my friend who lives across the street to make sure everything was alright. She told me that Mary was now sitting on the couch in her front porch. I went over with one of my housemates and we all talked with Mary. She was quite intoxicated, and told us that the couch just seemed like a nice place to rest. She talked with us for awhile. She told us that she grew up a few blocks away. She said she just needed some rest.

I do not know the circumstances of her life. I have no idea what has caused her to work the streets. Their are countless unknowns. I know that so much in this life will not make sense. Their will not be easy answers. Space is needed for doubt. Space is needed for cynicism, and for hope.

The next morning I woke up and saw Mary again walking down Lake street. I thought of the students I work with. The kids in my classroom have different factors influencing their lives. They are small, they are so incredibly impressionable. I have no idea what will happen to these kids in the next 15 years of their lives. They will be 21. They will face some difficult choices. I see a lot of light in them. When I worked for DinoMights I was able to spend time with kids at the park, and take them out for ice cream. I pray that they have people in their lives outside of school loving on them, empowering them, and recognizing their strengths. I don't know what will come of their lives. The stories of these children are just beginning to unfold. One girl's father is in jail. He is one of the highest ranking gang members in the city. One little boy falls asleep nearly every day because he does not have a bedtime at home. Two girls in the class live at the same shelter, a few doors down from each other. They cannot control their environment. They are talented, they are bright. I pray for them, I pray for their future. Sometimes it seems that is all I can do.....


A fact that is worth reading: A popular ratio among youth workers used to be 1-7. If you--as one mentor--had seven students in your life that you were investing time into, you were a successful youth worker. However, the Search Institute did some studies recently and decided that the ratio needs to be flipped. To make the greatest impact, the real ratio should be 7 caring adults for every 1 student.

lessons & legacies

Last week I attended Sunday school at church. The theme is lessons & legacies. The question was :who has gone before us, to teach us life lessons? Who has left a legacy?
What kind of legacy do we want to leave?

We have so much to learn from inter generational community. How can we allow for relationships to form in this way?

Education & Expectations.

I am doing my clinical practice( fancy new education word for student teaching)in a first grade classroom. Today the school had an assembly to watch the President give an address on education. The Star Tribune, and quite a few other media outlets were present at this event. Our school was featured in the paper!

One particular student in my class is quite defiant. He has had to go to the behavior room on several occasions during the first week of school. He was taken out of his home last year by child protective services. He is six years old and has already been dealt some rough cards. This same kid is at grade level in reading and can count to 100.

My neighbor began kindergarten last week. He missed the first day because he wasn't registered. Last night I got home around 10 p.m. and he was still up. He peered his little nose through the screen window and said he couldn't fall asleep because his Mom and her boyfiend were fighting. This morning the doorbell rang and this five year old boy was standing there with his older sister asking if I could give him a ride to school. I had to leave for work in 10 minutes. I couldn't give him a ride. He missed his bus. This is only his 3rd day of kindergarten. His Mom gave him a ride, and he got to school two hours late.

My good friend works at a high school in North Minneapolis. One of her students was in a pretty serious fight today. She sat him down and they talked about what happened. He is pretty high up in the world of gangs. He shared with her the struggles he faces each day.

After president Obama's speech we asked the first graders what they would want to tell the President. We also asked what they are supposed to do in school, and what the speech was about. The students said they would like to tell the President he is "handome, brave, smart, kind, he has nice hair, and that he has a beautiful family." While I am sure older students may have had opinions on what the Presidnet should do for; education, immigration, health care, and the array of issues, the answer that had the greatest impact was that he is "brave." President Obama talked about the challenges he faced growing up, and how hard he had to try to succeed. He had to show courage. So many students in our schools have external factors beyond their control. They have had to be "brave", and their audacity amazes me every day.

You can read an excerpt from the President's speech below. The full speech can be viewed here.

' Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when tI was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right."

here on earth

In brokeness, in suffering, in joy, in the spectrum, God's kingdom can be found here on earth.

I ran across this quote today and really liked it.

The kingdom of God
is justice and peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Come, Lord, and open in us
the gates of your kingdom.

- Hymn from Taizé,

an ecumenical monastic community in France

lookin' up to you....

Lacy (4th gr/9 years old) 2007


Lacy now




Last week the DinoMights had their annual academic Powercamp.

We had 18 new students attend the camp. Often when we recruit kids, if their siblings are in elementary school we invite them to join as well. One of the new kids had an older 4th grade sister who decided to join DinoMights. The other 4th grade girls were not being very inclusive during game time. They all attend the same school, and this girl does not.

I have hope for these 4th grade girls.....

I began tutoring/mentoring Lacy when she was in 4th grade. She is now going into 7th grade. This past week at camp she asked this new 4th grade DinoMight to play a game with her. I observed this interaction and welled up with emotion. Throughout the week she continually included this girl. Lacy has 3 younger siblings looking up to her, but also many other eyes watching and admiring her actions. She is such a beautiful girl and I am continually grateful to have her in my ife.

neurobics

Little did I know that doing routine tasks with your non-dominant hand helps with brain development. Yes, it seems like common sense that it would help stiumulate the brain in different ways. Apparently this is called neurobics., which is essentially doing things you normally do but done differently. Like brushing your teeth with the other hand, taking a shower with your eyes closed, writing with the opposite hand, taking a different route to work, etc.
Writing a paragraph a day with your non-dominant hand supposedly will make you ambidextrous over time.

What happens in your brain while you’re doing this becomes a brain exercise because different, underused nerve pathways and connections get activated. This stimulates the growth of new brain cells and brain connections.

I have been attending physical therapy twice a week. Yesterday I showed up with a list of questions.. While it is difficult each day to come to terms with parts of my independence being taken away, I am learning a great deal.I may not be able to drive until mid to late August. Since the break was so bad, I will have some type of splint/brace until October. I will be able to student teach and I will be able to write with my right hand starting mid-August. Each day it gets a little better.



The most difficult parts about this experience are:
-learning to ask for help/having to rely on other people
-figuring out how to do activities that seem so natural with your dominant hand
-certain tasks taking 3X as long as usual
-not being able to quickly get somewhere biking or driving

Things I am thankful for:
-phenomenal friends
-amazing family
-understanding professors & co-workers
-that this has strangely taught me A TON