Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Can I Have Seconds? Another Slice of Life

Waking up this morning was a struggle. As the battle raged on between my consciousness and unconsciousness, I simply hit the snooze button on my phone's alarm. But after five minutes, my phone's bird chirping alarm scared me awake one more time.  I clicked on that beautiful snooze button and thus provided the ammunition for my unconsciousness to win the battle. Five minutes later, my day began. But not of my own volition.
My alarm did go off, but that was not what finally got me out of bed. It was my Argos. What's an Argos? A furry, lively, drooly backup alarm who is more affectionately known as a man's best friend. This morning I wouldn't exactly call him my best friend. How does an Argos wake someone up? Well, it starts with a shake, then a hop, followed by a shower of puppy love. He sleeps on the tiles in our bathroom. We sometimes try to make him sleep on the bed with us because he's so fuzzy and warm but... he is too fuzzy and too warm. So the bed is not comfortable to him for a long period of time.
Hearing my phone's alarm, he trotted out of the bathroom adjacent to our room and shook his fur which provided us a brief warning for the next step. He hopped into our bed, inspected us to see if we were sleeping, and lied down--always with his head on my stomach. He licked my hand--checked to see if I was awake--and licked my hand again. The cycle repeats until someone wakes up.
In all honesty, he is a God-send. I can stop my phone from making noises, but I can't stop my puppy. And just like every morning, I got up from bed, put on some outside clothes, and took Argos to the restroom. 
And so consciousness wins this battle. But I look into Argos' eyes and I don't miss my sleep. Not one bit.
My first sight in the morning

Hanging out under my desk

Taking a nap when no one is looking

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Slice of Life

A slice of life can be a short story, poem that tells about a small moment, or a collection of words, images, or photos that tells a small story about your day or a memory from long ago.


"Did I clock in on time?"

Click, clack, click..click click click
On the phone...off the phone
"Please verify your facility's information."

Tick, tock, tick...tick tick...tick...
Shadows dance along the walls as the circle moves the sun
Redeem the time...time.........time*

Click, clack, click...........click..........
Words, words everywhere
Patient name, names, names...

Tick, tock, tick................tick............
Struggling to fly...contained, repressed, restrained.
A flicker of light? Oh, a phone call...

Click, clack, click.......clack..........
"Here is the call-in code for the meeting."
"What is your callback number?"

Tick, tock, tick...tick tick...tick...
Light at the end of the tunnel
Light, light is passing...where...where is it?

Click, clack, click..click click click
"Did I finish all my accounts?"
Hold music.....................


"It's time to clock out."


*Ephesians 5:16

I decided to write a poem about my work day. After one learns and understands the job, it can become one mundane task after another. I know poetry can be a little confusing, but I was hoping to bring forth the passing of time and the struggle between work tasks and free thoughts. In order to provide some clarity on this poem, the quotes are thoughts I have, email snippets, and automated phone systems. I enjoyed writing this!


Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Reading as Thinking

When we interact with the world, there are thousands of stimuli we are exposed to everyday. Our brain processes which stimuli to pay more attention to, which to respond to, and which to ignore, Our minds are forced to do this because of the proliferation of technology into every facet of life. If we truly thought about every stimulus in our environment, we would constantly have sensory overload, and well, be constantly overwhelmed.

The beauty of reading is that we can put up blinders and charge through a text sitting before us. We have more of a choice as to how much stimuli to be exposed to based off of where or how we choose to read. Why is this important? Well, we have the choice to think solely on what we are reading which allows us to slow down and comprehend the text. The difference between reading and watching a movie is that we are can slow down and process what is happening in a book rather than simply react to stimuli that is being thrown in our faces at the movies. I don't intend to disparage movies, but I am coming off strong because I am saddened to see how little I read and how much more I watch.

Reading is edifying because it sharpens our minds to think and process what is being introduced to us in a deeper way. We need time to think while reading. We control the pace of a book through the rate by which we read. We can control the pace of our thinking while reading.

Many students struggle with comprehension. In primary schooling, recognizing words is greatly emphasized. In secondary schooling, students need to be equipped with comprehension strategies that go beyond an English class. In education, I am in the realm of science, but I firmly believe that I am also a literacy teacher. Regardless of what "subject" we teach, we are all reading teachers and it is of paramount importance that we help students achieve success by providing them with tools to attack any text with an inquisitive mind.