On Prac
Some time has passed since my last post. That would be because of prac, I completed my first teaching prac just last week. What an incredible experience and what a great feeling to finally get out there and get up in front of a class, as opposed to listening to dreary lectures that you know you will hardly recall once you are out there in the field anyway.
It was tough, there is no denying that, the first two weeks were the worst – finishing lesson plans at 3am and getting up at 5;30 am. That being said I hardly had time to breathe. For the second part the remaining two weeks, they were not so bad, as you begin to get into the swing of things and many of your lessons continue on from last lesson so there isn’t as much planning involved, not to mention you are able to gage the sort of lesson to prepare for, for each class. Your sort of in the dark at first, so naturally you over prepare which is always a good habit mind you – regardless of whether your a pre service teacher or a teacher of 20 years experience.
I was placed at a great school and can only hope that my next placement is as equally as good if not better. It certainly affirmed my decision to be a teacher for the rest of my life that is for sure. indeed I cannot wait to get out there and have my own classes for that matter. Such a challenging and rewarding occupation. I could think of nothing better.
There is also no denying how fast it all went, and as many have said – you find yourself just getting the hang of things & just starting to form a connection with your classes when all of sudden bam its over, and certainly it felt that way on my last day no truer words could have been said. But I am thankful for my experience and have learned many things.
On TKD
Due to the hectic schedule of prac, with lesson planning an such I had little time for my other extra curricula activities, one of them being taekwondo. To honest I actually though I thought i would still have time for training amidst my first practicum. How naïve I was. I missed four weeks worth of training.
I currently hold a three tip blue belt and am up for my red belt grading next week. Last Thursday was my first night back after four weeks and let me tell you god it was good to be back. It came just in time as my body was steadily beginning to feel the affects of inactivity – my restless leg was beginning play up, my whole body was beginning to feel still and tight. My spirit was restless – it needed guidance, for when one is able to control thy body they are then able to control thy mind. Taking up Taekwondo has been one the best things I have ever done.
I was surprised at how well I was able to remember everything and I was even more surprised at the how well I done to keep up. I thought that I was going to die having done no training in weeks but alas as it turned out my body craved the release, just as the mind craves to express itself so too does the body – for they go hand in hand. Writing the catharsis of the mind and martial arts the catharsis of the body – together they form the catharsis of the soul – though let us not forget the catharsis of thy heart – Love. The most powerful catharsis of all, one that I could never experience if it were not for my beloved.
On other things – My lover, my daughter, Facebook and wanderings in the street.
I wont beat around the bush for this one – life is hard, but its even harder if you don’t have someone there to support to you, someone to love you – to encourage you, to help you, to be there when you fail and to be there when you succeed, and I owe many thanks to my partner in crime, my beloved. I Love you.
Our daughter is now 18months old going on 19 months, and she is as cheeky as ever! She has a beautiful personality, though cheeky to the bone she is sweet at heart. God we cherish those rare moments where she hugs us, or puckers up her lips for a kiss. Her vocabulary is building ever so quickly, I can hear and see a personality – a person forming, her very own person forming ever so rapidly. It’s frightening and yet is it is ever so exciting. Every day she seems to express new emotions and thoughts. She demonstrates news phrases & and new understandings of the world around her. it’s still feels so crazy to think that my partner and I have created life, and that this life is blossoming, flourishing, god how we love her. God how we are thankful.
So as the title insinuated I had some things to say about Facebook. Indeed I wanted to express my distaste for the damn thing. Though that being said come to it now I am lost for words and thus forget what it was I wanted to say. I think my major grievance with it is how insidious it is – not to mention it’s counterpart instagram.
Perhaps I am simply not utilising it to the best of its ability such as following pages that pertain to my interests and such. I cannot but feel as though Facebook is nothing more than major wank-fest that screams “look at me”, “look at me”. It has the power to change the world and yet at the same time has the power to enslave society. It is a digital double edged sword.
Most of the time though all I see is this sick insecure desire to validate oneself. I see this cry for validation, I hardly see the pro’s where people pose questions or instigate debates, I see only one side of the sword – tell me, am I not using it correctly? To see the other side of the sword, But then would I not be jeopardising my own image if I dared shared things that went against the grain. To challenge the status qou? To retaliate to the mainstream ideas that the majority of Facebook promotes; wether it be science or religion, to do so you would be ostracising yourself, for Facebook is a means to social networking amongst the wider community, thus you want to maintain an image that conforms to the status qou, an image that pertains to the status qou in order to fit in… so that one may gain acceptance, employment – things needed in order to survive in this modern world of the digital interface. Yet as I said Facebook and social networking in general has the power to change the world – take for instance the Arab Spring.
The point being is that social networking is a double edged sword and its up to you how you wield it.
JS.
Jotunn Symposium 