absolutwillie

Tag: life truths

  • Away message

    This weekend’s seen the return of the itty bitty committee, and it’s getting real tough up in the neighborhood that is my psyche. Time to take my 5 days leave and head on home to my folks’ place for some peace.

    To any of you who have your own struggles with your inner saboteurs, know this: you have a safe place where Love will help you pull yourself towards yourself. Identify it. Acknowledge it. Call on it.

  • [Reblog] 6 Things You Can Do Before Breakfast to Make Your Day a Success

    By Gurbaksh Chahal (Chairman & CEO at RadiumOne)
    Good morning!
    I mean it. Have a good start to your day and you’ll greatly enhance your chances of having a successful day, every day. The discipline of an early bird will manifest itself in many ways, or as Benjamin Franklin put it way back in the 1700’s, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
    The saying is just as true today as it was then and many of the most accomplished people on the planet have been shown to be early risers. But it’s not just a matter of getting up early that counts; what really counts is what you do with that extra time while the world at large is still slumbering. (Note: getting up early shouldn’t come at the expense of getting enough sleep).
    Knowing how to leverage your time before breakfast will undoubtedly have a positive and productive outcome. So, here are six habits that those successful early risers employ.
    Make a Fresh Start. This is actually something you should do way before breakfast—in fact, it’s best to do it the night before. Remove the clutter of yesterday both mentally and physically. Clean up your ‘to do’ list. Erase from the list the tasks you have accomplished and start a new list for the new day. Take a look at your desk before you leave the office (even if your office is at home). If papers and files are scattered haphazardly all over it, is that what you want to greet you at the start the day? Not a welcoming sight and not one likely to make you feel enthusiastic about any project. So clean that up, too.
    Get Physical. Working out first thing in the morning will give you a burst of energy that lasts for hours. It’s a habit you should try hard to acquire and you can choose what works for you—a brisk walk or jog; hitting the gym; whatever. People who exercise regularly experience a positive boost in mood and are generally better off when dealing with tough decisions life throws at you. That’s because when you exercise your body releases “feel good” chemicals called endorphins that lead to a positive and energizing outlook on life. A byproduct of regular physical activity is improved self-esteem.
    Take Time to Think. This might be the only quiet time of the day, your only chance to be alone and able to seriously reflect on everything that’s happening in your life. It’s your opportunity before the hurly-burly of the “work day” to let your mind wander and do some big picture thinking. You’ll be surprised how establishing quiet time like this to review where your business or career is heading can spark all kinds of breakthroughs.
    Focus on Today. Plan your day ahead. Visualize the success you are going to enjoy. But first shake off any hangover from the day before. Don’t carry forward any stresses or aggravations. Wipe the slate clean and make a new beginning. If you need to take corrective action of any kind make sure that you do so with the right attitude for a new day. That might mean making a tough decision, setting the record straight with someone or maybe apologizing to someone. Whatever it is, get it out of the way.
    Wake up Slowly. During sleep your brain is extraordinarily active filtering and processing the events of the day before. But when you’re waking fresh in the morning and still half asleep your mind—in this relaxed state—can often deliver creative solutions. Try it and see. With a little practice who knows what you will come up with? Sometimes, our dreams are where we store our best ideas.
    Earlier is better. Whatever your current schedule try to get up even earlier. Even if it’s just 15 minutes. And spend that time wisely. Put into effect any of the tips provided above. If you can make it 30 minutes earlier, so much the better. You can’t buy time but you can give yourself a gift of time. Time is precious, so make the most of it. Waking up, jumping in and out of the shower, grabbing a coffee and rushing out the door sets the wrong tone for the day.
    Energy is everything. Start with positivity, and that will set the stage for the rest of your day – no matter what problems are thrown at you.
    If you want to conquer this world, do it only when you’re at your best.

  • And it’s done

    Today flew by a lot faster than I would have liked it to.

    It was surprising how many staff members asked when they would see me again! On the flip side, it was disappointing how few learners asked the same question – or even said goodbye. (One.)I guess this is the nature of school visits: we are but fleeting cameos in a foreign tele-novella. Some of us may be slightly more memorable than others – but once the story arc is completed, we’re out.

    I’m going to miss this school…

    Time to head back to my other life.
    Mr. Knoetze, out.

  • Wicked Wednesday word-wars

    “Familiarity breeds contempt” someone once told me. What transpired this afternoon partly confirmed the validity of that claim. I say only partly because, to a large extent, today’s fall-out wasn’t necessarily founded in familiarity. Probably the larger contributor to this situation was that of growing disappointment and a touch of resentment. Here’s what happened:

    After seven and a half weeks of working together on our practicum, some of our colleagues have grown quite weary of those who had not contributed, engaged or done their part. This manifested in a heated exchange of words on our WhatsApp group, when a meeting to compile our group assignment was convened. Those who had been slinking by in the shadows were represented by statements of impropriety as to the “suddenness” of this arrangement, while the diligent faction responded by pointing out that participation throughout the practicum period would have negated any perceptions of “suddenness” and “unfair treatment”.

    In the end the Slinkers slunk away, and the worker bees did the work.

    Lesson: Work hard with those who work hard, and reap the rewards.

  • Lead by example

    Precious few people seem to realize a fundamental law of adult life: Children will listen.

    While it is true that all people (and not only parents) should pay heed to their influence on each consecutive generation – this fundamental law should be the foundation all teachers build from. We are, after all, right there. In front. Teaching.

    All. The. Time.

    School came out an hour early today, in order for all of us to prepare for the “TussenOnsFees” – an annual festival here in town. This year, our school was responsible for the food and drink at the festival. I was on the Braai Team (braai = mega bbq) with some of the other male teachers today, and had a lot of fun seeing these men more relaxed and jovial. We were also joined by a few learner volunteers. Obviously getting free access to the festival grounds worked extremely well as an incentive for them to want to help out *chuckles*.

    Soon the crowds started growing and the festival kicked into gear. Entertainers sang, merchants plied their wares, cars were showed and lots of food and beverages kept everyone fed and happy. It wasn’t the largest festival I’ve ever been to, but it was fun!

    And then it happened:
    As the day grew old and the beer tent grew full, I grew restless as I saw what the children saw and heard and felt: Grown-ups getting stupid, with parents and family misbehaving as the inebriated do.
    The kids were watching, listening and learning.
    They were learning from their elders.
    They were being taught what they were to be taught against
    come Sunday: “Do as I say, don’t do as I do.”

    I wasn’t in the position to do anything about these people acting the fool in front of their own children, but I was able to show that there was another way of doing things. Living sober is not the easiest choice to make all the time – but it is the only choice worth making.

    This has to be my mission outside the classroom:
    to do as I say, so others may do as I do… should they choose to.
    I believe all teachers should lead by example.

    All. The. Time.

    http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hiTaDJ9E1I0&source=uds

  • Melancholy moments

    Seven weeks in and we’re on our last day of classes. One week of exam invigilation to go and, according to my schedule, I am not likely to see my classes again. Of course I’ll see individuals in the corridors during next week, but I won’t get to see them all together again. This saddens me.

    It is uncanny how quickly I have learned to love the learners of this school! Thinking about leaving Worcester to go back to Stellenbosch and graduate is very exciting. Thinking about leaving these kids however, is not exciting at all… is this separation anxiety? Can’t be.

    My heart has been heavy all day.
    Maybe this weekend’s festival will cheer me up?

  • Clean slates daily

    It is imperative that one start each day anew, with a calm spirit and clean slates for all your learners. This is not the easiest feat to accomplish – and I suspect it takes enormous emotional reserves to maintain such an attitude. The longer one remains in Education, the tougher it seems to get…

    “May you never be jaded.”

    This morning didn’t start off all too well on a personal level. (I won’t bore you with the details.) It follows that when a notorious class walked in for the first period, I wasn’t exactly a picture of peace. Seeing one or two of the learners that got my goose yesterday didn’t help my mood much either.
    Then one of them melted my heart with a sincere question and a hopeful expression:

    “When will you teach us again, sir?”

    May that moment stay with me forever, for it shook me out of my own hazardous thoughts and showed me a glimpse of the soul underneath the protective layers of a “problem” learner. There are genuine, vulnerable children inside the armored veneers of the upstarts and trouble-makers. When one opens up to you, you can’t help but realize how difficult and rare such acts of vulnerability truly are.

    I might not have understood that child completely, but I was humbled. Touched. And terrified of making the wrong move! I realized that the smallest hint of nonchalance or apathy would wound the boy and destroy any possibility of connecting with him. So I smiled appreciatively and explained my Life Orientation timetable to him. His class wouldn’t see me for English again, but that didn’t mean that I did not want to teach them.

    Thinking back, I realize that my own armored veneer sometimes leaps back in unguarded moments. Little chuckles of nonchalance.
    Subconscious eye-rolls.
    Sharp words.

    This is not an easy course I’ve chosen, and I will have to check myself regularly.

  • Life Orientation: Required but not Respected

    Something that struck me right on the noggin today was how utterly neglected the school subject of Life Orientation was, despite its incredible importance. Yes, it is true that the subject is one of a select few that all students are required to take – but that is about as much attention as it gets. While passing the subject is required to complete one’s secondary schooling, grades earned in it are not included in any tertiary admission criteria in South Africa. On the contrary – those grades are actually subtracted from one’s final grade point average before tertiary admission is considered!

    No wonder learners have little interest in Life Orientation during the FET-phase. It also doesn’t take a genius to figure out why LO is considered “the subject Schools assign to teachers when they don’t know what to do with those teachers”.

    School in its entirety should prepare one for adult life, this is true. That being said, no other class in school creates the safe space which allows for the discussion of supra-curricular life questions faced by learners, as LO does. Nowhere else are learners given the sense of security and support to talk about anything they are facing, dealing or struggling with. Life Orientation is the class that helps us discover what it means to be who we are; it teaches us life- and business skills; it fosters both individual and communal wellness; it encourages independent thought; it humanizes both the curriculum and the scary meta-curricular web of the wide world waiting outside.

    Life Orientation has the potential to heal, enable, activate and give wings to the most powerful citizens of the world! Why should it not be treated that way?

  • 40 Days

    The Matrics celebrated their “40 Day”-milestone today. With the end of their High School career in sight, they came dressed as whom/what they wanted to become. There were nurses, race car drivers, lawyers, engineers – even a teacher or two! Naturally there were also those who took the Mickey out of it, and came dressed as wildlife, witches and wh… alternative traders (post dusk).

    I wonder how their teachers felt about the day. Was it a joyous celebration of a path well travelled, or more of a lookout post half-way up a mountain: from which one gazes with both trepidation and relief?

    At this stage of the game it really is all about academics, and a large portion of Grade 12s start realizing it ’round about now. The Record Exams starting on Monday, and the Final Exams of next term, are the culmination of 12 years of learning, studying and the choices each learner made along the way. Those who started taking their studies serious earlier on have an advantage over those who only realized today that their scores directly influence how and when (even “if”) they are going to reach their life goals.

    Making your dreams come true is a conscious decision and a daily choice all through your school career. Now impacts what comes next – in fact, now causes what comes next. (Duh!) Let’s look at an example from my L.O. class:

    Say your dream is to have a family one day, what do you need to make it happen? Perhaps a spouse, a house, a car and some kids? Maybe even a pet or two? Now… how are you going to afford it? “Work!” you might say. Absolutely, that’s kind of obvious. But how much do you need to earn? Keep in mind that every child is a Ferrari in financial terms. From pregnancy to 18 years of age, each child will cost you the equivalent of a Ferrari purchase. (Not necessarily the top of the range model though…) Then there’s the home you want to live in, and the car you want to drive, and the vacations you want to take… Realizing such dreams all depends on what you do now. Which depends on everything you’ve done so far.

    Have you made the right decisions so far? Are you making them now?

    It is with all honesty that I can say that I truly wish nothing but success, happiness and love to all of the learners at this school. They really are magnificent young people, with great talent and all the potential in the world! Unfortunately my wishing it, doesn’t make it so. It is up to them to decide what they want, and how they are going to get it.

    Study smart, study hard, and make it work.

  • When frustration strikes

    There is so much we can share with each other – so many ways in which we can enrich each other’s lives – and so much we can learn and discover together.

    But we don’t. 
    Some don’t know how to, and some just won’t.
    Why not?
    I suspect Fear keeps all of us neatly chained inside our boxes. The fear of losing face keeps us from sharing what we don’t know, in order to grow together. The fear of losing control keeps us from allowing freedom of thought, discovery and risking ideas that might change something. The fear of standing out of the crowd keeps us from fulfilling our own potential and reaching greatness.
    This is what frustrated me today.
    I don’t like being chained.
    I can’t stand it when people chain themselves.
    I absolutely abhor those who chain others.
    Am I the only one?

    As teachers, I believe that we should remain open to new ideas, new ways of doing as well as new ways of learning – especially when the learning party is oneself! There is no shame in stating what we don’t know, for this humanizes us and opens us up to learning whilst simultaneously encouraging our learners to do the same. I also believe that we should remember that teaching and learning are both social as well as intensely personal activities. We should work with the masses in showing the way, whilst remembering to allow for individualization. The internal learning process which should actively work towards encouraging personal growth and development of self in each of our learners. In doing this, we should be nurturing a group which recognizes,  encourages and celebrates the powerful beauty of each of its members.

    Break the chains of Fear – and live in the unique light of Potential!