Building Lives

The College Composition students will begin their journey of finding stories of folks in our community who have inspired others, sacrificed for others, or showed real servanthood. So many reporters on television or online seek out stories that inspire us. Lester Holt with Nightly News often ends with a story called "Inspiring America". A favorite of mine is "On the Road" with Steve Hartman. Mike Rowe has his own show, "Returning the Favor". All of those stories celebrate the goodness in folks. So that's what the College Composition folks are going to be doing in their own backyard. We will be adding those stories to a google plus document. If all goes well, we will certainly be building community in the deepest sense of the word.

Here's a link to the page called, Building Lives.
https://plus.google.com/collection/kmWLVF

Stay tuned as we add to this page story after story of gracious folks in our community.

Reflections on the Greatest Generation

Today the College Composition classes went to the Prairie Ridge to share their reflections from knowing the stories of Louie Zamperini and a Sioux County Veteran. I will let the student's do the talking with what they took away from knowing the story.

"I believe that getting to know the story of Louie and researching my veteran helps me to better see God's hand in other people's stories as well. These stories truly illustrate the redemption of God's people even after enduring things that feel so far from him. Knowing the story allows me to see God's Kingdom in a grander way. We all play a piece in God's story for his glory. The foot print that we leave on this earth will leave a positive, or a negative impact, its our choice if we are remembered as a kingdom seeker or not."

"Learning from the stories of each of these war heroes I am comforted and assured of my place in God's plan. Though I may feel small and insignificant at times I know that at this very moment God is crafting my story in a unique and diverse way to glorify His name above all."

"Researching my veteran gave me a greater appreciation for the people who have put so much effort into making our country what it is today. My veteran, Don Brommer, was the same age as me when he was sent to a foreign land with a gun to fight to the death for freedom and for what was right. I can't imagine going to war right now with the thought of dying. I have so much respect for all the men and women who have put their lives on the line for freedom no matter where it was. It just shows the love of God from these people who are willing to put their lives on the line for people they don't even know."

"Researching my veteran has taught me that we are to be grateful for every day God blesses us with. We need to recognize the beauty of our "normal" daily happenings, because we don't know when those will be ripped away from us. I now know that my life is extremely blessed and I savor the people, the opportunities and the memories more now than I did before."

"This teaches me that faith is valuable. I can't do anything with my own strength, but I need to rely on God. Relying on Him will be so much better than trying to do anything myself. God shows us that He has a plan for us in all circumstances. Ralph's faith was strengthened so he could go through other trials in his life and be a witness to the world of His faith. In my story, I need to learn to rely on God more for everything instead of trying to use my own strength to get through problems."

"It is out of this communal memory sharing perspective that learning both Louie's story and the story of Arie Moerman (my veteran) became important. When society says forget about that, let's live for today it is stories like Louie's that remind us that that isn't the responsible option. Stories like Louie's remind us of God's power to turn the worst of sin and transform it into something glorifying. As I find myself in God's story, it is important to remember other's stories as they connect us and open our eyes to the way God works. In my research of Arie Moerman I was continually reminded of the way God, as he did in Ruth and does to us today, gives dignity to small stories. The way God picks up all the scattered pages of our lives and through Christ binds them into a larger, greater, and new story. Our individual histories and pasts will not be forgotten but will be celebrated. In my reading of Unbroken and my research of Arie Moerman I am reminded of our responsibility and blessing to remember."

Try Try Again

When the Freshmen class finished the movie, The Boys Next Door, I invited folks into the classroom who have family members that have special needs. Jon and Kauline Groskreutz spoke about their adoption of their three special needs children, Juliana Tien spoke about having a brother with special needs and Lori Poppema spoke about her son with special needs. A common thread through all their stories was that they wanted their loved one to simply be viewed as a regular person, and that they never really were invited to do things like normal teenagers. So we decided to have an evening at Unity for them. How to do that was the tricky part. About a dozen students from Unity were excited to help along with five other staff members. We sent invitations to the public school folks, put the invite on Facebook, and personally invited others. Our initial date was for December, but due to horribly cold temperatures, we instead went with January 19. We lost some Unity students to other curricular activities, and we lost a few other folks who were going to attend due to the flu. Even though we had only five special needs folks, it was a great night. The Unity students had a great time with the guests. The staff members had a fun time doing something with each other beyond school things. And I think there were blessings all around. After our guests left, the Unity students wanted to try this again at a later date. We are plotting how to get the invitations out better.

Having Unity students take charge of this would be a goal. They have great hearts. There is great need to see folks as simply folks. We did accomplish that goal last night. Servant workers, community builders and beauty creators were busy last night. It was a joy to watch.

When the unplanned becomes a better plan.

Sometimes TfT elements just sneak into the picture. After collecting and grading the College Composition papers on their Veterans, the higher audience, the Sioux Center Historical Society and the Sioux County Museum, both received copies of the student's work.But without any planning on my part, the students will get an additional audience this coming week. Unity will hold a Veteran's program on Tuesday, so the process of this paper and each paper will be available for the visitors that attend the chapel on that day. So sometimes what you don't plan for with a TfT lesson becomes an even better lesson. My deep hope is that what the student's discovered in their research will serve as a memorial for those Veterans and for those who read the papers.

Knowing the Story

At the end of reading Okay for Now, the freshmen responded to the questions that the storyline asks.  What did this story teach you about knowing others, teach you about yourself, and teach you about God? Here are some answers.

Learning about Doug's life has taught me that even if I am broken there are always people I can go to and talk to who will help guide me through life and make me a little more whole. 

Doug's story has taught me that if people are acting different or being obnoxious it's not just because they are weird or different, but it could be because something hard could be happening in their life.

Learning about/from his story has taught me to love more and see the people who love and care about me.

God puts different people in everyone's life for a reason, to impact them somehow, for better or worse.

Reading Okay For Now has let me see that many people have back stories and you can't judge a people  by their covers.

Okay for Now taught me to be aware that more than likely the people I rub shoulders with every day don't have the perfect lives I think they do.

Learning about Doug's story has taught me that community can make a huge difference.

Reading "Okay for Now" has helped me learn the importance of knowing other people's background. just like I feel that if people knew my story they would understand why I seem distant at times and struggle with social anxiety.

Doug's story has taught me that I should first off, be thankful for what I have and my good family. His story also taught me that I will always be okay for now because I have a community of people around me, my great cloud of witnesses.

I think God is working out all things to fit together in my life and I know that people are helping me out along the way that are shaping me into the kind of person he wants me to be. God's story in all of our lives is that he can take whatever struggles and hardships we have and can turn all of that hard stuff into a beautiful and happy life.  

These two stories connect together through being broken and then restored at the end. Throughout history, people grow up in broken families, cities, countries, etc but the people who know God can be restored again, a little broken still because of what they lived though, but God fills them up with love, shows them compassion, cares for them, etc. He helps them come to Him which helps their lives from what they were to where they are now.

Wrapping up a Unit with a Flex

The Flex activity for our novel Okay for Now,  was choosing 2-3 people who encouraged the freshmen in their life and to write a simple thank-you to those people. Throughout the entire novel we looked at the role of community in Doug's life and in our own. As we read, we did small exercises to introduce the idea of our own communities that exist in our lives and to understand what those communities mean. After finishing the book, we made a timeline, tracing the main character's community as it unfolds in the story. We then made a timeline of our own. As an adult, it was a great practice for me too. Seeing all the people God placed in my life was nothing but a blessing. So my deep hope is that these little notes of thanks will be a big blessing to those who receive them. I also encouraged the students to write notes to folks without it being an assignment. It's a great life skill that does address a real need and real people. 

Working Through a Novel: Okay for Now

Beginning a year with Freshmen who represent four to five different feeder schools can be a challenge. The idea of community needs to be created. And I have found that the novel, Okay for Now,  by Gary Schmidt, to be the best way to create community and gather the Freshmen in for some wonderful storytelling. This is my second year at attempting to TfT this novel. Whenever I begin the brainstorming process, I always begin with the "How do we get peculiar" worksheet. Here is my attempt of adding TfT elements to this novel. Last year I had good success with it. I'm trying to be more intentional with reflection and storyline this year.

How do we get Peculiar?

Claiming Learning for the Better Story

Subject:Freshmen Unit: Okay for Now

1. What is your deep hope for your students in this unit?  What story do you want to invite your students into?

My deep hope is that students will grow from knowing Doug’s story, will connect his story to God’s story, and will see our own story through Doug’s story.

My deep hope is that the students will identify and appreciate the encouragers they have had in their life.

2. What do your students need to practice to become these peculiar people in this story?

Seeing others first. 

3. What real needs can they meet in the study of this unit?

Sending thank-you’s to those who encouraged them.

4. Who is the potential audience or ‘Real People’ for this learning?

Classmates and mentors.

5. What real (Baraka) work can the students do?  How can they co-create with God in the making of all things new?

As they reflect on their own lives throughout the novel, they will see the encouragers in their life and practice being one to others. 

6. What through-lines (habits of discipleship) can they practice in this unit? 

Community Builder, Temple Respecters, Beauty Creators

7. What is the driving question for this unit?

What can community do for a person?

8. What are the Essential learning targets for this unit?

To identify the Audubon birds blended throughout Doug’s story. 

To see God’s story in Doug’s story.

To live out the lessons we learn from Doug’s story in our own lives.

“To know the story” and it’s impact on our own lives. 

Reflection:

What did Doug’s story teach you about people?

What did Doug’s story reveal about your own story?

Flex:

1. Students make a heart and identity 5-8 folks who have encouraged them in their lives. They also explain what each person provided.
2. The students travel throughout the room writing words on encouragement on other students worksheets.
3. The students will pick 2-3 mentors in their life and write a thank-you note to them. 

Visuals:

1. We will add to my storyline board as to how this novel helped us see stories.
2. Based on this quote: “When you find something that's whole, you do what you can to keep it that way. And when you find something that isn't, then maybe it's not a bad idea to try to make it whole again. Maybe.” 

The students will take a picture that represents them. The next day in class they will break the picture and then put it back together. They will journal as to how this picture reflects their life and also write about the process of putting it back together. How did that process reflect life?  What did each student learn about brokenness and putting things back together?