When I present at technology trainings, the same is true for my students. We see symbols for RSS feeds and even Twitter all the time but people do not generally know what these terms mean or how to use these tools effectively. Sometimes the most common terms are really UNcommon, unless we look them up!
Many times I hear people throwing out terms that seem universally understood...terms like Division I, II, or III schools, RSS feeds, or even Twitter! But the more and more I stop to ask others if they honestly understand what these terms mean or what they do, they really don't know! They are just afraid to ask. I have taught my sons that when they don't know something, they should stop to look up what they don't know. Too often people don't take the time to do this simple step to learn, and in this digital age, the answer is only a Google search away. The other day in the car, we were discussing different types of colleges that my son could attend for school. He kept throwing out the terms Division I, II, and III schools, and after asking what he understood these terms to be, I thought it was best to stop and look them up. http://tinyurl.com/6qklzgr
When I present at technology trainings, the same is true for my students. We see symbols for RSS feeds and even Twitter all the time but people do not generally know what these terms mean or how to use these tools effectively. Sometimes the most common terms are really UNcommon, unless we look them up!
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I have recently been thinking about historical figures like Paul Revere & Dr. Martin Luter King, Jr. who never had access to cell phones, texting, or tweeting, but their messages reached multitudes! And they made such a significant impact on our history that we still talk about them today. It makes me stop to imagine what WE can do WITH all these tools. It makes me stop to think that we really don't have any excuses when others who preceded us got things done with much less.
I was recently watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and couldn't help but notice all the athletes and people attending who were involved in the actual event and were recording the moment or texting. It made me stop to wonder how often we are so busy filming or texting a memory that we actually miss the moment. How ironic.
There are many famous John Wooden quotes but this one has weighed heavily on my heart recently. I LOVE what I do, and in education, it is especially easy to work all the time. Yet I know that I must find balance and take the time to enjoy my family...and to enjoy my life. Thank you for reminding me of this, Coach Wooden!
Other quotes from Coach John Wooden that have made me stop to think: ~If you do not have the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over. ~If we’d magnified blessings as much as we magnified disappointments we would all be much happier. ~Much can be accomplished by teamwork when no one is concerned who gets credit. ~Be slow to criticize and quick to commend. ~Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you; you’ll be surprised at the results. ~Being average means you are as close to the bottom as you are to the top. ~Nothing can give you greater joy than doing something for another. "Enjoy the little things; you may look back and realize they were the big things."
This quote makes me think of many times in our lives when we are so busy planning BIG things that we forget that it's the many little things that really make a difference. I remember a story from the Oprah Show when she interviewed a mom who was dying of cancer and her daughter was asked what she remembered after her mother passed away. Her favorite memory was eating Cheerios late at night with her mother; it wasn't a big trip or a big thing. This also reminds me of the time that we shared with our exchange student who we hosted for one month during this past summer. I was so busy planning our outings and special trips, but in the end, when I asked him what he enjoyed the most, he replied that he enjoyed "spending time with family and especially making waffles and pancakes for breakfast." A humble reminder for me to continue to look out for the little things each day. There are moments in my life where I just stop. I stop and take a mental picture of what is before me and sometimes I just quietly rejoice in how blessed I am to live where I live and to be loved how I am loved. Other times, I do a happy dance for all to see and squeal with joy at the wonders that I witness. Recently, there have been a few times when I have stopped to indulge in some simple yet extraordinary things. The other night while I was out walking with a friend, I gazed up and was delightfully surprised by the full moon. "Look! Look at the moon!" I exclaimed, which MAY have frightened my friend. "What!?! What!?! I see it. What do you want me to do?" my friend replied. Nothing, I thought...I just wanted my friend to stop and enjoy it, maybe as much as I did. Later that week, I was at work and had to pull my car to the side of the road so that I could snap the picture above of the deer grazing on the hill with the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop, and another time this year, I stopped to enjoy the breathtaking view of the San Clemente Pier, as I shared an unforgettable day with longtime friends. In my mind and in my heart, I hold a database of these mental pictures and the memories of the joy that I have experienced in just taking a moment to stop and appreciate these small things. It makes me think of a quote that I have hanging in my room which says, "Enjoy the little things; you may look back and realize they were the big things."
In his memoir, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, Michael J. Fox described all the members of his family as having "oversized personalities in undersized bodies". I wonder if we are related. :0)
One way that I have found to fit in reading books that I want to read is to get them as audiobooks and listen to them while I drive or walk. My latest favorite book is Michael J. Fox's Always Looking Up: The Adventures of An Incurable Optimist. Listening to the book is like having Michael J. Fox himself personally describe his journey with Parkinson's Disease and his incredible outlook upon life. (Sidenote: I bought the audiobook for 67 cents on half.com (#stoptosave)--it was about $3 total with shipping.) Below is a quote that he opens the book with--it stood out to me when I was listening to the book and has made me pause several times this week to think about times in my own life when I have felt like something was taken from me, only to realize later that something even greater was actually given. It is moments like these that keep me looking up, just like Michael J. Fox.
"For everything this disease has taken, something with greater value has been given--sometimes just a marker that points me in a new direction that I might not otherwise have traveled. So, sure, it may be one step forward and two steps back, but after a time with Parkinson's, I've learned that what is important is making that one step count; always looking up." ~Michael J. Fox. I began reading The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell today, and these quotes have really made me stop to think.
"Six degrees of separation doesn't mean that everyone is linked to everyone else in just six steps. It means that a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps, and the rest of us are linked to the world through those special few." "My social circle is, in reality, not a circle. It is a pyramid. And at the top of the pyramid is a single person..." "Connectors [are] people with a special gift for bringing the world together." "Sprinkled among every walk of life, in other words, are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors." "People weren't getting their jobs through their friends. They were getting them through their acquaintances...when it comes to finding out about new jobs--or, for that matter, new information, or new ideas--'weak ties' are always more important than strong ties. Your friends, after all, occupy the same world that you do. They might work with you, or live near you, and go to the same churches, schools, or parties. How much, then, would they know that you wouldn't know? Your acquaintances, on the other hand, by definition occupy a very different world than you. They are much more likely to know something that you don't...Acquaintances, in short, represent a source of social power, and the more acquaintances you have the more powerful you are." It's August 1st, a definitive marker to note that summer will soon be over. Last night I had a chance to reflect upon the summer with my two sons. For the last couple of years, I have asked my sons to set summer goals--
1) to learn something new, 2) to improve in something they already know how to do, and 3) to complete a service project. I began encouraging them to do this years ago because I didn't want the summer to pass and have them realize that they had remained stagnant and had not grown in any way. Society expects men to know certain things--from fixing cars to repairing things around the house to knowing how to be a leader in many different contexts. But in raising my sons, I have learned firsthand that men don't just naturally learn these lessons--they must be taught through intentional efforts. So in the past couple of summers, my boys (men) have learned valuable lessons like how to fix a flat tire, how to repair a squeaky door, cook a meal, plant and maintain a garden, and how to set up a time to volunteer at a our local food pantry. These are small steps in our overall goal to prepare our sons to thrive in the world. I hope that my sons will one day (either now or later) stop to think about how their summer goals have contributed to the men that they are becoming. |
Dr. Stella ErbesDr. Stella Erbes is a teacher at heart. Her passion to teach and help others has led her to compose this site full of resources. Dr. Erbes is a university professor and teaches education courses which help prepare future teachers. She hopes that the lessons prepared here will lead her readers to exceptional food, unforgettable travel, and better living. Stop to Think
June 2018
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