Things have been much brighter throughout the weekend. I've actually had a great time with my partner and our puppy.
Some things to note: We go to Austin a lot. It's an amazing city. And one of our favorites spots is Rainey St., which houses some of the coolest bars I've ever seen. One place in particular, "Bangers," is the best beer/sausage/german food/southern food I've ever had. And they allow dogs. :)
Something that has been on my mind this morning:
We criticize education, and we criticize the youth. I wonder if these two go hand and hand. Every generation has something to criticize about the previous generation, and while I think criticizing can be positive and progressive, I almost feel that a lot of times it inspires a more negative attitude towards the youth. We tend to strike down their values and skill sets as inept in a world we have successfully upheld, but the facts are, if we do this, we will fail. Our general disdain to the young, creative thinkers often times leaves us feeling that they are the root of so many problems. How can we ever expect to be a supportive and progressive society if we shame our younger generations into thinking they are not up to snuff? As a teacher, I get to know this generation in a way that is different from most. It's easy for me to be on their side. The problem is that I'm not. I'm not sure if that's a problem, but I see it that way. Is it a generational problem that kids have cell phones but the time their in their tweens, or a societal problem? How about their work ethic? What is there to learn when everything is only a google search away? I'm always going to be a fan of hard knowledge. But who am I to criticize their way of getting knowledge if it works just as well as my own if not better? I do think it's a problem that students, youngins, teens, what have you don't read enough today. But instead of being aggressively critical of them, which in turn most likely leads to a rebellious response (I know I did it at their age), why can't we find a way to praise them for their higher qualities and offer helpful suggestions? The most common thing I come across is "I just watch the movies." If it's a book I've read, I usually ask "what did you think about this part?" And when they say "I don't remember that part," I reply that "it was in the book and really changes a part of the story. I really like the movie too though." Every time I've done that, the kid went and read the book and came to talk to me about it later. I related and politely suggested they were missing something from just the movie. I'm not saying this is a solution or that everyone should be like this, it's just what I've noticed seems to break through today's students.
I guess the whole point of this is that we have to embrace the differences of the generation if we want the qualities we hold to be important passed down. Fight the rebellion with kindness and acceptance then maybe they'll see the value in the things we hold dear.
Now to practice what I preach.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Homecoming
This is one of the few times I've been more depressed to be at home than to be at work. And who would be happy to be at home with such a cold welcome? Sure, a few drinks make everything better, but is this really what I want to look forward to every weekend?
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The first title is always the hardest to Write
Now that I'm here, I'm not sure I have anything to say. I haven't kept a legitimate blog since college. It's strange how hard we find it to fit things in that use to be so easy. The way our priorities rearrange. How things that are really important to us drift off into the realm of "I need to do that again, but I'll do it later." So many creative ideas lost. So many paths unknown.
I've recently taken a new job. I'm not particularly sure why. I liked my old job, and even those this current job is something I was aspiring towards, I don't really possess the drive for it I once did. I guess in the end, it was the creativity it was going to allow me to explore. That's assuming I'll have any time, of course. The other hard part about this job is the separation from my partner. She is a writer and editor. She also has a new job that keeps her in our old city. I've had to move.
I don't mind the emptiness of the house. There's still boxes everywhere. My clothes are still in duffle bags and dishes packed away. I haven't had the time or energy to unpack due to the job and it's time constraints. It won't always be like this, but one does get tired of searching for coffee mugs.
I'm a musician. It's the air I breath, or at least I use to. I think I've been drowning for some time. I'm also an educator, and the two, while related, are individually so demanding. They really are like air and water for me. Too much of one or not enough of the other tends to cause an imbalance that results in depression, laziness, and general break downs. Everyone needs a hobby, right? Well, hobby is an understatement.
Being a teacher is rewarding but exhausting. Teaching music is, in it's current form, counter intuitive. The exhausting side is dealing with all of the bullshit that goes with being a teacher. Competitions. Tests. More competitions. Parents. Competitions. And at some point, we have to pass on a passion for the art form that is pure and non competitive. Um... what?
Enough of that for now, I created this blog to hopefully find some outlets for all of the things I've been holding inside. I'm not sure if I will share this with anyone. So if you're reading this and you know who I am, good for you. It means I trust you enough or want you to know things about me that no one else does. Or, in general, you're just a good guesser.
I have a tendency to recap my entire life when I start a blog. That's probably why they usually fail. I did a writing exercise once that asks you to describe your life in four sentences. That's it. No more, no less. It amazes me that there are people who can't fill that. I could take up books, I think. Not because I feel like my life is particularly interesting or special, but because I just like telling stories, so here it goes:
I've lived in 3 major cities, all of which have had (or are having) drastic impacts on my life. They say that the average person falls in love 7 times throughout their life (this sentence doesn't count as it prefaces the next one). This puts me at around number 5, which worries me, because I am engaged and I am in love, but if there is other love, how do I truly promise everything to one person? I am a music teacher, and through this I have developed a passion for truly understanding human learning and music's effect on this process. I have by no means had a hard life, but that's not to say there have not been challenges.
We'll leave it there for tonight. I try to be happy, because I've learned that not trying to be happy will always leave you sad. It's the trying part most people have problems with.
Be happy. Goodnight.
I've recently taken a new job. I'm not particularly sure why. I liked my old job, and even those this current job is something I was aspiring towards, I don't really possess the drive for it I once did. I guess in the end, it was the creativity it was going to allow me to explore. That's assuming I'll have any time, of course. The other hard part about this job is the separation from my partner. She is a writer and editor. She also has a new job that keeps her in our old city. I've had to move.
I don't mind the emptiness of the house. There's still boxes everywhere. My clothes are still in duffle bags and dishes packed away. I haven't had the time or energy to unpack due to the job and it's time constraints. It won't always be like this, but one does get tired of searching for coffee mugs.
I'm a musician. It's the air I breath, or at least I use to. I think I've been drowning for some time. I'm also an educator, and the two, while related, are individually so demanding. They really are like air and water for me. Too much of one or not enough of the other tends to cause an imbalance that results in depression, laziness, and general break downs. Everyone needs a hobby, right? Well, hobby is an understatement.
Being a teacher is rewarding but exhausting. Teaching music is, in it's current form, counter intuitive. The exhausting side is dealing with all of the bullshit that goes with being a teacher. Competitions. Tests. More competitions. Parents. Competitions. And at some point, we have to pass on a passion for the art form that is pure and non competitive. Um... what?
Enough of that for now, I created this blog to hopefully find some outlets for all of the things I've been holding inside. I'm not sure if I will share this with anyone. So if you're reading this and you know who I am, good for you. It means I trust you enough or want you to know things about me that no one else does. Or, in general, you're just a good guesser.
I have a tendency to recap my entire life when I start a blog. That's probably why they usually fail. I did a writing exercise once that asks you to describe your life in four sentences. That's it. No more, no less. It amazes me that there are people who can't fill that. I could take up books, I think. Not because I feel like my life is particularly interesting or special, but because I just like telling stories, so here it goes:
I've lived in 3 major cities, all of which have had (or are having) drastic impacts on my life. They say that the average person falls in love 7 times throughout their life (this sentence doesn't count as it prefaces the next one). This puts me at around number 5, which worries me, because I am engaged and I am in love, but if there is other love, how do I truly promise everything to one person? I am a music teacher, and through this I have developed a passion for truly understanding human learning and music's effect on this process. I have by no means had a hard life, but that's not to say there have not been challenges.
We'll leave it there for tonight. I try to be happy, because I've learned that not trying to be happy will always leave you sad. It's the trying part most people have problems with.
Be happy. Goodnight.
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