When I grow up...

Day 15:

I walked to get a hair cut today and it made me think about quite a few things. As I pounded the pavement I pondered the degree to which we trust strangers – to use scissors near our head, to drive next to us on the freeway, to give us correct change at the store, etc. The stroll also inspired gratitude for living within walking distance to my barber shop. In fact, I think sometime soon I’m gonna try to get around in my neighborhood without the use of my car; maybe I’ll try this for a weekend or during winter break or something.

Anyhow, while I was sitting in the hair-chair I noticed a frame fastened to the wall containing a certificate. This certificate was declaring that my lady barber was at some time officially trained and qualified to cut my hair.

I got to thinking on the walk home about what getting that paper really means.

Let me explain…

Next door to the barber shop is a Tae Kwon Do studio. Across the street is a Pet Hospital. On the corner is a Jiffy Lube. I bet each one of these is home to a wall that holds a piece of paper indicating that the operators of the aforementioned businesses are certificated to do so. In other words, as I walked by these offices and buildings I realized that everyone of them, the martial arts master, the doggie doctors, and the grease guys went through some sort of training so they could earn a certificate in order to be a doer of whatever it is they do.

The paper says they can ‘do’.

Which made me wonder, why is it that adults ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? Aren’t they already be-ing?

Isn’t what we’re really asking them is what they want to do when they grow up?

Today I learned I need to change the wording on a questionnaire I have my students fill in at the beginning of the year.

Or maybe I’ll keep the question, but turn it into a multiple choice:

What do you want to be when you grow up? (circle all that apply)
Kind Caring Compassionate
Supportive Loving Lovable
Generous Hospitable Others-minded

And then maybe I’ll add this follow up question right after...

Why wait til you grow up?

Looking forward to what I’ll be tomorrow…

I wonder if Nas will change the chorus to:

"I know I can, (echo: I know I can) Do what I want to Do (echo: do what I want to do)"

Probably not, it kinda kills the rhyme...

Sticks and Stones

Day 14:

I’m not sure if it’s because we had a 3-day weekend or if it’s because today marks the 2-week period for this project, but I’m starting to notice that I’m not noticing the lessons within each day.

I knew this would happen, but I thought I had anticipated it.

At the start of this project I bought a pocket-sized composition book so I’d have a little place to place little reminders about that day’s lessons – but I’m even forgetting to tote that around.

Here’s what I remember from today…

On day twelve I realized that I needed to hose off my hard heart and gratefully seize the opportunity to help others. Today I feel like I did the opposite. I wasn’t unhelpful, but I’m pretty sure I was a bit hurtful.

Today I took part in two group conversations where I took a part the words of someone else and held them against their owner.

It was unnecessary; I wish it were unnatural.

I’m learning I have a tendency to hold onto something someone says, put it my pocket, and pull it out at a later, self-serving time.
I’m learning that my mom is right when she says I’m a pretty critical person.
I’m learning that there’s nothing pretty about such a personality trait.
I’m learning that I need to more readily choose kindness over contempt, that I need to be patient instead of pugnacious.

Today I learned that the words I use can only be as kind as my mind is in that particular moment.
Today I learned that I need to maximize my moments of mental kindness…

Two Things from Trader's

Day 13:

The Mrs. and I went to Trader Joe’s today to pick up two things. We were there to just get a baguette, and some basil.

Two things.

We walked in without one of the reusable bags we normally take because who needs to use a bag when you’re only getting two things?

We walked out with nine things.
We walked out with nine things without the use of a single bag.
We did this so that we might better learn the lesson that when we are going to Trader Joe’s, we need to ALWAYS take at least one bag.


Today I learned that the Boy Scouts of America were wise guys when they prudently chose “Be Prepared” as their motto.

Scouts honor…

May I help you?

Day Twelve Revisited:

I had the ‘opportunity’ to help someone today. I put the term opportunity in quotes because when the assistance was requested I was far from thrilled to help. I even went so far as to think, “Why can’t this guy figure it out on his own?”

Shameful.

The time it took was minimal, the effort required was even less. And yet, the moments leading up to it I found myself dreading the commitment I had reluctantly made.

Today I learned that I was mega lame today.
Today I learned that I should not offer to help if I’m going to do so with a hard heart.
Today I learned that I should always offer to help.

Today my hard heart taught me that I need to turn on the sprinklers, that I need to soften the soil surrounding the sanguine organ planted in the middle of my chest.

Today I learned that helping is the hose that will likely get the job done....

Back-to-School Night

Day Twelve:

I just got back from Back-to-School night. The day was long, but exciting. My ears are ringing and my mind is racing.

Even still, I feel too tired to recall the lessons of the day.

I know I learned them; in fact, they’re on the tip of my tongue. The problem is I need them to be on the tips of my fingers.

Hopefully tonight’s dream will consist of a recap as the feature presentation.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s double-feature…

Downs and Ups

Day Eleven:

Today I learned I spoke too soon about the situation I thought I avoided on Day Nine...
...I lost about 10 students due to schedule changes and I’m pretty bummed on it.

Today I learned (for the umpteenth time) that I speak too often with the assumption that the other person knows what I’m referring to without ever really getting from me the necessary conversational clues...
...My opening line went something like, “So, basically, it’ll go down like Ben said.”
I got the deer in headlights look.
Which Ben? What did he say and when did he say it? And what is the ‘it’ that’ll be going down?

Today I learned that no matter how down I feel, a few jokes from Mitch is a good pick-me-up....

Hoping you get picked up too…

What's for dessert?

Day Ten:

I just finished eating a fudge brownie topped with a piece of cheese cake.

It was delicious.

Mere minutes have passed and something in my stomach is already saying it was a mistake. Perhaps my midsection and mind are all confused by the mixed messages found in how I started my day when contrasted to how I’m finishing…

Since the beginning of the school year I’ve been doing a smoothie for breakfast regiment a friend turned me on to. This concoction is full of fruits, vegetables, yeast flakes, whey protein powder, and good-for-the-body-and-mind oils.

Why the regiment?

This sunrise session stemmed mostly from wanting to break the habit of my missing the morning manna, and because I was tired of being tired by 10 a.m.; the hope was that a good-for-you breakfast would be a great way to start the day.

So far the starts have been great.

Since sippin’ the smoothie I feel more energized throughout the morning and I’m even beginning to appreciate the transformation from a guy that could only wake, shower, and leave, to a guy that now makes sure he has his breakfast.

But as great as the mornings are, I’m bummed on how the sweet tooth seems to prevail when the sun sets.

Tonight I’m learning (and if you were to ask my stomach, it would say ‘the hard way’) that the fruit-full efforts of my morning are being counteracted when I succumb to my sweet-mouth (I fear it really is quite worse than just a single sweet tooth).

I need to learn that I can have a cup of calcium without its cavity-laden cookie counterpart, that it's okay to grow a milk mustache without also having the pie.

Looking forward to fixing tonight’s wrong with a right breakfast…

Sticking to 7th Grade

Day Nine:

A fair amount of students adjusted their schedule today. This student shuffle turned out better for me than I anticipated.

About this time of year, generally a few weeks in, students’ schedules often change to help balance class sizes. For a short bit last week it looked like I was going to lose an entire period and have a whole set of new students added to accommodate the balloon class of 6th graders we have.

I honestly wasn’t looking forward to this possibility. In fact, I requested that such a move occur only if nothing else could be done. It’s nothing against 6th graders, I really just didn’t want to pick up a new class and effectively start the whole year all over a week into the school year.

To my elation our principal told me this morning that I would be keeping my classes.

As the class that was facing possible closure came through today I realized the reason I was opposed to picking up a new set wasn’t the inconvenience, it was the students standing before me.

Today I learned that although there are a few names I’m still learning, I’m more attached to my students than I thought – and that is a cool feeling.

Looking forward to making even better bonds,
Mr. León

O-Positive

Day Eight:

I read today about a guy named Al Fischer. Al is a 75-year old man from Long Island, N.Y. with a big heart, as evidenced by his giving of his 320th pint of blood this past week. Since his first blood donation back in 1951, Mr. Fischer has donated about 40 gallons.

That’s a lot of Giving.
That’s a lot of Heart.
That’s a lot of Life.

This mind for generosity reminds me of a lyrical phrase in a song from an artist I’ve recently been turned on to. Regina Spektor says…

“…this is how it works. You peer inside yourself. You take the things you like and try to love the things you took. And then you take that love you made and stick it into some. Someone else's heart pumping someone else's blood…”

I doubt that Al and Spektor have met. But I get the feeling they’re singing the same song.

Today I learned that I wanna live more like Spektor sings, and Al gives…
J.C. León

Here's the song in it's entirety:

When words are either too much, or not enough...

Day Seven:

I have a B.A. in Applied Communications.

This basically means I have piece of paper asserting that I know, at an above average level, how to communicate with others. Whether it is with words (both written and spoken), body language, within the context of business or casual social settings, I am academically trained to know the meanings behind words as well as how to get the message across.

But remember, this is only according to a piece of paper.

Tonight the Mrs. and I were engaged in a conversation where I learned that a paper can mean nothing if the process is overlooked.

Tonight I learned that regardless of one’s ability to speak, there is a far greater power in the ability to listen.
Tonight I learned that sometimes people want ears, not answers.
That sometimes people needs hugs, not words.
Tonight I learned that a lot of the time, I just out right talk too much.
Tonight I did not learn how to listen, but that I need to, more.

Learning to open the ears,J.C. León

What Credit Crunch?

Day Six:

In my class students are required to take notes in a spiral notebook or composition book. Places like Staples or Office Depot put school supplies on sale well before my students even start school, so they are unable to know what they’ll need or take advantage of the sales.

Knowing this, each year I’ll buy a slew of packets of lined paper and notebooks to help my students get the sale prices while also saving their folks a trip to the said supply stores. Over the last couple of days there have been a number of students that needed to purchase a notebook from me; the students wind up paying a whopping 25 cents. (By the way, I only ‘charge’ what I pay and use the recoupment to purchase more supplies for next year’s bunch.)

If a student doesn’t have a quarter on them I simply ask them to pay later, but I don’t really enforce this. In fact, whenever this happens I consider it a quarter lost, but that’s okay because it’s for a good cause.

Suffice it to say that this good cause cost a lot of quarters this week.

But then came today.

Like I said, I don’t keep track of who owes a quarter, but I’m convinced that everyone of my students that bought on credit cleared their balance today. I was so impressed period after period today as students from each class made good on their purchase promise and handed in quarters.

I was proud of them.
I was inspired by their integrity.
I was hopeful for a financial future that such honesty can bear.

Today I learned that I have some pretty sweet students.

Motivated by the money-mindedness of my students…J.C. León

Perfect Strangers

Day Five:

I really like to go mountain biking. Would I call myself a Mountain Biker? Perhaps. But the truth is I probably don’t go often enough to warrant the title.

Today I went mountain biking with a friend and a friend of a friend. Both riders (which is what many mountain bikers are often called) have been riding for quite a while; they are both very experienced and they both have some sweet rides (aka bikes).

Anyhow, both riders taught me a lot about the sport…
stuff like how to best shift gears, how to adjust my saddle (which is the lingo when referring to a rider’s seat), and the science behind tire pressure.

It was during these literal lessons that I learned it is best to surround ourselves with people that know more than we do. I would have not known what I now know about mountain biking if it were not for these two riders that allowed a rookie like me to join them.

About a mile into our ride my derailer (the component on my bike that allows me to shift gears) snapped and broke.

This was bad news for a couple of reasons.

One being that I could not finish the radical ride I had set out to complete.
The other being that I had to now walk back to my car – way uncool.

But while we trying to figure out how to make my journey back to the trail head fairly easy, the friend of a friend simply said to me, “I have a high-end bike that I don’t use that you’re welcome to use for as long as you’d like, if you’re interested”

Overcome by the generosity, I simply said, “Oh, that’s too kind. But thanks.”

To which this friend of a friend matter of factly responded…
“Look. If you’re going to get into our sport, then you’re gonna need people to help you out along the way. I can be one of those people.”

My mind was boggled.

Seriously?

I just met this guy today.
I just showed this guy that I apparently have the ability to break bikes, and without hesitation here he is offering me to use his bike, one that is certainly more expensive than mine.

Seriously?

Today I learned that Generosity rules.

Today I learned that I need to be more generous with my….
Time
Attention
Kindness
Affection
Generosity

This is especially because each one of these can be given for absolutely nothing - they're free.

Long story short, today I learned that Nice People still exist.

Looking forward to being the next Nice Guy someone new meets,
J.C. León

The difference between having your cake and eating it too...

A movie I liked to watch a lot when I was a kid was the Mighty Ducks. For all of those that are unfamiliar with this cinematic genius, the Mighty Ducks is a flick about an underdog hockey team that is led by a guy who’s forced to coach as court-ordered community service.

But for as many times as I watched it, there was this one phrase that was used a lot throughout the movie that I never really understood.

This puzzling phrase was most often said to Banks, the mega talented player from the rival team that ended up having join the Ducks because of division/resident lines. Bitterly, the Ducks players used to refer to him as Cake-Eater.

I never knew that meant, until tonight.

The San Diego Chargers are m favorite NFL team and tonight was their season opener against the Oakland Raiders (their rivals) for the 2nd game of Monday Night Football, so naturally I was excited to watch. The problem was the timing of the game was set against the time I had set to work on some things I needed to get done.

Easy fix.

“I’ll bring my laptop and finish my work while watching the game” I convincingly told myself.

Yeah. Easy. Until easy became complicated.

To some extent, my desire to both watch the game and finish my work is known as wanting to have your cake, and eat it too.

I had my cake – Heck, it even had tons of icing on it as the Chargers won in the final minutes of the 4th Quarter.

But the eating of it didn’t go so well. In fact, I’ll be up pretty late because as you might have guessed, the work didn’t get entirely finished.

So with that, I think tonight I finally learned what the Ducks meant when they called Banks a Cake-Eater.

Tonight I learned, or should I say was reminded, of what it means to prioritize.

Why I Hate Musical Chairs

Day Three:

I consider myself to be a person that can handle stress pretty easily. I may even go as far as to say that it takes quite a bit for me to get stressed over something.

But for about 4 minutes this morning during the second period of the day I got stressed.

The stress started to seep in when a new student greeted me at the door telling me he was enrolling into the largest class I have. This class is so large that one table/desk is home to 3 students, instead of the usual pair. This class is so large that I had to request 3 more seats from the Plant Manager because there was already a student sitting on my stool instead of a chair, one on a borrowed chair from next door, and another using the chair from my desk.

Then a T.A. (student helper) was added to the class.

Then I got stressed.

Almost immediately I began to quietly complain about how lame it was that I had a class where 4 students didn’t have chairs and 3 didn’t have real desks.

Knowing that the Plant Manager probably couldn’t get chairs to me until later, I went back next door to see if there were any other chairs I could use for the period.

While I was next door I realized that whether I wanted it to or not, how I re-entered the classroom was going to be a lesson I would teach my students.

The questions rapidly revealed themselves:

Am I going to let this situation have me show that it’s okay to have a negative reaction to things when they don’t go as planned?
Or am I going to take control of myself and model that even when things don’t go as we planned them, we still have the choice, the power to generate a positive response.

For a moment I thought, “Forget what I teach them…I gotta get some chairs!”

But as I walked back into my class I realized that they deserved better than what I wanted to give.

After everyone was situated, after I took a few breaths, I addressed the class and explained that in life there will certainly be times where things will occur that we never could have anticipated; some of them good and some of them bad. And when the bad things happen, we have a choice.

Will we react negatively, or will we respond positively?

I went on to confess that I began to react to the chair situation rather than respond.

It felt good to be transparent with them, to share my frustration and realization. I felt like I seized upon a teachable moment, one we would never read about in our textbook. I hope it resonates with them.

I need it to resonate with me.

On the way home traffic was ridiculous. This naturally means there was that one driver switching through the lanes trying to advance the extra 20 feet per lane change, which of course means my frustration over the traffic quickly turned into stress-level anger over this driver.

Then my mind wandered back to my 2nd period and how it was short on seats.

Then I learned the lesson that I had tried to teach my students.

And then the traffic wasn’t so bad.


Looking forward to opportunities where I’ll get to practice my response…

J.C. León

The Blue Pen

Day Two:

It’s funny to me how a seemingly unrelated series of events can be synced together mentally to create a learning experience. In other words, I didn’t know what I learned today until my day was near its end.

Here’s what happened at school today.

At the end of the class period right before Nutrition a student apparently left behind a pen on a desk. I say apparently because I didn’t notice it but in the class following the break, a break where I should say most students do not eat something nutritional, a student came to me with a pen in hand declaring that it was left behind. Although it was a rather plain looking pen I thanked the student for their honesty in turning it in; and then I promptly established a ‘lost in found’.

I’ll be honest. I created this lost-n-found for looks. I wanted the lost-n-founder to think they did a good thing, because in truth they did, but the contradictory thought behind my action was, “Dude, you could have either kept it or tossed it. Either way, you didn’t have to actually tell me that someone left behind a pen.”

Then nothing else of much significance happened for the rest of the school day.
Here’s what happened tonight at home before entering this post.

While reading a magazine I subscribe to, I read that last week a bus driver named Alberto Rios from Argentina found something while cleaning up at the end of his shift. Mr. Rios found a brief case that was left behind containing 1.8 million pesos, or approximately $460,000.00. Without giving it too much thought Mr. Rios retraced his steps and found its owner; he was rewarded for his honesty and efforts with $80. When asked why gave it back, he said, “There are things that test you. My father always told me, What belongs to you is yours, what does not is not yours.”

Upon reading those words I flashed back to the end of my day at school.

I was closing up my class and just about to head home with a little girl came in and asked if I had found a pen she thinks she may have left behind.

“I don’t think so. What makes you think you left it here?”, I said recalling I had this student early in the day, which to me meant she could have left it anywhere.

“Because I went to all my other classes and it wasn’t there. So if it’s anywhere, it must be here.”

Having forgotten about the newly erected lost-n-found, I began to give her bad news and send her on her way. But as she was exiting my class she saw her pen in a jar on the back table and exclaimed, “Here it is! Oh good, I thought I lost it.”

And then she just walked out the door.

I thought nothing of those two occurrences regarding the blue pen until I read about Albert Rios this evening.

And just like, lessons were learned.

Today I learned that Finders do not have to be Keepers. In fact, the world would likely be home to happier people if Finders worked to keep Losers from Weeping.

Today I learned that it doesn’t matter if it’s a pen, or almost half a million bucks – if it’s not yours, it’s not yours.

Today I learned to open my eyes even wider because today contained a lesson that slapped me in the face twice, and if it weren’t for Albert, I would have missed it.

Today I learned that I probably lived through a bunch of lessons that I definitely missed.


Off to reflect and refocus my lesson lenses…
J.C. León

There is no GPS in Middle School

Day 1:

Whenever someone I’m meeting for the first time learns that I teach 7th grade, I always seem to get the same look. It’s a facial expression that seems to scream, “Ooh, really?!”

It’s as if the ‘ooh’ carries a note of sympathy for the pain I must certainly be bearing while the ‘really?!’ portion of the grimace wants to vocally utter “And this is an actual choice YOU made?”

I get the same look every time.

I think this face stems from a place that the person I’m meeting has tried for some time to block from his or her memory. Looking back at my own experience of junior high I suppose I can see where they are coming from. But believe me when I say that it’s not so bad. In fact, 7th graders can be some pretty cool people.

I teach 7th grade World History at a 6, 7, 8 middle school. This means that my students are the most middle of all middle schoolers.

On our campus one can easily identify a 7th grader from one who’s in 6th or 8th. A 7th grade student carries him or herself with a little more confidence than a 6th grader, but not so much so that it would challenge the ‘established understanding’ that an 8th grader is top rung.

At our school students do not know their new schedule until they get it in Homeroom. And even though most of the 7th graders are familiar with the campus, campus maps are available for them. But to prove that they are no longer 6th graders, many of them pass up the chance to equip themselves the extra tool that could help make their first day, the first day of what will likely be the most awkward school year of their childhood, a smooth one. But who needs a map when you’ve got new clothes, a bag packed with pristine pens and paper, and a fresh smile for ‘just in case’?

Heck, if I were in their shoes I’d probably pass up the map too.

And then comes the 1st period of the day.

3 kids that should show up in my room after Nutrition somehow find themselves in there during the wrong period. Two periods later, the same thing happens to another pair of boys. At the end of the day I end up seeing a student enter my classroom for a second time sporting the look of “This feels too familiar to be right…am I in the right class? Wait, what period is it?” In their defense, our school has a schedule that takes some getting use to. It’s one of those where on Monday Period 1 follows Homeroom, but on Wednesday it’s Period 3.

But these are 7th graders.
They’ve been here before.
They know how this works.
Why are they lost?

Today I learned that it doesn’t matter how prepared we think we are, there’s always the chance we’ll get disoriented. This means that as we head out on our journeys, regardless of whether we’re wearing the right shoes, toting the right bag, or even carrying the right attitude, we should never under estimate our need upon others to help us find our way if ever we get off track.

Each one of those lost students today had a brief moment of quiet panic as they realized they were in the wrong place. It was clear that they wanted nothing more than to discreetly correct their error without having to undergo any amount of humiliation, at least any amount beyond the self-inflicted kind.

Each time I was amazed with how the anxiety appeared to melt away as a soft voice and smile helped to show the way, helped to right the wrong.

Even more, I was amazed at how their accidental classmates were more often than not the ones that offered the help – and how they did so with such kindness.

Today I also learned that as people, we don’t just need people – we need kind, compassionate people.

Today I learned that in that sense, I need to be more like my 7th graders.

I’m looking forward to getting lost in my future and to relying on cool people like you to help me find my way…

The Day Before Day One

I'm a teacher.

Every school year I am given 180 days to instruct members of America's Youth, the foundations of Tomorrow's Future.

As the title of my chosen profession professes, my assignment is to teach.

In the short amount of teaching time I've put in I have realized that I do way more learning than I do teaching. The most fascinating and perhaps frightening lesson so far has been that there is much more to be learned.

Therein lies the effort behind this project.

Over the course of the next 180 school days I intend to follow a self-devised M.A.P. that I hope will navigate my role as a teacher, one that will direct my journey as a member of the Human Race.

Here's the direction I'm heading:

M.A.P.
Mission
To daily live with my eyes, ears, heart, and mind open – so that I may better myself through the learning opportunities that abound.

Ambition
To post my daily lessons (one for each day of school; 180 in total) so that others may learn through my life, and I through theirs (with part of the hope being readers will respond and share their lessons).

Purpose
To model a lifestyle of learning.

I haven't yet started this journey and already I fear I will get at least somewhat disoriented along the way. To some degree that fear excites me for in it holds an acceptance of the reality that I do not and cannot control what may come - but I do possess the power to learn from it.

Looking forward to the 1st day of school...