Homeroom Topics
May 9th: Inspiration.jpeg)
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your own riches but to reveal to him his own."
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Are you a leader? I guess the first question you might need to ask is, "What is a leader?" I think the best definition I could use would be this one: a person who rules, guides or inspires others. I especially like the part about "inspires others." I used to think of a leader as a person who spoke up and told people what they needed to get done and how they needed to do it. The best leaders made people believe what they said was absolutely needed. The great leaders presented good and noble ideas and people would follow them anywhere. I still think that might be a workable definition, but my personal definition of a "leader" has expanded.
I think the people who do what Benjamin Disraeli describes in the quote you had read to you might be the greatest leaders of all. His words, "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your own riches but to reveal to him his own," really caused me to stop and think. I don't think a person who finds the potential in others and inspires them to achieve necessarily needs to be out front of the crowd at all. The power in this kind of leadership is really at the personal or "one on one" level. In fact, leading by example is a great way to inspire. Giving others the opportunity to "step up" and achieve something they didn't think they could, is a great example of leadership. Encouraging people to be the best the can be, is leadership.
As you think about this twist on the idea of leadership, I hope you can think of times where you were a leader. I hope you can remember times where you were led in the right direction and inspired by a person that you now may consider to be a leader. If inspiring people to see what's best in themselves is leadership, the opportunities for all of you to lead are everywhere.
Student Activity: Describe one time where someone inspired you and you discovered something great about yourself. Something that you didn't know you could do. Have you inspired someone else and been proud of their efforts?
May 8th: Death
This weekend I went to a funeral committal service for one of my uncles. I watched my aunt grieve and cry at the cemetery and a familiar feeling of sorrow came over me. As I get older, I attend more and more funerals. It is the natural order of things, but it never gets easier. It is especially difficult when the person who has died is a family member or a friend. I have attended all four of my grandparents' funerals. They were difficult, but each had lived a full, wonderful life and were in their 80's and 90's. It was their time. I attended my mother's funeral two years ago and that was much more difficult. I thought I had another 20 years to spend with her. I still struggle on occasion with her death, but time has allowed me to figure out ways to cope with my feelings of loss.
Several of the most difficult funerals I have attended have been those of my students. Over the years I have attended six of those. They are difficult because instead of grieving for an older person who has lived a long life and celebrating their past, you are dealing with the pain of losing a young person and all of the hope and possibilities that the future may have held for them.
In the past month, I have talked with several students who have lost people they were close to, either a family member or a friend. It is always difficult to know how to feel when someone you loved or cared for, dies. Life is tough at first, when the emotions are especially raw. It seems like nothing else matters much and for a while, that is true. You need time to grieve and be sad. It is natural and normal. You look for appropriate ways to honor and respect the life of the person you have lost. I have found that while a person may no longer be a part of your everyday life in a physical sense, you can carry them with you in your heart. If you are a person of faith, it is when that faith is most comforting. In time, the good memories and stories are easier to tell and make you feel happy and comfortable. There will always be a part of you that misses your friend or loved one, but time does lessen the immediate pain you feel when someone dies.
In the past, I always struggled when dealing with people who lost loved ones. I thought nothing I said would make much of a difference and seeing people in pain made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to be in the way. When I lost my mom and I was the person everyone was concerned about, it was comforting just to know people cared about how I was feeling. They didn't need to say much, just a simple, "I'm thinking about you," was enough. A card with a personal thought was very comforting and was another way that people let me know they cared. Over the years I have learned to say, "I'm sorry to hear about your loss," in order to convey my feelings to people who are grieving.
There are times when you are not close to someone who has died and not really that connected to the people who are grieving their death. Always be respectful. People who are openly disrespectful around those grieving are looked down upon by the rest of society. Remember how you would want to be treated in your greatest hour of need.
This is not an easy topic, but it is one we will all have to deal with throughout our lives. There is a lot of good information about coping with death. I am sending you one article I have found. In the end, it always helps to talk about your feelings with someone who cares and can help you make sense of life after death. Most adults in your life have dealt with death numerous times and know exactly what you are going through. Find someone you trust and can talk to. It really does help.
Student Activity: think of two people you could talk with in order to help you sort out difficult events in your life.
May 7th: Books To Read
We have 13 days of school left. If I could give you one piece of solid advice it would be to finish strong. Don't be one of those people who lead the whole race and get nipped at the finish line because the dogged it the last few steps. A few NHI's make a difference. I am asking teachers for names of those students who have missing assignments so we can make sure you are in summer school to finish them. Remember, it is about the learning and not doing your work isn't acceptable.
How is your reading goal coming along? You should have attained about 80% of your goal by this point in the quarter.
Student Activity: As we near the end of the year, you have knocked out a lot of books. Tell your homeroom the book you are most glad you read. The one book, that if you hadn't read it, your life just wouldn't be complete. Sell the sizzle here, let them know why they should enrich their lives with this book.
May 3rd: Manners
Yesterday after school, I was asking a couple of female students who were sitting at the picnic tables outside, if they had a ride home. It was well after 3:45 and I generally want students to go home if they have no official business here at school. One of the young ladies, we'll call her Veronica, told me she was waiting for a ride. I mentioned that on a day like yesterday, walking home wouldn't be a bad way to go. I then turned to a young man sitting there and suggested that he walk her home. I, of course, knew this would embarrass both of them, but I did it anyway. I then mentioned that when a gentlemen walks with a lady on a sidewalk, he should always walk toward the street and shield the girl from the traffic. I think this was news to all six of the students who were sitting there. I asked Veronica if a boy showed her that kind of respect, how would that make her feel? Her response? "Good, I guess." I started to wonder what other simple demonstrations of respect were a mystery to young people?
I had seen another demonstration of respect the night before on TV. In the evenings, I like to watch a re-run or two of an old show called "Frasier." In an episode Tuesday night, one of the character's named Roz was practicing for a radio show she wanted to create. It was supposed to be a call-in show where people talk about dating. She interviewed an older gentlemen named Martin, to talk about his idea of what a first date should look like. As I listened to his response, I couldn't help but be impressed. Here is how the dialogue went:
Roz: Alright, we're here with Martin and we're talking about first dates. Martin, tell me some of the tricks you use to impress women.
Martin: [modest:] Hmmm, well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Roz, but I really don't know any tricks. I mean, if a woman agreed to go out with me, I'd er, well, I'm not there to impress her or to play cool. I'm there because I want to know her; er, what she thinks; er, what she likes, so that if I'm lucky enough to get another date I can plan something that I know she'd like to do. I guess I'm still old-fashioned or something, but I think you should treat a woman like a queen.
While both of my examples deal with how a gentlemen treats a lady, the idea of respect and showing that you care for others is a quality that you should demonstrate when dealing with all people.
Student Activity: Ladies, what are some simple things gentlemen should know if they want you to be impressed with their manners? Gentlemen, what is one simple thing you always do to show respect toward girls?
May 2nd: Birthplace
When I first started teaching in Lexington 18 years ago, we use to display what kindergarten each of our high school graduates attended. In 1995, Lexington had 52 different kindergartens represented from around the world. We still have students in our middle school from around the world. Last week, Job Gomez and I started a little project. We wanted to find out how many different places LMS students were born. We went to PowerSchool and did a search of all 588 students currently enrolled at LMS. I think most people would be surprised at the results. What percentage of LMS students do you think were born in Lexington? How many students were born in Kearney? What about the percentage of students that are Huskers, born right here in the great state of Nebraska? Here are the numbers Job and I discovered:
Total LMS Students 588
Lexington 270
46% LEX native
Kearney 40
Omaha, NE 8
Grand Island NE 7
Lincoln, NE 4
North Platte, NE 3
Broken Bow, NE 2
Cozad, NE 2
Fremont, NE 2
Gothenburg, NE 2
Hastings, NE 2
Ogallala, NE 2
Aurora, NE 1
Bellevue, NE 1
Cambridge, NE 1
Columbus, NE 1
Crete, NE 1
Holdrege, NE 1
McCook, NE 1
Schuyler, NE 1
Norfolk, NE 1
Nebraska towns = 83 or 14%
Huskers = 353 or 60%
California 56
Texas 21
Colorado 13
Washington 6
Illinois 5
Arizona 4
Florida 3
Georgia 3
Iowa 3
Missouri 3
Nevada 3
Oregon 2
Virginia 2
Arkansas 1
Kansas 1
Kentucky 1
Massachusetts 1
Michigan 1
Ohio 1
Wyoming 1
other states = 131 or 22%
Mexico 49
Guatamala 18
Kenya 11
El Salvador 6
Somalia 5
Honduras 2
Liberia 1
Guinea 1
Canada 1
India 1
Panama 1
foreign countries = 96 or 16%
Student Activity: What surprises you about the data? For the amount of that disgusting Texas Longhorn gear I see around here, we certainly have a small number of native Texans!
May 1st: May Day
Happy May Day! Yesterday I flew back from Seattle. I had a great time, although it was a very quick trip. One of the things I saw for the very first time was the tulip fields of Skagit, Washington. There were thousands and thousands of brightly colored flowers. While I was amazed by the sight of all those flowers, it was the sight of a young lady crossing the street without looking up, while reading a book, that caught my attention. These days people walk down busy streets, bumping into to each other because they are too busy texting each other. In fact, I walked through the terminal at the Seattle airport and noticed a crazy woman talking to herself. As I studied her closer, I noticed she had an earpiece in and was carrying on a phone conversation. After all these technology induced behaviors, the young lady actually reading a book seemed normal.
Many people are excited about books becoming electronic. Kindle readers and i-pads with books loaded on them are the next big thing, if you pay attention to the current trends. I can't get into it. I like the feel of a book in my hand. I like turning the pages. I like bookmarks. Audio books don't work for me either, but some people just love them. I think I'm pretty open to new technology, but electronic books has me wanting to pump the brakes a bit and slow down all the change. I think I'm old fashion in that way.
Student Activity: Are you excited about the spread of electronic books? What new technology has you excited? What technology causes you to think we have gone too far?
April 26th: Critical Mass
Have you ever heard the term: critical mass? Critical mass is a term to describe the existence of a sufficient amount of adopters of an innovation in a social system such that the rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining and creates further growth. In simpler terms, it means more people are doing something, than are not. When you think about the type of school you want to attend every day, what the majority of students think really matters. If more students thought it was alright to bully others, fight or bring drugs to school, than thought it was wrong to do those things, then this school would be in the hands of bullies, thugs and druggies.
It doesn't really matter how big or tough you are, you have a say in what kind of school you want to have. Every person has a vote. You vote by saying or doing something about what you don't like. If you don't like to see bullying, say something. If you don't like fights, say something. If you think drugs are a bad idea and you see them, say something. You don't have to stand up in the middle of class and report an issue, you just have to quietly send that e-mail or tell an adult so they can take care of the problem. When the majority of students want a safe environment in school, then those few students who think treating people unkindly or bringing drugs to school, get the picture and stop doing it.
We have a majority of students who want a good, safe school. We have a critical mass for the good. I will promise to you that your teachers and principals will work night and day to make sure we keep drugs out of our school. Sadly, what some students chose to do at home isn't very smart, but that is their parents' problem. When parents come to us for help with problems at home, we help them by putting them in touch with police and other organizations who can provide support. When a student brings illegal substances to school and exposes people who don't want any part of that garbage, then it becomes my problem. In case you haven't figured this out yet: I don't like illegal drugs, especially in our school.
Student Activity: there are a couple of signs in our building for the Crime Stoppers organization. They allow people to call in crimes and reward people who do, with cash. How do you feel about LMS setting up a similar program to reward students who help keep our school safe? Should it just be something we do without expecting a reward?
April 25th: Names
Over the years I have seen several celebrities, or people who think they are a celebrity, change their name. This morning I heard that Los Angles Lakers basketball player Ron Artest, who changed his name to "Metta World Peace" had been suspended seven games for elbowing another player in the head. First of all, if you're going to call yourself "Metta World Peace," you might want to not engage in any violent actions, secondly, Metta World Peace, seriously? I though NFL player Chad Johnson changing his name to Chad Ochocinco, because he wore the number 85, was the craziest thing I'd ever seen, but Metta takes the prize.
My all time favorite name change may have been the singer Prince, who was born with the name Prince Rogers Nelson, but everyone just called him Prince. In 1993 he changed his name to a symbol. The Love Symbol. Because the symbol had no stated pronunciation, he was often referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince." To know one's great surprise, in 2000, "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince," went back to just plain old "Prince." If you want to change you name, don't go with a drawing of a symbol, that's just crazy. My new favorite name is Lady Gaga, known to her mother as Stefani Germanotta. Nothing say's loco like Gaga.
Several people in the world can just go by one name. Beyonce, Oprah, Brad and Angelina all need just one name for you to know who they are. Your teachers would know who Cher, Sting and Bono are just by their first names.
Names are important. There is a website: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/state/index.html that will give you the most popular names in the United States by state, decade and a host of other categories. I searched for the most popular names in Nebraska for babies born in 1998. These youngsters would be 14 years old this year. Here are the results:
1. Jacob and Emily
2. Austin and Hannah
3. Tyler and Madison
4. Michael and Alexis
5. Zachary and Taylor
Do any of them sound familiar?
The Top 5 Hispanic names for boys and girls from 2005 from the website: http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-100-most-popular-hispanic-baby-names-of-2010_10344424.bc
1. Jose and Maria
2. Angel and Sofia
3. Juan and Isabel
4. Diego and Adriana
5. Carlos and Daniela
Student Activity: since very few of you got to pick your name, how do you think your parents did? Do you like your name? If you could change it, what would you go with? By the way, I think one Metta World Peace on the planet is probably enough.
April 24th: Quotes
I love a good quote that makes you think. Sometimes a person will come up with the right thought worded in the right way that inspires me to be a better person. I see many of you will use a quote as a "signature" at the end of your e-mail. We also but quotes on the wall to get people to stop and think. I subscribe to a site on www.values.com that sends me a new quote every day. I received this one a few months ago and I really like it"
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
Quotes can be powerful and when you put one on your e-mail, hang one in your locker or sport one on a t-shirt, it tells the rest of the world a little about your belief system. Here's another good one, especially if a person is in a position to solve problems that other people create:
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than the person to be loved." Barbara Johnson (1947-2009)
Student Activity: Find a quote that inspires you and put it someplace where it can do you some good. Share your quote with your homeroom.
April 23rd: Fears.jpeg)
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Yesterday I was flipping through the channels and I stopped at NETV, more commonly known as Nebraska Public Television. I watch NETV when Nebraska High School Activities are being televised. This past year I watched state championships in football, basketball, wrestling, swimming and bowling. Yesterday I saw something new. It was called the "NSAA Speech Championships: Best of the Best." The state champions from each class and speech category (there are 10 of them) each reprised their winning performance from the state speech contest on TV. It was fantastic! When I was the Activities Director at Lexington High School 13 years ago, I went and watched the State Speech Championships in Kearney. I had never been to a state speech competition before and when I left at the end of the day, I was amazed. There are a lot of talented students in Nebraska and several of them are from Lexington.
When most people think about public speaking or performing in front of a crowd, they start to get weak in the knees. If you googled "fear of public speaking" you would find some surveys and research results showing that most people rather die instead of talking in front of a live audience. This is a global fears top ten:
1. Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia)
2. Fear of death (Necrophobia)
3. Fear of spiders (Arachnophobia)
4. Fear of darkness (Achluophobia, Scotophobia or Myctophobia)
5. Fear of heights (Acrophobia)
6. Fear of people or social situations (Sociophobia)
7. Fear of flying (Aerophobia)
8. Fear of open spaces (Agoraphobia)
9. Fear of thunder and lightning (Brontophobia)
10. Fear of confined spaces (Claustrophobia)
The fact that these students have conquered their fears and excel at public speaking needs to be celebrated. I can think of a lot of students in this school who should consider joining the speech when they get to high school. Cheesy, I'm talking to you! If you're in Mrs. Reutlinger's homeroom, ask her about her son Corey and his stellar speaking career.
Student Activity: I have two questions today. The most important is, "Who do you have in class that would be a natural at public speaking?" By the way, I wouldn't have been a natural in middle school, but I don't mind it now. My point is: public speaking is a skill you can develop.
If there is time: is the list of biggest fears listed above correct, or are there changes you would make?
April 19th: Summer School
Teachers: Please read this paragraph to your students. I have been informed that many students have downloaded a game file called "Halo." The file that the "Halo" people allow you to download is corrupted and will create problems for you. Students have noticed that file they keep their homework in also become corrupted and they lose their work. If you have downloaded the "Halo" game, you need to trash it, then delete your trash. Additionally, if you read your user agreement concerning the school computer you have in your possession, you are not allowed to download files from the net, such as "Halo."
Warm weather makes you want summer to hurry up and get here. Sometimes it makes you forget about why you are in school, which is to learn. I have heard about a couple of students who are thinking about shutting down a little early. If you are one of those students, I would caution you to think carefully before you do something like that. As I prepare my summer school schedule and create my invitation list for those students who will be required to attend, I look at those who have missing assignments. Those missing assignments will be completed in summer school. How many people really want to finish uncompleted work from the school year in June? That is not my idea of a good time.
Attendance: if you have more than 18 absences for any reason, you will be considered for retention next school year. You will most definitely be required to attend summer school. If you have a large number of tardies, you will be required to attend summer school. The letters will be mailed home shortly so that your parents can clear their and your summer calendar for the month of June.
I know this sounds harsh, but everyone knows the expectations and no one should be caught off guard. Why would I do such a thing? Is it so I can have a good laugh? No, there really isn't anything funny about failure. I guess the real reason I take your learning so seriously is because your future is important. If you have heard it once you've heard it a thousand times: education is the key to a successful future.
Now for some good news: you can come to summer school even if your grades are good and you've been to school every day. There are a lot of fun activities for students who have handled their business during the school year and are looking for something interesting and entertaining to do. We love having you here too.
Student Activity: What do you think causes students to live in the moment, forget their obligation to their own learning and risk being required to attend summer school? If a person thinks its hard to do work when its warm outside in April, how strong do you think that feeling will be in June?
April 18th: Don't judge a book by its cover!
There are also a couple of words you will want to define:
Barbaric: means crude, lacking in taste, style or manners.
Voracious: means exceedingly eager or avid: voracious readers; a voracious collector.
Every once in a while I run into a student, generally a boy, who is a big fan of "mixed martial arts" or MMA. I will watch it on TV on occasion, but not all that often. For those of you who don't know anything about MMA, it is a combination of boxing, wrestling, karate and judo. It is a very rough sport with small gloves on the fighters' hands instead of boxing gloves and no pads on their feet. It can get bloody at times. Many people consider the sport to be barbaric. When I 
watch it I know one thing: you better be pretty tough to participate in it. If you are in Mr. Prososki's homeroom, ask him about his favorite fighters?
I have a friend that is involved in MMA fighting. His name is Aaron Simpson aka the A-Train. Aaron was a 4-time, high school state champion wrestler in Arizona and an All-American wrestler at Arizona State University. When he was in college he visited Lexington and put on a wrestling camp for my wrestlers, right here at the Lexington Middle School. While he was here for the week, he stayed at my house. For such a rough and tough guy, I was amazed at how focused Aaron was on learning. Every night he would go to the guest room he was staying in and read. He had at least two books going at all times. Aaron is polite, easy-going and as voracious a reader as he is a fighter in the octagon. I never imagined someone that nice, could be so tough!
If you looked at these two pictures of Aaron, you might think all he does is hit and kick people, eat raw meat and sleep. Of course, you now know he is also a gentleman and a scholar. It just goes to show you, you can't judge a book by its' cover.
Student Activity: When was the last time you were fooled into believing something or someone was something they were not?
April 17th: NASSP
There are all kinds of clubs and organizations that a person can belong to. Some of them are for social reasons, like the Justin Bieber Fan Club and some are for more scholarly purposes, like the National Honor Society. As adults, most of your teachers belong to some sort of professional educator group. They may even pay dues in order to receive newsletters, helpful books and special deals on conferences. I belong to such a group called the National Association of Secondary School Principals or NASSP for short. As I was looking over my NASSP newsletter I noticed that they have declared April 16 - April 20, as National Assistant Principal's Week to honor and recognize the contributions of people like Mr. West to the success of students in schools across the United States.
Since I just learned of this celebration on Monday night, I don't have anything planned. I asked a couple of students for a few ideas on how to honor Mr. West and the first thing they suggested was, "...to be good." I thought that was a wonderful idea!
Student Activity: As a homeroom, come up with one idea that you think would be a befitting way to honor our assistant principal during this nationally designated week. Have someone in your homeroom e-mail me the idea. You might want to discuss all the ways our assistant principal helps students in this school.
April 16th: Act of Kindness
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/72-Locker.jpeg)
A couple of years ago I visited a friend of mine from college who now lives near Seattle. We actually wrestled together at UNK. He has a very nice wife and three great kids. As is the case with most parents, he is really proud of his children, but what my friend mentioned about one of his sons really stuck with me. My friend told me a story about a time they hosted a birthday party for their son Jared. All of the kids in Jared's elementary class were invited over to the house for the party, which included the traditional cake, ice cream and games. While all the kids were running around playing in the back yard, Scott noticed one boy sitting off to the side, alone. He was being ignored by the rest of the kids and I'm sure felt isolated and unwanted. Scott then noticed something that made him very proud. His son went over and sat with the boy, talked to him for a while and then began to play catch with the boy.
The fact that Jared was aware enough to look around at his own birthday party and notice someone was being excluded and then do something about it, well as a parent, that's as good as it gets. It means there is something in that child that is good and kind. Jared has now graduated from high school and is college, but there so no doubt he will do well. He has discovered the secret to success: treat people well.
Scott's story was a good one, but there was more. I had heard that earlier, his sons had asked him, "If there was one thing you would do differently when you were in school, what would it be?" Scott's answer said a lot about him as well. He told them, "I would have been nicer to the kids who didn't have many friends." Needless to say, my friend has the "right stuff" and the fact that it has been passed down to his children means they have watched and learned. And to think, I thought he had nice kids just because his wife is so nice.
Student Activity: Describe a time when you witnessed an act of kindness. How did it make you feel?
April 12th: Momentous Event
Most of us would agree that 100 years is a long time. In human terms, 100 is quite a long time. There are few people who live one century or 100 years. People who live to be 100 years old are called centenarians. The United States currently has the greatest number of centenarians of any nation, estimated at 70,490 on September 1, 2010. This corresponds to a national incidence of one centenarian per 4,400 people. In town the size of Lexington, which is around 10,000 we may have 2 or 3 people who are 100 years old, on average. For your information, parts of our school are a little over 100 years old. If they were alive, the first students who climbed the south stairwell at LMS would be about 120 years old.
There aren't many people alive today who remember the events that took place 100 years ago this week. Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the passenger ship Titanic, setting sail from Queenstown, Ireland headed for New York. It was the first trip for this huge ship and there was nothing else quite like it. It was a fancy ship with all the luxuries you would expect: if you were in first class. First class passengers had the best food served on the best China plates and crystal glasses. They were entertained by wonderful musicians. It was like staying in a very nice hotel.
There were poor people on board as well. They stayed below deck, many times below the water-line, or the part of the ship that sat below the ocean. Their accommodations were not nearly as nice, but they were just as excited to be on board the great ship and heading to America. As I stated earlier, it all happened 100 years ago today.
This Sunday, April 15, will mark the 100 year anniversary the Titanic struck a giant iceberg on sank. Here is what happened shortly after midnight on April 15, 1912:
The orders were given to uncover the lifeboats and to get passengers and crew ready on deck. There was only room in the lifeboats for half of the estimated 2,227 on board. The lifeboats began being loaded with women and children first. The ship the Carpathia, southeast of the Titanic by about 58 miles, picked up the distress call and began sailing to rescue passengers. The first lifeboat was safely lowered away. Although it could carry 65 people, it left with only 28 on board. The first distress rocket was fired. Eight rockets were fired the whole night. At 2:05 in the morning, the last lifeboat left the ship. There were now over 1,500 people left on the ship. The tilt of Titanic's deck grew steeper and steeper. At 2:17am, the last radio message was sent. The captain announced 'Every man for himself' The Titanic's broken off stern settled back into the water, becoming more level for a few moments. Slowly it filled with water and tilted its end high into the air before sinking into the sea. People in the water slowly froze to death. At about 9:00am the Carpathia left the area bound for New York. She had on board 705 survivors of the Titanic disaster. 1,514 people died in this disaster.
If you've seen the movie Titanic, it gives you a decent idea of what it must have been like to be left on board a ship that was sinking into the icy cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of an inky black night. It would have been awful. For everyone alive 100 years ago, it was awful news and there was great sadness for those who had died. People wanted to know, how could something like this could have happened? It was an event they never forgot the rest of their lives.
Student Activity: most of you have only been alive a relatively short time. The most momentous event during your life to this point, would be the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11, 2001. Since most of you were in diapers at the time this happened and have no recollection of the events, I'm going to exclude that one event from this question. Now for the question: In your opinion, what is the most significant event in world history during your lifetime?
April 11th: Personal Gas Tank
Have you ever felt pressure? This past Sunday I was watching the Master's golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. I don't normally watch golf on TV, but this tournament is different. Of all the golf tournaments a person could win, this is the one. The winner receives a nice "green jacket" which is the tradition of this tournament since 1949. The tournament started in 1934. There is a great deal of honor given to golfers who win this tournament. There is also a great deal of money. This year the winner received 1.4 million dollars.
With everything on the line, I watched anxiously as the tournament finished in a tie and had to go into "overtime" or in golf terms: a play-off hole. After the first play-off it was still tied. Then it happened: on the next play-off hole Bubba Watson chunked it into the trees. He just blew it! Not to worry, the guy he was competing against, Louis Oosthuizen, blew it too. I won't bore those of you who don't play golf with the play by play of the next few strokes, but I will tell you this - Bubba Watson fought his way back and had to make a 6 inch putt to win the tournament. It sounds easy, but my stomach tightened up as I strangely felt some of the pressure he was feeling. If he missed that shot, oh man...
I've never been in a pressure situation where 1.4 million dollars was a stake, but I've felt pressure before. Most all of us have. We get nervous. Our stomach feels like it has butterflies in it. Our hands get sweaty. Our heart starts beating faster. All of these things can cause us to think and feel differently. In athletics it can even "throw people off." Their free-throw falls short or they throw the ball way too high. The people who learn to control that nervous feeling and stay calm are the ones who generally come through when the pressure is on.
Student Activity: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt pressure? What was it? How did you feel? How did it turn out? Remember this doesn't have to be a sports situation. I think I remember being nervous when I got married.
April 10th: Pressure
Have you ever felt pressure? This past Sunday I was watching the Master's golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. I don't normally watch golf on TV, but this tournament is different. Of all the golf tournaments a person could win, this is the one. The winner receives a nice "green jacket" which is the tradition of this tournament since 1949. The tournament started in 1934. There is a great deal of honor given to golfers who win this tournament. There is also a great deal of money. This year the winner received 1.4 million dollars.
With everything on the line, I watched anxiously as the tournament finished in a tie and had to go into "overtime" or in golf terms: a play-off hole. After the first play-off it was still tied. Then it happened: on the next play-off hole Bubba Watson chunked it into the trees. He just blew it! Not to worry, the guy he was competing against, Louis Oosthuizen, blew it too. I won't bore those of you who don't play golf with the play by play of the next few strokes, but I will tell you this - Bubba Watson fought his way back and had to make a 6 inch putt to win the tournament. It sounds easy, but my stomach tightened up as I strangely felt some of the pressure he was feeling. If he missed that shot, oh man...
I've never been in a pressure situation where 1.4 million dollars was a stake, but I've felt pressure before. Most all of us have. We get nervous. Our stomach feels like it has butterflies in it. Our hands get sweaty. Our heart starts beating faster. All of these things can cause us to think and feel differently. In athletics it can even "throw people off." Their free-throw falls short or they throw the ball way too high. The people who learn to control that nervous feeling and stay calm are the ones who generally come through when the pressure is on.
Student Activity: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt pressure? What was it? How did you feel? How did it turn out? Remember this doesn't have to be a sports situation. I think I remember being nervous when I got married.
