Education for all ...or not?

Okay I accept the mandate that education should be for all students.  So I teach in a senior high school with a very large student population (approximately 1500 students in grades 10-12), and this year has been particularly challenging so far. The classes are very large since we are experiencing a shortage of teachers, and we are already really stressed. But nevertheless education is for all!! Remember this!!

So this year I notice we have a student in a wheelchair. Okay. So the entrance to the school does have a ramp - good. But the school is constructed on 2 levels, with no elevators - only stairs!  And of the classrooms and restrooms downstairs, only a few have ramps! So where do administrators base this child? You guessed it - in a classroom without a ramp!! And some subject areas are situated on the upper level - e.g. Science, Math, Business Studies, Art.  So how is this child supposed to do these subjects?  And the child needs to have bars in the bathroom to be able to swing herself into/out of her chair. There are no bars!

Additionally the child apparently cannot move her wheelchair on her own - she does not have the hand strength to do so.  So she has to rely on the good graces of other students to push her around and to lever her into and out of these classrooms without ramps!!!! Seems to me that this child needs to have a dedicated helper to be with her as she pursues her education????? What if the other students don't care enough to push her from class to class or to and from the bathroom????? But the mother only drives up to the entrance of the school, pushes her into the foyer and drives off!!!!! I've seen her do it!!!! What does she expect from the school?????? What kind of education can we really offer this student????

My Online Classes

I'm noticing something here. The breaks between my online courses are really necessary - I get a chance to relax my mind, get some sleep, read a book and eat a decent meal, rather than just eating the computer. My daughter says "Mom, there are no nutrients in that"!!! Hmmmm. But then I get s-o-o-o  b-o-r-e-d!! What does that suggest??? What am I going to do in a year when these classes are done???

Just writing

Another set of courses over and done with. Great! A little break to eat something other than the computer and to have a few more hours sleep before the next round begins!  The courses were great though, especially the one on Multimedia in Instructional Design.  The new software to be learnt was a bit daunting at first, but turned out to be real fun!! Learnt how to create Flash movies and online greeting cards, how to spotlight images, incorporate videos and sound, hyperlink videos and other multimedia into creating presentations with interactivity, and more!  The only problem is being able to use this new knowledge in my FTF Marine Science/Biology laboratory, since the Internet is about 90% unavailable!  Very frustrating. Hopefully the problem will be fixed soon.

The best feature of this course though was creating a website from scratch - for the very first time!  Despite the initial hesitancy I believe I created a n-i-c-e website of an unforgettable experience in my life - at least the professor thinks it's nice!!! (A tiny confession - whenever I feel a little depressed I visit this website to remind myself I'm blessed! I'm in the master's hand).  Feedback from anyone reading my blog is welcomed!!  See the website at:  http://www.cynthiaj.weebly.com/   Make sure to have your audio on!

An interesting thing in church.  An older lady in church - in her 80's, (one of about 4 older persons I have "adopted") gave me an invitation to the upcoming birthday bash of another lady in church.  So I'm like "how old will she be?" And she replies "99"!!!! And this is a lady who walks around on her own - no walker, stick or anything! And she knows everyone by name! Unbelievable.  I promised to be there!!!

Oh What a World!

A disturbing occurrence earlier this week. I was home alone - almost night; on the phone with my daughter.  Suddenly I’m hearing this big commotion on the outside, someone shouting, my dog barking his head off.  So I hang up the phone to check what’s happening and there’s a man at my door - no shirt, bloody or sweaty (not sure), and shouting for me to call the police as he needs help badly.  So I’m hesitating because I’m so shocked, and he keeps shouting, pleading with me now to open the door, so he can use the phone as he’s hurt so bad – he was beaten by some guys. Please, please ma’am. I’m still hesitating, and finally I tell him that I will call the police. So I turn away to do so, and I’m explaining to the police that there is a man outside my door who says he’s hurt, but that I’m hesitant to open the door. The police tell me not to open my door and they’ll be there shortly. So I turn back to let the man know the police are on the way, and he’s not there!  He’s gone! Apparently it was a scam!! And the police did come (within about 10 minutes) and could find him nowhere!

Now don’t give me credit for being smart!! What made me not open the door was that I am a rather finicky/fastidious person and the thought of how I was going to be able to clean the phone after the man was finished with it was what stopped me!!  And now today, I’m listening to the local news and the police are commenting about an increase in forced entries and advising the public, especially persons who are alone, not to open their doors to anyone they don’t know.

Oh what a world.  What was this man’s intention?  Surely it was not meant for good. Thank God whom the Lord keeps is well kept. 

Making sense

Sermons can be s-o-o long! Sometimes to keep myself awake I’ll read the “good book” (or some other good book)!! Jon Paulien in his book “Letters to the Thessalonians” (a companion guide to this quarter’s Sabbath lessons) outlines some steps to “get real” with God and other people.  These include the usual, such as spending time with God’s word, and practicing authentic prayer.  But what caught my attention was the suggestion to use some form of journaling.  According to the author, “when I journal, God uses the writing process to draw up the depths of my being in ways that nothing else can.  I can use journaling to pray, to record God’s answers to prayer, and to take note of the various ways in which God has been at work in my life.  In our search for authenticity it is particularly helpful to invite God to probe whatever areas of our lives He wishes to examine and to expose us to it in what we write.  Many of the greatest Christians of all time, including Ellen G. White, have practiced journaling as a tool of self-awareness”.  Hmmm!!

Another article from Priorities magazine (Year 8-September 2012) entitled “The Amazing Ant” stressed the necessity for teamwork and directs attention to the ability of ants to work together as a community in orderly collaboration and cooperation.  “Without this, you will lack the ability and skill to work in today’s globalized and integrated economy.  The lone ranger model seems to be a thing of the past, and now those who are able to listen and comprehend and communicate effectively with others in order to achieve common goals are in demand”.  Hmmm again!!

Now some things in my online classes are beginning to make sense!! The blog!! The team projects in each and every course!! Go HFU!!!

Keeping a Promise - Sharing a Testimony

Okay, so I live in the Bahamas but was not born here - I'm bicultural!  When I came to this country, I was 'adopted' by an older couple who just loved me and later my children.  When I was critically ill, they prayed and cried over me and fed me.  The husband has since passed away, but the wife continues to be my trusted advisor.  Now her daughter-in-law has just passed away from cancer - so sad!

So today (Sabbath) I stopped by to drop off some food for the family, as per the custom here. But I was also the Sabbath School Superintendent for todays program - a big day (Bahamas Independence Sabbath), so I'm hurrying! On leaving I pass a woman on the street, who is asking for a ride.  But I don't stop since that would make me late!  But as I'm driving I'm chiding myself for being unchristian.  So I stop, reverse (around a corner) to the woman and ask her where she's going.  In turn she asks me where I'm going - so I give her the general vicinity of where my church is.  So she says that will be fine, gets into my car (with difficulty - she has bad knees), buckles her seatbelt, and we start off.

Then she asks me if I'm going to the Seventh Day Adventist Church!  I say yes!  Then she says "You don't remember me do you Sister Johnson!"  O-o-o-h!  I felt so ashamed.  She knew me by name! I had to apologize!  She explained that she used to attend my church, but has since moved to another one.  That she was not going to church today, because she would be traveling later today to seek medical attention for her knees and was on her way to collect some money that had been promised her. And my focus had been just to hurry to church!

A facilitator in one of my online courses told me that the course would make me a better teacher.  Now I agree.  But it has also made me a better Sabbath School Superintendent and a better christian, because I went to church (on time) and presented probably one of the best Sabbath School programs I've ever done!  Lord help me to always be open to see the need in others, and to help wherever I can.

Keeping a Promise

Great - courses 2 & 3 are complete!  The new Instructional Media Tools was especially tough, but wonder of wonders everyone passed!  Thanks to the willingness of HFU and our facilitator to make adjustments to the course in response to all the complaints, otherwise the passing rate might have been dismal.  Another plus for online courses – their flexibility.  Y-E-S!!

So I’m talking to my son and I’m like, I passed! I got an A! And he’s like “well duh”!  I'm glad he has some faith in me :) but it certainly was not easy.  This course really necessitated us digging a whole lot deeper within ourselves.  Good luck to persons who take this course in the future – especially if it is combined with another course!

So far though I’m loving HFU and their course offerings!  Looking forward to what’s next.  Graduation 2013 or bust!