KevinSauls.com

Well, I’ve tried not to let more than a day or so pass between posts. Unfortunately, the last few days have seen Vista totally screw up my video card configuration and nothing I did seemed to get it corrected. Had to start all over again. Well, actually, I booted back into the WindowsXP drive I still had hanging around under a dual boot.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the lady of the house wanted me to add a couple of menu selections to a DVD she had. That took some more finagling. Finally figured that one out, too. Adobe Premiere Elements doesn’t like .VOB or .MPG files very much. And all the digging around led me down all kinds of weird pathways. I was downloading all kinds of converters. None of which worked, by the way.

So anyway, I finally ran across a site that suggested that I simply change the .vob to a .mpg file and import them into Windows Movie Maker. Worked like a charm!

As I write this, the file is being saved as a single DV-AVI file which should allow me to then import that into Premiere so that I can create the menus that I want. Movie Maker may have that capacity, but since I’m not real familiar with it, decided better the devil I know. So, I’ll pull the file into Premiere, add the menu and go on about my business.

In other news, I’ll be back to writing something worthwhile in a couple of days. Right now I’m just trying to get my schedule settled out and figure out how best to work this blogging thing into my routines.

[author’s note: This post is admittedly out of sync with other recent posts. Once in a while I have run across an idea that just doesn’t want to be held at bay. This is one such post.]

One of the things I quickly realized when I started teaching was that students today just don’t seem to have been given the skills that we were given thirty years ago. Now, granted, some of what I learned is no longer relevant. When was the last time you saw a card catalog, for example? Other skills, such as learning how to develop and outline for a paper, do basic research, provide references to support your paper and so forth hasn’t really changed. Neither has the ability to think critically and even creatively.

It seems that students are expected only to recall information. There is no expectation that they can apply what they’ve memorized to new and unique situations. This ability, critical thinking, is especially important in nursing where you are never going to see a textbook patient. Every patient is different and each one requires that we apply our knowledge to their unique situation. Testing isn’t based on memorization, but on application. And they fare poorly.

Creativity Stifled

My sister is an aspiring writer whose work has been praised by several published authors. They have encouraged her to pursue writing and to seek publication.

She’s also a college student. Her professors (at least some of them), rather than encouraging her creative work put boundaries on her. “you can’t say that!” they exclaim. Why not? I wonder.

The question that comes to my mind is: Can one learn to write well creatively in a classroom? You see, where I stumble is in the acknowledgement that when I write, I express my ideas, my visions, my understandings. Can a professor, no matter how learned, truly judge my work objectively, provide truthful, honest feedback while leaving my creative work intact and undefiled by their own perceptions, visions, ideas and understanding?

This is a question I’ve asked of art school, as well. How can an art teacher tell his student “this is wrong! It must be done this way”, when the very act of creation and the expression of the artist’s vision has taken her in a very different direction.

I don’t want to write as Hemingway, or Steinbeck, or Roth. I want to write as me. I don’t want to paint as Cogan, Money or Goya. I want to paint to the vision that I have. Where would Picasso, Dega, or Gauguin be had their art teachers insisted that they remain within the boundaries she defined?

Yet, these are the things we seem to do in education. We establish rubrics which are, in essence, boundaries. This is what you are expected to learn; you must learn it this way. There is no room for, no allowance for, no recognition for creativity. Indeed, creativity is punished for it does not comply with the rubric. This is true, even when the same outcome was achieved, and perhaps more, as the student learned and internalized a greater understanding of the subject than was required.

To Think Uncritically

Critical thinking – the ability to use our knowledge to think outside the box – is also stifled. Rubrics provide the structure for the learning. Current educational theory is that the teacher should provide the “essential question” of the day and should clearly outline what the student can expect to learn. It is over this material, and this material alone, that they are tested. To test on anything else would be unfair to the child!

Yet, when does the student develop the skill to discern the wheat from the chaff? When does he learn to identify that which is important, without others blazing the trail for him?

It has occurred to me that my students cannot think critically, because the system has failed to teach him that. It is more concerned with his ability to recall when the War of 1812 was fought.

But, this is understandable, this focus on rote memorization and the impatience with creative thought. After all, the school’s success or failure is measured not by what its students do in some future time, but how well they perform on a standard test. It doesn’t matter that the student pens a bestselling saga. It doesn’t matter that the student grows up to develop whole new technologies. What matters is only how well he performs on the test.

My Sadness …

My sadness over this sorry state is that I see no solution. Education is a highly politicized industry. The politicians fan the flames of concern about how bad schools are (despite that fact that they really aren’t, overall [see this post]).  Schools can’t get past their own inefficiencies and teacher, bless them all, find it easier to grade the paper written to follow a rubric, than the one written with the creativity of the unfettered mind.

This is a long rant and for that I apologize. Some times I just run across things that need to be said. What’s your feedback?

Telephones can be aggravating critters. To manage them, I have two basic rules:

1. I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize because they are usually either wrong numbers or telemarketers, neither of which do I want to be bothered with.
2. I don’t answer when I’m busy doing other things. I keep in mind always that I control the interruptions in my life and I generally don’t like being interrupted when I’m working. So the phone rings.

Time management gurus all encourage you to manage your interruptions rather than letting them manage you. That’s what I try to do with the phone.

Sometimes these rules create even more aggravation because some people just don’t seem to get the message.

Which part of “I’m not who you’re looking for” did you not understand?

Several days ago while at work my cellphone rang. I didn’t recognize the number and since I was busy, I silenced the phone and went about my business.

Several minutes later, it rang again. Same number. I did the same thing.

Now, I have to point out here that I have voice mail that clearly states my name. If the caller had the wrong number they’d know that simply by listening. But, then again, maybe not.

After the fourth time in a span of less than four minutes, it was clear that the caller wasn’t getting the message so I answered. Now, I still don’t know who they were looking for, their responses were unintelligible. But it was clearly not me. I told them they had the wrong number and hung up.

Now this was apparently a really not-so-bright individual. A few minutes later the phone rang again. Same area code, different number. I guess the caller figured their phone was the problem so they’d try again from another.

I answered with “This is Kevin. If you’re not trying to get Kevin, then you have the wrong number. That will be true no matter how many times you call or what phone you call from".” Yeah, I know it was a bit rude, but then so, too, is repeatedly calling a wrong number.

They finally got the message:  They didn’t call back.

Dr. Phil likes to you the phrase: “How’s that working for ya?” This is, of course, rooted in the idea that if you keep doing the same thing the same way, you’ll always get the same result.

On another day we’ll talk about why this can be a good thing, but if what you’re doing isn’t getting the result you want, maybe your need to try something different.

And, maybe that’s what this caller thought they were doing by calling from a different phone; they were  doing something different. I guess I’ll never know.

This caller, of course, isn’t the only one to not get the message. Too often people will call and when the phone rolls over to voice mail will hang up and call again.

Why?

Clearly, if I didn’t answer I’m either not at home, or choose not to answer the phone right then. Calling right back doesn’t change anything. (well, it really does. It makes me very aggravated.)

I’m not going to answer.

It’s my choice; leave a message.

What interruptions fall into your pet-peeves list?

You know you are. You know you’re still mad at the guy that stood you up at the prom. You know you’re still wishing bad karma on the girl that said bad things about you way back in high school. You know you’re still mad about the raise you didn’t get this year. And you still don’t want to deal with the guy that got the job you were after.

Anger is never a good thing. We know that. It’s written everywhere and your parents have been preaching it for as long as you can remember. But, there’s something about having been done wrong that we just can’t seem to let go of. We replay it in our minds and as we do we get angry all over again. Even if it’s been years since the offense occurred.

And we seek revenge. Maybe not physically, but we wish it on the offender.

But what does it get us? I don’t know about you, but the only thing it’s ever gotten me was more anger, an upset stomach and the inability to move on with my life.

Why do we do this? We are emotional beings and our feelings got hurt. We feel somehow slighted, belittled or “lessened” by whatever slight we experienced. And we didn’t appreciate it. So, we protect ourselves.

By wishing negative things (revenge) on our tormentor – even if they don’t know they are our tormentor – we hope to set things right, to balance the scales. How many times have you uttered “it served them right!” By wishing revenge or other negative experiences on them, we wish upon them the hurt that we perceive they visited upon us.

Replaying our Regrets

While most — if not all — of us hold onto the hurt we experienced at the hands of others, that’s not the only thing that we hold onto. We also hold onto the regrets we feel in our lives. Regrets for the road not taken, the choices not made. Even, at times, for having not been chosen.

We look at our lives and our circumstances and wonder “why couldn’t I be [rich, beautiful, creative, intelligent {put your favorite adjective here}] “Look how different my life would have been if the sports scout had offered me the minor league contract!”

So, we hang onto our regrets, just as we hang onto our hurt feelings. And we allow them to rule our lives. We don’t even realize, sometimes, how these emotions impact us. But they do.

Seeing the Impact

The so-called Law of Attraction suggests that we can bring into being the reality we want in our lives by defining what we want, asking the universe for it and acting and believing that what we desire will come to us.

I’m not going to argue for or against the law, because I’m simply unqualified to do so. But I do see a correlation. My internal environment, that is my thoughts and feelings, are very often reflected in my actions and behaviors.

Don’t you know when someone is angry, just by their behaviors? How about sad? Or happy? And, when they are angry, sullen or just generally negative, do you really want to be around them?

Of course not! Their negative behaviors drive you away. Does it follow that these negative behaviors might also prevent them from achieving their goals in life? Of getting the job they want? After all, what manager would want to hire a negative, angry person?

So, if you want to move your life forward in a positive direction and make your dreams come true, you’ll have to let go of all that negativity.

Letting to Go

So, how do you let go?

Here are a few suggestions. You may find others  that work for you.

1. Recognize that there is something you need to let go of. Look at how you interact with life and those around you. If something doesn’t feel right, look for the reasons.
2. Rummage around in your mental attic looking for the negatives that you’re keeping there. Look at your relationships. Look at how your react to certain people or situations. Figure out why you react that way. Sometimes drawing or writing can expose your true feelings.
3. Relive the past not with anger, regret or retribution, but to remember what really happened that led you to the place you are now. Simply let the memories and feelings wash over you. This is a painful but necessary step. You need to face the situation head-on.
4. Face the tormentor, if possible. Talk to them. Share your feelings. Let them know how their actions affected you. Don’t seek an apology; offer forgiveness instead. If the problem is a regret for something you did to someone else, confess. And apologize.
5. Take responsibility for your own life. This might include confessing and apologizing, but it also means recognizing that you allowed that negative situation to live within you. Recognizing this, and assuming responsibility for it acknowledges that it is under your control and you have the power to change it. There no blame, only action.
6. Live in the moment. By focusing on the now, you deny the past the opportunity to influence you. By focusing on the now, you acknowledge that what is past is past and your movement is now forward.

These are, of course, only a few suggestions. There are many, many more to be found on the web and in the book stores.

Letting go can be a frightening experience, but also one of exhilarating freedom. It can open doors that you believed were firmly closed and offer you a life of abundance that you never knew existed.

Being grateful for the positive things in your life is almost a no-brainer. Of course, you should be grateful. And, it’s often easy to do, even though in the hustle and bustle of daily life, we may sometimes forget.

Being grateful for the not-so-positive things in your life, on the other hand, is neither an obvious or easy thing to do.  But, I believe that it is vitally important to recognize and be grateful for the negatives too. Otherwise, you are living an unbalanced life.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that being grateful for the negative things isn’t easy. It’s very hard to be grateful for losing a job

(more…)