Catholic Education

Eat Your Vegetables

2012-01-29T18:06:00.001-08:00

Recently, I came across a news story in which the US Congress named pizza as a vegetable. Now, I like pizza, and it can be relatively healthy depending on the crust type, sauce and toppings. But, no matter how much tomato paste or sauce, a vegetable it is not.

I suppose the thought behind such a ruling is that the tomato sauce under the cheese has enough actual tomatoes to qualify as a bona fide vegetable. And, with a one year old who is starting to have a more discriminating palate, I understand the concept behind strategically and covertly placing vegetables in food (we have to do the same thing to Elizabeth with meat!). To suppose that getting kids to eat real vegetables is impossible is defeatist. To suppose that encouraging the consumption of pizza as a replacement for vegetables is immoral.

Making a pizza and passing it off as a vegetable is undoubtedly cheaper and unhealthier than securing and preparing fresh and unprocessed vegetables.

This is yet another example of our country's woeful treatment of its children. It is another example of big business dictating what's best for us. It's another example of our country's stubbornness to change to meet the best interest of its children.

For example, research proves that a long summer break makes it harder for students to retain knowledge. Yet, summer breaks remain and will most likely never be replaced with year round (interspersed with more frequent, albeit smaller breaks) school. We know that recess and physical activity is good to combat childhood obesity and is a good stress relief, especially for our sedentary and technologically dependent society. Still, many schools are cutting such programs because of a lack of funds. The arts can inspire, enliven, improve behavior, and increase math scores. Sadly, many schools have eliminated the fine and performing arts classes and clubs.

Bankers who needed government bailouts live in excess. We pay millions of dollars to professional athletes and hundreds to see them play insignificant (with all due respect to the Patriots and Giants) games. News stories are sensationalized to attract the largest viewing audience. Potential political candidates raise and spend millions of dollars trying to sway votes. Once elected they pass legislation to call pizza a vegetable.

We waste millions of dollars but can't seem to find the money to do what's best for our kids.

America is a great country, the greatest in the world. But, in order to remain this way and not get left behind by other countries who have somehow managed to give health care to all citizens and educate students to be some of the top thinkers and innovators in the world, we must do more than lower our standards for our children's health and overall well-being. Doing something as simple as involving children in the production and preparation of vegetables and other healthy foods can make them more interested in trying them (ICS Garden). But, school gardens cost money. Taking the time to teach children about their health benefits and ways in which they can be prepared takes effort.

Money, time, effort. We sacrifice these things for so many less important things. We must be willing to sacrifice them for the sake of our children.

If not, we may as well save Congress some time and taxpayers some dollars by declaring Jolly Ranchers candy a fruit.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

2012-01-26T21:26:00.000-08:00

Sir Isaac Newton, in a quote about his many accomplishments, humbly stated, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Newton understood that his intelligence and all of his many discoveries depended on others' abilities, talents and knowledge of his teachers, predecessors, colleagues and rivals. Newton unarguably possessed innate intelligence and would have undoubtedly risen to some level of excellency on his own. But, because of those who had gone before him, taught him, challenged him, and supported him, Newton wasn't just excellent.

He was legendary.

He is legendary.

In many ways, all of us can "see further" because of the giants upon whose shoulders we stand. In many ways, for many of us grandparents serve as those giants. While parents do the grunt work and most of our formation, grandparents give us a sense of stability. Grandparents give us a sense of history. Grandparents give us a sense of belonging. They are living proof that all will be okay- all of our many trials and catastrophes of today will pass into memories of tomorrow. They may have been the first people in our families to go to college, come to this great country, speak English, start a business or convert to Catholicism. Maybe they worked multiple jobs to send our parents to school. Maybe they served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam or the first Gulf War. Maybe they unabashedly hang on to their cultural traditions, their native language and their sense of style. When we stand on their shoulders, we get a better sense of who we are because it gives us a better sense of who we were. We can see further because of them.

We may thank grandparents for the large checks that come in the mail on birthdays and Christmas. We may appreciate them for their stories of how things used to be. We may laugh at their eccentricities or joke at how set they are in their ways. Chances are good, though, that we don't necessarily recognize them for the gift of faith. Not only are they responsible for igniting some sort of faith within our parents, they are ultimately responsible for the spark in our own hearts, too. Whether they are believers who pray a Rosary after every daily Mass, or non-Church goers who believe that, just like hospitals are only for those who are sick, churchers are only for sinners, some aspect of the grace present in our lives was made manifest by their faithfulness.

Our Catholic Church and our Catholic Schools can definitely see further because of their faithfulness. Baltimore Catechists and instructed by the good sisters and nuns, priests and brothers of the golden age of Catholicism in this country, their belief and faith in not only the Church but also its educational system has helped to sustain us through scandals, economic hardships and other reasons cited for dwindling Church attendance and Catholic School enrollment. They gave our Parishes the traditions of our Carnivals, Festivals, Fish Fry's, Shrines, Collections. They may have even been responsible for helping to build its actual walls. They went to our schools when there were 50 students from various grade levels in the same classroom taught by the same saintly sister. Many of them had brothers, sisters and cousins who entered the priesthood and religious life.

Just like in our human families, our grandparents supply our Churches and Schools with history, tradition, foundation and stability. They remind us that these institutions have been through much worse than our current situations and that they will, because of our faithfulness, remain long after we are gone. They are the giants supplying the shoulders allowing us to see further than they did.

They are our models. They are our inspiration for someday helping others to see further than we can right now.

They are our past. They are hope for our future.

They are legendary.

They are giants. They are grandparents.

Become Who You Were Born To Be

2012-01-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

In one of my favorite movies of all time, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", Elrond (the King of the Elves) tells Aragorn (the rightful albeit reluctant King of Gondor) to "Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be." It is the moment in the trilogy in which Aragorn finally starts to accept his bloodline, his heritage, his position as King. It is the moment where he becomes that which and who he was created to be.

The Gospel reading from this upcoming Sunday, the first Sunday but the beginning of the second week of Ordinary Time, follows a similar theme (John 1: 35 - 42). Jesus meets Andrew and his brother Simon for the first time. After one look at Simon he changes not only his name (Peter) but also his role in the world. Putting aside the fisherman, Peter is to become the Rock upon which Jesus will build His Church. While Peter's path to fulfilling his potential after this moment is anything but rock-solid, in this moment Jesus changes Peter's course. It is the moment that Peter starts to become who he was born to be.

Tomorrow marks the end of the Church's Vocation Awareness Week, a week to focus on and pray for an increase to priestly and religious vocations within the Catholic Church. Incarnation Catholic School had a priest, Fr. David Toups, come to speak to our students about vocations. We prayed the Prayer for Vocations as a school community every day during morning prayer. At Mass on Wednesday another class was given the Vocations Cross, beginning their week-long focus on praying for an increase in vocations (this, by the way, is a weekly practice with the Cross rotating among the different classes of the school).

But, every week in a Catholic School should be Vocation Awareness Week. Our goal should be threefold: to evangelize, to catechize and to educate. In accomplishing this mission, we should be able to ignite the faith and cultivate the intellect in such a way that young people give serious thought and consideration to a priestly or religious vocation. If Catholic Schools are doing what they are supposed to do, priests, brothers, deacons, sisters and nuns should naturally result because of our efforts.

Vocations should be a natural result because our goal should encompass helping all students to become who they were created to be. The truth is, everyone has a vocation. Not everyone is called to priestly or religious life; but everyone is called. Jesus is giving all of us a new name and a new role. He is calling out to us. He is giving each of us a vocation.

Vocation, from the Latin vocare, meaning "to call".

Are we listening? Do we even know how to listen? Do we recognize His voice? Can we hear it above the incessant noise of the world? Do we have the courage to answer His call? Especially if the call is to the priesthood or religious life?

If Catholic Schools are doing things right, the answer to the questions above should be an irrevocable and resounding yes. Our students should know that God's vocation for them is beyond their hearts' greatest desire. They should believe that following this vocation will give them greater fulfillment than they could ever imagine.

They should be taught to listen for God's call. Make vocation, in the broad and general sense, yet intimately connected to priesthood and religious life, a constant refrain.

They should be taught how to listen. Teach them scripture and examples of others- Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul, Moses, Noah, Samuel- responding to God's call. Teach them how to pray and that prayer must not always be us barking at God. Teach them that praying also needs to entail sitting in God's presence listening. Teach them that listening means unplugging and does not require a controller or earbud.

They should be encouraged to boldly go where and do what God is asking of them. This is counter-cultural. It may not bring fame. It may not bring fortune. It may not be easy. It may not make sense to others. It will, however, bring fulfillment to themselves, to others, and to establishing the Kingdom of God.

Be blessed.

Be bold.

Be who God created you to be.

Become who you were born to be.

The Reason

2011-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

It was so long ago. It took Him so long to come.

But, come he did.

Angels sang praises to God for this Child’s birth.

People from distant lands gave gifts foretelling His future worth.

He lived,

He died,

He lived again.

All so that you and I may share in this Life.

Born of a virgin,

An apparent impossibility

Born in a barn,

Among cows and sheep

Born with the responsibility of saving mankind.

He was divine– a great Prince with the royalist of blood.

But, fortunately He was more than just that:

HE WAS ONE OF US.

He laughed,

He cried,

He yelled,failed, loved...died.

He died.

The most powerful of Kings, more powerful than life or death

Subjected Himself to both before conquering each one.

He lowered Himself to pain, suffering, humility-

To death on a tree

For nothingless than all humanity.

He entered the world like a slave

And left it like acriminal.

Because of Him Death lost its sting on human souls.

He triumphed by living after it.

So that we,

If we choose

Could do thesame.

Jesus’ birth was a miracle.

His life was a ministry.

His death, a tragedy.

His Resurrection was the reason for the miracle.

And He,

In all of Hismagnificence,

Is the Reasonfor the season.

Emmanuel

2011-12-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

In John, Chapter3, verse 16, we hear, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believesin him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Like John the Baptist growing inside ofElizabeth, we, too, should leap for joy upon hearing this message. God loved usso much that he gave us His only Son, so that we could have eternal life. Justthe fact that eternal life in Heaven is possible to us should set our hearts onfire for God.

The mystery of the Incarnation changed theworld. If Jesus doesn’t come, we don’t have Christmas, we don’t have the NewTestament, we don’t have the death or (more importantly) the Resurrection. Wedon’t have a Catholic Schools. We don’t celebrate the Eucharist. We don’t have salvation.

And even though we understand the Incarnationto have this kind of impact, we don’t always appreciate it. Our wonder and aweof how Mary gave birth to the Son of God gets overshadowed by candy canes andgingerbread.

So, in the spirit of Jesus’ parables, let usconsider the Incarnation from another perspective:

For God so loved the world…

Max had always loved ducks. For years he hadenjoyed them returning in the warm summer months to the lake outside of hiscottage. He would spend his days watching them, at night he would lay out moreseed for them to eat. The ducks became the subject of his paintings, a recenthobby he had acquired. Max even went so far as to name two of his favorites:Herb and Norma. He would pray for their young offspring. He would delight intheir swimming and flying, playing and quacking. It was joyous for Max to havethese ducks visit his pond year after year. In fact, it was the best part ofhis life.

…that He gave His only Son…

Max had lived in the cottage for his entirelife. As it sat on a coastal town, Hurricanes had become second nature for Max.Too old to evacuate, and really nowhere else to go, he would hunker down,boarding up his windows, stockpiling water, batteries, candles, and othernecessities, but would otherwise be unfazed by the powerful storms. Miraculously,he and his cottage had survived every Hurricane that had crossed his path. 37to be exact.

So, when 38 arrived, Max had no idea that itwould be the one to take his life.

…so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.

It was late in the day and the clouds hadbeen rolling in since mid-afternoon. Feeling the coming tropical storm in hisbones, Max began the process of nailing two-by-fours across his windows. “If Istart now,” he thought, “I can be done and enjoying supper by 6:00.” Hammeringthe last nail into his wooden home at about 5:30, he chuckled to himself as heloved to be early. What else did he have to do?

Preparing his meal took no time at all:opening the can of soup, putting it on the stove and cutting and buttering hisbread took less time combined than waiting for the soup to boil. As he waitedfor the steam and bubbles, he located his water supply, gathered up hisflashlights, candles and matches, took mental stock of his Hurricane prep-list,and set his table.

Max sat for dinner precisely at 6:00 and ashe bowed his head in prayer, he caught a glimpse of the time, smiled once more,and took his first bite.

It was at this time that he heard the firstclap of thunder. The pitter-patter of rain on his roof soon followed. Paying itlittle attention, Max dunked his bread in his soup, softening and flavoring it,before bringing it to his mouth. The broth tasted salty, which was a nicecomplement to the tartness of the sourdough-rye he was using tonight. Max wasso entranced in his meal that he didn’t even flinch as the powerful windspelted the cottage with rain.

Finishing his meal, Max got up to peak outsideat the storm’s wrath. As he squinted through a small slit in the woodencoverings, he saw the tall palm trees bending to the left. Rain fell sidewaysin sheets. The wind howled. His tiny cottage trembled with each thunder strike.Taking this as commonplace he was about to go and clean his dishes from dinnerwhen he noticed Herb and Norma. Cowering behind a tree, Herb tried his best toshield Norma from the storm, spreading his wings and hugging her, exposing hisback to water, twigs and other flying debris.

Max’s eyes immediately fixated on the ducks.From inside of his cottage he began yelling and screaming at them, “Herb!Norma! Go to the shed! Get out of the storm!” As he shouted he pointed at theshed to which he was referring. Located just a stone’s throw from his frontsteps it was only a few feet from the Herb and Norma’s sheltering tree. Theplace where he kept his gardening tools and other odds and ends, it was builtof concrete, a remnant of the army barracks that at one point was housed on thisvery plot of land. It was sturdier than his cottage.

Max went on encouraging his duckling friendsfor a few minutes, experimenting with different tones, volume levels and evenwords. Realizing his attempts to communicate were in vain, Max brainstormed someother possibilities.

He ran and retrieved a flashlight. As he hadmany from which to choose, Max selected the most powerful beam in his reserve.Given to him by Sheriff Briggs, Max new it was strong enough to cut through therain and reach his web-footed friends. Opening a window, Max hammered out oneof the wooden planks. “It will weaken my defenses a bit,” Max considered, “butit’s the only way I can get this light to them.”

Turning on the flashlight, Max shot its beamsonto Herb. Jiggling it a bit, he then traced the path from the ducks into theshed. Herb must have thought ill of this light as instead of it leading he andhis bride to safety, it caused him to leap into the air, only to get thrownback to the earth by the fierce winds. Herb lay motionless to the right ofNorma, who began to burrow deeper into the ground.

Max’s heart dropped into his stomach. It wasa pain that he had not felt in quite some time. Thinking out loud, he sighed,“I have to save them. I have to savethem, but I will have to get closer to do so.”

Max stood in front of his front door longenough to check his body for the necessary rain gear. Boots, pants, coat, hood,glasses. “Well, I can’t cover myself in any more plastic and rubber,” hejudged. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, reached for the doorknob andopened the door.

He was immediately struck by wind and rain.Stumbling back a bit, he leaned forward, stepped out onto his porch and closedthe door behind him. Moving as quickly as his old body would allow, he dartedin the direction of Herb and Norma. As he got closer, he called their names,“Herb! Norma! It’s Max! I’m hear to save you!” The roar of the rain bouncingoff of his waterproof hat and hood muffled the sound of his own voice. Hescrambled through the mud and water, inching closer to his friends. Drawingcloser he bent down to scoop up Herb. “Norma is at least behind the tree,”Max’s mind raced. “I need to get Herb out of this rain.”

As he stooped down, Max slipped on an exposedtree root. He tumbled to the ground, the left side of his body taking most ofthe impact. Water seeped under his rain gear. He felt his clothes underneathbegin to dampen. He rolled over and reached for Herb. His hand brushed Herb’swing, causing Herb to once again spring to life, furiously flapping his wingsand honking. Max tried to chase after Herb. “Herb, I’m trying to save you!” Maxyelled. “Please, go into the shed!”

Bringing himself up onto his knees, Max triedevery conceivable hand motion and gesture. He tried calling out like a duck,cupping his cold and wet hands over his mouth and buzzing into his balled upfists. This only caused Herb to stir even more, squawking and getting tossedaround by the winds.

Max got up and moved toward Norma, bracinghimself on the trunk of the tree to steady his attempt at retrieving her. Sheflew out of his grasp, staying close to the ground as she fled. Max ran afterher. He was growing tired. His heart was beating rapidly and it felt like it wasabout to erupt. He staggered. He gripped his chest.

A moment before Max’s heart gave out, hethought to himself, “If only I could become a duck, I could communicate to themand lead them to safety. If only I could become one of them…”

Conceptions

2011-12-08T19:35:00.001-08:00

What can Maryteach us about how to prepare for Christmas?

Okay, thatquestion sounds entirely too simple, entirely too superficial. What can Jesus’mother teach us about Him? I’m sure that she could teach us everything we everwanted to know. There is probably not a person in the history of the World thathas known Jesus better. So, to ask, “What can Mary teach us about how toprepare for Christmas?” is like asking what Aaron Rodgers could teach us aboutthrowing a spiral, or what Mozart could teach us about playing the piano. Thequestion just doesn’t seem to do justice to the vast knowledge owned by theexpert we are asking.

Nonetheless, whatcan Mary teach us about how to prepare for Christmas?

First, she canteach us about how we are respond to God’s question about whether or not wehave a place for him in our lives: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Mayit be done to me according to your word.” We are foolish to think that God’splan for us will bring us anything but our heart’s greatest desire. Whether itis to become a missionary, doctor, social worker, behavioral therapist, ormother, we must be open to God’s call for us when it comes. And, for as scaryas what He asks of us might be, we need to accept it with grace and confidence,“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to yourword” or in the words of St. Ignatius, “In all of this may I place my life in your hands. Lord, I am yours.Make of me what you will.”

When God calls us, let us have the graceand confidence to accept the fulfillment of our heart’s greatest desire.

Second, Mary can teach us thatpreparing for Christmas takes much longer than 25 days or from the day afterThanksgiving or even the day after Halloween (as Big Business would have usbelieve). The funny part is that Big Business, despite its misguided reasonsfor doing so, actually has a better concept of how we are to prepare forChristmas than most devoted Christians do. But, if we were to get it right, wewould start preparing for Christmas on March 25- the Feast of the Annunciation.Mary’s preparation began the day that she was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”.When we think of the many changes that a pregnant woman undergoes from thebeginning of her pregnancy until giving birth, we come to realize the many waysthat we should prepare for Christ’s coming. We should prepare Him room. Weshould take care of ourselves and get our affairs in order prior to His birth. In light of today's Feast of the Immaculate Conception, our preparation extends beyond 9 months; our entire lives must be spent in preparation for the God's call. Like Mary, we were conceived for a special purpose.

Preparing for Christ to come into ourlives should completely change our lives – our habits, our bodies, our thoughts, our desires – everything.And, this preparation takes much more than four weeks. It takes a lifetime.

Third, Mary can teach us that when wesay yes to God’s call and we make room for Him in our lives, that He will bewith us for much longer than just Christmas morning. Jesus doesn’t pass intoand out of our lives throughout the course of Christmas Eve night. He doesn’tvisit us once a year. Despite all that He does bring us, His focus isn’t onwhat He brings us, but on what we will bring to Him and to others. Much likethe difference between a wedding and marriage, raising a baby has a much deeperlevel of responsibility than does giving birth to one. Accepting baby Jesusinto our lives requires of us a commitment, a dedication, a loyalty that wewill put Him above all else. Carrying out God's mission for our lives involves much more than merely signing the contract.

If the preparation takes a lifetime,living with Jesus after accepting Him into our lives takes...well, it takes us into eternity.

In all of the hustle and bustle of this season be courageous enough to conceive of some new ways to prepare for Christ's coming. Be courageous enough to follow your heart's greatest desire. Be courageous enough to allow God to tell you what that is. Be courageous enough to accept the purpose for which you were conceived.

Be like Mary.

Light

2011-12-05T16:58:00.001-08:00

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do himhomage"...Then Herod called the magisecretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for thechild. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do himhomage.” After their audiencewith the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at itsrising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the childwas. They were overjoyed at seeingthe star, and on entering the house they sawthe child with Mary his mother and paid him homage.

-Matthew 2: 1-2, 7-11

No matter how dark the darkness, light always overcomes it.The moment a candle is lighted, or a light switch is turned on, lightimmediately overtakes the darkness. Even from great distances, the tiniestlight can be seen.

In fact, it is light that allows us to see at all. Withoutit, we would live in a world of darkness.

Light gives things color. Without anything to be absorbed and/or reflected back to our eyes, all would be black.

Light is whatgives life to plants. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants convertcarbon dioxide into oxygen. Light, along with water and other nutrients, is oneof the foods necessary in order for a plant to survive. Because of thisproduction of oxygen, light is also life giving to us as well.

Light increases our levels of Vitamin D, which makes ushappier. In places that get less sunshine than the Sunshine State, people areactually prescribed light therapy to help combat depression.

From what our Gospel reading tells us, Jesus is connected toa light- specifically a star. In John’s Gospel (8:12), Jesus Himself says, “I am the light of the world.Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus allows us to see rightfrom wrong.

He gives our lives color- giving it a meaning and/or purpose thatit would otherwise lack without Him.

He gives us life.

He makes us happier.

Heis truly our Light.

As our days continue to getfilled with more darkness, as we wait during this Advent Season for Christ to come on Christmas morning,let us focus on His Light. The Light from the Advent Wreath, that will getbrighter with each passing week as Christ’s coming inches closer. The Lightfrom our houses and Christmas trees, decorated to help us prepare for ChristmasDay.

Let these lights that are signs of Christmas remind us ofChrist’s Light that can come into our lives when we, like the wise men, seekHim out and pay Him homage.

The Catholic School Advantage

2011-11-14T10:11:00.001-08:00

QUESTIONS: Why choose a Catholic school? Why pay for education from a Catholic Schhol when you can get it for free?

ANSWER: The Catholic School advantage.

With the economy still in the dumps, there must be some benefit in order for it to be worthwhile. The benefit must go beyond the inclusion of a religion class throughout the course of the day; students can attend faith formation classes for free on the weekends. It must go beyond having the ability to accept and deny students based on academics and behavior (and in turn have fewer problems and higher achieving students).

"And so, now as in the past, the Catholic school must be able to speak for itself effectively and convincingly. It is not merely a question of adaptation, but of missionary thrust, the fundamental duty to evangelize, to go towards men and women wherever they are, so that they may receive the gift of salvation" (The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, n. 3).

The Catholic School must have at its foundation an obligation to evangelize. It must charge itself with producing lifelong believers and future citizens of heaven.

"Its (the Catholic School's) task is fundamentally a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life: the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through the subjects taught, in the light of the Gospel; the second in the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian" (The Catholic School, n. 37).

The Catholic School must weave Jesus into all aspects of the curriculum and school culture. It must put the subjects and concepts taught in the light of the Gospel, and ensure that students are not just made smarter, but that they are also made better.

In a sense, the Catholic School must be able to produce productive citizens- people who can and do contribute in a positive way to their society. Ancient theologians argued that a good Christian made for a good citizen. Current research corroborates this:

A Harvard University study conducted in 2000 (Campbell, p. 25) reported that Catholic School students performed better than other students on the three basic objectives of civic education: the capacity for civic engagement (e.g. voluntary community service), political knowledge (e.g. learning and using civic skills), and political tolerance (e.g. respect for opinions different from their own).

The longer that students spend in Catholic school's the greater the spiritual and academic benefits:

Catholic Schools are still the most effective means of forming adult Catholics that are active in their parish. 43% of those who had more than 8 years of Catholic School attended Mass every week (Greeley, p. 250).

If a student spends 8 years or more in a Catholic School, the advantage is higher math, reading and vocabulary scores (Sander, p. 545).

Catholic School students are happier than their public school counterparts. They are healthier. They have a more benign view of their fellow humans. They are more accepting of people of different viewpoints. They are more generous in giving back to the Church, donating over $750 million dollars annually (Greeley, p. 260 - 261).
Even here in our own state, a 2009-10 analysis of students who qualify for Step Up for Students, Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program, shows that students in Catholic schools outperform their public school peers that they left behind. Catholic Schools can educate students better and for less than ½ of the money that it costs public schools to educate students.

Put simply, there isn't just a Catholic School advantage, there are Catholic School advantages.

Any questions?

Works Cited

Campbell, David. “Making Democratic Education Work: Schools, Social Capital, and Civic Education” (paper presented at the Conference on Charter Schools, Vouchers, and Public Education, March 2000), 25ff.

Congregation for Catholic Education. “The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium.” Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice, Vol. 2, No. 1: 4 – 14.

Greeley, Andrew. 1989. “My Research on Catholic Schools.” Chicago Studies, Vol. 28, No. 3: 245 – 263.

Sander, William. 1996. “Catholic Grade Schools and Academic Achievement.” The Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Summer, 1996): 540 – 548.

Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, The Catholic School (Washington, DC: USCC, 1977).

Kick the Tires

2011-10-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

Incarnation Catholic School (and probably many schools across the Diocese of St. Petersburg and even the United States) just finished the first quarter of its 2011 - 12 school year. The ending of one quarter and the pending beginning of the next is a good time to reevaluate a teacher's or school's policies, procedures, expectations, and even philosophy. It is a good time to tighten anything that grew loose over the past 9 weeks. It is a good time to "kick the tires".

A month ago, I wouldn't have been able to use this phrase. For anyone unsure of its meaning, it will be revealed in a few moments. For now, let me relate how I came upon this expression.

At a recent in-service a vendor who was pitching a product (and sponsoring lunch!) said that since his company's product boasts customer service, in Spanish, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he makes a point to wake up on Christmas morning, call the help line, and utter "Feliz Navidad" to the unwitting operator answering his call. He said it's his way to "kick the tires", as a way to ensure that his company is living up to the ideals it professes.

His presentation and the lunch his company sponsored were equally impressive. He was a good salesman; but not that good. Despite not purchasing his company's product, this phrase stuck with me. First, I love the imagery. I picture a beat up car on a dusty road and I can almost feel my foot bouncing off the front driver's side tire. Not that I know anything about cars, but I imagine this being a final step (after filling the tank, checking the oil and doing other such car maintenance tasks) before climbing back into the vehicle to continue on my travels.

Second, much like the first time my Uncle Dave asked me if I was "feeling froggy" and if so told me to "go ahead and leap", I was amused by this expression and intrigued by the fact that I had never heard this figurative expression used before. Contextually, I understood the way he included it in his presentation. But to be sure, I googled it: Doing research before making an investment and To make a quick, superficial inspection of something, were two of the definitions upon which I stumbled. Then, I found the etymology: since tires on early automobiles were often made with cheap and/or thin rubber, "kicking the tires" was an easy way to test not only the thickness but also the tire's ability to hold and retain air. "Kicking the tires" would quickly reveal an inferior product.

Third, I respected this gentleman for putting his own product to the test. We could fill volumes with the number of companies that promised one thing and then produced something very contradictory. Few business or organizations or even people behave in such a way that they consistently do what they say they'll do.

Of course, no company or person is perfect. But rare are those who follow through with what they say they'll do with some regularity. No organization entirely lives its mission, no person holds onto his/her convictions without stumbling. Unfortunately, though, few even try or care that they fall short.

Jesus called such people Pharisees. Today we label them hypocrites. We are all of us guilty of being less than perfect. We can, though, continually improve.

We can "kick the tires" and discover chinks in our armor. Doing so exposes our weaknesses and challenges us to make changes. Neither of these is pleasant. Both are essential as both people and Catholic Schools.

Kick your tires. Ask someone else to kick them for you and with you. Don't kick somebody else's unless you've been asked in turn. Worry about the plank in your own tire and not the splinter in another's.

Ask the questions, "Why do we do that?" or, "Why do we do that in that way?" Put behaviors, policies, procedures, actions in terms of your mission and scrutinize whether or not they help you to fulfill it. Analyze areas where you are saying one thing but doing something that sends an entirely different message (educators know this as the null curriculum).

Never accept "we've always done it that way" or "I've always done it that way" as sufficient enough reason to continue to do something.

Take the biggest obstacle keeping you from being the person or institution God has created you to be and throw it out the window. Then ask yourself, "Now what?" Maybe that obstacle wasn't the thing keeping you from being your best self. Maybe you and your reluctance to change are.

Check your ego at the door and start allowing God's spirit to mold you and shape you into what He wills. Invite God to give you and/or your school a tune-up. Allow Him to fill you with air if you're flat, patch you if you've been punctured or make a change if you need a new part. Let Him do it now so that when He calls at a time like Christmas morning to kick His tires (us!), we can answer, say "Feliz Navidad", and pass Inspection.

Differentiated

2011-10-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Emily and Elizabeth visited our public library for story time. While I have not had the opportunity to attend, it has been described to me as songs, stories, and a free sharing of and playing with toys. At this most recent visit, Elizabeth climbed onto the lap of another mother who was holding her 10 month old daughter (Elizabeth is 11 months old). Seeing Elizabeth infringe upon her territory, this little girl quipped, "Uh oh!"

As Emily related to me this episode as well as other words spoken by this prodigy, I responded like any parent- why can't my daughter, 30 days this girl's elder, talk with clarity? What are we not doing? Reading to her enough? Speaking to her and not just about her? Doing things for her instead of teaching her and/or letting her figure it out herself? Luckily, my feelings of concern quickly fleeted. The educator in me rationalized with my inner-parent: every child progresses at different paces.

This story time-mate can use interjection in appropriate contexts but may not yet be able to stand, wave or make a complete mess of her bedroom by unshelving and opening every book she owns. Everyone is inherently different. Thank God for that! All created in His image and likeness, we were also created as unique and special persons. As such, we all have varying gifts, talents, weaknesses and shortcomings. Thank God for that, too!

With this in mind, the dynamics of having 20-30 individuals, each with their own unique gifts and talents, in the same classroom presents various challenges to meeting the needs of all of those individuals within that classroom. Known in education as differentiated instruction, teachers are charged with meeting each student where they are and helping them to progress. It starts by shifting to a student-centered classroom (as opposed to the traditional teacher-centered ones). From there, delivering the content so that it makes sense to and has meaning for students trumps teaching in the method, style or pace most suited for the teacher. Covering material is out the window in differentiated instruction. Sitting in its place is student learning. Student learning, not teacher teaching, should be the focus of any classroom trying to do more than just educate those students in the middle of the ability spectrum within a classroom.

As one would imagine, differentiating instruction successfully is extremely difficult. Most teachers aim for the middle of the famous "bell curve", figuring this strategy and pacing will allow them to educate a good percentage of students. This is hardly blameworthy. A majority of students get a best fit education. Meteorologists cannot boast a higher success rate. Major League Baseball players make millions of dollars if they can be productive at a much lower rate.

But, when it comes to education, specifically Catholic education, a majority isn't good enough. The top tiered students will become bored. The lower end frustrated. Both extremes disillusioned.

Bottom line: unacceptable.

Catholic social teaching promotes the dignity of all persons. As Catholics we respect and honor human life from conception to its natural end. Jesus challenges us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal those who are hurting. Go and make disciples of all the nations. Jesus even gives us the parable about the vineyard workers getting hired at different times but receiving the same wage (Mt. 20:1-16a). Fair doesn't mean equal. Every student in our classrooms deserves our time, attention, talent and love.

A staple in special education classrooms, differentiated instruction involves open ended assignments, tailoring instruction to meet the specific needs of all students, allowing different groups of students within the same classroom to be at slightly different stages, and even activating multiple intelligences. Luckily, general and even Catholic education classrooms have taken to this approach. Educators have come to realize that this is just good teaching because it promotes good learning. The student becomes the focus and the center of the educational effort. The teacher employs different strategies to reach each student. Instead of students adapting to a teacher's style, teachers differentiate to meet the varying needs of each and every student.

Good teachers will get a majority of the students in their classroom to succeed. Outstanding teachers will design ways to engage the highest and lowest performing students as well.

The difference is something that makes a world of difference, especially to the kids on either end of the spectrum: differentiated instruction.

Resilience

2011-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

For the past three months, I have waged war on the ants living around, on, and unfortunately in my house. Figuring I could win this battle without the help of trained professionals (by no means is the problem an infestation- we'd find a stray ant inside the house here or there- but lots outside working like mad to find breaches in our house's security), I sprayed these pests on a weekly basis. I even went so far as to plug up tiny cracks and holes in the house's joints and corners with new caulk. Despite my onslaught of chemicals and my attempts to reinforce my house's barriers, the ants always seemed to come back.

As such, Emily had an exterminator on the premises this past week. Even though my bug fighting and killing experience and repertoire of strategies pales in comparison to this expert, I'm starting to think that the ants are just too resilient to be defeated.

Or maybe just too numerous- ants are everywhere. Their army seems to have an unlimited supply of troops. I hope that our extreme measure proves to be successful; the grittiness of my lilliputian nemeses, though, is impressive enough to instill doubt. After all, ants can carry more than five times their body weight. I would be lucky to still be able to lift 1.5 times my own. And, even though we called for reinforcements, my team is greatly outnumbered.

In brainstorming possible ways to hold the line, I started to develop a rivalry-esque respect for my six legged opponents. Their unwavering determination and will astounded me. The more I tried to keep them at bay, the faster and more numerous they seemed to grow. I can just imagine them clenching their mouths, rolling up their sleeves, digging their heels into the ground, maybe even spitting once or twice and yelling to each other, "Is this the worst this guy has to offer? Bring it!"

In personifying these insects and identifying a soft spot in my heart for them, I also reflected on the importance of this character trait in not only students but also teachers. Resiliency, determination, grit. Our pampered, fast-food, instant gratification lifestyles have massaged any toughness right out of us. For those who have faced difficulty, there's likely a law, diagnosis (and corresponding medication), talk show, or watered down educational/accountability system that can offer these "victims" easy relief. Not a way out of the difficulty, just a way to make it not as rough.

Without pressure and heat, there would be no such things as a diamond. Iron is made into steel by removing impurities through extreme heat. Sometimes a plant must be pruned back before it can fully blossom.

One of the most important lessons we can teach our students and one of the most important character traits we should foster and develop is resiliency. How to weather a storm. How to work hard to overcome a difficulty. How to roll up their sleeves and say to a classmate, "Is this the worst this guy has to offer? Bring it!"

To build resiliency in students we push them. Challenge them. We hold them accountable for academics and behavior. We deal with them in fair and consistent ways. Most importantly, we model it. We follow through on everything. We mean what we say and say what we mean. We push ourselves to overcome challenges and difficulties. We ensure our preparedness and professionalism. We believe that every student can be reached, taught and improved.

Timothy Daly of the New Teacher Project puts it in these terms, "At the end of day it's the mindset that teachers need- a kind of relentless approach to the problem," This approach can, under any set of circumstances, ensure student success.

Angela Lee Duckworth, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, argues, "Those who initially scored high for 'grit'- defined as perseverance and a passion for long-term goals, and measured using a short multiple choice test-- were 31% more likely than their less gritty peers to spur academic growth in their students" (www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching).

So, then the question becomes, "How do you create resilient teachers?" Unfortunately, it's harder to do with adults than children. The approach is the same, though. Push, challenge, follow through, hold them accountable, be fair, be consistent, model it.

Teachers, like ants, are impressively strong creatures. Able to do so much more than carry five times their "body weight", a resilient teacher will guarantee that all students thrive. A resilient teacher will develop resilient students. Resilient students will be able to do...just about anything.

Heroic

2011-08-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2010, Subaru launched a clever ad campaign tauting the 2011 "Mediocrity". The Mission Statement of this understated way of getting people's attention includes:

"Each and every day, we strive for predictability, unoriginality and no frills utilitarianism for all of your transportation needs. The 2011 Mediocrity will get you from A to B without anybody ever noticing, and that's a good thing" (for more, click here: Mediocrity).

One of their non-commercials states, "Instead of breaking the mold, we went down and found those pieces from that mold, and we put it back together."

Of course, Subaru is playing with us. No one would actually want a car like that- so we are intrigued enough to go in search of one of their models. Average? Ordinary? Middle of the road? Commonplace? Good enough?

How many of us woke up this morning and thought, "I want to be an average _____________ today. I don't really want to make a difference or be noticed"? Fill in the blank with husband, son, principal, father, student, brother, mother, janitor, banker, chef, whatever. No one would actually hope to be mediocre.

Similarly, there isn't a student sitting in their seats this school year thinking, "I hope that in June I have all C's!" Hopefully, there isn't also a teacher standing in the front of a classroom musing, "If I can just reach the students in the middle this year, that would be a success!" The dawn of a new year yields an optimism and positivity that this year will be different. The promise of a new teacher, perhaps a new schedule, even a new school, or a new roster of students (or at the very least a new set of school supplies!) also gives us a new confidence that this will be the year that we do all of our homework or study for multiple nights before a test/quiz, complete our lesson plans before they are due to be checked, make the tough phone calls, and the positive ones, too.

This may last until around September or even through the first round of tests or possibly the end of the first quarter. And as the monotony of the daily grind replaces the life-giving hope of the first few days and weeks, we start to give in to this spirit of mediocrity. We start to settle for good enough. We start to believe that a C is about the best I'll get anyways. We buy into the trap that some students are lazy or too far behind for me to help. We become afraid.

This fear keeps us a long way from reaching our heavenly call. St. Paul tells Timothy, "God did not give you a spirit of fear, but one of POWER, LOVE and SELF-CONTROL" (2 Timothy 1:7). Even the Psalmist writes, "I praise you because I am WONDERFULLY made" (Psalm 139:14). Jesus Himself tells us, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). A far cry from average, ordinary or even mediocre.

We were made in God's image and likeness and if we are to believe our God is all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, than we, too, must tap into this royalty. We were made for so much more than middle of the road. We were made for heaven.

So, this year, instead of just being good enough, why not be heroic? If anything stirs inside of you as you read this, it is the Spirit tugging at your heart the same why He did when you were young (or younger). It is God awakening your passion for Him within your heart. If your breath is getting faster, or heart beating more quickly or if you find yourself becoming energized (which is rather presumptuous of me!), go with it. Be the parent you once were and always wanted to be. Be the teacher you set out to be when you first stood in front of a group of students. Be the student who takes ownership of his/her learning and make this the year that puts you back on the path to becoming who God created you to be.

Powerful.

Loving.

Disciplined.

Wonderful.

Heroic.

His.

It's a Mold that can't be broken.

Relevance

2011-08-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bands of all-time is (or was, as I don't think they're still together) Hootie and the Blowfish. Hootie's was the first rock concert I ever attended. I have all of their albums. I even have Darius Rucker's solo rhythm and blues attempt, which was solo in another way, too- it was his only one.

But, to remain relevant, Darius Rucker evolved. Taking a risk, Darius launched a country music career in 2008. For those of you who don't know, Darius Rucker is African-American. Furthermore, very few African-Americans have vertured into the world of country music; even fewer have found success there. Prior to Darius reaching #1 on the country charts in September of 2008, the last African-American to accomplish this feat was Charley Pride in 1983, 25 years before. Growing up in South Carolina, Darius was no stranger to country music. A singer with a soulful voice, his evolution into country music was not as far of a leap as some may think. But, it was definitely a leap, and one that enabled Darius Rucker to remain "bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand" (from Dictionary.com). Hootie and the Blowfish is no longer relevant. Darius Rucker is.

As Catholic Educators, are we connected with the matter in hand? Do we have direct bearing upon what is pertinent, important, timely? Have we appropriately evolved? Or, do we still teach, solely, from behind a podium? Do we punish entire classes for the misdeeds of a small few? Are we autocratic or authoritative? Are we educating students for success in our world or theirs? Is our educational approach relevant?

As Catholic Educators, the beauty of the message of the Gospel is that it is timeless. It is always relevant, always pertinent. Our Catholic Church is a wonderful example of staying relevant while still maintaining a rich tradition. Its roots continue to get deeper so that its branches can continue to grow taller. The Vatican has a YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican. The Pope even has a Twitter account, "tweeting" on February 8: "I invite Christians, with an informed & responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible" (from http://twitter.com/#!/PopeBenedictXIV). On November 27, the American Church will put to use the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, harkening to a more direct translation between the prayers used during the Celebration of the Eucharist and the Scripture upon which they are based. The Catholic Church is staying relevant while maintaining its firm foundation.

As Catholic Schools we must use our creativity to stay relevant. We must enlist the help of our parents, corporations and businesses. We must find ways to use state and federal money to our advantage. We must capitalize on scholarship money and grants. We must seek out the most up to date research on planning, instruction and assessment and weave it into our style of teaching. We must market. We must plan. We must teach in such a way that the Catholic Church remains relevant for another 2,000 years. We must be better than the educational offerings at public, private or even other denominational schools. We must evangelize.

Every aspect of our schools must show the relevance between the subject matters we teach and the only Subject that really matters- Jesus.

Every aspect including our blogs...

Proof

2011-07-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth can stand. Not quite cruising yet (which, for all of my readers who are not parents, means that a child walks with the support of his/her hands on objects such as a couch or coffee table), Elizabeth is able to pull herself up on just about anything a few inches off the ground; she can also crawl at the speed of some small animals. This, in turn, has caused me and Emily to do a bit of "baby-proofing" around our house. Shoes have to be put in the closet. Food and sharp utensils cannot be kept even with body-length/reach. The TV is kept off between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Doors of rooms "off-limits" are permanently closed. In a lot of ways, the house is more "adult-proof" than "baby-proof".

My heightened sense of anxiety because of Elizabeth's heightened abilities of mobility has perpetuated a reflection on the word "proof".

It has multiple meanings. A noun, verb and adjective, the word means everything from evidence, to a trial copy, to resistant and the activation of yeast.

Proofing was mentioned in last week's Gospel: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (Matthew 13: 32 - 33). Part of Jesus' long list of parables, proofing - or the activation of yeast - is a concept that recurs throughout the Bible, but mostly in a negative way. But, as Jesus often does, he reverses the commonly held perception of yeast and gives it lasting power. We think of proofing dough and its connotation to how we should view the Kingdom of God in a positive way. Bread that doesn't rise or expand, even in our carb conscious culture, is typically not a good thing (especially if it is supposed to). Prior to Jesus's use of the concept, yeast was seen as something that would take over dough, similar to the way that sin can take over every aspect of our lives. Expanding and rising in intensity, even a little sin can lead us into a downward spiral.

Jesus's use of the idea is proof that we are called to rise and expand. We are to become activated, quickened, elevated, and in being so enlivened - leavened - we should be able to do the same for others.

Educators within Catholic Schools should be this key ingredient in the recipe for our students' learning. Inspiring the pursuit of greater and deeper knowledge should be coupled with an equally intense search for spiritual development. The two of these combined should leaven us out of our school doors to make the world a better place. We shouldn't just be bread for the world, we must also be the yeast that makes the bread possible.

So, we must provide a different type of proof as well. We must be the proof, or evidence, that the Kingdom of God truly exists. Called to establish His Kingdom here on Earth in the hopes of inheriting a piece of it in eternity, we must behave in such a way that our very lives cause others to consider the fact that there is not only a benevolent God, but that this God passionately desires an intimate relationship with us. We must be the proof (n.):

1. The evidence or argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true
2. The convincing or persuasive demonstration
3. The determination of the quality of something by testing (definitions via: The Free Dictionary)

of such a God.

How do we offer up such proof? With the same ingredient that proves we are Christians and that mom's cooking really is the best: love.

Cultivation

2011-07-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

Void of both teachers and students for the past month and at the tail end of a two week vacation with my family, I have enjoyed taking a greater role in the "home schooling" of our daughter (she's 8 months old). Present for more naps, block staking and knocking over, movements, attempts at speaking, baths and new foods, I have come to a greater appreciation for single parents and/or parents who are essentially single for any reason such as a spouse serving oversees.

I've taught in classrooms of close to 30 students. I ran a High School athletic program. I just completed my first year as Principal in a school of over 30 personnel and 340 students. I should be able to handle just one, right?

But, as any teacher who is also a parent (and many parents/people who think that anyone with even a high school education can teach) would attest: parenting is an entirely different and entirely more important type of education.

Unfortunately, I would venture to say that our American society does not share my high regard for parenting. Case in point, upon a recent trip to the Post Office with Elizabeth, my wife Emily found herself last in a very long line. The next customer after Emily and Elizabeth was a middle-aged woman with only her parcels in tow. As the line slowly inched forward, and Emily managed both Elizabeth and our packages to mail, the woman said to my wife:

You know, I may be from what you would call a third world country, but there pregnant women and women with children would never wait in a line such as this. In my country, you would be considered sacred.

Now, I understand that the "I hate Casey Anthony" Facebook Page was the fastest growing page last week but does our reverence for the vocation of parenthood extend any further than hitting the "Like" button?

Are mothers in America sacred?

The Catholic Church does not shy from its stance on the importance of parents:

Parents and those who take their place are bound by the obligation and possess the right of educating their offspring. Catholic parents also have the duty and right of choosing those means and institutions through which they can provide more suitably for the Catholic education of their children, according to local circumstances (Can. 793.1).

Furthermore, the Church promotes the family as the primary avenue of the propagation of the faith. Blessed John Paul the Great wrote in his Letter to Families:

Certainly one area in which the family has an irreplaceable role is that of religious education, which enables the family to grow as a "domestic church". Religious education and the catechesis of children make the family a true subject of evangelization and the apostolate within the Church. We are speaking of a right intrinsically linked to the principle of religious liberty. Families, and more specifically parents, are free to choose for their children a particular kind of religious and moral education consonant with their own convictions. Even when they entrust these responsibilities to ecclesiastical institutions or to schools administered by religious personnel, their educational presence ought to continue to be constant and active (16).

Children should learn about Jesus from their parents. This faith should be supported by participation in the Church, not the sole place it is supplied.

Parents are not just important. They are the most important part of Catholic education.

But, how many Catholics have even read this letter? Or, how many, regardless of whether or not this letter was read, even believe that parents and the family play such an integral role in the development of children?

Plato wrote, "A society cultivates whatever is honored there."

Do we honor children? How about families?

Hospitals in America view women in labor as patients. Is giving birth a sickness? Cereal companies, knowing the huge childhood obesity problem in our country, often list sugar or one of its many aliases, as the second most bountiful ingredient- which is okay because they're made with whole grains! Advertisers, regardless of the product, keep in mind our children and strive for brand recognition and loyalty. Television, even "kid-friendly" programs, often contain objectionable material.

But, sex sells, and in a society where money is honored, money is in turn cultivated...at the expense of our children.

ABC News supposedly paid Casey Anthony $200,000.00 for exclusive rights to videos and pictures of her story. Chances are also good that at some point, she will capitalize from this infamy.

Kate (of "Plus 8" fame), sans John, still gets paid for offering up the lives of her children, even though it already cost her her marriage.

Even teachers cultivate money as opposed to children. Despite attempts in many school districts across the country to base teacher salaries on performance, most public systems allow tenured teachers- many of who are burnt out or at best antiquated- to keep their high paying positions regardless of their inadequacy.

Money is honored here and we think that just because we hate Casey Anthony that we can claim to care about and cultivate our kids.

That's like planting a garden in the shade, watering it sparingly with Coke, giving it a shot of Miracle Grow and expecting it to yield a bountiful harvest.

As Catholic educators (teachers and/or parents), we must approach each child we encounter as the sacred gifts that they are. We must realize that (and I've included this before) as teachers we do not "write on inanimate material but on the very spirits of human beings."

In honoring our children, we must do much more than press a "Like" button to voice our displeasure at a bad parent, or add some Miracle Grow to make up for our deficiencies. We must spend less time cultivating our money trees and more time giving some TLC to another abstract arbor: our family trees.

Crawling

2011-06-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

On the Thursday prior to Father's Day, upon returning home from work I walked in the front door and Elizabeth, with a huge smile on her face (exposing her two little bottom teeth!), came crawling toward me! The stress of the day immediately melted away, I put my bags down, got down on the floor with her and gave her a gigantic huge and kiss. While I received Father's Day presents on that Sunday, this momentous event would be my favorite. My little girl, so excited to see her Daddy, came crawling to me. And I, in turn, forgot everything else and met my daughter with unabashed joy.

Over the course of that weekend, as well as the past week, I reflected again and again on this occurrence. I thought about how incredible it is that Elizabeth, who can't speak or even move gracefully and with coordination, can express her emotions so clearly. What's more is that I'm even more impressed with her displays of happiness than sadness. She is so excited to see me or Emily. She'll smile. Shake. Squeak. And now come to us- the object of her desire.

Am I so quick to let others know that I love them? As teachers, do we show such emotion toward our students? What about their parents? What about our colleagues?

Another part of my reflection focused on the importance of fatherhood, and in turn parenthood and teacherhood. Elizabeth crawled to me. She'll also follow Emily and me if we move from a room with Elizabeth to a room without her. She'll make noises or movements in the same fashion (somewhat) and motion (again, somewhat) as what we model.

St. John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian order (who devote themselves to working, primarily in schools, with the young and the poor) in one of his famous dreams, recounts the story of the monkeys. To paraphrase his tale, a man wanders into a forest and falls asleep. As he sleeps, a group of monkeys sneak into his campsite and take all of the hats that he has packed. Upon waking in the morning, the man is astonished to see a cadre of monkeys donning his hats. Outraged, he yells and screams for them to give him back his hats. They, in turn, make loud noises. The man then proceeds to jump up and down in frustration. The monkeys do the same. Finally, out of desperation and resignation that his hats are gone forever, the man takes off his hat and throws it to the ground, sits down and pities himself. His reserve of hats then comes showering down upon him.

The Old Testament figure Judith preaches to the rulers of the people of Bethulia, saying, "Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kinsmen. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us" (Judith 8:24). As parents and teachers, it is imperative that we set an example for our kinsmen/children/students. Their lives truly depend on us- their salvation rests with us.

Makes you think twice about cursing or even showing frustration in front of a kid, right?

Finally, Elizabeth's first time crawling toward me, her earthly father, made me think of how many times in my life I have gone crawling back to my Heavenly Father hoping to be reconciled with Him. Like the prodigal son, I am humbled, especially considering the example I am called to set for both my own daughter and all of those students entrusted to my care at Incarnation, thinking of Elizabeth crawling toward me.

She makes me want to crawl faster, and more often, back to Him. With the strength of the Eucharist and the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I know that I have the tools, if I would just use them, to be the type of dad Elizabeth needs me to be.

She may be the one learning how to move, but in many ways, I am the one who's crawling...

A Year of Possibility

2011-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

This past Friday marked the unofficial end of the 2010 - 11 school year, my first as Principal at Incarnation Catholic School in Tampa, FL. While we were finished with students on June 3rd, and teachers only worked on the clock until the 7th, we hosted a Math workshop June 10 for ICS Math teachers. As it was outside of their 190 paid work days, it was not compulsory. Well attended, though, it was.

While not a rousing end to a banner year, it did signal the hope, promise and expectation shared by myself and our teachers about the year ahead. They could have very easily stayed at home and started their summer break. As a school, we could have let the government money used to sponsor this workshop roll back into the hands of bureaucrats.

Championships, however, are won in the off-season.

Very much a forward thinker, I seldom look back to the past with either nostalgia or regret. What does the future hold? How can I bring it to fruition? Do other possibilities exist? How can I open myself to see beyond even these avenues and welcome that which is from God?

Very much introspective, reflective and prayerful, I tend to spend much time prior to making a decision in thought, reflection and prayer. Doing so allows me to put the outcome of such decisions in the hands of God and rarely spend time in regret. Rarely do I even reminisce. Trust that I'm doing, in a human and imperfect way, what God wants me to do. Pray that He gives me the strength to do it. Keep trying.

But, look to the future. At the very least, focus on the present moment in such an intimate way so as to live in harmony with the only time there is. "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow..." Fleetwood Mac sings, "...don't you look back."

And I typically don't. I loved it when Elizabeth would fall asleep on my chest. I loved being able to sprint and play sports that require quick changes of direction. I even loved being an Assistant Principal. Instead of longing for these pieces of my past, though, and what I no longer have, I choose to focus on what is still to come. The glass isn't just half full, the other half is coming.

But, within a span of 48 hours last week, the first year of my principalship ended, my wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary (the best 4 years of my life-- and they just keep getting better!), and one of the most influential people in my life outside of my immediate family and my wife died: Coach Ron Alexander, my wrestling coach at Benedicting High School. "Coach Al" as he was affectionately and respectfully known, taught me so much about not only what it means to be a man of faith ("Cheese and crackers, Michael! What in the ham sandwich are you doing?"-- never once did I ever hear Coach Al swear and he would NEVER use the Lord's name in vain), but also what kind of man I wanted to be. Humble, hardworking, generous, kind, Coach Al made Christ incarnate to me. In me Coach Al saw what few others did, including myself. I'd like to think that he saw me as He sees me. Coach Al challenged me. He encouraged me. He supported me. He loved me.

My retrospection continues. As I thought about the past year, I thought back to that pivotal year half of my life ago. I was 16 and had made the transition from the hard court (basketball) to the grunt and grind of the mat (wrestling). My reasons for quitting just about the only thing I ever quit were numerous. What I learned that year echoes in my mind as I reflect on the many events and lessons of this past one.

Reinvention. The differences between basketball and wrestling are many. Prior to my first day at wrestling practice I thought that I was a good athlete. After that first day of getting twisted into more shapes than a box of rejected pretzels, and being completely exhausted, I realized I had very little endurance, little functional strength and absolutely no idea how to wrestle. I lost 8 matches prior to finally winning one, which, according to Coach Al, was much quicker than even he had expected. I had an enormous drive to learn an entirely new sport (prior to joining the team I had never even seen a wrestling match that didn't start with a W and involve foreign objects), fueled mostly by my desire to please Coach Alexander. I would spend time after practice working on the move covered that day at practice. I would pride myself on running our mile or two-mile warm-up as fast as possible. Climbing a rope once, turned into doing all four of my climbs consecutively. I had to reinvent myself as an athlete and as a person. Thanks to Coach Al, I didn't have to do it alone.

16 years later, I became a first time principal and father within a year. I also had major knee surgery, altering my once-typical workout routine. Reinvention once again, and again, and again.

Risk-taking. As a junior in high school, I took a risk to begin a new sport dominated by life-long wrestlers. Thanks to the tutelage of Coach Al, my gamble paid off. Only two years into the sport and I placed third at sectionals. This confidence to attempt new things empowered me to walk-on to the University of Notre Dame's Football team. The risk I took my junior year, though, was juxtaposed to Coach Al's gigantic arms. He was there to pick me up every time I fell. Had he not been my safety net, I'm not sure I would have gained the confidence to try other new endeavors...like becoming a principal.

This past year was filled with many new tasks. Observing and evaluating teachers. Re-aligning a faculty and staff to stay within budget. Adjusting our tuition scale and parish contribution expectation. Starting a Dads Club. Refreshing a website. Reconnecting a Parish to its School. Revitalizing a mission.

Resolve. After each practice we would, without fail, join in prayer together as a team, and repeat after Coach Al, "Victory doesn't always come (repeat) to the stronger, faster, man (repeat). But sooner or later (repeat), the man who wins (repeat), is the man who thinks he can (repeat). We respect everyone (repeat). We fear no one (repeat)." To this day, those chants ring in my ears, my mind, and my heart. 16 years ago, Coach Al nurtured a flame inside of me that has transitioned from a passion for sports into one for Catholic Education, and dedication to my school and team into a loyalty to my wife and daughter.

Coach Al, thank you for planting seeds of life inside of me that have continued to grow and blossom. So much of my life has been affected and influenced by the lessons taught to me that year.

I don't know what life has in store for me. God only knows the stories I'll be able to tell a year from now, or even 16 years from now.

But, I do know that no matter where I am or what I'll be doing, Coach Al will have, as he has for the past 16 years, played a part.

Thank you, Coach Al. I hope to see you again someday.

Failure is an Option

2011-05-30T18:53:00.001-07:00

A commercial from the 1990s displayed NBA legend Michael Jordan narrating all of his stats. But, instead of mentioning his NBA Championships, MVP Awards, Scoring Titles, and All-Star accolades, Jordan rattles off the number of shots he has missed, the number of games he has lost, the number of times he was trusted to take a game winning shot and missed and how failure was a neccesary ingredient in his success.

A very interesting and humbling perspective, even from Air Jordan himself. Somehow, and I know I sound incredibly old in saying this, I can not imagine many of today's starts declaring their shortcomings so openly. I'd even go so far as to say that even Nike no longer wants to tell any of its athletes who they should be or how they should behave...right?

Regardless of the current state of professional athletics (compared to the "Golden Age" of my childhood), Jordan's philosophy on the importance of failure resonated with me back as a teenager and remains with me today. As an educator, I see that a willingness to fail is a trait found in good learners. As the father of a 7 month old daughter, I see this philosophy lived out every day.

With eating under her belt, Elizabeth has shifted her focus to crawling. Able to creep, Elizabeth has not yet mastered the art of moving forward on all fours. Belly flops, rolls, tangled legs and incessant rocking followed by screams and wails have all been a part of her learning-how-to-crawl process. She's close, and will probably be crawling soon, but she probably just needs to fail a few more times so she can figure it out.

In addition to education taking time and effort (see the May 15 post), it also takes a willingness to fail, and in turn, failure itself. So, as educators, we must couple holding students accountable to high academic and moral statnds with loving support, nurturing and care. Right now, Elizabeth has a curiosity and love for exploration that is truly inspiring. She also has a determined spirit, and at this point a blind courage. Failure to eat, crawl or find her pacificer at night (even multiple pacifiers that have been strategically sprinkled in her crib) has not deterred her from trying.

Hopefully, this love for learning and her willingness to take risks will continue into toddler-hood, childhood, adolesence and beyond. Whether it is an unwavering self-confidence or an iron will, the older we get the less likely we are to tackle new challenges. For most of us, at some point in our lives we start to believe the lies of the one who wishes to keep us from becoming who God created us to be. You're not smart enough. You're not pretty/handsome enough. Savvy, strong, well-rounded, disciplined, healthy enough. You're too young. Too old. You're not good enough.

You are a sinner.

And so we stop trying. We stop challenging ourselves and growing. Maybe (and unfortunately) teachers, parents or even friends have reinforced these negative feelings. Maybe the pain of a particular failure, rejection or loss was too deep and the support needed to overcome it too shallow.

And in no longer trying we no longer fail and in turn gain control over the pain. We never have to worry about living down to the disappointment of missing a game winning shot if we always pass to another player, stay on the bench, watch it from the stands or critique it the next day at the water cooler. Playing it safe means we never fail.

It is encumbent upon Catholic educators to kindle the flame inherent in each of us for greatness. We must handle this light with extreme care and caution. The USCCB's Council for Catholic Education states (1998), "Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man's most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material but on the very spirits of human beings. The personal relations between teacher and student, therefore, assume an enormous importance."

Catholic educators, approach every day and every student knowing that you affect eternity.

The World already has too many wandering people with extinquished flames.

It has too many people so afraid of failing that they never even try.

It has too many would be saints wallowing in the mud figuring there's no point in getting up- they'll just fall again anyways.

What it needs is more failures, more people who realize that in order to be successful failure is an option.

It's just not the only option.

Get Dirty- You May Just Learn Something

2011-05-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is currently learning how to eat. Starting on her 6th month birthday with rice cereal, we spent the first week watching the food get shoved into her mouth only to have it ooze back out. More would end up on her face, hands, bib, and us than in her belly.

Sensing the need to introduce something more exotic with which to tantalize her taste buds, Emily and I turned to the delectable pea to improve Elizabeth's gastronomic chances. And, for the ensuing week we noticed a change- the color of the food on her face, hands, bib and us.

According to one of the many baby books lining our shelves and being read by my wife, it takes an average of 15 tries before an infant will truly like or dislike a certain food. So, on we pressed. Also recognizing that Elizabeth was fighting two battles, the taste and the technique, we were not discouraged by our collective lack of success. We were just green, literally and figuratively.

And then, after what was our 5th attempt at peas, Elizabeth grabbed the spoon, guided it into her mouth, took the peas off of said spoon, kept said peas in her mouth...and swallowed! Multiple times! Even though our success last Thursday was coupled with an icky face (it's incredible that they are innate) and a few small convulsions, Elizabeth ate just about the entire serving.

As I reflected on how proud I was, I also noticed two educational lessons emerge:
1. Education takes time.
2. Education takes effort.

First, Elizabeth didn't just start eating the first time we tried. Although she had expressed a sincere interest in all things related to food for the past three months, she had absolutely no idea what to do. Despite modeling the proper technique and eating both rice cereal and peas to show her how easily it can be accomplished, it took- and will continue to take- countless times for Elizabeth to actually perfect this technique. Her progression over the course of the past two weeks went something like this:
1. Food being forced into her open mouth and spilling back out.
2. Food being forced into her open mouth via spoon, yet ending up all over via her spitting it back out. Touching the food with her hands and moving her head and closing her mouth so as to stay cereal and pea-free.
3. Elizabeth grabbing for the spoon and guiding the contents all over the kitchen. Wrestling the spoon away from the hand feeding her and using the spoon as a conductor's baton.
4. Elizabeth guiding the spoon into her mouth and the swallowing!

Many, if not all, academic pursuits follow a similar pattern. We don't read sentences, paragraphs, books or even words before we recognize letters and know their many and varied sounds. We can't multiply until we can add. We don't run until we first walk. The expert in anything was once a beginner, and the progression from the former to the latter takes time.

It also takes effort. Education takes a willingness to roll up your sleeves (or don your bib) and get dirty. Education inherently involves mistakes, errors and failures. We test out new concepts, we compare them to ones we've already come to understand. When learning to ride a bike we fall and scrape our elbows and knees. When learning anything we suffer through (if we are to learn it) analogous bumps and bruises and pea-covered clothes. Education is messy and that's okay.

The writing process exemplifies these two educational ingredients: time and effort. Not only does the process and its steps require time, they also demand effort. Even as I've penned this (and yes, I still do some pre-writing planning and organization and even some first drafts by hand) I've made numerous revisions and edits, cross-outs and carrots. Prior to even putting an idea on paper, though, I engaged in thinking and planning. The finished product before you on the screen is similar to, but yet different from, what would be considered my first draft. If it weren't for the mess of my edits and rewrites this final draft would be littered with misspellings (my nimble fingers like to type the as "teh"), split infinitives and even run-on sentences and fragments (actually, I've used a good number of fragments in this blog- sorry). These edits and revisions take time and effort. Sometimes, especially if maximum time and effort are spent, the final draft is completely different than the first. Usually, if not always, this is a good thing and the finished product was time and energy well spent.

Recognizing these two essential components to education can also help us to recognize that learning perseverance and hard work is far more valuable than learning a particular skill or concept. In fact, learning how to roll-up your sleeves and buckle-up for a long, dirty haul can help us to learn just about anything...

...even how to get peas out of clothing.

A Comfort Level With Being Uncomfortable

2011-04-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

If you are wearing a watch while reading this, stop for a moment and put it on your other wrist.

If your wrists are void of a timepiece, try operating your mouse or touch screen with your non-dominant hand.

Or, simply interlock your fingers with both hands. Now, continue reading this post but stagger your digits in the other direction (if your rights ended up on top of your lefts, switch your grip so that the lefts are on top).

Feel weird? Uncomfortable? Maybe even annoying?

Being creatures of habit and routine, we do not like it when the world we had once come to expect and accept is thrown off (even with something as trivial as the writs on which we wear our watches).

However, it is the nature of all education that old knowledge is surpassed by new. The familiar is disregarded for the foreign. The comfortable forsaken for the uncharted. All new knowledge is the product of putting our once held beliefs to the test and either retaining or adjusting them.

Education depends on this state of instability.

I see it every day in Elizabeth. New discoveries. New talents. New noises. Her world is in a constant state of flux.

Imagine education from this perspective. We take our prior knowledge and to it either add new knowledge or change our former way of thinking based on this new phenomenon. Not all four legged animals are dogs? Some things, like apples, are to be eaten, while others, like blocks and toes, shouldn't go in my mouth? In math, we are going to solve for a letter that's on the wrong side of the equal sign? America wasn't always the greatest and most powerful country in the world? Bad things can happen to good people? The Earth isn't flat? It's not the center of the universe either?

Imagine how basic and elementary our lives would be if we were unwilling to live in this state of discomfort in order to grow to new knowledge.

So, the saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks has more to do with attitude than aptitude. At some point in our lives, many of us grow tired of changing and feeling uncomfortable. The ever changing world of our childhood settles down, becomes a bit more predictable and we become set in our ways. When it comes to "old dogs", it's not that we can't learn something new, it's that we don't want to.

As Catholic educators, the current Easter season should teach us a bit about the educational process. Call it the greatest twist ever- the apostles find the tomb empty.

What?

Even for Jesus' closest companions, this was a hard lesson to learn. While I'm sure they were completely overjoyed because Jesus rose from the dead, they were most likely in various states of disbelief. Imagine their unease, their anxiousness, their discomfort. Even for people who had witnessed all sorts of miracles, including Lazarus coming back from the dead, walking, talking, eating, and being with a "Resurrected" person must have been unnerving.

Someone must have stolen the body. Maybe we have the wrong tomb. Someone is playing a trick on us. We're hallucinating. Dreaming. Dead ourselves.

Jesus is dead (old knowledge). Correction: Jesus was dead (new knowledge).

Talk about a paradigm shift. Thomas offers the greatest insight into this unrest caused by the Resurrection. Show me your wounds. Let me touch them. Prove to me that it is You, Jesus. Is Thomas that different from a student grappling with a new concept? Explain it to me again. Give me another example. Let me try it myself. I'm willing to accept that what you're teaching me is true, but I need to experience it for myself.

There is a discomfort involved with education. There is also an element of risk.

Let us keep our comfort with being uncomfortable. In turn, let us keep this fire alive in our students. Let us continue to give them the confidence to do that which they don't think is possible-- perform in a talent show, learn algebra, try out for a team, stand up for what is right, become the person God created them to be.

If we nurture this spirit in our students, we must keep own candles burning. Let it never be said of Catholic educators of any age that we're too old, or too unwilling, to learn new tricks.

Expect to be surprised. Be open and willing to change. Try something new. Learn something new. Become the educator that God created you to be.

There would be no Church if the disciples were unwilling to accept that a dead Man could defeat death. Similarly, there can be no education unless we have a comfort level with being uncomfortable.

Thank God for this Friday

2011-04-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

No event in the history of the world makes a stronger argument for the connection among our minds, bodies and souls than Jesus' Way of the Cross, commemorated today on Good Friday.

His excruciating walk up to the top of Golgatha to be crucified after what was a long and painful night and morning of whipping, hitting, mockery, scourging, and abuse was somewhat common for the brutal, vicious, and volience-oriented society in which Jesus lived.

Uncommon was Jesus' physical strength to make it all the way to the top of the hill, endure the nails piercing his hands and feet and the time he spent hanging from the cross. This wasn't the death of Superman, with the ability to fly, heat vision and cold breath. Jesus was not superhuman; He was fully human. Therefore, His ability to endure this amount of pain and torture was the product of an intimate and most perfectly balanced connection among His mind, body and soul.

Scientists speculate that many would have been so weakened after His brutal torture that they would have been unable to carry their cross. Jesus Himself falls three times on His way up and Simon of Cyrene is pressed into helping Jesus carry the cross. But He makes it.

Furthermore, the intensity of the nails piercing His skin, especially in the places where they were supposedly driven (think about how sensitive your hands and feet are) would have been another instance where most humans would have either passed out or passed into death. Jesus, however, endures.

Finally, though, His body does succumb to death.

But, this Via Dolorosa gives us insight on how to overcome both the desires and weakness of our flesh and the tricks and lies of our minds: faith. Jesus believed He was following God's will. Similar to when an athlete, beyond the point of exhaustion, manages to find the endurance to sprint across the finish line, allowing our spirit to break through both our minds and our bodies can allow for the spirit to enter the world and in doing so, allow for the miraculous.

A soldier facing an enemy to ensure freedom. A student standing up to a bully to fight for a classmate being picked on. A surgeon working for hours to save a patient. A janitor brightening more than just the floors and bathrooms to include people's days. A woman in labor giving birth to her newborn child. All of these entail the spirit breaking through both the mind and body in such a way that something miraculous occurs.

When we follow our purpose, and focus on it with a spiritual hunger, we can overcome our physical limitations ("I'm just one person, what can I do?"), or our mental ones ("Everyone will think I'm crazy," "I'll be made fun of," "I'm so afraid of what will happen to me," etc.).

We call Jesus, "The Way," because He Himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). And we call Him this because He came to show us the way-- to live, to die, to, if we follow Him all the way up to the cross, conquer death.

"Follow me," He says (Mark 1:17 and Matthew 4:19). Not just during the miracles. Not just during the good times. Not just during your triumphs, joys and successes. I can't promise that this life with Me will be easy, just worth it.

Jesus, we thank you for giving us this example of how to balance our minds, bodies and souls. We thank you for loving us to the point of death. We thank you for this Friday.

For, without this Friday, Sunday would be just another day of the week and our lives would be nothing more than time spent here on Earth.

Thank you, Jesus.

The Heart of the Matter

2011-04-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

"If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1 - 3).

To continue with my topic (don't worry, I won't bore you to sleep by talking about...) of the connection among our minds, bodies and souls, I thought a good place to start was with this famous passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Oftentimes, our minds can work better when we've taken care of our bodies. But, without the concurrent development of our souls/spirits, we run the risk of being vain and/or arrogant. Become too healthy and vanity and pride can consume us. Become too intelligent and arrogance and superiority can overrun us.

To paraphrase St. Paul, "If I am beyond smart and know all there is to know about everything, but have not grown spiritually, I am just a bunch of hot air. Likewise, if I can bench press any object and move my body in any direction at any moment, but have not taken care of my spirit, than I am as useful as a solar powered flashlight."

Our spirit/soul/heart must be the starting point. It must be the focus. Start with the spiritual, or at least allow it to rule the other two aspects of our being, and our minds and bodies become tools, implements, instruments, weapons for the good and not our own selfish gain.

Not all are called to a cloistered life. Similarly, most of us are not mystics. Too much of an emphasis on the spiritual life can lead to zealous righteousness or contemplative bliss. While a lifestyle completely wrapped in prayer has its merit, most of us are called to live out our faith intelligently. In other words, we must act. We must act because of love. We must act out of love in effective, efficient, and intelligent ways.

Therefore, we must take care of the bodies given to us as spirit vessels. Likewise, we must develop our minds so that we can do the most good for the most possible. Finally, we must grow in faith so that we can come to understand God's will for us and carry it out to the best of our abilities.

All three parts working together. Dependent and reliant upon each other. Interconnected and intertwined. Inseparable.

Three parts in one person.

Made, intelligently and with great love, in the image and likeness of our Creator.

Hit the Snooze: Sleep, Continued

2011-04-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

My recent obsession with and lack of sleep continues. This reached an all-time new height this past weekend, when Emily and I got a good chuckle...okay, a belly aching laugh, out of a passage from Richard Ferber's (M.D.) famous book, "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems". Talking about the dangers of negative sleep associations (such as being rocked to sleep or held and then, once asleep, placed in a crib), Dr. Ferber writes:

Now imagine this person, instead of just taking your pillow, actually moves you from your bed to another room, without waking you. Every night you go to sleep in your bed with everything just as you like it, only to wake after your first sleep cycle on, say the floor of the living room. Unless you're an exceptionally tolerant sleeper, you won't even try to go back to sleep right there; you will get up and head back to your bedroom...Once you calm down, you will fall back asleep-- but some ninety minutes later you'll wake up again on the living room floor and again locked out of your bedroom...Soon you might be resisting sleep in hopes of identifying the person who keeps moving you; in other words, you might have trouble falling asleep even in your own bed because you know that you'll be moved once you fall asleep. If that happened to you every night, you would not be very happy. (Ferber 66-67)

Not very happy, indeed, but extremely funny.

Right?

Right?

And, on top of having a 5 month old who we are trying to teach how to fall asleep on her own, the NCAA Championship game starts at 9:23 p.m. EST.

Snooze button users of the world, unite.

Go ahead, and hit it. Not only will you get a few precious moments of shut eye, you'll also have a sense of control over the dreaded wake-up call, "You can't tell me it's time to get up, Alarm Clock, you vile fiend!"

But, snoozing, unless it's for a significant amount of time in between snoozes, does little to help us feel more well rested.

Before proceeding, a confession: I use/abuse (is there a difference for snoozers?) the snooze button. And, as mentioned in a previous blog, I do not get enough sleep. This is not necessarily a result of becoming a parent, though. I've always been a lousy sleeper. Elizabeth has merely compounded, not caused, my sleep deficiency.

Another point of clarification before proceeding: Despite my posturing last blog, I fully understand and appreciate the importance of sleep, not just for a newborn, infant, toddler, child, teenager, or adult but every person. What's more is that Elizabeth does get a good amount of sleep throughout the course of the day; it just doesn't all come at night. Her trouble sleeping at night and "through the night" are things that Emily and I are very concerned about, for our own sakes if not just for hers.

As a self-professed "athlete" (even though I don't regularly participate in competitive sports anymore), I firmly understand the connection between our bodies and our minds and among those two and our souls. Our minds don't function well when we've filled our bodies with too much sugar, fat, caffeine, or when we deprive our bodies of certain vitamins and minerals, water or sleep. Our minds function even more poorly when with additions or subtractions that are even worse than those listed above.

I must confess again (Lent is a penitential season, after all): even though I watch what I eat, I strive for moderation as opposed to obsession. Therefore, my diet is not void of sweets, fried food or an overabundance of peanuts, peanut butter and cereal. I love to eat; I just try to moderate my intake and maintain a healthy balance of different types of foods.

The 2004 documentary, "Supersize Me", brought to our country's and world's attention the dangers of unhealthy eating. Attempting to eat nothing but McDonald's fare for 3 meals a day for 30 days, Morgan Spurlock, the movie's director and guinea pig, (SPOILER ALERT) is advised by day 21 to stop the diet due to the health complications it caused.

Knowing the importance to our overall health, Catholic Schools should pay attention to what students are eating- not only in the cafeteria but also in the classrooms during class parties and celebrations. As an administrator, it is frustrating to deal with disciplinary problems that result from a school provided sugar-high and subsequent crash (the interruption to instructional time is another issue/frustration).

I believe that if students ate healthier, more well balanced diets, their performance in school would increase.

Likewise, I believe that exercise is another key ingredient in this recipe for academic and behavioral success. Play 60 is a campaign by the frozen NFL encouraging kids to get a total of at least 60 minutes of moderate exercise every day. Just as with eating, the benefits to such a lifestyle are not limited to children.

Finally, getting adequate sleep is another staple in this formula. Growing up, my grandmother would always say that my brother, sister and I (and all children) grow while we sleep. I'm uncertain as to whether this hypothesis was ever validated or not, but it makes sense that we'd function with greater efficiency if we were more well rested. I know I'm a better husband, father, principal, friend and man when I get more than 6 hours of sleep at night.

While it may seem overly holistic and simplistic, I wonder how many academic and behavioral problems could be avoided and/or corrected if we watched our diets, got regular exercise and even acquired the recommended allotment of sleep.

I also wonder if it's okay if we start all of these things tomorrow?

Call it a day-long snooze.

Sleeping Through the Night

2011-03-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

The topic of sleep is abundant throughout Lent. The disciples sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane while Jesus prayed for the strength to carry out His Father's will for Him, and my habit of going to bed early on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday to stave off hunger pangs are two examples.

Okay...they may be the only two examples.

But, as I have mentioned in a previous blog, I have come to accept sleep as a luxury instead of a necessity. I think about the disciples falling asleep and deserting Jesus in His moment of need and I come to realize that maybe sleep is overrated. I also come to realize that my lack of sleep has made me somewhat obsessed with it as a topic.

And why shouldn't I? To my daughter, Elizabeth, sleep is just about the most important part of her life-- and not because she's a good sleeper. No, the reality of the importance of sleep is made evident by the question most frequently asked to parents of a 4 and 1/2 month old:

"Is she sleeping through the night?"

This question is followed by what may be the 2nd and 3rd most common questions asked to new parents:

"How many naps does she take?" and "Is she a good sleeper?"

Sadly, my answers to these three sleep-centered questions would be: no, many but for extremely short durations, and no. In my estimation, whoever coined the phrase "sleeping like a baby" was a fool. I've never walked on so many pins and needles in my life.

I realize that my honesty with Elizabeth's inability to get quality, night-long sleep will bring a plethora of sound, proven advice on the many remedies at mine and Emily's disposal. Let her cry. Feed her food. Give her water. Don't let her sleep during the day. Don't give her a pacifier. Give her a pacifier. Establish a routine. Keep her room warm. Keep her room cold. Keep her room dark. Keep her room bright. Play music. Play static noise. Be silent. Rock her. Leave her. Cover her up. Swaddle her.

Basically, there are as many ways to get a baby to sleep as there are babies.

On the other hand, I am the proud parent of a baby who doesn't "sleep like a baby." She's already displaying her exceptional nature.

Nothing seems as much of a rite of passage/measuring stick of not only Elizabeth's journey from newborn to night-sleeper but our abilities as parents as this "sleeping through the night" phenomenon. Elizabeth is somewhere in infant cyber-sleep on this continuum. Emily and I must similarly be lost in sleep.

To all who ask this question of new parents, I politely retort (and vow never to ask this of new parents):

1. How many hours constitute the night?

2. What is one's definition of sleep?

3. Does "through" involve a potty break/change, early morning (er, I mean late "night") snack or merely the completion of one sleep cycle?

It seems that until more definition is given to this vague requirement of sleeping through the night, a below average score for either Elizabeth or Emily and I is unfair.

The world of education calls this listing of requirements/criteria by which one is evaluated a rubric and it is an essential yet, sadly, rarely used part of the educational process. Too often students receive assignments and eventually grades without any idea as to what is expected (see my retort above) or how they'll be graded (i.e. 4 straight hours of sleep = 10 points; 3 hours = 5 points; less than 3 = 0 points).

In addition, a rubric should reflect the important concepts/objectives behind the assignment. For example, what does "sleeping through the night" have to do with child development? Of course it is an important facet of Elizabeth's growth and progress (it has to be, right?) but why is it given more merit than rolling over, holding up her head, following noises, making noises or grabbing things with her hands (all things Elizabeth can do, by the way). So, not only should a rubric help to identify point values it should also identify areas of importance based on those values.

If you have a worksheet with 10 items and assign it a value of 10 points and yet deduct a point for each item that is spelled incorrectly, you've actually just given a spelling grade instead of the subject or concept behind the misspelled words. Things like neatness and spelling have merit and should be given weight, but the concepts behind such attention to detail should be given more and be heavier. Otherwise, the grade that is assigned is for something other than the skill being addressed.

Sleep is important, but should it be given a heftier point value than focused gazes, following and mimicking sounds or fine motor skills?

As Catholic educators we must ensure we are doing more than just getting our students to sleep through the night. We must get them to define night, compare it to day, articulate the connotation and relationship between night and darkness, list out the stages of the cycle of sleep, summarize the benefits of sleep, classify behaviors during sleep into the different stages of the sleep cycle, and even evaluate the conditions conducive to sleeping.

As you can see, teachers must first identify the objectives behind classroom activities before telling students to complete an assignment. If these objectives are specific, student-centered and measurable, they can help to form the rubric by which the students will be assessed.

Teachers must be purposeful in not only their planning and instruction but also their assessment/evaluation. Answering the question "how" when it comes to an assignment is powerful. Answering the question "why", though, is magical. Both are vitally important when it comes to evaluation.

Strategies abound for how to get Elizabeth to sleep. Less evident is why such shut-eye through the night, whatever that means, is important.

Teachers, it's time to wake up and no longer keep our students in the dark when it comes to how and why we'll assess them.

Even if darkness is conducive to sleeping.

The Sound of Silence

2011-03-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

One of my football coaches in college, Kirk Doll, would constantly say to our linebacker group, "It doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish that matters." Coach Doll would say this to emphasize that no matter how well we may have started during a particular play or game, was not nearly as important as where or how we ended up on a particular play.

Examples of this abound in the world of athletics. Michael Phelps came from behind to claim gold from Milorad Cavic in the 100m butterfly during the 2008 Olympics. Behind for the entire race, Phelps out touched Cavic by 1/100 of a second.

Leon Lett went down in sports' infamy when in the 1993 Superbowl a hustling Don Beebe stripped the ball from Lett's hands moments before what should have been an easy fumble return for a touchdown.

During the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Reggie Miller single handedly score 8 points in the closing 16.4 seconds of a game for a victory over the Knicks.

The same thing is true in life, too. A baby chick is so much more attractive than an egg; a butterfly more visually stunning and graceful than a caterpillar; riding a two wheel bicycle is so much more liberating that a tricycle.

There is truth to this in the spiritual realm as well. Consider the examples of Peter and Paul. Peter, a liar and a coward, and Paul, a mercenary killing members of the very group that he would later join and lead, were used by Jesus to establish the Church after Jesus' Ascension into Heaven.

Truly, it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish that matters.

Even take Jesus as another example. Prior to spending 40 days in the desert, the time observed during Lent, Jesus was reluctant to fulfill the prophecies claiming His Royal Priesthood. After this 40 day fast and spiritual wrestling match with the devil, Jesus emerges prepared to be the Messiah-- teaching, preaching, performing miracles, saving us from our sins.

This liturgical season of Lent is a time for Christians to literally "turn" back to Jesus. Receiving ashes on our foreheads during the Celebration of the Eucharist on Ash Wednesday, we are told to, "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." Jesus hopes that through the season of Lent we will be better on Easter than we were on Ash Wednesday.

Jesus is telling us, "It doesn't matter how you may have started, it's how you finish that matters."

Lent is a time to strip away some or all of the distractions that keep us from Christ. It is a time to simplify our lives. It is a time to go hungry, as Jesus did, so that we can recognize our spiritual hunger for God.

It is a time for us to enter our own desert. Some place where it is just God and us. Some time when and some place where nothing else is happening, except listening to God’s voice.

There will be many desert experiences throughout our lives. Some, like each Lenten journey, will be self-imposed through an increase on our own parts in prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Others, like the death of a loved one, or a disappointment in trying out for a team and being cut, or not getting a job, or having our affection for another rejected will transpire unexpectedly.

But, it is precisely during these desert experiences that God is speaking loudest to us. C.S. Lewis writes, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

God will use those desert experiences, if we let him, to speak to us. It will be His opportunity to shout to us- to hit us over the head with what we should be doing and how we should be acting. But, He lets us make the first move. He’s waiting for us in the desert. He went there and met the devil. We enter our deserts and meet Christ.

He’s there ready to speak to us; are we silent enough to listen?

Family Matters

2011-03-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

I draft this blog thousands of feet in the air traveling from Cleveland back to Tampa. Last night, Sunday March 6, my aforementioned brother, Joe (the one who is tattooed for Jesus) was inducted into the Cleveland Benedictine High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Arriving in Cleveland late Saturday night, that night and Sunday night were the first nights spent away from my daughter Elizabeth and the first nights spent away from my wife Emily since the birth of our child.

To say that I wasn't excited about the prospect of sleeping uninterrupted through the night would be a lie. Equally false would be if I said that I actually got such sweet slumber. In her four short months of life, Elizabeth has changed my sleeping patterns-- I was up every two or three hours anyways. On top of my inability to sleep through the night, I missed both Emily and Elizabeth fiercely.

But, this ceremony honoring my brother and a handful of other Benedictine alums, despite the personal and financial sacrifice, was not an event I was willing to miss.

Because to the Zelenkas, family matters.

In fact, in his acceptance speech, Joe linked the importance and connection between the Benedictine family and that of our own. First, my brother thanked our Mom and Dad; Mary, our sister; his wife and kids, Rebekah, Ben and Grace; our Uncle Dave (our Father's brother); and me. Citing the love and support offered to him throughout his life by these close family members, Joe recognized the important role his family has played in his many successes.

Second, Joe highlighted the fact that five Zelenka men have walked the hallways of Benedictine. Our father, Robert; his older brother, Joe; and his younger brother, Dave, all attended Benedictine prior to our 2nd generation attendance in '94 (Joe) and '97 (me). In addition to our attendance as students, our Uncle Dave worked for many years in the school and the adjoining St. Andrew Abbey as its Cafeteria Manager and Caterer.

Our family's many layered connection to Benedictine is not an exception to this historic school. Many students bear the legacies of their fathers, grandfathers, and I'm sure even great- or great-great- grandfathers. Multiple Men of Benedictine return to their Alma Mater to teach, coach and work in Administration at the place they called home for the years of their high school careers. The Benedictine Monks of St. Andrew Abbey bridge many of these generational gaps and offer an institutional history and stability akin to the familial pillars provided by our forefathers and mothers. My father and I had at least one teacher in common. I know that my he and my brother shared a few more. Again, to be connected to Benedictine in multiple ways is the norm, not the exception.

Because to the Men of Benedictine, family matters.

But, this atmosphere of family is possible because of more than just Benedictine High School's age. There is a spirit, an aura, a palpable soul at Benedictine made manifest by the charism of St. Benedict, the founder of the order: Ora et Labora, translated as Prayer and Work.

Every day, every class, every lunch period and even every practice begins with a prayer. Mass is celebrated as a school and by teams before every sporting event. The Rosary is prayed on the bus to away games. Players visit the campus's grotto before and after games and practices.

This reliance on prayer is coupled with an emphasis on hard work. Whether it be studies, extra-curriculars, or spiritual growth, a strong work ethic is modeled, encouraged and honored.

This coupling leads to the cultivation of a community. Our prayer is by nature communal. Our work is more fruitful when done in communion with others. Praying with others before beginning the work in which we will all partake is the leavening agent needed to rise from a school to a community and from a community into the heights of a family.

Any Catholic School worth its salt will have combined ingredients in a similar way so as to create its own unique, family atmosphere. Combining its traditions with prayer and hard work focuses the efforts of the whole in a unified direction. The school community then begins to love and support each other (students, teachers, parents-- everyone) in the same way that a family does.

It is said that a family that prays together stays together. I'd venture to add to this cliche and put it in terms of Catholic Education: the school community that prays together can become a family and the school family that prays for each other can come to realize that what truly matters is each other.

A Crucifix in Every Classroom Does Not a Catholic School Make

2011-02-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

Prior to getting a tattoo of a cross on his arm, my brother told me that he wanted one because he wanted to be marked as God's own. In the same way that currency belongs to the country whose image it bears, my brother wanted all to know that he belonged to God. A bit much for me and my pristine skin, but I appreciated the zeal with which my brother approached this evangelizing body art. To my brother's credit, marking his body with a symbol of his faith in Jesus Christ was much more than a decision made in haste; he is one of the most faith-filled and Christ-like people I know.

But not all people are as consistent on both the outside and inside. Take a wedding ring that means little more than a commitment made until bored with you I become, or a cross/crucifix around the neck of actress whose body of work exposes more of her body than it does her work. In these cases, the outward representations of something sacred masks an underlying contradiction. The wedding ring doesn't make you married; a cross around your neck doesn't make you a Christian. A tattoo on your arm is only skin deep.

Images and symbols, though, can remind us of something beyond ourselves and inspire us to fulfill commitments and remain loyal to a person or belief. W.W.J.D. bracelets populated the arms of high school and college classmates of mine. A few years ago, Livestrong arm bands had to be removed by Bishop McLaughlin football players I coached prior to games. In either case, the message on the strip was supposed to remind its wearer of a commitment to Jesus (What would Jesus do?) or a healthy lifestyle/finding a cure for cancer.

The bracelet doesn't lead you from temptation; the arm band doesn't keep you from smoking.

In the same way, merely including the term Catholic along with the name of a school does not mean that a particular institution of learning espouses the teachings of the Catholic Church. Merely putting a crucifix in every classroom doesn't guarantee that teachers will take the time to pray before class, before lunch, before a test, after a rough day, or to include an intention for a sick family member.

Earlier in February (and yes, I am frantically trying to complete this blog so that I actually have more than one entry in February!), Catholic Schools across the country participated in "Catholic Schools Week" (CSW) a week long celebration of all that is good about Catholic Education in our country. Typically, however, many of the CSW activities included in many schools have little to do with Catholicity, education or Catholic Education. And while I completely appreciate the need to break away from our routine as educators and offer some "non-traditional" days to students, I do not feel that a week during which we are supposed to highlight all that is good about Catholic Education is a good time for the school community to stop doing those things that make us who we are-- offering a quality, academically rigorous education firmly rooted in the foundations of the Catholic Church.

By no means do I feel that ICS cornered the market on Catholic Schools Week activities. Likewise, I do not believe that ICS always lives up to its Catholic title. The faculty, staff, students and parents of Incarnation, though, truly celebrated the best parts of the home of the Irish: Catholic Identity, Academic Excellence, School Spirit, Service, and Community (ICS Catholic Schools Week). We didn't wear pajamas. 8th Graders didn't give candy to, er...I mean "teach" younger classes. Learning still occurred. We participated in the Celebration of the Eucharist and a school wide prayer service. Over 300 bagged lunches were made for local food banks (Student Giving Projects).

Basically, we did exactly what we do every week-- just better. We were more focused on our mission: inspiring life-long learners, challenging each individual to develop spiritually and striving to serve each other and the community. We were more intertwined and closer as a school family. We highlighted achievements. We honored our past. We were, quite simply, our best selves.

A Catholic School, in order to be Catholic, also needs to do more than have a subjectively successful Catholic Schools Week. But, if a crucifix on a wall, or around our necks, or even tattooed on our arms can help to remind us of a life that should be lived in accordance with the meaning behind that symbol, maybe a Catholic Schools Week that truly celebrates a school's Catholicity can help to inspire that school to become even more Catholic.

Maybe a Catholic school becoming even more Catholic can truly prepare its students for the future and teach them that faith must be lived, regardless of any fashion accessories, paintings or wall hangings.

Or even any blogs titled, "Catholic Education."

Appealing to Thirst

2011-02-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

The following is a transcript of my talk given this past weekend at Incarnation Catholic Church Masses to communicate information about the Diocese of St. Petersburg's Annual Pastoral Appeal (http://home.catholicweb.com/dosp_APA/):

As an educator, I consider the Beatitudes to be similar to an assignment description we’d give to students for a big project. Or, they are like a rubric by which we’ll be graded for our life’s work. Put in non-academic terms, think of the Beatitudes as a job description, an evaluation tool, recipe, instructions, or game plan for what God expects of us because of His gift of Salvation.

Do these things, Jesus tells us, and our reward will be great in Heaven. He doesn’t say that we’ll get a rebate in the mail, or that we’ll earn fame, fortune and the esteem of our friends and colleagues. He says that we’ll be rewarded, greatly, in Heaven. Be poor in spirit, mourn, be humble, hunger and thirst for righteousness, be merciful, be a peacemaker, allow yourself to endure persecution and insult and every kind of evil for the sake of justice, and we will be rewarded in Heaven!

And while this entire set of teachings carries get importance, there is one word that strikes a chord within my very soul and poignantly paints the picture of just how passionately we should work toward living out the Beatitudes: thirst. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied. In their verb
forms, both hunger and thirst translate word for word from dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/): “to have a strong desire.” But, and this is the former English teacher coming out in me, if we look at the noun forms of these words, hunger: “a compelling need or desire for food”, and thirst: “the sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by the need for liquid” we notice that hunger can be a desire or craving for Doritos or chocolate or a Whopper even though we just ate, while thirst comes on much more quickly and is a much more basic necessity. So long as we have liquid, we can live for almost 8 weeks without food; however, we can
survive without water for 3 – 5 days at most, especially depending on the weather conditions.

So when Matthew uses the word “thirst” in how we should strive for righteousness, it conjures up the essential need for liquid innate in each of us and informs us that our pursuit of righteousness or any of the tenants of the Beatitudes should be as vital in our day to day lives as our need for water. If the Beatitudes make up the assignment description or rubric or job description than we should be inspired to not just be content with being a good father or an on-time employee or a once a week churchgoer or a recycler but that we should thirst for righteousness everywhere. We should be peacemakers everywhere we go. We should constantly show mercy. Not just on Sundays (or Saturdays) not just during the hour we’re here at church but always. This thirst for righteousness should inspire us, just like real thirst might
send you out to the water fountain, to get out of our pews, to go outside of our
church and home and school and place of employment into the world to make it a
better place. It takes only a few hours without liquid for our mouths to become parched, do we feel the same emptiness after a few hours of not carrying out the Beatitudes?

The Jesuits have a word for this constant striving, for this continual stirring within us to serve God, “Magis,” which means, simply, “more”. They identified it as a spirit that says aim high, even higher than you even think is possible and then work and pray like mad to get it accomplished. It’s a philosophy that says if you’re doing good works, do more. If you’re helping the poor, do what you can to help more. If you’re going to church or praying, go and pray more. Constantly strive for more, but not for
things or possession, but for ways to bring about God’s Kingdom here on Earth.

In our diocese this spirit of thirsting for more or “Magis” is made manifest through the funds generated by the Annual Pastoral Appeal. Thanks to monies collected last year in this appeal across the diocese, 1 million dollars went to Catholic Charities, $300,000 went to Pinellas Hope, $60,000 paid for a bus that doctors and other medical professionals use to go into migrant camps and offer free medical services, 2.3 million dollars paid for the education of a record 33 seminarians’ from our diocese, and close to 1 million dollars when to Catholic Schools across the diocese for not only tuition assistance but also to help subsidize the schools owned and operated by our diocese. The poor are lifted up, the mourning are supported, peace is made,
justice sought after and found—God’s Kingdom is more firmly established because
of the good work accomplished through the ministries and programs Annual Pastoral Appeal funds.

You’ll hear more about this Appeal over the next three weeks, and I’ll leave it to the next three speakers to talk to you about our particular numbers here at Incarnation and making pledges and asking for money. My purpose today was to make you thirsty. To make you realize that you were already thirsty. To make you understand that your cup has room for more it in it and that the small sips of righteousness you’ve been drinking aren’t quenching your thirst for it. To get you to see that you’re thirsty for more.

My purpose today is to plant a thirsty seed that will hopefully get watered the next few weeks and grow and blossom into something beautiful and fruitful.

I pray that if you’ve never given to the appeal that this year you’ll give something; that if you’ve given in the past, you’ll consider giving even more; that if you’ve never prayed for the success of the appeal and the ministries supported by its funds, that this year, even if its just today, that you’ll pray.

In a few moments, through our Celebrant, God will turn our gifts of bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He can do that. He can turn water into wine. He can feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish. He can give sight to the blind. He can make the lame walk. He can make the deaf hear. He can raise the dead.
He can live after dying.

If He can do all of these things, certainly He can take our humble offerings during this year’s appeal and with them do abundantly more, “Magis” than all we could ask or imagine. With just a little more from each one of us, He could, through us and through our diocese, perform miracles.

Thirsty, anyone?

Higher Order Thinking

2011-01-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was humbled and honored to discover that I had been cited by another blogger, Mr. Lou Judd, regarding my work with "Sports and Spirituality", a presentation I gave at 2010's Living Eucharist Initiative in the Diocese of St. Petersburg (SportsLeader). Not only did Mr. Judd include a link for the hour plus audio-visual presentation, he also highlighted the way in which I concluded the presentation. Synthesizing the Olympic motto with our Catholic faith, I challenged listeners (more specifically coaches) to think of Citius, Altius, Fortius-- Faster, Higher, Stronger--not in terms of athletic prowess but rather in terms of how quickly we respond to the needs of others, how elevated our thoughts are (is God a focus or a footnote?), and how we are strengthening ourselves and others to carry out the good work that God has in store for us.

A rather lofty set of goals for coaches and athletes and the world of sports.

A rather lofty set of goals for any of us.

As workers in faith-based, Catholic institutions, our work-- no matter what area-- must move beyond the temporal and touch on the eternal. We must have loftier, higher goals for our students (or athletes, or choir members, etc.) than merely winning games or acing tests. We must ensure that all we do points toward God.

But, success in these earthly endeavors is important. As Catholic educators, we must ensure that we offer a top-notch education to our students in addition to offering them instruction in the Catholic faith. The spiritual is more important, and it's what separates us from our public and private non-denominational colleagues, but we are obligated to uphold standards of academic excellence. Catholic educators must not only make students better, faith-filled people, we must also make them smarter.

Another rather lofty set of goals.

In a concrete way, our teaching must encompass a move from lower to higher order thinking skills. We must educate our students in such a way that they move from very basic skills (defining, identifying, listing) to ones that require a deeper level of understanding (compare/contrast, evaluate, infer, analyze, create).

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom, along with a team of educational psychologists, identified six levels of the cognitive domain (from lowest to highest): knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. His taxonomy was revised in the 90s, and updated names were given for the levels (again from lowest to highest): remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating (click here for more information on Bloom's Taxonomy).

Knowledge at the lower levels is not as firm or intimately known as knowledge applied to one of the higher levels. For example, we may be able to read the word "connotation", define it and even be able to paraphrase or summarize its meaning. But, a deeper understanding of this word is required in order for us to compare it to symbolism, defend the associations we've attached to certain words, or even create a story in which the connotations of words used throughout it help to advance its plot, characterization or theme.

In order to advance from one stage of knowledge to the next, one must pass sequentially through the stages. In other words, in order to analyze, evaluate or create, one must first be able to remember, understand and apply. Therefore, information presented must be broken into manageable chunks and skills must be appropriately scaffolded. Just as we learn to walk before we can run, we must learn simple addition and subtraction before being able to solve word problems using either forms of arithmetic. Similarly, we must look at the steps involved in either addition or subtraction and present them to students in such a way that is logical, sequential and manageable.

To abuse yet another cliche: We eat an elephant by taking one bite at a time.

If we take enough bites we will have eaten the entire thing.

To impart knowledge that is meaningful, useful and enduring we must show students the connection between the ear and the trunk, the tail and the body. We must be able to get students to see the connections between and among their pieces of knowledge if it is to persist years, months, days or even minutes after a test or quiz.

We must get students to make these connections for themselves.

We must get students to leave the caves of lower order thinking and allow them to see the actual objects that had cast the shadows in the recesses of their former captivity.

We must liberate them, in the true sense of a liberal arts education, so that students can use their higher order thinking for some Higher Order working.

Their Deepest Fear; Our Greatest Task

2011-01-10T10:25:00.001-08:00

This pasted Sunday our Church celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The official end of the Christmas Season, this important Feast Day marks the beginning of Jesus's public ministry, His association with our humanity, and His membership in the community of the Kingdom of God.

But, for John the Baptist, it also marked a very important event.

It was the moment that--despite any feelings of inadequacy, shortcomings or low self-esteem--he fulfilled the mission for which he was created. It was as if Jesus asked John the Baptist to take a shot at the buzzer, pitch in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, or kick a game winning field goal. John's response would most likely be ours, too, unless instead of blood we were blessed with ice running through our veins:

"I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" (Mt. 3:14)

Or, in other words, "You want me to do what?"

But Jesus shows a confidence, belief and faith in John that John doesn't have in himself. Jesus, despite being the 'best player on the team', puts the game and its outcome into John's capable, albeit anxious, hands.

"Allow it for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

Or, in other words, "John, you can do it. I know you'll make it."

I apologize if the sports' analogies diminish the magnitude of this event.

In the world of education, this would be the moment that the teacher reveals an utmost confidence in the abilities of a insecure student. It's the moment that the teacher tells a struggling student, "I believe in you. You've worked hard. You've studied. You are going to do such a good job on this assignment."

It's different than being blindly optimistic. It would be foolish to encourage a student knowing that he/she hasn't studied. It does no good to merely blow sunshine toward a student who hasn't adequately prepared or mislead a student without the basic skills needed for success on a particular assignment.

At some level, though, the greatest task of education is to get students to believe in themselves. As Marianne Williamson puts it in her book, A Return to Love,

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

It's easy to be mediocre. It's safe. You'll never fail if you never try anything beyond your suspected abilities. Who was John to baptize Christ? Who are we that God has a similar plan for us?

Marianne continues,

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

As educators, it is our greatest task to get our students to shine brilliantly. Our greatest task is to show students that God has a magnificent plan for them, one that probably stretches them beyond the limits of their own confidence.

Baptize me. Lead my people. Go and sin no more. Become a priest. Open a medical clinic for people in financial distress. Marry her. Be a wonderful father. Go back to Haiti. Pray.

Become the person I created you to be.

But, do not be afraid...for you are My beloved child, for whom I have a wonderful plan and with whom I am well pleased.

The Inspiration of the Incarnation

2011-01-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Having gone through the labor and birth experience somewhat recently gave the Nativity an entirely new meaning for me this year. I've always been amazed by the Incarnation and that fact that our God would become fully human, but having a small baby of my own gave the fragility of this Event a depth I had never experienced before. To think of baby Jesus, completely dependent upon Mary and Joseph for His food, shelter, warmth-- everything-- makes the Incarnation that much more amazing than it already was.

Our God entered humanity in exactly the same way that we all did. And unlike the song "Away in a Manger", Jesus probably did shed an inconsolable tear or two, albeit maybe not at the lowing of a cow. He probably frustrated and confused Mary and Joseph ("He's been fed, changed and burped, what else could He need?"). Mary and Joseph probably had grandiose dreams for their Son, maybe even a Messianic one.

I pledged a long time ago to never be the type of parent who thinks his child(ren) are perfect, but I do understand the immense potential that Elizabeth, and every child and even person, contains. I believe that God has a wonderfully important vocation in His plan for Elizabeth and that realizing it and eventually fulfilling it is the most essential task of her life.

St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (2:10).

God had a plan for Jesus, prepared in advance for Him to do. Similarly, He has a plan for Elizabeth and every child/person, prepared in advance for us. It should be our life's work to figure out what that is and then do it to the best of our abilities.

Essentially, this is the goal of our educational pursuits. Every student/person has been given good work to do in this world. As educators, we should do all that we can to help our students realize all of their potential and carry out the good work in store for them as part of God's plan. It may be too much to think that like Jesus they could forever change the world, but it may limit God's power too much to think otherwise.

The Incarnation is proof of this. It should change all that we do as educators. Christ had to be born to realize His potential and carry out the work God had laid out for Him. Like every child, Christ had to grow, mature and be nurtured in order to realize God's plan for Him and have the strength and conviction to execute it. The baby Jesus, despite being fully divine, could not have saved the world. But, along with Him in the manger laid the potential to do so.

As Catholic educators, let us be inspired by the Incarnation and realize that the good works prepared in advance for us to do may be to help our students come to know the good works prepared in advance for them.

It may not save the world, but it just might change it for the better.

J.O.Y. to the World

2010-12-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

Back before I had knee surgery and a daughter, I used to be a runner. And, as any runner will tell you, there exists what is known as a "runner's high"-- a blast of endorphins that kicks in after about 20 - 25 minutes of running-- that can make the 2nd half of a run seem even easier than the first. So exhilarating is this boost, that at times I would be able to finish a run in a dead sprint.

Unfortunately, many runners don't push past the pain of the first 10 - 20 minutes to experience the benefit of this natural energy kick.

There is also something to be said for the phenomenon of getting more and more excited for something the closer we get to receiving it. To further this idea of a run, knowing that the end is in sight (or at least close) can inspire one to pick up the pace incrementally, running at full tilt for the last few strides.

With Christmas only a day away, stores will be buzzing with last minute shoppers, children will be giddy in anticipation of their hopeful Christmas loot, churches will be packed with people dressed in their finest clothes, radio stations will broadcast non-stop carols, gas stations will jack up prices to rob holiday travelers, airports will be bustling.

The excitement will practically be palpable.

People will be filled with joy.

But, will they be filled with J.O.Y.? Will they put Jesus first, Others second and Themselves last?

J.O.T.? Er, to make the acronym functional, will you:

Put Jesus first?
Put Others second?
Put Yourself last?

On this last day of Advent, I offer one more example of how we should prepare for Christ's birth given to us over the course of the past four weeks: Jesus' earthly father, Joseph.

Joseph was a man about whom little is known (at least from Scripture). But, it may be safe to say that Joseph lived by this motto: "Put Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last." He decided to follow the advice of the angel, taking Mary as his wife and raising Jesus as his own.

He decided to honor and uphold Mary's dignity, choosing to marry her despite the unusual circumstances of her pregnancy.

He decided to put his own desires for a "normal" marriage and experience as a father aside and instead be joyful. In return, he had the blessing of spending the rest of his life with Jesus. Imagine that. Imagine the joy you experience when in the presence of your spouse or your child(ren) or your best friend. Now, imagine that person to be Jesus! What joy you would undoubtedly experience!

However, will we be filled with J.O.Y. tomorrow when Christ once again comes into our world? Will we be so overcome with joy to sing at the top of our lungs, "Joy to the world! The Lord has come! Let Earth receive her King!" Heaven will be singing. Will nature?

Like the song says, "Let every heart prepare Him room." If we have done that, if we have pushed past the pain of crowded shopping malls and endless holiday tasks and found time to pray, offered more of ourselves to those in need (even within our own families), spent more time thinking about what we can give instead of what we want to receive-- if we have truly prepared and made room for Jesus to be the most important part of our lives-- then let us not be ashamed to spread J.O.Y. tomorrow and every day of our lives. Let us sing, "Joy to the world!"

Let us not be afraid to put Jesus first tomorrow. Let us be enlivened in putting others second. And let us truly believe that in doing so, and in putting ourselves last, we may come to experience everlasting joy. J.O.Y. that is independent of circumstances, J.O.Y. that is constant. J.O.Y. that leads us from a birth in a dirty stable, to a cross on a hill, to a grave with a stone rolled away...

"...and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing!"

Joy to the world.

J.O.Y. to the world, indeed.

Just Say Yes

2010-12-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Because of its juxtaposition to the word "no", the word "yes" is inherently positive.

Think about this. While there are some questions for which a "yes" response brings bad news or rejection (So, does that mean you don't want to go out with me?), more often than not, hearing a "yes" is a good thing.

"Can I go to Matt's house for a sleepover?"

"Are we going out to eat tonight?"

"Can I stay up past bedtime?"

"Will you marry me?"

Imagining a "yes" response to any of these or countless other questions, brings with it the hope, excitement and joy surrounding those situations. So close is the connection between the word "yes" and good feelings that simply saying "yes" with a little flair ("YESSSSSS!" maybe even with a fist shake or elbow pump) can heighten one's mode.

There are probably monumental yeses in your life ("Yes, I'll marry you", "Yes, we're pregnant"), but no "yes" in the history of the world was as monumental as the one given by a teenage girl over 2,000 years ago.

The Angel Gabriel asked Mary if she would bear God's only Son. With only a moment's hesitation (long enough to ask exactly how this could be), yet most likely frought with equal parts anxiety and hope, she responded, "Yes." The Gospels attribute Mary with a much more eloquent response,

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy Word (Luke 1:38).

A yes, though, by any other words would still smell as sweet. And even
though unlike Mary we are born with original sin, and even though 1/2
of all of us are not biologically able to bear a child (a claim I
humbly make fully knowing Gabriel's words to Mary, "For nothing will be
impossible for God" (Luke 1:37)) God approaches us this Advent with the same
questions He offered to Mary many years ago:

Will you let me into your life?

Will you bring me into your homes and your hearts?

Will you bear me, and all that comes with carrying me with you?

Will you prepare for my coming?

Will you deliver me into this world?

God yearns for a positive response from us. He hopes that this year, this Christmas, we will answer with an unequivocal "yes", forever changing our lives and in turn, our world. Like Mary, we may be anxious and fearful about responding in the affirmative. We may even be excited over the prospect of a life with Christ.

But, are we courageous enough to just say yes?

The Wisdom of Advent

2010-12-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

I know I'm three Sundays late with this Advent reflection. As mentioned before, time has taken on an altogether new meaning for me. So, I apologize if it comes a bit late (technically 1/2 way) in this glorious season of Advent. But, our God of second chances is also a God of last second comebacks. So I hope that God would agree: it's better late than never.

In addition, I'm not only late, I'm also going to begin this reflection by looking at an event toward the end of the Christmas season. Much like a lesson plan designed by having the end in mind before beginning, I think it's worth knowing where we're headed before we start on our journey. It's in this spirit that I turn to the story of the Three Wise Men and what they can teach us about Advent. (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew2.htm)

The Wise Men offer us a wonderful example of how we should behave during this season of Advent. First, we imagine that they had to prepare for their journey to Bethlehem before starting. Unlike jumping in the car and traveling from St. Petersburg to Tampa or even from Tampa to Jacksonville, we can imagine their trip taking extended time and requiring much more preparation than grabbing their keys. Second, the Wise Men had to make a choice. They had to choose between following what Herod wanted and what their hearts (and God) wanted. Third, they returned to their homes by a different road-- their encounter with Christ changed them in such a way that they could no longer go back to their old ways. They were different because of their Christmas day. Fourth and finally, history knows them as “wise” because of their gifts honoring Christ’s Kingship, instead of merely recognizing his birth.

Can the same adjective, wise, be applied to us during this Advent season? Personally, I want to be considered wise instead of the opposite. When Christmas is over and we’re returning to our everyday lives, I want to be a different person. I want to be someone who saw Christ not just as a way to get presents but as my Savior and King. I want to be a Wise Man, too.

We need to take the example of the Wise Men if we are to make the most out of our Advent preparation:

First, we must prepare for Christmas. This preparation, however, should take a different shape and tone than what society tells us it should entail (http://www.adventconspiracy.org/). We should worship fully. We should spend more time in prayer than usual and the time we do spend should be spent in participating fully, consciously and actively. While carolling we may belt out "Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer" at the top of our lungs, but in Mass we wouldn't dream of even opening our mouths. This Advent, sing. Instead of just praying at the end of the day before going to sleep, maybe we should take Christ's example and rise a bit earlier, go off by ourselves, and begin our day in prayer. Cracking open Sacred Scripture, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, lighting an Advent wreath at home-- whatever you do, do something different and/or extra and do it with your full heart.

Second, we need to recognize that like the Wise Men, we are also presented with a choice about the birth of Jesus. The world tells us that in order to be happy this Christmas we need to spend more money and buy the newest, most expensive gadget. Things are what we want. So, run around to as many stores as possible and buy as much (quantity over quality) as possible so that your precious loved ones will be happy. Our God presents us with a much different choice, one that focuses more on people, relationships and quality than it does on material things. Can you even remember all that you got for Christmas last year? How about five years ago? But, can you remember the people with whom you spent Christmas and what you did? The Wise Men chose, well, wisely. Hopefully we will, too.

Third, Christmas Day will come and hopefully we will come to experience and encounter Christ in a true and meaningful way. Will we be changed forever because of our encounter with Christ on Christmas Day (we will even find time for Church)? Or, will the 26th come as it usually does, seeing us trudge back to the stores, upset with the crowds and even more upset with having to return all of the things that we got but didn't want?

If we can make the right choice and truly prepare for Christmas as the Magi did, spending more time in prayer and less at the malls, giving more of ourselves to people we love and less of our money, if we can recognize the true meaning of Christmas and live our lives according, we just might be considered wise.

Heck, we may even go down in history.

The Essence of Time

2010-11-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Time has taken on an entirely different meaning since the birth of my daughter. Not only is the time of day (especially on weekends) somewhat irrelevant, but time also passes and feels differently than it once did. Sleeping for a few hours at a time can be just as good as a night filled with slumber. Time goes quickly-- didn't I just change her diaper? Time is more precious, too. I try to get as much done as effectively and efficiently as possible so as to get home before the sun sets. Spending time with my daughter and wife is the most important part of my day.

I have come to realize that I do not have time to waste.

But, it's not enough to just spend time with them; I want to spend quality time with them. For instance, I'd rather hold Elizabeth than just be in the same room with her. I'd rather talk to my wife about her day than just passively watch another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I can hold Elizabeth in my arms while talking on the phone or packing my lunch (which takes a bit more than when I use both hands); however, I'd much rather watch her track me with her eyes, read her stories or pat her back to soothe a cry or encourage a burp. I am happy to at least be present. Just like there's a difference between lying down and sleeping, there's a difference between being present and being engaged.

Not to sound silly, but there's a difference between the level of commitment of the chicken and the pig in an eggs and bacon breakfast: the chicken was involved, the pig was committed.

When it comes to husbandry and fatherhood, I do not want to just be involved, I'd much rather be committed.

The same goes for my role as an educator. It's not enough just to keep students busy. It's also not enough just to cover the material. When it comes to teaching, we must be concerned with both the time on task of our students as well as the nature of the tasks on which we are asking them to spend time. Yes, we need to keep students busy; but, we must keep them busy on work that is worth doing.

One of the biggest indicators of student success is their time on task. The more that students are actively engaged throughout the course of a lesson or day, the more they are likely to have learned. This is extremely logical. If students are only on task for 4 out of their 8 hours in school, at the very best they can only learn 4 hours worth of material. Bump up the amount of time that students are being taught, working on labs, participating in discussions and producing work, and you will also increase the amount of learning taking place.

Similarly, we must ensure that this time spent on task is done on more than mere busy work. Learning must be focused on student-centered objectives. Activities must relate back to those objectives and lead to accomplishing others. Lessons should both spiral and scaffold, reviewing past concepts prior to introducing new ones and teaching lower order thinking skills (i.e. define, list, recognize) prior to reaching for higher ones (i.e. analyzing, synthesizing, comparing/contrasting, creating). In the end, students must be able to use their new knowledge in meaningful ways. Units should not necessarily end with a chapter test and the material forgotten after obtaining a particular grade. Students' knowledge should extend beyond the walls of the classroom and school and prepare them for a future of positively impacting our world.

None of this can be accomplished just by running in place or spinning our wheels through worksheets, end of the chapter questions and taking notes off of an overhead. An involved and well behaved group of students is a good first step, but it does not necessarily indicate the occurence of great learning. Not all students learn visually or audibly. Some require moving around (bodily-kinesthetic), incorporating music, working with others (interpersonal) or other non-traditional strategies to learn.

When it comes to education (or parenthood or even being married) time is of the essence. It's not enough to just be involved or present. We must take our presence a step further and be committed and engaged. Doing the first can lead to good things; doing the second can lead to incredible ones.

We must recognize that the essence of time is that it is a gift too valuable to waste.

Just be sure to make time for breakfast, even if it's just eggs with biscuits and gravy...unless, of course, it's chicken flavored.

It's Not About You

2010-11-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, October 29 at 8:34 p.m., my wife gave birth to our first child, Elizabeth Anne Zelenka. Three things occurred to me at this moment:
1. There must be a benevolent God
2. I've never been more in love with my wife, Emily and
3. My life will never be the same.

While I won't bore you with the details of my reaffirmed faith in an Almighty, Loving Creator God, or how my love for my wife intensified because of the strength and love she showed throughout the labor process, I will focus on how my life, at that moment, was forever changed.

The night of Elizabeth's birth was a prime example of how my life is no longer about me. As I'm sure all parents can attest, that night was filled with tests and check-ups and heating lamps and measurements and inconsolable cries. In fact, our night was so jammed packed with activity that it was well after 3 a.m. on Saturday morning before mom, dad and baby finally got to sleep. The next day came just as quickly as the previous night was long, by 6 a.m. the Zelenka family was up once again and tending to her many hospital visitors.

Our 2nd "night" as parents was just as sleepless. But, even in a completely sleep exhausted state at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, holding on to my frantically crying daughter, I could almost hear God whisper to me, "Mike, it's not about you anymore." I knew I had to put my own need for sleep aside and instead focus on Elizabeth.

Our days and nights since our three night, two day stint in the hospital have calmed significantly, and Elizabeth, like her mother, holds the key to my heart. I absolutely adore her. So, even though my sleeplessness (and cluelessness) has dwindled, this idea of my life not being about me anymore has lingered.

During my prayer and reflection time over the past four days I have also come to sense a connection between my musing on fatherhood and my other vocation as a Catholic educator: "Mike, it's not about you."

I issue this same message to all Catholic educators-- teachers, administrators, support staff, even parents-- everywhere: "It's not about you."

Teaching must be centered on the student. Gone are the days of a taught curriculum, where the teacher merely covers the material, with little to no regard for individual student performance (that's what Bell Curves are for, right?). Instead, students must learn the material at hand. The central focus of a classroom cannot be the teacher/teaching; it must be the student/learning.

This approach to education puts aside many "old school" tactics: teachers lecturing from a podium and students passively taking notes, punitive pop quizzes meant to "get back" at students, failed tests being dismissed as a lack of student preparation ("I taught the material all last week!") and covering material from a textbook in straight succession from the introduction on page xiv to page 367.

The needs, backgrounds, abilities and temperaments of students must take precedence over the desires of the teacher, or any adult in the educational setting. Teachers must overcome tiredness, angry parents, riffs with colleagues and administrators, or a distaste for a particular subject for the good of student learning.

Time on task has a huge impact on student learning-- it must be maximized and not wasted on an abundance of study halls, homework time during class, or parties for every "holiday". The dignity and value of the student as a child of God must always be maintained, especially during disciplinary situations. Teachers must identify the ways that students, individually, best learn and differentiate their instruction so as to touch on these many and varied multiple intelligences. Lessons need to be analyzed, reorganized, and re-taught based on student performance. Each and every student must be challenged yet given the necessary supports to succeed.

When it comes to education, adults (teachers/administration/support staff and parents alike) must put aside their own egos and focus on the good of the child(ren). Because, much like being a parent, as a teacher it's not about, and can't ever be about, you.

Waiting for an Extra Marshmallow

2010-10-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was one of the fortunate times in the Celebration of the Eucharist that all three readings from the Liturgy of the Word followed a similar theme: perseverance (for last weekend's readings go to: http://www.usccb.org/nab/101710.shtml). God presents us with three wonderful images of perseverance: Moses straining to hold up his arms with Aaron and Hur helping to support his arms as Moses grows weary; an infant listening to the stories and lessons from Sacred Scripture, and a widow persistently asking a judge to side in her favor and eventually receiving a just decision. Our Heavenly Father explicitly tells us that we must persevere in our faith and that if we do, we will, like the widow, receive our just reward.

But, persevering in our faith (or in any aspect of our lives) is difficult. We live in a society and a world that demands speed. Diets should shed double digit pounds in a matter of days; exercise routines should shred fat within a few workouts; food should be received in a hurry, consumed in a hurry, and eaten in huge quantities (unless, of course, we're on a miracle diet promising double digit weight loss in a few days); abridged versions of books should guarantee the same substance of a novel in less words; music should be downloaded instantaneously; and all people should be reachable by cell phone or text at all hours of every day.

Constantly living by this modus operandi, is it any wonder that we expect the same urgency and ease from our spiritual lives? We want many things-- to win in battle, to be equipped for every good work, and for things to go in our favor-- but we do not want to work for them. Likewise, we do not want to wait for them either. Working hard and delaying the gratification of something runs directly against the current of our society-- get anything you want right when you want it.

Working hard was a principle upon which our country was founded. The Puritan work ethic believed that God rewarded those individuals who worked hard enough to deserve it. And whether or not God truly does shower blessings upon those who work hard, it makes sense that working hard toward the attainment of some goal gets us that much closer to achieving it. While we may not become the starting point guard or earn first trombone, working hard for something does pay off.

Similarly, delaying gratification is also healthy. We're taught to eat our food slowly and to wait 10 minutes prior to going back for seconds. If we're still hungry after that time, it's okay to have a second helping. Waiting overnight to press send on a scathingly drafted email response can also have its benefits; looking at our words with a clearer mind can keep us from forwarding an email we would otherwise regret. Holding off on a purchase can also yield dividends: it can allow the price to drop to a more reasonable sale and/or help you to realize if buying the item is really worthwhile. Patience, therefore, is not only a virtue, it can also lead us to success.

If we can just hold on, good things can happen. An experiment conducted in the 1960s at Stanford University revealed that there is a correlation between self-control and future success. The famous "Marshmallow Experiment" offered young children one marshmallow to consume immediately or two if they were willing to wait to eat the first for an undisclosed period of time. In tracking subjects, those who were able to delay gratification at an early age typically scored 200 points higher on their SATs than the impulsive children. Furthermore, the children who waited performed better in school, encountered fewer behavioral problems as adolescents, and led healthier lifestyles later in life. In this case persevering not only resulted in the gratification of another marshmallow, it was a predictor of future success in life. (Click on this link to see a humorous update on the marshmallow test: http://www.allprodad.com/page.php?id=164.)

Perseverance may also point toward another quality, and one of utmost importance to Catholic educators: holiness. For as St. Paul encourages the Hebrews (12:1), "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us." If we can persevere in our faith, and remain true to ourselves and our Heavenly Father in a world that encourages us to sell out and get the quick fix, our just reward will be well worth the wait.

If nothing else, it will be more than an extra marshmallow.

It's For Their Own Good

2010-10-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee to repair a torn meniscus. While I wish I could say that this injury was a result of some exciting feat of strength or daring act of kindness, I "tore" it by merely standing up from a squatting position. Torn last month over Labor Day weekend, I had adjusted my lifestyle to accommodate my limiting condition. Not being able to run or workout was initially a hard pill to swallow. But, over the course of the month leading up to my surgery I grew accustomed to doing one-legged workouts, going for walks instead of runs, and coping with not being able to squat past 90 degrees. In fact, in this short time, I became so comfortable with this new way of life that I was worried about this surgical procedure.

Thoughts of "What if something were to go wrong? What would the rehab be like? How much longer would it be before I'd be able to workout, or even just walk normally?" raced through my mind. Even though I knew that this surgery would put me on a path back to my pre-September lifestyle, I was reluctant to go through with the procedure.

Similarly, just yesterday I removed the very large post-ob padding and bandage that had covered my knee for five straight days. Even though I knew that this would be yet another step toward my recovery, I felt comforted by its protective covering and hesitated exposing my repaired knee. "Would I be able to sleep? What if a student bumped into the next day? Would I feel wobbly without it?"

These are two examples from the past week that point to a much more important issue than my pending rehabilitation: change, even change that we know is good for us, is often met with resistance.

Think of a new dieter and his/her attempts to steer away from sweets, the smoker doing his/her best to kick the habit, or even a child before taking the training wheels off of a bicycle. All of these changes are good; but all are also hard. They can also be scary. In many cases, the difficulty involved in making a change and the fear associated with the uncharted territory of change can immobilize us. It can keep us from changing. Or, mid-change, it can send us running back to the familiarity of our past selves.

But, as Catholic educators we must embrace change. We must fight the urge to announce "but we've always done it this way" and remain entrenched in our past mediocrities. We must embrace each new school year as another chance to improve on the successes of the past one. Much hype has surrounded the recent documentary, "Waiting for Superman" and our educational system here in the United States. Staggering statistics have surfaced: the United States ranks 10th in Reading Literacy, 12th in College Completion Rates, 17th in Science Literacy, and 24th in Math Literacy of all industrialized nations. 67% of our nation's 4th graders read below their grade level. 25% of America's seniors don't graduate from High School and of those that graduate, only 35% read proficiently.

This is not to say that every school, and more specifically every Catholic School, falls into these same percentages. However, our educational system in general is in dire need of change. Changes in our approaches to instruction, administration, parenting, grading, planning, discipline-- everything are essential if our students are to reverse these horrifying statistics. If we continue to do things the same way we've always done them, we should expect to get the same results we've always gotten.

We must be open to change and open to the fact that change, no matter how good it is for us or our children, will be difficult.

In the final chapter of John's Gospel (21:18), Jesus says to Peter, "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus concludes this message to Peter by saying, "Follow me."

Luckily for us, Peter and countless other followers of Jesus were willing to change. We, too, must have this same openness of spirit if our children are to succeed.

Changing, in this case, is for their own good.

Intelligent, Backward Design

2010-09-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's probably safe to say that in fashioning creation, God had a clear picture of His end products prior to starting. I firmly believe that humans (and all of creation for that matter) did not occur by accident. Rather, we were made in God's image and likeness. We were fearfully made. We were wonderfully made. We were made for a specific purpose or end, and this end was clearly known prior to our creation.

Even if you factor in the theories of Evolution and Natural Selection, God still has a place and His Intelligent Design is easy to experience. Look at any aspect of creation and it's easy to see that Something smarter than a human is responsible. The intricacies of cells and atoms, the complexities of life cycles and our bodily systems-- all point toward God's Intelligent Design. And since it's intelligent, it's also fairly likely that the end was known before He ever began.

Few culinary feasts are created without an idea of the sights, smells and tastes that those who will dine at the table will experience.

Few embark on journeys by plane, car, foot or even boat, without first identifying a destination.

You don't start training for a marathon without an understanding of just how far 26.2 miles really is. Likewise, you don't participate in the race unless you've undergone some sort of training.

While I could go on with other examples to demonstrate earthly examples of having the end in mind before beginning, I'd rather not completely reveal my lack of impulsiveness. In addition, I'd like to get to the purpose for which I started this blog entry: how this relates to Catholic education.

As Catholic educators we must begin with our ends/purposes clearly in sight: to educate life-long Catholics in such a way that they not only contribute to but also positively change society. With these goals in plain view, we can approach our lessons, plans, assessments, extra-curriculars and all that we do so that they further this mission. Anything not advancing this mission should be scrutinized as to whether or not it should be included in the school's agenda. Similarly, simply knowing our objectives as Catholic educators makes it more likely that we'll actually accomplish them.

A similar method must be used regarding instruction-- teachers must begin with the end in mind. Known as "Understanding by Design" or "Backward Planning", this method asks for teachers to start their planning by identifying those concepts they hope students will learn by the time the lesson(s) is(are) over. This approach also moves past checking off a list of standards to imparting enduring understandings, concepts and ideas that are much broader in scope and much more important. Units don't typically end with a chapter test (although they can). Instead, teachers end with an assessment that tests whether or not students are able to use their new knowledge meaningfully.

While much too complex of a technique to adequately cover here, Understanding by Design is successful for the same reason that a recipe produces culinary delights, Mapquest directions and GPS systems get us to our destinations and marathon training plans enable us to complete a distance that toppled Pheidippides.

It may be backward, but in this case doing things backward is smart...even intelligent.

Run, Run As Fast As We Can

2010-09-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

My nephew Frederick will turn two years old later this month. His favorite things, which also happen to be his favorite words, include cars, trucks, cheese, boats, trees, sail boats, and dump trucks. He also runs everywhere he goes. Literally. At first I thought it was just to get his favorite toys, or to come to dinner (especially if cheese was on the menu!). But, this sense of urgency was apparent when cleaning up his toys, going down for a nap or giving hugs goodnight. He runs everywhere.

When I wasn't getting a good chuckle out of how fast his little legs could propel him, I was thinking about how different my life would be if I were to do this (and in saying this, I mean to live with such a sense of urgency-- if I ran everywhere I'd not only set a bad example for all of the students at ICS but also it would be entirely weird). Frederick made me think about how much I'd love to live with such passion, enthusiasm and zeal at every moment during every day of my life.

And why should any of us lack the fervor of a 2 year old? Despite the daily grind, which often wears on our hopes and dreams, we have few other valid excuses. For, since everyone has a purpose, everyone also has a limited amount of time to accomplish it. God has given us work to do that is worth doing. He's also issued a deadline by which He needs it done.

My intent is definitely not to offer a message of doom and gloom. Instead, it's intended to be a realistic reminder that we have little time to waste when it comes to doing God's work. Each day, we receive the gift of 24 hours. What we do with those hours is our gift back to God.

St. Francis de Sales put it this way, "Every moment comes to us pregnant with a command from God, only to pass on and plunge into eternity there to remain forever what we have made it."

Of course, we need to recharge from time to time. We also need time to rest. Burnout can and does happen. To avoid it we must be smart in our work. Not everything can be accomplished in a day, week, year or even a lifetime. But, each day there is good work to be done. We need to do all we can to accomplish it.

As Catholic educators we truly have good work to do. It is work that is noble and even heavenly in that it deals with things not of this world. Our mission as Catholic educators is both to educate and evangelize. Even if our purpose was solely educating our students it would still deal with material that is heavenly: children. It is work worth doing. It is work that needs to be done. It is work that needs to be done today and every day. God is counting on us.

The alarm is ringing. The bell is chiming. It's time to get up, to get to school and to start working. If we had the sense of a two year old, we'd be running to get it done.

"There is only one thing to do here below: to love Jesus, to win souls for Him so that He may be loved. Let us seize with jealous care every last opportunity of self-sacrifice. Let us refuse Him nothing-- He does so want our love!"

-St. Therese of Lisieux

An Attitude of Gratitude

2010-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

In light of my most recent blog, I share this short video clip, forwarded to me through All Pro Dad's Email Play of the Day.

Enjoy, and be thankful:
http://www.allprodad.com/page.php?id=270.

Thanksgiving Days

2010-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my wife Emily and I stumbled upon the Emmy's on television, and though we didn't watch much more than a few minutes of this awards ceremony, it was long enough to hear a handful of acceptance/thank you speeches. Some were heartfelt and spontaneous. Others were written down and rehearsed. And whether the thanker listed out every thankee or just covered everyone with a blanket "and-anyone-else-I-forgot-to-mention" thank you, award winners made a point to express gratitude to all of those who made their moment of success possible.

This year's Emmy Awards Ceremony also fell on the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on New Orleans. Sadly, the effects of this devastating event can still be seen and experienced today. Not to dismiss the gravity of just how tragic this event was (and still is), but Hurricane Katrina and its effects brought out the best in our country, united a city and ultimately inspired us all. While I'm sure this weekend dredged up the pain of that event, remembering some of the stories surrounding it also invited feelings of gratitude, thankfulness and being truly blessed.

Two very different occasions. One common theme- thankfulness. Isn't it unfortunate that we seldom take time to express gratitude unless we are truly showered with abundance or extremely humbled by tragedy or loss. Much like a pre-game speech that fades by kick-off or an in-service that does little more than change one small aspect of our practice for an even smaller amount of time, our spirits of gratitude wane shortly after our lives return to normal.

Even holidays' (including our "Holy Days", too) effects are short-lived. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter may produce the most long-lasting thankfulness. But, once the Christmas shopping bills arrive or we've eaten enough chocolate to more than make up for our Lenten abstinence our spirits of gratitude dwindle.

In order to have a consistent attitude of gratitude, we must make every day Thanksgiving Day. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola suggests that Christians engage in a daily Examen, the first part of which is a review of one's day, from start to finish, noticing moments of God's presence.

Another tactic is to write down (on an actual sheet of paper) the people, things, and ideas (i.e. freedom) for which you are thankful. From there, review its contents daily (or even multiple times each day). Add to the list (hopefully without subtracting anything) as you see fit. Do it for a month and your awareness of the many blessings in your life will increase.

A final way to grow in appreciation for all that we have is to use good manners. It's amazing that simply "minding our p's and q's" can lead to more satisfaction with our current state in life. Say please and thank you, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night. Wave at people in cars who let you into traffic. Offer true and specific compliments to others, even strangers. Pray before eating. Pray before going to bed. Pray when you first get up in the morning. Hold doors. Pick up trash (even those that aren't yours). You'll come to find that the more polite you are, the more thankful you become. In turn, the more thankful you are the more for which you'll become thankful.

So, before your next moment of glory comes or before the next storm of your life hits, make a habit of spending time each day recognizing the many gifts bestowed upon you.

You might just thank me that you did.

A New Hope

2010-08-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

There's a saying in sports that everyone is undefeated until the season starts. Teams are filled with optimism and enthusiasm about their upcoming years and just about every team has championship dreams until Opening Day, Night or Week 1. But, before a game is played, teams have hopes of grandeur; at that point, everyone's still undefeated.

This same holds true for the first day of school. Everyone has perfect attendance. Everyone has perfect behavior. No one has forgotten any homework. No one has left their math book at home. The first day of school is filled with hope. It is filled with expectation. It is filled with optimism. Pencils are freshly sharpened. Folders and notebooks are still crisp. Crayon boxes still have all colors. Teachers and students share a mutual respect. High expectations are also held in common-- teachers believe that all students will give their best efforts, and students believe the same of teachers.

Unlike the world of sports where only one team will emerge as the "champions", however, all students have the ability to achieve greatness. More than one student can win a "championship" when it comes to academic, behavioral and spiritual success. In fact, if the hope and optimism present on the first day of school can be maintained, all students can.

And therein lies the challenge: how do we sustain this momentum? How do we inspire students to continue to give their best effort despite some inevitable setbacks? With the many different challenges and obstacles present throughout the course of a year, how do we forge ahead and ensure that students are developmentally ready and prepared for the upcoming grade level? How do we do more than just teach to the middle and have only a percentage of our students experience success? How do we excel as individuals, as classes, as grade levels and as a Catholic School?

In order to achieve greatness, the Administration, Faculty, Students and Parents of Incarnation Catholic School must focus on the school's Mission Statement. We must continue to live up to and live out the goals set forth in these words:

Incarnation Catholic School continues our tradition of:

Inspiring life-long learners,
Challenging each individual to develop spiritually and
Striving to serve each other and the community

as we prepare students for the future.

We must be able to keep this larger vision clearly in sight regardless of what occurs during the daily grind. Daily recitation of our Mission Statement is a way that we can come to internalize its messages. Periodic review of our progress toward these objectives allows us to identify areas of strength, weakness and opportunities for growth. Community awareness of its words can help us to hold each other accountable to its high ideals.

We can maintain the momentum of the first day of school by focusing on our mission, our purpose, our reason for existing as a place of education. When we are mission-driven the small bumps and hiccups are just that-- small. They become surmountable. They become conquerable. They become stepping stones in our overall journey to accomplish our mission. Like the Emperor Hadrian said, Rome was not built in a day but "brick by brick, my citizens, brick by brick."

So, at the start of a new school year, let us relish in its excitement, anticipation and hope. Let us learn the words of our Mission Statement so that we have a firm understanding of where we are headed as an institution and why. Let us turn our efforts over to God, so that God can turn them into something good.

Every student can become a champion. Let us all do everything we can to make sure that at the end of this year, all of them are winners.

Discipline to Disciple

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

God's omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-loving nature is readily apparent in Psalm 139. God knows us intimately. He cares for us unceasingly. He is always with us, regardless of where we go. And most importantly, He loves us, despite our imperfections, despite our shortcomings, despite our sinfulness. He knows us, everything about us, and yet He still loves us more than any human being (who know considerably less about our "real" selves).

We are "fearfully and wonderfully" made (Psalm 139:14) because God made us. Therefore, we are inherently good; we are not, however, inherently perfect.

We make mistakes. Actually, we make lots of them. We make bad decisions. We choose unhealthy foods, behaviors and lifestyles. We hurt others. We're mean. We're lazy. We're rude. We lie. We cheat. We sin in all kinds of ways.

Yet, despite all of these shortcomings we are still fundamentally good, and God still loves us with the deepest, purest, most intense love possible. We're not perfect, but we are good.

This goes for our students as well-- they may not be perfect, but they are good.

As Catholic educators, this is a very important concept in our approach to our students' moral formation. First, we must always maintain, recognize, and honor our students' divine heritage. We respect them. We value their opinions. We care for their concerns. We treat them as children of God. We believe that we're not turning bad children into good ones, but rather good children into even better ones.

Second, we use discipline as a way to help our students become disciples of Christ. Instead of a focus on punishment, we shift to a focus on developing the self-discipline of our students. This must be paramount in our efforts to form our students morally. We must encourage them to be self-disciplined, give them opportunities to develop and use this self-discipline, and offer them guidance as they mature in their abilities to self-regulate their behaviors. Ultimately, we must challenge them to take up their crosses and follow Jesus. We must call them to be disciples of Jesus.

As disciples of Christ ourselves, we can help our students develop greater self-discipline by modelling that self-discipline. We must keep our tempers in check. We must be consistent in our interactions with students, parents, visitors and other teachers. We must be present to our students, actively supervising them (especially during the many unstructured moments throughout the day-- lunch, recess, passing in the hallways, etc.). We must exercise patience, addressing students' misbehavior and not the emotions conjured in either ourselves or the students. We must use gentle reminders. We must have clear and consistent expectations in our classroom management plans. We must connect, in a personal way, with each student in our classrooms and our school each and every day. In a sense, what we must be as concerned with how we teach morality as with what we're teaching about it.

We must teach with love. We must love our students unconditionally and love them enough to discipline them. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews, he writes, "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges" (Hebrews 12:5 - 6). There are times when students have not exercised self-discipline and our supervision has not deterred an inappropriate behavior (and/or our attempts at redirecting the behavior have failed). It is during these times that we correct misbehavior through age appropriate consequences and remediation. We do this to discipline our students, not to punish them. We do this to help them develop greater self-discipline. We do this to help them become disciples of Christ. We do this to help them become the people God created them to be:

Good people capable of amazingly wonderful things, but incapable of perfection.

Good yet imperfect people completely, totally, unabashedly, and perfectly loved by God.

Full, Conscious, and Active Participation

2010-07-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were driving to Jacksonville this past weekend to visit my brother, sister-in-law and their two children. On our way to I-75, we hit a pretty rough patch of storms and driving became a bit treacherous. Emily was behind the wheel at that point, and she turned the radio off, asked me to be quiet, gripped the steering wheel with both hands and leaned forward in her seat. For the next twenty minutes or so, she demonstrated full, conscious, and active participation in her driving. If in a similar situation, I hope that I, and many of you, would do the same.

As Catholics, we are called to a similar level of engagement every time we take part in the Celebration of the Eucharist. The Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, a body of the Second Vatican Council, advocated "full, conscious, and active participation" by the faithful "both inwardly and outwardly." This manifests itself in many and varied ways: we stand, we sit, we kneel, we process, we recite, we respond, we listen, we meditate, we sing, we offer sacrifices, we exchange signs of peace, we receive, we eat, we drink, we are transformed and sent to bring Jesus to others. And while our minds may wander and our focus shift, we are called to be truly present during the many different aspects of the Mass. God can do miraculous things with those who merely "show up", but He wants us to be on fire with love for Him. A simple example issues forth from this past Sunday's Gospel reading. Many of us could say the Lord's Prayer with little thought or concentration; our Lord wishes, however, for us to be fully aware of the words that we recite and to say them "with all of our hearts, with all of our beings, with all of our strength and with all our minds"-- instead of just with our lips (Luke 10:27). He wants us to be as engrossed in Him as we are with watching a Rays' game, listening to music, or driving through a rainstorm.

This idea of "full, conscious, and active participation" can also help us with our approach to Catholic Education.

As teachers, we are called to be truly present to our students. Classroom instruction must be more than lecturing and standing behind a podium and/or sitting behind a desk. Teachers must design dynamic lessons that activate prior knowledge, introduce new concepts, show relevancy to broader themes and ideas, and demonstrate that new knowledge was assimilated into the brain. Teachers must move around the classroom, subtly quieting a disruptive student, nonchalantly calling the distracted student back to task, and checking on student progress and work. Teachers must take supervisory duties seriously, circulating among students as opposed to conversing with colleagues. Teachers must differentiate instruction, being certain to appropriately challenge and engage students of all ability levels. A teacher's presence-- in the classroom, in the hallways, at recess, at lunch, and at dismissal-- is a teacher's present to his/her students.

Students can demonstrate full, conscious, and active participation in the classroom by coming prepared for school each and every day. From eating a hearty and healthy breakfast, to wearing the appropriate school uniform, to ensuring possession of all of the necessary supplies, a student must walk through the school's doors in a successful position to learn. Students must listen with both their ears and their eyes, giving the speaker their full and undivided attention. Students need to participate in class activities by answering questions, asking questions, working diligently on class assignments and helping others in need. Students need to focus on W.I.N.-ing every situation throughout their days. By focusing on "What's Important Now", students can recognize that appropriate behavior during lunch can be inappropriate during Mass. They can come to recognize that "there is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens" and in doing so understand how to fully, consciously and actively participate in all of the many events throughout a school day and year.

Finally, as parents, you can fully, actively, and consciously participate in the lives of your students in a multitude of ways. First, put the cell phone down during drop-off and pick-up. These are great times to not only be safe but also offer your child(ren) a goodbye, hello and/or I love you. Parents can ensure that students are prepared for the day, offering support and reminders but not enabling by rushing back to school with every forgotten lunch, project, and set of PE clothes. Oftentimes, enduring the consequence of being forgetful is a great way for students to rid themselves of this habit. Check grades on Sycamore. Assume that your child's teacher is correct and that your child is in need of formation (if they didn't need guidance, there would be no need for the educational system). Even the best, smartest, and holiest of kids make mistakes.

Parents can also become engaged in the life of the school: volunteer and fulfill your required service hours. Our operating budget depends on the good work of parent volunteers to sustain our school. Pay your tuition and other fees. Our faculty and staff depend on this financial commitment to make a living and implement our academic and extra-curricular programs. Participate in fundraising and development efforts giving your time, talents, and treasure. Tuition alone does not cover the cost of educating our children. Participate in community revealing activities: bring your students to Sunday Mass, come to Back to School Nights, join us for Mass on Wednesday mornings, reach out to new families, attend an ICS sporting event, and immerse yourself in the ICS family.

St. Irenaeus claimed, "The glory of God is the human person fully alive." I'm sure that he would agree that the glory of God is also the Catholic School who's members are fully, consciously, and actively involved.

I look forward to glorifying God with you, our teachers, and our students at Incarnation this upcoming school year and beyond.

Just Show Up

2010-07-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

To be completely candid, I have had a hard time coming up with the material for my last two blogs. This isn't for lack of trying. I've prayed every day. I've gone to Mass and participated wholeheartedly. I've read chapters in a book on Jesuit spirituality. I've listened to Christian music. I've even meditated. I feel that all of these efforts were made in vain, though; I'm afraid my blogging well has run dry.

But, I'm blogging nonetheless, and what's more is that today's blog doesn't end here.

Sometimes you just have to push through the writer's block and start writing. At times, just opening the blog is half the battle.

The same is true for a workout regime. Undoubtedly, in the midst of a regulated exercise routine there will be days when you just won't feel like breaking a sweat. That's when just showing up, or tying the laces on your running shoes, or starting to warm-up can get you through to the end.

And so it is with many of our daily activities that wear on us, or those that take part in the grind. Whether it's paying the bills or taking out the trash or spending time with your kids or putting away the dishes, there are times when you just don't feel like doing something.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "What you are afraid to do is a clear indication of the next thing you need to do." Perhaps we could paraphrase this to say: what you don't want to do (but probably should) is a clear indication of the next thing you need to do. It's precisely when you don't want to do something (but know that you should) that you need to get up and do it; otherwise, you fill with regret. Or worse yet, you compound the amount of things you'll just have to do tomorrow. Why put off until tomorrow that which can be accomplished today?

Including prayer.

Especially prayer.

Being vigilant in our prayer lives is hard. Ashamedly and unintentionally, one of the first things that gets cut from a busy day for me is spending time with God in prayer. Other days, I just don't feel like praying. But, if I can catch myself, this is exactly when I'll turn to the Bible, spend some time in quiet meditation, or search out some sort of prayerful inspiration. It's not always the most fruitful exercise for me. At times it can offer a moment of clarity or motivation, and other times it seems as if all I did was go through the motions. But not every prayer session has to be a conversion experience. God just wants us to show up. Like a good friend, He just wants to spend time with us. If we turn to God in prayer, He's the one that can turn it into something beautiful. It doesn't require a monumental effort. It just requires us and Him.

A wise friend once told me, "Reading the psalms is like digging irrigation ditches for when the rains come." I think the same holds true for prayer. We may not always feel like praying, but consistently doing so can help us to prosper through life's storms.

Just like consistently studying can help you to do well on a pop quiz. Just like practicing the trombone every day can help you to hold on to first chair when 2nd chair challenges for your position. Just like cleaning the house (or your room) a little every day can make you feel more comfortable when an unexpected visitor drops in. Just like checking your tire pressure can help your car to endure an unseen pothole.

So, the next time you don't feel like doing something, just show up...and just do it.

You'll be glad you did.

This Little Light of Mine

2010-07-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Northeast Ohio, one of my favorite summertime activities from my childhood was capturing fireflies (also known as lightning bugs). If you've never seen one, the appeal is that from about dusk until around 10:00 p.m. these bugs rise from the grass and light up for a few brief seconds at a time. Trailing them in their "dark" stages, the fireflies light up again, giving you a chance, after sprinting to the location of the last illumination, to capture them in your hands.

On more than one occasion, I would fruitlessly put my captive lightning bugs into a jar with holes drilled into the top (thanks to my Mom for the jars and thanks to my Dad for drilling the holes-- and thanks to both for humoring me). I was even thoughtful enough to put in a twig or two with some grass, thinking that making them feel more at home would help them to survive the night. But without fail, my new pets would not come out of their night in prison alive. Maybe the holes were too few. Maybe grass was not part of a healthy diet for lightning bugs. Maybe lightning bugs need more space to sleep-fly. Regardless, trying to keep their glow to myself was futile.

Luckily for the lightning bug species, it did not take me long to learn this lesson:
Lightning bugs do not belong in jars.
Lightning bugs were not created for my own enjoyment, but to light up the summer nights in the Midwestern United States (and various other locations throughout the world). Trying to contain them and keep them hidden went directly against the purpose for which they were created-- to shine for the whole world to see.

Lightning bugs everywhere, please accept my apologies, but know that your comrades did not fall in vain.

There's a greater lesson in all of this.

How often do we do the same thing to ourselves? How often do we bottle up the gifts and talents God has given us instead of sharing them with the world? Or, what about the times that we do this to others? How often do we try to categorize others upon meeting them and assume that we know everything there is to know about them?

How often do we put ourselves, or others, in jars?

In education, it is imperative that we not merely fill our students' jars with knowledge so that they can glow for a test or project, only to die out when it comes to having this knowledge endure. We must give them the tools and skills needed to light up the world around them. We must allow them the freedom to test their abilities in various situations and locations so that they can acquire the courage to learn new ways to light up.

As educators, if all we ever do is improve test scores we've only done about 1/4 of our jobs. We must teach our students how to use their new knowledge meaningfully. We must demonstrate to our students how this new knowledge relates to larger themes and ideas. We must inspire them to use this new knowledge to benefit others and the world around us.

Put simply, we must teach them how to shine.

This is how the Master Teacher taught, telling His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Mt. 5: 14 - 16).

Just like lightning bugs, we do not belong in jars.

It goes against that purpose for which we were created: to shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father.

Everyone has a light. You, me, lightning bugs, our students-- everyone.

It's about time we let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Forget It Not

2010-06-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday of last week, I had the honor and privilege of attending the 150th Jubilee Celebration of the founding of the Nashville Order of Dominican Sisters. As a classmate of five of their ranks in the ACE Leadership Program, I travelled to Nashville for the day's Celebration of the Eucharist and Jubilee dinner. Theirs is a beautiful charism which is clearly evident in their ministries across the US (and recently Australia), and their vibrant and youthful and well populated convent.

In a time when religious vocations in the States dwindle, the Nashville Dominicans thrive:

-they presently have over 250 sisters in their Congregation (their largest population over the past 150 years)
-the Congregation has grown by 46% over the past 14 years
-the median age of the sisters is 36
-61% of the Congregation is under the age of 40
-over the past 12 years the average size of their postulant class (the term for those young ladies in their 1st year of vocational discernment) has been 12.

With such an energetic and enthusiastic group, it was truly a blessing to have been a part of this day.

As would be expected during an anniversary celebration, the day's focus was the past. But, this was not merely a trip down memory lane. From the homily to the many other addresses and speeches during the Mass and dinner reception , the message was clear: embrace and honor the past as a healthy approach to the future.

One point recurred and stood out in my mind. A"5th Century monk named Mark" was cited both times the point was made and despite this cryptic reference the message was poignant. One of the greatest hindrances to spiritual development, Brother Mark claimed, was the reality of forgetfulness. Following along this line of thinking, if forgetfulness is a hindrance, remembrance must be an aid.

What, then, are we to remember? No history is perfect, no family tree without blemish, no resume without inadequacies. Dredging through the closets of our past will undoubtedly uncover some skeletons. How can this exercise be anything but scary?

First, we must acknowledge the many gifts bestowed upon us by God. Mother Ann Marie Karlovic, O.P., the head of the Nashville order, said it this way, "Don't stumble over the graces God is giving you, be sure to get them-- all of them!" In order not to stumble, we must be more aware of the graces already bestowed.

It is this awareness that can lead to a thankful spirit. To be thankful we must first be aware of/think about that for which we are grateful. In fact, think and thank come from the same Latin root-- tongere, meaning to know. It makes sense, therefore, that these two actions are so closely linked. More awareness can lead to more thankfulness. It can help us to receive God's graces instead of stumble over them.

One way to grow in awareness is to remember those graces already bestowed. A thoughtful reflection on my past can reveal that 6 extra hours in the Atlanta airport was a great opportunity to reconnect with friends from my past over the phone. It can reveal the strength gained from enduring and persevering through the many difficult moments in my life. A heartfelt reflection can demonstrate that every step of the way God has been with us, not to make our lives/histories perfect but to comfort us in times of sadness, encourage us in times of fear, accompany us in times of loneliness and clarify instances of doubt.

A true and honest celebration of our pasts can lead to a joyous engagement with our present and a hopeful anticipation of our futures. While no past is perfect it is filled, over-abundantly, with God's goodness. Celebrating who we have been can help us to embrace who we are as well as envision who we want to become. This, as the Nashville Dominicans taught me this past week (or actually re-taught, for I have stumbled over this grace at least once before), is a pathway not only to spiritual growth but success for any group, organization, or even individual.

It's a lesson that I hope I never forget.

All Things Work for Good for Those Who Love God

2010-06-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Reading this blog may waste approximately 2 minutes, 55 seconds of your life.

In fact, if you just read that sentence (and this one) you will have potentially wasted about 10 - 15 seconds.

If you're still reading, thanks. I hope that either you have an extra 3 minutes to spend in any way you choose, or that you don't find reading this blog to be a waste of your time. If it's the latter, I know that your approach to what I write will have a much greater impact on the quality of time spent in reading than any eloquence in my words or profundity in my message. It's our attitude that will determine the worth of things.

Think about it this way: if you are optimistically reading this to get a message or an idea or an insight, chances are good that you will glean something that satisfies your appetite or at least satiates your hunger. On the other hand, skeptically reading this with the attitude that I will either dazzle you with poetic diction or bore you with verbose nonsense will most likely result in you wanting for more. Beauty is everywhere if you have the eyes to see it; unfortunately, so is ugliness.

Recently, I finished reading J.D. Salinger's famous story of teenage angst, "The Catcher in the Rye". As my wife Emily can attest, I was less than impressed. On more than one occasion she advised me to either stop reading it or to stop complaining about how much I disliked it. Much to her pleasure, I chose to read the final 100 pages without updating her on Holden's exploits, or lack thereof.

Would I read the book again? No. Am I glad that I read it? Of course. Not only am I glad that I read what is considered one of the greatest American novels (and despite my displeasure I can see why it is held in such high acclaim), I am glad that I finished something that I started.

No matter our situation in life, we can choose our attitudes. More often than not, our chosen attitude will bear fruit. I would bet that if you set out tomorrow to have the worst possible day, you would succeed. You could get in the wrong lane in traffic (or worse yet, the grocery store). You could get frustrated with others at work because they are not behaving as you want them to behave. You could be upset about your weight, or your clothes, or your job, or your house, or your life. Even in writing this I can feel my blood pressure rise. In reading, I bet yours is higher, too.

Or, we can choose to have a positive attitude. We can focus on those few extra minutes in the car to gather our thoughts (or pray!) prior to getting to work. We can recognize that our relationships with others are ways to grow closer to God and accept the challenges of being more patient, forgiving, understanding and loving. We can resolve to eat a little better/exercise a bit more. We can pare down our wardrobes to only those items we actually wear. We can recognize that having gainful employment and a roof over our heads are blessings. We can live each day as if it truly were a gift from God. (Feel any calmer?)

The choice is ours.

Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that the main difference between optimists and pessimists is how they explain setbacks to themselves. Optimists see the setbacks as temporary, limited in effect, and have a clear understanding of their responsibility for or control over those setbacks. Pessimists, on the other hand, consider the setback to be permanent, far reaching, and entirely their own fault. The setback for the pessimist is debilitating; for the optimist it is merely a bump in the road.

Furthermore, Dr. Seligman concludes that optimistic people are more successful than pessimists. This, in turn, leads to either greater optimism (and success) or pessimism (and failure).

Whichever path we choose, optimism or pessimism, will ultimately become our reality. Therefore, we must choose wisely. We must choose to act instead of react. We must choose to become problem-solvers instead of problem-spotters. We must choose to become up-standers instead of by-standers. We must choose to achieve excellence instead of just accepting mediocrity.

As Christians we must choose to follow Christ up that hill, carrying our own cross, believing with the same fervor of St. Paul that "all things work for good for those who love God" (Romans 8: 28).

The choice is ours.

Sports & Spirituality: Updated and "Perfected"

2010-06-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about my work on a presentation for the Diocese of St. Petersburg's Living Eucharist initiative in which I dealt with the connection between sports and spirituality.

For anyone interested, or in need of a good remedy for sleeplessness, you can listen to the audio of the presentation here: http://vimeo.com/12432593. You'll be able to hear my presentation from April 30, 2010 as the slides progress along with the audio. Luckily, the presentation isn't just me lecturing; there are clips from three different movies that help to illustrate the message and to keep you engaged (*just as a disclaimer, there are two "bad" words in the clips, so be mindful of little ears).

If you're still interested but would rather not spend over an hour listening to me ramble on, you can access the slides here: click for a link to PowerPoint slides.

Or, if you just want the abridged version, check out this story of Detroit Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5265148. An umpire's blown call on what should have been the final out of a game last week against the Indians cost Armando a perfect game and a chance to become the 21st player in MLB history to retire all 27 batters he faced. To put the magnitude of this near-feat into perspective, more people have orbited the moon than have pitched a perfect game in Major League Baseball.

And while Armando won't be remembered in the annals of Major League Baseball as the 21st player to be "perfect", Mr. Galarraga will be remembered instead for something even more impressive and unfortunately even rarer: being a perfect gentleman.

5 Loaves and 2 Fish Are All We Have...

2010-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

As I listened today to the proclamation of the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:11b-17 ) in which Jesus takes 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feeds a crowd of 5,000, I couldn't help but think about just how incredible our God truly is. Even in preparing for today's Mass by reading the Gospel ahead of time, I was struck by the same thought-- our God is truly an awesome God. Jesus teaches us through this miracle that we can bring Him the equivalent of our "5 loaves and 2 fish" and He will turn it into something greater than we ever could have even imagined. If we commit the work of our hands, however feeble, to Jesus, He will take it and turn it into something life-giving, something miraculous, something that helps Him to establish His Kingdom here on earth.

This same multiplication of "food" happens every time Mass is celebrated. For as we offer up our gifts of bread and wine, we also offer up, in the words of Teilhard, our "labors" and our "pains" and place them on the altar along with the food, so that we, too, may be transformed into Christ's Body and Blood. Then nourished by his Body and Blood, and having become what we have received, we are sent forth to be Christ to others. But, we are not sent alone...God is with us.

Archbishop Oscar Romero, in his Prayer Before Serving Others, puts it this way:

This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may not be complete, but it is a beginning, a step along with the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.

As we prepare for the 2010 - 2011 school year, let us dedicate all of our efforts to God. From our teachers in preparing dynamic lessons, to our students working diligently in and out of the classroom, to our parents in their support of Incarnation Catholic School, let us pray that even though "5 loaves and 2 fish" are all we have, when we turn it over to the "master builder", it will prove to be more than enough.

ICS Mission Statement

2010-05-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

The Book of Proverbs (29:18) states, "Without vision, the people perish." A Catholic school, like any organization, must be driven by vision. Decisions must be made in accordance with the organization's mission statement; to do otherwise ultimately leads to lack of direction, confusion, frustration, chaos and eventually the end of the organization.

As a Catholic school, our overall vision very explicitly comes from Canon Law. Catholic education deals with forming the whole person-- a person's intellectual, physical, moral and social abilities (Canon 795). Even though particular Catholic schools may use different words in their mission statements, the message must be the same. But, the message must not only appear on paper, or on walls, websites or brochures. The particular mission of a Catholic school must be tied to Canon Law and it must be the driving force behind everything done by the institution. Without an adherence to the vision of Catholic education, our schools will fail.

At Incarnation Catholic School, the mission statement clearly coincides with the Catholic Church's directive on Catholic education. The ICS Mission Statement is as follows:

Incarnation Catholic School continues our tradition of:

Inspiring life - long learners

Challenging each individual to develop spiritually

Striving to serve each other and the community as we prepare students for the future.

At ICS, our delivery of curriculum will not just be geared toward performance on a test, but instead have as its aim the development of enduring understandings. Spiritual growth will be a priority for all members of the school community-- students, teachers, administrators and even parents. Finally, it will not be enough to just become smarter and more spiritual. We must use our knowledge which is inspired by our faith to go out and make a difference in the world today, tomorrow and in the years to come. The learning at Incarnation must take on greater depth than to just do well on Friday's test. It must be used to help make the world a better place tomorrow than it is today.

All members of the ICS family must share this vision. Teachers must use it to guide their instruction of not only subject matter but subjects that matter. Students need to be inspired by it so as to bring an excitement and enthusiasm to school each and every day. Finally, parents must be willing to support both teachers and students, truly becoming partners with the school in the education of their children.

And when this happens, when all members of the organization can be motivated by a common vision, amazing gains can take place. As Edward Schillebeeckx, one of the most prominent Catholic theologians of modern times, wrote, "What we dream alone remains a dream, but what we dream with others can become a reality."

Or, "Without vision, the people perish."

With vision, however, we can move mountains. I look forward to moving some with you soon.

Sports and Spirituality

2010-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to share some of my insights on the connection between sports and spirituality at the Diocese of St. Petersburg's Living Eucharist Conference as one of its breakout presenters.

As a life-long athlete (all I wanted for my 2nd birthday was a soccer ball) and a coach at many different levels over the past 9 years, my belief in the connection between our spiritual and sporting lives has evolved into a passion.

Sports can lead us to a deeper understanding of and participation in some of the central mysteries of our Catholic faith: the Incarnation, the Trinity and the Pascal Mystery.

Because of Jesus, our pursuit of excelling in those things that make us uniquely human, make us more like Him, and in turn, more like God.

As God is three persons in one, He is by His very nature relational. Created in His image and likeness, we are also relational. Therefore, anything that brings us into relation with others brings us closer to God. Sports, by their very nature, bring us into relation with others; therefore, they also bring into deeper relationship with God.

All athletes experiene the pains of struggle, agony, error, loss, and defeat. All athletes also experience triumph, victory, and redemption. The journey of an athlete entails suffering (in practice or throughout games or over the course of a season), death (loss of a game, an injury, a mistake during a game), resurrection (winning the next game, overcoming a mistake with a great play, coming back from an injury, executing something never completed before) and ascension (learning a valuable life lesson through sports, honoring and congratulating an opponent after a great play or game, recognizing that in the end it's just a game). Of course, these are the same stages of the Pascal Mystery.

As Pope John Paul II said,

“Sport has, in itself, an important moral and educative significance: It is a training ground in virtue, a school of inner balance and outer control, an introduction to more true and lasting conquests.”

Therefore, the time, attention and energy devoted toward developing the sports programs in our Catholic schools must be analyzed. We must come to realize that sports in Catholic schools are both "just games" and yet "so much more than just games". We must come to understand that sports have the power and potential to influence our students more powerfully than any academic or extra-curricular endeavors.

We must challenge our athletes to play to win while also playing with courageous sportsmanship.

We must encourage, train and support our coaches so that they can use sports as a way to draw student-athletes closer to God.

We must embrace the ability sports offer to transform our lives, our schools and even our world.

May God bless you on your sporting and spiritual journey so that, at the end of your "game" you may be able to echo St. Paul's words in his 2nd letter to Timothy, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith."

Good luck and God bless.

Greetings, Incarnation Catholic School and Church!

2010-05-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Incarnation Catholic School Parents, Students and Families:

At the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus commissions His disciples saying, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (28:19).

It is in this spirit that I have accepted the position of Principal at Incarnation Catholic School. I truly feel that God has called me to “go, therefore, and make disciples”. Or, in words from our final year of the diocesan wide Living Eucharist Initiative: I feel that I am being sent to serve as your principal. I am filled with much anticipation and excitement to begin working with you, our teachers, and your children. I have thoroughly enjoyed my few introductions to the community and I look forward to other occasions for us to meet prior to and throughout the 2010 – 2011 school year.

The Incarnation is one of the central mysteries of our Catholic faith and I find it a wonderful springboard for the work of which I hope to take part starting next year. The Incarnation, God entering our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, completely changed the course of human history. From that moment on, all human endeavors, because of Christ’s divinity, became ways for us to grow closer to God. Much as we become more like God when we receive Him in the Body and Blood of Holy Communion, our humanity became sanctified when He took on flesh and became human. In doing so, He made our lives as humans into something meaningful, something beautiful—something that can ultimately lead us to Him. Therefore, all of our endeavors at ICS, including all of the many curricular, extra-curricular and spiritual aspects of our school, are ways for us to participate in the Incarnation. Emmanuel, the name given to the Messiah by the prophet Isaiah, literally means “God is with us”. I hope and pray that Incarnation Catholic School can be a place where all people: students, teachers, parents, and even visitors can declare that God is, in fact, with us.

In closing, I thank Fr. Michael Suszynski for affording me this opportunity to work as your Principal. I also thank Mrs. Carolyn Goslee for her many years of faithful service at Incarnation, and the wonderful faculty and staff for their openness to the transition ahead. Finally, I ask all of you to pray for all members of the Incarnation Catholic School family. May God continue to bless us, lead us, and guide us as we finish this school year and look forward to the next.

In Christ,

Michael Zelenka