Amen! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Manza, Louis" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, October 8, 2012 4:37 pm Subject: RE:[tips] Random Thought: Genesis 1:27 To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]>
> So belief in God is needed to be a good teacher? Atheists > can't teach well? I don't buy it--not for a second. > And why? Basing morals/behavior on Biblical passages is a > dicey endeavor, considering that while that book contains some > potentially uplifting information, it's also filled w/atrocities > committed in the name of God. And how one can subjectively > choose to focus on the good and somehow disavow the bad is > logically inconsistent. Dawkins's THE GOD DELUSION does an > excellent job of driving this point home . . . > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > Dr. Lou Manza > Professor & Chair of Psychology | Director of the Youth Scholars > Institute > Lebanon Valley College > 101 N. College Avenue, Annville, PA 17003 > Phone: 717.867.6193 | Fax: 717.867.6894 | [email protected] | www.lvc.edu > > This message may contain confidential or privileged information. > Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive > the information on behalf of the addressee), you may not use, > copy or disclose the information to anyone. If you received > this message in error, please advise the sender by reply email, > and delete or destroy the message. Thank you. > </DIV > ________________________________________ > From: Louis E. Schmier [[email protected]] > Sent: Monday, October 08, 2012 7:06 AM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Subject: [tips] Random Thought: Genesis 1:27 > > I know. > Thinking, feeling, reflecting introspectively, writing a lot > lately. But, it's not just that student who has really > gotten into me or that I'm still feeling the gift he gave > me. There's more that I'm not ready to talk about > yet. But, still echoing in my soul are his words, "You > didn't give up on me." Give up? Me? > Never! As the Talmud says, “You are not obligated to > complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon > it.” So, I am a guy of many second chances. And > though I may not always 'win,' and I don't, I never > surrender. I never stop believing, having faith, having > hope, and loving. I always say that my favorite passage in > Scripture, my guiding north star for all my feelings, thoughts, > and actions that I use not to "thingify" teaching, to ritualize > or ceremonialize it--or anything in life--is Micah 6:8. > It's my favorite. It reminds me to "humanize" what I do, > that what really matters is people. But I don't think it's > the most important passage in Scripture. > > Micah rests on what I > believe is the seminal biblical passage. Take the whole of > the New Testament, the whole of the Old Testament, the whole of > the Koran, the whole of the Midrash, the whole of the Talmud, > the whole of all the Jewish and Christian and Islamic writings, > however often misused and abused and perverted they may be by > imperfect followers. It all rests on one passage and one > passage only. The rest is commentary. It's among the > opening passages of the Old Testament. Maybe the fact that > it's among the opening passages reveals its significance. > Genesis 1:27 gets my vote: "In the Image of God they > were created." The spark of the Divine in us all. > Imperfect, but godly, all of us. Bar none. Sacred, > noble, valuable, worthy, unique. All of us. No > exceptions. No conditions. No exclusions. No > judgments. No ifs, ands, or buts! > > "In the image of God > were they created." A simple but profound and challenging and > elegant statement. But, really. Do we believe > it? Do we see the angel ahead of each student, reminding > us with the proclaiming, "Make way, make way, make way for > someone created in the image of God?" We all believe we > are decent folk; I know we all want to be decent folk. But do we > believe in all the people who populate our campuses and > classrooms? Do we act as if we believed everyone is made > in God's image? Do we feel as if we believe everyone has a > unique potential? Perhaps the easiest answer to that > question is how we talk, and how we act, towards each > student. If we really believed that every student is > created in God's image, if we truly did, then simple decent > feelings, thoughts and behavior toward each of them would > flow. We'd be nurturers for all and weeders of none. > > So, I ask, is an > uttered "I care" simply a comforting platitude or an expected > sound bite? I think we would act differently if we really > practiced caring and acted caringly, rather than just mouthing > it. Do we mean "I care" when we disengagingly say, "It's > not my job?" Do we mean "I care" when we haughtily say, "I > don't have time?" Do we mean "I care" when we say > disparagingly, "They're letting anyone in?" Do we mean "I > care" when we negatively act in a way that reveals "Students > nowadays can't.....don't....?" Do we mean "I care" when we > annoyingly say, "This generation....in my day when I was a > student?" Do we mean "I care" when we resignedly say, > "Well, you can't get to all of them; so why try?" Do we > mean "I care" when we're more interested in and care about > informing and credentialling than transforming? Do we mean > "I care" when our hearts and minds are in the lab or > archive? Before you answer any of these questions, keep a > few things in mind: > > First, how did you > feel as a student when you were treated as if you were far, far > less than angelic? Second, how do you feel when as a > faculty or staff member you are not respectfully treated by > colleagues or administrators? > Third, the more we can be honest with ourselves, acknowledge our > own imperfections, the more we can accept those imperfections in > a student. That is, we can have empathy, sympathy, > and compassion. You know, I learned that humility does not mean > self-effacement; it does not mean thinking of ourselves as > worthless or useless. But rather it means being honest with > ourselves and accepting our limitations. Once we know and > accept our own limitations, we can more readily accept that in > another human being. Fourth, if you believed and lived > Genesis 1:27, I bet you'd notice each student. You'd feel > differently about and speak differently to and of each student. > You'd find the time to spend more time with each student who > needed your time. You'd complain less about students. > You'd give more. You'd accept each of them both as she or > he is and as she or he can be. You'd forgive them for not > being mini copies of us, for not being perfect, for not doing > everything we want them to be all the time. You'd accept > each of them both as she or he is and as she or he can be. > You'd work harder to help each one help her/himself transform > her/himself. You'd be a person of unending second > chances. I bet eventually you'd teach fully, and urgently, > and carefully; you'd see teaching as an essential part of your > professional life rather than apart from it or an intrusion on > it. Fifth, what would you do if a student came up to > you and said, "I'm giving you one more chance. I'm > important. I'm worthy. You don't pay enough > attention to me. You aren't interested enough in what's > happening in my life. I'm giving you one more chance. > Notice me. Care about me. Help me." And > finally, each time we can generate empathy and sympathy, > have passion and compassion for, encourage and support, have > belief in, faith in, hope for, and love a student before judging > or blaming or weeding out, we change the world. And, as we > continue to strive to change the world just that much more we > can leave it better than when we found it. > > So, "in the image of > God were they created." It is an awesome notion that > gives us tremendous energy and tremendous responsibility. > It's the unlimited source of unlimited dedication, commitment, > perseverance to transforming rather than merely informing and > credentialing. Once you believe each student has an > astonishing inner light, you'll fight to keep her or him away > from the dark. And, you'll fight even harder to drag him > or her out of the dark and to help her or him be the crack in > her or his own dawning. > > Make it a good day > > -Louis- > > > Louis > Schmier > http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org > Department of > History http://www.therandomthoughts.com > Valdosta State University > Valdosta, Georgia > 31698 /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ > (O) 229-333- > 5947 /^\\/ \/ \ /\/\__ / \ / \ > (C) 229-630- > 0821 / \/ \_ \/ / \/ /\/ / \ /\ \ > //\/\/ /\ > \__/__/_/\_\/ \_/__\ \ > /\"If you want to climb > mountains,\ /\ > _ / \ don't practice on mole > hills" - / \_ > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13376.b3aa19fe9dc706a3b4cdaa8ddb37d852&n=T&l=tips&o=20961or > send a blank email to > leave-20961-13376.b3aa19fe9dc706a3b4cdaa8ddb37d...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13522.468cbac056133a996283cca7e2976336&n=T&l=tips&o=20962or > send a blank email to > leave-20962-13522.468cbac056133a996283cca7e2976...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. 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