Ideas — they’re everywhere
Too bad there are only so many hours in the day
Well, new month new board. What to do. Students had a great time building this one and it came together well. It took a little planning. Normally we do a series of individual worksheets or something, but this was fun since it was a group project. I’m glad a got a quick snap of it before it’s coming down. You’d be surprised (or maybe not) how much amazing art (and a lot of scribble I admit) gets thrown away.
The thing is, it takes time to do these things. And, if you want to make it look nice it takes even more time.
Today I wrote a bunch of math stuff on a giant post it and then went over it all so that it could be an anchor for the week. Smoothing everything out, adding color, and evening everything out required me to have patience and focus. Students love it when we work on crafts and art together. I’ll have to think of a good one for the rest of January.
Teachers put it a lot of time, effort, care. Our teacher mentor said because it was her vocation, not just a job, she easily put in 60–65 hours a week. I admire that and, because it’s so fun, I can see how someone could easily slip into a 60+ work week here.
Now I say “fun” with a big grain of salt. It is also the most challenging job to figure out what makes some of these young individuals motivated. There are many questions that arise also, the main one being: Are they supported at home? Is the home a healthy environment?
Being a parent is hard also and I can’t imagine if there is a combination of trying to raise a child or children with working odd jobs or being in a bad relationship. We could throw in the possibility of addiction in the family somewhere there also. Add on top of that an adult working diligently to improve their family’s circumstances.
It is a fragile state of being to exist in.
Time. There is only so much of it in this life full of puzzle pieces that many of us struggle through to assemble. Being good at math, for example, doesn’t seem to be important when you aren’t good at life. Good at chess, bad at life — as they say. I think it goes, “The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life.” (Paul Morphy)
I’d have to research it further, but the contrast between the word ‘gentleman’ and ‘wasted life’ is something, isn’t it?
When we think ‘gentleman’ maybe it brings up some negative attributes (think the Vanderbilts — didn’t they all squander their lives away yet were called gentle folk). Mostly it conjures some refinery, success, and financial security. Enviable attributes.
But to play chess ‘well’, unless you are a genius, would take some level of obsessive study — so much so that all other things fall away. Things more sentimental: love, friendship, family.
I’m not sure why my brain went here. Maybe I’m just trying to find some balance. I’ve definitely spent some 10+ hours at work.
And maybe I’m trying to define the value or the ‘is it worth it’ for some of these art projects in relation to the time.
I think of the Tibetan sand mandalas. They take weeks to make sometimes. They are intricate, detailed, and stunning to view. The monks sweep them up after they finish to symbolize the impermanence of existence. Maybe this is the mindset I should focus on to keep me present in each moment as I mind the time and do the things I need to do and do them well.
