The Bent Nails

I watched The Music and the Spoken Word this afternoon.  It was actually an older one--#4308.  I really liked the story Lloyd Newell told about a gentleman named James.  It is a reminder that our weaknesses and imperfections as educators don't need to hold us back from making a difference in the lives of our scholars. 


"...while building a new home for his family, James had a life-changing insight. He remembered his grandfather showing him how to carefully pound out the kinks in old, bent nails so they could be used again. And so he gathered discarded nails around the building site and started to straighten them—one by one. He found that many of the rehabilitated nails worked just as well as new nails. In fact, it was the kinks in the shaft that helped them take hold of the wood." 

The Blessing of Work

Honoring and celebrating work is something we will want to do at Esperanza.  The Blessing of Work

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

More than 1,600 years ago, St. Augustine is said to have taught this timeless truth: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” Indeed, our willingness to work can make a big difference in life. A leader who worked for several years in a service organization with hundreds of young men and women observed that the defining quality of the best young leaders was their ability to work. Those who knew how to work were happier, more confident, and better able to adapt to new situations. They were problem solvers. And most often, those young people went on to have successful lives. From early on, work spelled the difference. And so we celebrate work. In the late 1800s, the United States Congress designated the first Monday in September as Labor Day—a day to commend work and those who do it. It’s a day set aside to rest from labor, even as we remember all those who labor to build this nation: in the farms and factories, the offices and warehouses, the stores and schools—anyplace where honorable, honest labor is performed. Those who work fuel the progress of nations and the betterment of our communities. Truly, workers deserve a pat on the back and a heartfelt reminder of their importance in our society. Work is good for the soul. It builds muscle and character, it strengthens hand and heart, and nothing gets done or moves forward without it. And though work is different today than a hundred years ago, it’s still essential to life and happiness. Good work satisfies the soul and makes the world go round. And so, on this day when we praise work and workers, may we roll up our sleeves and celebrate the blessing of work. Program #4329 "La bendición del trabajo” Se dice que hace más de 1.600 años, San Agustín enseñó esta verdad eterna: "Ora como si todo dependiera de Dios, y trabaja como si todo dependiera de ti”. De hecho, el estar dispuesto a trabajar puede marcar una gran diferencia en la vida. Un líder que trabajó varios años en una organización de servicio, con cientos de jóvenes, comentó que la cualidad que más define a los líderes jóvenes es su habilidad para trabajar. Los que sabían trabajar eran más felices, tenían más confianza en sí mismos, se adaptaban mejor a nuevas situaciones y sabían resolver problemas. Además, esos jóvenes tenían más probabilidades de lograr el éxito. Desde un principio, el trabajo marcó la diferencia. Por eso celebramos el trabajo. A finales de la década de 1800, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos designó el primer lunes de septiembre como Día del Trabajo, un día para encomiar tanto la labor como a los obreros, y para descansar del trabajo al recordar a los que se esfuerzan por forjar esta nación en granjas, fábricas, oficinas, almacenes, tiendas y escuelas ---en cualquier lugar donde se haga trabajo honrado. Los que trabajan estimulan el progreso de las naciones y de las comunidades. En verdad, los trabajadores merecen nuestro encomio y el recuerdo sincero de su importancia en nuestra sociedad. El trabajo beneficia el alma, forma músculo y carácter, fortalece la mano y el corazón, y sin él nada avanza. Y aunque ahora el trabajo es diferente de lo que era hace cien años, sigue siendo esencial para la vida y para la felicidad. El buen trabajo satisface el alma y mueve al mundo. En este día en que elogiamos el trabajo y a los trabajadores, pongamos manos a la obra y celebremos la bendición de trabajar.

Kindness Is Inviting

Kindness is inviting and therefore, should permeate throughout Esperanza.  This talk by Lloyd Newell on Music and the Spoken Word on July 8, 2012 is a reminder about the importance of kindness.

Conquer with Kindness

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

President Abraham Lincoln led America through the ravages of the Civil War with dignity and grace. In his second inaugural address, as the South was collapsing in the last of the battles, Lincoln called for "malice toward none” and "charity for all.”i In essence, he spoke of showing kindness in the most difficult of circumstances. Kindness is relatively easy to practice when all is going well. To show kindness at difficult and stressful times is to allow the heart to govern what we do. Kindness is a language of its own, a power, a strength of character, a way of life—and these days it seems so often in short supply. President Lincoln did more than just speak publicly of kindness; it guided his private interactions as well. He once instructed an army commander regarding the punishment of a Confederate officer: "My dear General, . . . do nothing in reprisal for the past—only what is necessary to ensure security for the future. I remind you,” he continued, "that we are not fighting against a foreign foe, but our brothers, and that our aim is not to break their spirits but only to bring back their allegiance. Conquer them with kindness—let that be our policy.”ii Lincoln’s policy can be our policy. We can rise above anger and be gentle with the young, considerate of the aged, tolerant with those who rankle us, and patient with those who stumble or charge at lightning speed. We can smile rather than point fingers. We can offer a listening ear rather than a cold shoulder. We can forget about past wrongs and go forward shaping and reshaping relationships. We can proffer a compliment. And, yes, we can even let someone ahead of us on the road or in the grocery line. We can "conquer with kindness,” and we will positively influence our corner of the world. i In Lewis Copeland and others, eds., The World’s Great Speeches, 4th ed. (1999), 317. ii In David K. Hatch, comp., Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life (2006), 41.

Field Trips for All of Us

This was a reminder how beneficial "field trips" can be to help us keep a balanced life. 

Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered On: June 10th 2012
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Look Around You

A traveler once pulled into a gas station and asked the attendant how far it was to the Grand Canyon. "About 170 miles” was the answer.

"What’s it like there?” the traveler asked.

"I don’t know. I’ve never been there,” the attendant answered.

The traveler was shocked. "You mean to tell me you live this close to the Grand Canyon and you’ve never visited it?” Then he thought for a moment and said, "I guess I can understand that. I live in New York City, and I’ve never visited the Statue of Liberty.”

The gas station attendant exclaimed, "I’ve been there!”1

When was the last time you visited a place of interest in your community? Do we sometimes become so accustomed to our surroundings that we are blind to the beauty around us?

Field trips are not just for school children. Whether it’s down the street or across the town, there are many things to see and experience in every community: a historical marker, a walking trail, a museum, a factory or farm, a sanctuary or garden, to name just a few.

A daughter, now grown with children of her own, fondly remembers how her father would occasionally pile the family in a car and go on a Saturday field trip—after the chores were done. They did not have time or money to go very far, but they discovered all kinds of sights and adventures close to home. Now she tries to do the same with her family.

You don’t need to get in an airplane and fly across time zones to go on a field trip. Right where you live there are things to learn about and do, discoveries to be made, and sights to see.

Look around you. Don’t let the opportunities pass you by. Don’t let the school children have all the fun.

One-on-One Time

Yesterday on "Music and the Spoken Word" Lloyd Newell's words had to do with the importance of having one-on-one time with your children.  I believe that the same could be said for teachers.  It could be having lunch with the teacher or doing a certain activity together. 

I remember doing this when I taught at Realms.  One activity that stands out in my mind is going on a bike ride with Ben Jones--the activity that he chose. 

Appreciating Diversity

Delivered On: May 20th 2012
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

This Magnificent World

What do you see and feel when you look around at this magnificent world? Do you see diverse colors, faces, landscapes, and seascapes? What do you learn from others who live in different cultures, use expressions you might not understand, and eat things you might not consider food?

A nurse in the Far East stood nearby as a couple from North America prepared to take home their newly adopted little son. He was 18 months old, darling, enthusiastic—and Chinese. The father looked at the woman who had cared for the child since he was placed in the orphanage. "Tell us how you teach him and how you show him love,” the father said. She smiled and responded, "You will do it your way. And that will be good.”

The interchange was not about parenting; it was about respecting the different ways we do things and the beauty of those differences. What if everything in the world were the same? What if there were no tulips in the Netherlands, no Alps in Switzerland, no gazelles in Africa?

What if there were no regional accents or Italian operas, no Great Wall of China? What if there wasn’t a culture that gave us the ruins in Mexico, the hula in Hawaii, and walkabouts down under? Some people eat fish eggs and love them. Others work in rice fields from a tender age. Some live in apartments and others in yurts. This is a world varied in its natural wonders and rich in local traditions. And isn’t that marvelous!

The more we get to know the world’s diversity, the more we feel at home here. Because even though clothing styles, artistic styles, and parenting styles vary widely, we can share an underlying foundation of kindness, generosity, and understanding. In this sense, we can all be bilingual—we speak our native language and the language of love. This is what adds the human touch to an already magnificent world.

Learning from Latinos

The message on "Music and the Spoken Word"  yesterday made me think of how much the Latino culture can teach us such as their focus is more on community than on individuals.  This message complements what I have been reading in the book Con Respeto by Guadalupe Valdés. 

Winners Do Not Always Finish First

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Winners do not always finish first. This observation seems contradictory—finishing first is what winning means. We are taught from early on that life’s winners are those who come out on top, who make the most money, who score the highest, jump the farthest, and run the fastest. Very often, to those with the so-called "winning attitude,” life is a fierce competition: everyone is a competitor, each person a threat, and in order for one person to win, everyone else must lose. But this is not the only way to see the world. In some situations—in fact, most of the truly meaningful ones—we only truly win if we’ve helped someone else win too. All successful marriages, families, and even communities eventually understand this. Sometimes, young people seem to understand it better than we adults do. Thirteen-year-old Spencer Zimmerman was an accomplished triathlete. But he decided that it wasn’t enough for him to win if he couldn’t help someone else win too. So for one triathlon, he brought along his friend Dayton, who has cerebral palsy. "He should have the opportunity to do and enjoy what everybody else does,” Spencer said. Spencer swam 500 meters, biked 12 miles, and ran over 3 miles with Dayton either tethered behind him or in a stroller in front of him. "I knew that Dayton was five feet from me the whole time,” Spencer said. "It was awesome to know that one of my really good friends could be with me.”1 At a young age, Spencer and Dayton have already discovered some of life’s greatest secrets: Winning comes not just in competing but in caring; victory is more an act of selflessness than an act of supremacy. Strength is found not only in the strong but in a kindhearted approach to life. And winners do not always finish first.

Courteous and Bien Educado

This nugget from Lloyd D. Newell on "Music and the Spoken Word reminded me how important it is for us to teach our Esperanza scholars to be courteous and to be "bien educado." 

The Greater Courtesies

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell 1/29/12

Nineteenth-century American writer Christian Bovee once said, "The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater, ennoble it.”1 Sometimes, with the pressures and stresses of life, we might forget that in many cases, the small things are the big things. The lessons of good manners we learned as children—to say "please” and "thank you” and "excuse me”—may seem outdated in today’s demanding adult world. But politeness is never out of style, kindness is never old-fashioned, and we never outgrow courtesy. And it goes much deeper than polite words. As one commentator noted: "Making people feel important is part of courtesy, so it’s important to remember that whether or not people remember what we say or do, they do remember how we made them feel. . . . Always be kinder than necessary because you can never be too kind.”2 Helping people feel respected and loved takes more effort and, at times, more self-discipline than just remembering to say please and thank you. But it’s the mark of a great soul. This type of courtesy focuses more on how we make people feel than just what we say to them. It springs more from sincere love for others than from a mere sense of social obligation. It measures not the size of the courteous act but the size of the heart behind it. A smile, a returned phone call, a thank-you note, a word of congratulation on a special occasion, verbal and nonverbal responses to those who need our attention—even these seemingly small things, if inspired by genuine love, can turn out to be the greater courtesies, the big things, that both sweeten and ennoble the life of the giver and the receiver.

More Thoughts on Teaching History

Yesterday I took the opportunity to watch the May 29th broadcast of "Music and the Spoken Word." Lloyd Newell's message was about the importance of remembering--remembering those who gave the ultimate gift for liberty and country in our behalf. He went on to say that the best way we can honor them is to build on the foundation of freedom they laid. We can only build on that foundation if we read and share their stories.

All those born in this country or who have immigrated to this country are reaping the benefits of those who came before. Therefore, we all owe a deep sense of gratitude for them. We owe it to our Esperanza scholars to share with them the stories and sacrifices of these people...and help them to learn ways to build upon that legacy.