A post from a professor of German on FB started a long thread of condolences and comments about kids today who think they don't have to do anything and should be given everything. It started because a student didn't do an assignment and wanted an extension on the deadline. He told her that she knew in advance the assignment was due on a specific day and she didn't do it, so the answer was no, she couldn't have an extension. Her response was typical for someone in their twenties who has never been forced to do anything they didn't want to do. She complained about having to learn a foreign language, even though she has no need for it and that it was only a check beside a long list of classes she has to take that won't help her in her major or future. Her point was that the professor should give her a passing grade so she could go on with her life.
My question is what happened to her in her childhood to make her think that anyone should give her anything? Does the world owe her something simply because she was born? She most likely thinks she's privileged because she was born in the United States of America and doesn't need to do anything to earn a living or her place in society. The Mobile County School System is only exacerbating the problem by passing new guidelines instructing teachers that they must give extensions to students for their assignments if they don't meet the deadline. What do they think they are teaching the children? If you don't have time to do your homework, it's okay, you can do it later. You know, after you get finished watching all of your fave t.v. shows and facebooking all your friends and stuff. Like whenever you get the chance. K. What kind of education is that? What kind of adults will they be? Can our society survive with people who have this kind of mindset? My thoughts on that are: 1) That's not an education. 2) They will expect deadline to be extended regardless of the circumstances. 3) Our society can't survive with people thinking that way. Seriously. Go to a third world country and live for a while, maybe then you'll see that life isn't all about what you want when you want it. Make a contribution first and then maybe you'll have the right to ask for an extension on a deadline when you've just had surgery and need a few days to recover, or one of your parents die, or your child was just diagnosed with cancer.
Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Life Changes
I teach English in Dresden, Germany. If you've ever read any of my other blog posts you know that I love it. It's a real challenge though, and sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing is what I'm meant to do. I have a website, Google+ page, two blogs and I teach between 10 and 16 hours a week. Yes, I stay busy. Lately, I've started wondering if it's what I should be doing. What am I passionate about? What difference can I make in the world? How can I improve my student's lives? Am I in the right place? etc.....I'm sure you've heard it all before from both friends and strangers.
I do think that everyone is meant to be happy. No, I don't mean winning the lottery, momentarily gleeful kind of happy, but really happy. Not everyone is, and it's true, not everyone can be happy all the time, you know 24/7, but in general everyone should be able to find something and someone they love an make a life for themselves. So, with that being said, the next question is why people don't make changes in their lives in order to bring about happiness? Want to know the answer.....you probably already guessed that it's FEAR. Yes, I said it. Fear is the reason people can't make changes in their lives that would enable them to be happy. Anxiety doesn't help either.
I watched a video on YouTube that lead to this pondering. The woman giving the speech isn't the world's most eloquent speaker, but she makes some important points and gives some great tips about rebooting your life. I'm not ready for a reboot, but I think that even if you're not ready for such a drastic step listening to what she has to say can help you find out what it is in life that you really should be doing, instead of working in a job that you hate, or are just comfortable with. The world needs change, so if you can make a change in your life, do something that will make an impact on the world and create change in other people's lives, why not do it?
I'm posting the link to the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWxMDdLey0E Go watch the video and see if it doesn't inspire you to make a change.
I do think that everyone is meant to be happy. No, I don't mean winning the lottery, momentarily gleeful kind of happy, but really happy. Not everyone is, and it's true, not everyone can be happy all the time, you know 24/7, but in general everyone should be able to find something and someone they love an make a life for themselves. So, with that being said, the next question is why people don't make changes in their lives in order to bring about happiness? Want to know the answer.....you probably already guessed that it's FEAR. Yes, I said it. Fear is the reason people can't make changes in their lives that would enable them to be happy. Anxiety doesn't help either.
I watched a video on YouTube that lead to this pondering. The woman giving the speech isn't the world's most eloquent speaker, but she makes some important points and gives some great tips about rebooting your life. I'm not ready for a reboot, but I think that even if you're not ready for such a drastic step listening to what she has to say can help you find out what it is in life that you really should be doing, instead of working in a job that you hate, or are just comfortable with. The world needs change, so if you can make a change in your life, do something that will make an impact on the world and create change in other people's lives, why not do it?
I'm posting the link to the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWxMDdLey0E Go watch the video and see if it doesn't inspire you to make a change.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Christmas Wishes
Christmas is right around the corner and everyone is busy preparing for that very special day. There are presents to be bought, apartments and houses to be decorated and food to be prepared. It's the same every year. However, a moment should be taken to reflect on the year and the people in our lives and to say "thank you" to your god for those people. Life is short, so don't waste time and not tell the people you cherish that you love them.
The holiday season is full of parties to attend and cards to be written and it's often difficult to take the time to let everyone know how you feel, but even a brief line would go a long way. Hugs and smiles also work wonders.
I want to take a minute now to wish all of my friends and family a very Merry Christmas, happiness, health and prosperity in 2014. May all of your hopes and dreams come true in the coming year.
The holiday season is full of parties to attend and cards to be written and it's often difficult to take the time to let everyone know how you feel, but even a brief line would go a long way. Hugs and smiles also work wonders.
I want to take a minute now to wish all of my friends and family a very Merry Christmas, happiness, health and prosperity in 2014. May all of your hopes and dreams come true in the coming year.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Men and Miscarriage
I first found out that I was pregnant somewhere during my 8th week of pregnancy. Mainly because I had been trying and wasn't successful, I stopped tracking my cycle and just gave up on the idea of getting pregnant. I started bleeding lightly on Thursday evening and then it stopped a few hours later. Friday I went to work and nothing out of the ordinary happened. I felt a little queasy, but given the circumstances, I didn't feel the need to rush to the doctor. Saturday morning I woke up to more blood and hot flashes, but still I didn't go to the doctor. Saturday I spent lying around with the windows open because it was cool outside. Saturday night I went to the E.R. because the blood hadn't stopped and I was scared. When they did the ultrasound the doctor turned the screen away from me and my boyfriend was the only comfort in the room.
Unfortunately, the look on his face when he saw the ultrasound wasn't comforting. The doctor was polite and apologized for making us wait so long, but in the end there was nothing to be done. The baby had made it's exit to wherever unborn babies go. I think to heaven. The weeks that followed were very difficult. A D&C was performed a week later, because all of the surgeons in the city were either on vacation or sick. I ended up with a cyst on my ovary because the hormones in my body didn't fall quickly enough and I had to have it surgically removed 4 weeks out and was hospitalized a third time due to severe abdominal pain.
Through it all my boyfriend stayed by my side and took care of me when I was too weak to take care of myself. He cooked, cleaned, visited me in the hospital put cool clothes on my neck when I thought I couldn't stand being sick anymore. I think he suffered more than me, at times, because he remembers things that I was fortunate enough not to remember, due to hospital drugs or sleep. He said repeatedly that it was his fault and he wished that I had never gotten pregnant. I know that he still suffers today four months out. The one thing I tell him is this: Life is a gift, a precious gift and sometimes you can plan things and they all go right. Other times, you plan things and they go wrong, or not at all, and you get frustrated or confused. In the end we are all human beings who unfortunately don't have complete control over what happens in our lives. If god wants to take our baby home before he or she is born, we can't control that. What we can control is how we react to that circumstance.
If you are a boyfriend or husband out there who has lost a baby, the one thing I want to say to you is that it's not your fault. I have so many girlfriends who have lost babies that it's astounding that any child is born. They all have children now. I am still hoping for one, but this information gives me hope that one day we'll have one, too. Don't give up hope. Don't stop trying because you think you are at fault. In 95% of the cases, the doctors simply don't know what happened. I think children are such a precious gift to parents. Don't throw up your hands and give up at the first loss. It's so common that even the doctors don't say much about it. Read online, educate yourself , mourn your loss and move on. Don't sacrifice what could be for something that you've lost.
Unfortunately, the look on his face when he saw the ultrasound wasn't comforting. The doctor was polite and apologized for making us wait so long, but in the end there was nothing to be done. The baby had made it's exit to wherever unborn babies go. I think to heaven. The weeks that followed were very difficult. A D&C was performed a week later, because all of the surgeons in the city were either on vacation or sick. I ended up with a cyst on my ovary because the hormones in my body didn't fall quickly enough and I had to have it surgically removed 4 weeks out and was hospitalized a third time due to severe abdominal pain.
Through it all my boyfriend stayed by my side and took care of me when I was too weak to take care of myself. He cooked, cleaned, visited me in the hospital put cool clothes on my neck when I thought I couldn't stand being sick anymore. I think he suffered more than me, at times, because he remembers things that I was fortunate enough not to remember, due to hospital drugs or sleep. He said repeatedly that it was his fault and he wished that I had never gotten pregnant. I know that he still suffers today four months out. The one thing I tell him is this: Life is a gift, a precious gift and sometimes you can plan things and they all go right. Other times, you plan things and they go wrong, or not at all, and you get frustrated or confused. In the end we are all human beings who unfortunately don't have complete control over what happens in our lives. If god wants to take our baby home before he or she is born, we can't control that. What we can control is how we react to that circumstance.
If you are a boyfriend or husband out there who has lost a baby, the one thing I want to say to you is that it's not your fault. I have so many girlfriends who have lost babies that it's astounding that any child is born. They all have children now. I am still hoping for one, but this information gives me hope that one day we'll have one, too. Don't give up hope. Don't stop trying because you think you are at fault. In 95% of the cases, the doctors simply don't know what happened. I think children are such a precious gift to parents. Don't throw up your hands and give up at the first loss. It's so common that even the doctors don't say much about it. Read online, educate yourself , mourn your loss and move on. Don't sacrifice what could be for something that you've lost.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friendship
I am learning alot about people in Europe and Germany especially living in Dresden. The people have a different attitude toward work and family here than they do in the US. I am an American through and through, but I don't think we spend enough time with each other to listen and talk about what is important.
Have you ever gone home from work, ordered pizza, had it delivered, and ate while watching tv with your significant other? What kind of relationship is that? Better yet, what are we teaching our children about relationships?
The tough thing to do is sit down with someone we love and ask them how they really feel. Why? We (me especially) are afraid of what the other person might say. Are we really happy working 50 hours a week, ordering fast food and not talking about the things that count? If not, how do we change our lives? I don't have any answers for the questions above. I only hope that when I meet someone out there that I am honest enough with myself to be honest with my partner and that I am able to take the things I have learned from both sides of the Atlantic and use them to have a better life. I hope the same for all of my friends who plan to venture outside of the US.
Have you ever gone home from work, ordered pizza, had it delivered, and ate while watching tv with your significant other? What kind of relationship is that? Better yet, what are we teaching our children about relationships?
The tough thing to do is sit down with someone we love and ask them how they really feel. Why? We (me especially) are afraid of what the other person might say. Are we really happy working 50 hours a week, ordering fast food and not talking about the things that count? If not, how do we change our lives? I don't have any answers for the questions above. I only hope that when I meet someone out there that I am honest enough with myself to be honest with my partner and that I am able to take the things I have learned from both sides of the Atlantic and use them to have a better life. I hope the same for all of my friends who plan to venture outside of the US.
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