Expectations

Lately, I've been pondering the effect that our expectations have on how we perceive reality, and, in turn, how those perception (sometimes incorrect), affect our actions and reactions. While this rough draft essay is far from perfect, it is an attempt to summarize in a somewhat coherent fashion, many of the diverse threads that are running through my mind on this issue.
While expectations can serve a good purpose, too often expectations can cause us to deceive ourselves about the truth and thus have incorrect responses to the circumstances of life.
Let me start with a classic illustration from the early 1900s. French scientists, determined to make a breakthrough to bring glory back to their country, believed that they had discovered a new form of radiation, dubbed "N rays." These rays had certain properties that could be observed by using a specially constructed device that identified the unique signature of these "rays." After a failed experiment of his own, an American scientist went to France to observe the collection of "N ray" data. Prior to one of the experiments, he secretly replaced the object that was supposed to be emitting "N rays" with a piece of wood and removed a prism from the apparatus. There was no way that the French scientists should have been able to detect "N rays." Yet, amazingly enough, the French scientists still reported the exact same "N ray" readings as before, because they expected to see them. These scientists fell guilty to allowing their expectations to influence improperly their perception of reality.
Before we have too long a laugh at the expense of the French, we should realize that we are too guilty of having incorrect expectations ourselves. I can think of times when I've been attracted to a woman and misinterpreted her actions because of my desire for her to show reciprocal interest in me. Likewise, we all know of students who have told themselves that they are "stupid" enough times that they stop trying in school, even when they are perfectly capable. Expectations, then, often cause us to twist the truth to suit our liking.
The problem with this twisting is two-fold. First, when we begin to make decisions based upon incorrect presuppositions, we will (eventually) wind up taking an action that results in negative consequences for us or for someone else, as was the case for our "failing" student above. Second, when we have unrealistic expectations of others, we often find ourselves disappointed and angry. How many marriages in this country, how many friendships, how many familial relationships, have been wrecked because of unrealistic expectations from one or both parties?
The solution to the problem posed by expectations is not to refuse to have expectations. Having no expectations results only in complacency, since we will accept anything if we expect nothing. (Perhaps this explains the current state of the American political system, but I digress...)
The solution to the problem posed by expectations is to have a "check" on our expectations. We need to examine them to make sure that they are in accord with reality. Often, when we find our expectations unmet, we tend to get angry and assume that our expectations were right to begin with. Instead, we should take a moment to examine our expectations to see if we had any reasonable right to hold them in the first place. For instance, many people get angry at God for some reason or another ("God didn't save me from this or that tragedy"). They expect that somehow, they deserve from God nothing but good. The become angry with God for not meeting their expectations. The way to recover from this is anger is to realize that, in reality, we are all sinners, deserving of nothing less than hell itself. That God is often merciful to us, both believers and unbelievers, by allowing good to happen in our lives does not mean that we have any right to expect such good from Him. For it was not because of our own goodness that God chose to save those of us who believe. Rather, it was by his grace alone that we are able to exercise complete trust in Jesus Christ and live a life glorifying to God. And I digress.
Expectations, as we've seen briefly, do wind up affecting us more powerfully at times than any of us would care to admit. The key to living without unrealistic expectations is to check our expectations periodically against an absolute standard. Often, we will need outside help (a friend, a pastor, a family member, God's Word) to do so.
Expectations, though, are not always bad. That discussion, though, belongs to another blog post.

Expectations, Sort Of

I had planned on blogging on expectations and how they affect our actions and reactions. It's something that I've pondering quite a bit lately. In an ironic twist, though, I haven't had the time that I expected to pull my thoughts together coherently. For now, though, I will say that I am fascinated about how much our expectations can be a source of conflict, as well as source of misunderstanding between people.

Interesting Week Ahead

This coming week should prove to be another interesting one: we have two big soccer games, one against Cornerstone (an in-town "rival" of sorts) and one against Tri City in Kansas City (a definite, friendly rival). On top of that, I have all of the typical tasks of a teacher, as well, in addition to needing some time to rest. It will be an interesting week.... The busyness sometimes makes me wonder why I still coach soccer. Oh, yes, it's because I enjoy it and enjoy the chance to build relationships with my students.

Cold+Busy Week=Tired

I have a cold. I have a busy week that includes an away game at Sunrise tomorrow. I'm not going to post anything more because I want to take advantage of my unscheduled time while I have it. And listen to K-State football.

Rain and Busyness

Busyness kept me from keeping to my scheduled blogging, which shows where it falls on the priority list: low. Still, I'll sort of "bridge the gap" between postings by making one now and then waiting until Wednesday (hopefully) for the next one.
The story around Topeka (all of NE Kansas, really) is the rain. It has poured all day. It's been a long time since I've seen it pour like this for so long. It was decidedly tropical in nature. And while the moisture source was ultimately the remnants of a Pacific hurricane, the forcing mechanisms were extratropical: a slow-moving cold front and a shortwave hitting at the same time.
I received over 2 inches of rain Thursday and Friday, and I think more is on the way for tomorrow. It will continue to make this summer (it's still technically summer) one of the coolest and wettest that this part of the country has seen in many years.

Puzzling Circumstances

My circumstances, as I expected before the year started, have gotten puzzling. I will spare you the boring details. Suffice it to say that I am staring at complex situations. Partially, I did it to myself, and partially, God has put these circumstances across my path. Either way, I know that as PFR says in one of their songs, "I got here by myself, but I know that I will never leave the same way." Or as Jehoshophat, faced with overwhelming odds from enemy armies, says in 2 Chronicles 20:12b, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (You, in this case, refers to God.) My circumstances may be puzzling me, but they are not a puzzle to God, and in the end, it is He who will work His will in these circumstances. My task is to do as Jehoshophat did: turn my eyes to the Lord, pray, and then listen to Him and to wise council. I'm going to need it.

Rain and Cool Weather

I could comment in detail on the Presidential election and the games that the media and the Democrats are playing by trying to slander John McCain's choice for VP. But I won't. I don't care. I'm sick of Presidential politics right now and all the stupid games that both parties are playing so that it's nearly impossible to discern the truth.
Instead, I'm going to focus on the wonderful, unseasonable weather that we have here in Topeka. The temperature is not even 60 degrees, and light rain has been falling on and off all day. The cool temperatures are courtesy of a cold front that pushed through yesterday afternoon, but the rain is courtesy of the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. So, the end result is a wonderful, late-October-type day that is perfectly suited for running. And that's what I plan to do, go out and enjoy a nice, relaxing jog without worrying about how long it takes me. And no matter who is elected President, they won't be able to take that away from me!

Presidential Campaign Thoughts

This Presidential election cycle has been one of distaste for me so far. Neither major candidate and I see eye-to-eye on most of the issues. Obama's politics are so different from mine and his inexperience so great that I do not feel comfortable supporting him. McCain's age, on the other hand, is a factor that makes me hesitate to support someone that I'm not sure could survive 4 years in office. Which is what makes McCain's choice for a running mate intriguing to me. By choosing a young, conservative governor, he has created a ticket that I could support far more comfortably than I could if it were McCain-Romney or McCain-Lieberman. I still am not completely convinced that I will vote for McCain-Palin; I still would like to do a little more research. Still, McCain's choice of Palin has made the idea of voting for McCain a little more palatable for me to consider. There's a long way to November, still, and I could still decide that I would rather vote for 3rd party candidate than McCain. We'll have to see.

Case in Point: Why I No Longer Watch Evening News

I rarely watch evening news anymore on television because of how insipid and irrelevant I find much of the coverage. It seems that the mainstream media is simply out of touch with what is going on. My case in point tonight comes from what is perhaps one of the most absurd statements I have heard a newsman utter in quite some time.
He said, "There are no headlines [to start the newscast tonight] because there is only 1 headline: a major party is about to nominate an African American for the first time in history." Now, while I can see why the media would consider this an historic event, I cannot believe the amount of hubris and ignorance that the statement expresses. The only headline is the nomination of Barack Obama? Not even close. What about Russia's continued conflict with the republic of Georgia? What about Tropical Storm Gustav, which is eventually expected to become a strong hurricane and threaten the Gulf Coast? What about John McCain's campaign? What about Pakistan's upcoming presidential election? What about...well, you get the idea. To be so narrowly focused as to see the (already assured) nomination of one man, regardless of his race, as the only important item of the day is poor reporting. I'm disappointed.

It All Starts Tomorrow...

The day that I've been expecting for 3 months is finally almost here: the first day of school for this school year. As a result, I'm going to break my "rule" about not writing about school and take a few minutes to ponder the coming start of classes. Even though I've gone through 6 other starts to school years, I still feel like I felt when I faced my first start to my first year: very excited and also a little fearful.
I'm excited because I see the potential that this year has to be an excellent year. I'm excited to teach a smaller Calculus class, and I'm looking forward to see the leadership that this senior class will take. Second semester, I get to teach a Meteorology elective, and that has the potential to be a great experience.
I'm also fearful, though. Some of my fears deal with the differences that every year brings: new students (freshmen), a new senior class, changes to the school calendar and administrative structure. So much about this year is different that I have no way to know what to expect. There's always a bit of fear that we have to fight when facing the unknown. The other component of my (mild) fears deal with my own awareness of my own inadequacy. I know that without God's grace working in me, I am worthless as a teacher. At best, I will last about 3 days on my own strength; after that, I'll be worn out. I need to rely on His grace if I have any hope of having the energy to think clearly and teach my students well.
Whenever you read this, please pray for me and for all of us teachers. We always will need God's grace in order to do our job well. Thank you in advance.
Now, it's time for me to relax a little more before the marathon-sprint known as the school year begins. As always, it could be a late night because without fail I have trouble falling asleep before the first day of school.

Maybe I'm Getting Too Old for This

A new soccer season has started, and with it come the challenge of 7 am practices. I say "challenge" because I am not a morning person. This week, though, has been difficult so far. I can't remember being this tired after three days of practice. I feel like I've been sleep walking all week. I certainly hope and pray that I don't feel this way next, or else the first two days of class are going to be very interesting...

And So It Begins (Again)

My students don't show up for another week, but tomorrow for me is the first day of the school year. Soccer practice starts bright and early at 7 am, and then it's off to school to work in my room and talk with anyone who happens to drop by during enrollment. I expect to be at school 4 out of the 5 weekdays this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to get enough done these first two days to have one more "project day" around my house to take care of all the little items I was too lazy to take on during the summer. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the school year starting and seeing what sort of twists and turns it will bring.

Environmental Friendliness

I thought with all the talk of reducing one's carbon footprint, I would do the same.
Here goes:



I'm not quite sure how this is going to help the environment, but hey, since it doesn't cost me anything, I'm all for it.

How I Feel Today After a Long Road Trip This Weekend

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Primary Election Results

The results from the primary election have rolled in, and they are hardly surprising. The closest race was between Republicans Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins. Jenkins won by a couple percentage points and now will face incumbent Nancy Boyda in November. Jenkins winning the primary presents a Boyda with a difficult task ahead of her. She won largely because of a backlash against Republicans, especially by moderate voters. Jenkins, however, should be attractive to many moderate voters. Definitely, she will be more attractive than Ryun would have been. Jenkins' ability to attract more of the moderate vote should give her a decent shot of winning, if she manages her campaign correctly. A good place to start would be the low approval rating of Congress. I've seen it listed as low as 9%, lower than President Bush's.
The other results were as I expected, most notably Rucker beat out Hecht for the Republican nod for District Attorney. Hopefully, all of the politics come to an end for a month or two before it picks back up in October. (Wishful thinking, I know....)

More Mud Than a Pig Sty

It's August, and the general election is still about four months away. Already, however, the mud slinging between candidates has begun. Locally, former representative Jim Slattery, a Democrat, is trying to beat out Pat Roberts, a Republican, for the Senate seat. And Slattery has already started in on a ton of negative attack ads against Senator Roberts. And, as with most attack ads, most of the information contained in them is mostly incorrect, at best. It's not the only ugly campaign going on. Lynn Jenkins and Jim Ryun are both vying for the Republican position on the ballot against incumbent Democrat Nancy Boyda. The Jenkins/Ryun ads are ugly enough. Once the primary election is over and Boyda and the Republican nominee start going after each other it's going to get really ugly, really quickly, especially if Ryun is her opponent. If I remember correctly, those two constantly attacked each other for months, often using subtle (yet powerful) means to avoid looking negative. Ugh. Such ugly political attacks are why I never want to run for office. I'm already sick of such horrible behavior, and it's only going to get worse once the primaries are over. I may be making much use of the mute button in the next few months, assuming I even dare watch TV at all.
Interestingly, the national election is getting ugly, too, although since Kansas is not a critical state, we're not having to put up with the Presidential mudslinging. Still, the news is constantly replete with mud-slinging, and, even more amusingly, accused mudslinging. Presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama constantly has accused his opponent's (presumptive Republican nominee John McCain's) campaign of playing the "race card." The odd part about that accusation: it's completely baseless. McCain has, however, run some attack ads against Obama that say he is arrogant and not ready to lead.
So, that's the current situation. Where do I stand on all of these candidates? Well, I'm not going to say definitely. In some ways, I'm not thrilled with most of the candidates, but I'm especially not excited about the two options for President. Obama and I disagree on just about every major political issue, and I think that the McCain ad about him being arrogant and not ready to lead is right on target. That doesn't mean that I'm all for McCain, however. I don't agree with half of his political positions, and I am not convinced that he'll survive four years of the stress of being the President. That will make McCain's choice of a running mate critical for my decision. (It doesn't matter if Obama picked Sam Brownback for his running mate. Obama already has lost my vote.) If McCain chooses someone who is a younger conservative who could legitimately run the country if McCain were to die, I think that I might vote for him. If he picks another moderate like himself, well, I'm not sure what I'll do. But I'll wait to see on that.
For now, I'll be sure to take a shower after watching any amount of TV to get off all of the mud that's being slung.

Uthf

I don't know what it is about today, but I'm feeling like I'm functioning at about 50% or so. It's an odd sort of cloudy day. Odd because it's late July, and normally it is clear, sunny, and insanely hot. Those conditions appear to be coming in the next few days, so I'm not disappointed in this abnormal weather. Still, I think it's having an effect on me. I can't seem to get my thoughts fully in order. Well, it looks like it's going to be one of those days when I'm going to have lean on God's grace because my own aptitude just isn't there right now.

It's So Nice to Be Home!

After three weeks of hard work, and a Saturday of refereeing soccer games, I only have one thing to say: it feels really, really good to be home. Thanks be to God for such a great place to live!

Punished for Working Efficiently

A significant part of the class that I'm taking this week requires me to design an integrated thematic unit, which is a way of structuring a unit so that it is built around a conceptual theme that the class then examines in light of different disciplines. It is the sort of thing done frequently in elementary school, but never (with good reason) done in high school. As a high school teacher, it may seem odd that I'm in the class, but because of schedule problems, this was the only option for this year.
Designing the unit hasn't been hard. I have a nice, 7-block (about 3 week) unit designed on "Reading and Responding to the Book of Creation." It's part mathematics, part history, part apologetics, and part practical theology. Incidentally, most of what I've done will never be used in my classroom because it does not match with the reality of the nature of the material I have to teach and the way that I believe it should be taught. I'm trying to be as creative and outside-the-box as possible right now so that I can maybe come up with 1-2 good ideas for my real classroom.
Since it uses quite a bit of material that I already have planned and since this topic is one that I've already done a lot of thinking and reading about, it was very easy for me to design a unit that met the professor's criteria. So easy, in fact, that I could be done in the next hour or two if I really wanted to be. I don't really have any motivation to work, however. Since I've worked so quickly, my professor has threatened me with having to start work on another thematic unit. Since I don't like the concept of integrated thematic units at the high school level a whole lot in the first place (I disagree with many of the philosophical bases that this approach is based on), the last thing I want to do is start designing another unit. I can't help the fact that I picked a good topic and that I like to work efficiently at a task, especially one that I want to get done so I can move on to other things. But to punish me for working efficiently by then demanding more work from me is ridiculous.
So, tomorrow is going to be a highly inefficient day. Two hours of work is about to become five. I dislike being off-task to such a large degree, but if it's an option between a minor waste of time (slow work) and a major waste of time (designing another unit), I'll take the minor one any day.
I'm ready to be done with classes for the summer. Why can't they end on Thursday?

One Week Left

The marathon sprint (yes, I am aware that I just wrote an oxymoron) that is summer graduate courses at Dordt College is drawing to a close. Soon, I'll be done with round 2 of my Masters-degree coursework. And you couldn't pay me enough to stay around a minute longer than I have to; I'm ready to be home.
This week promises to be a lot of work, and I'm not particularly looking forward to that. Tonight, in fact, should be my shortest night. The rest of the week is going to be loaded with inefficient group work, a redundant statement. I'm not looking forward to doing it, but I am looking forward to getting it done. I just want to be home.