Viewed more than 5 million times on YouTube already, my friend and colleague, Ellen told me about this movie yesterday and I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch it. It's more than an hour in length and worth it.
If you are faced with a brick wall it is there for a reason - to see how badly you really want that thing that is on the other side of it. Nothing impossible.
Last night I had dinner with some old friends. I hadn't seem them in a few years, probably six to be more accurate. Their son was turning 28 and I hadn't seen him since he was 22. He was all grown up and I was proud to see what a gracious, polite and beautiful young man he has become. I was quite taken aback, but I shouldn't have been. This young man is the product of two very special people. A mother and father who have shown him how to love, how to respect, how to be happy and it really shows. They lead by example and their kid turned out all right. I am honored to be associated with these people and grateful that even after six years of very little contact, the love, respect and friendship is still there. Sometimes you don't know how lucky you are until you let go of something, fly away from it for a while and then come back and take hold of it again. Life is beautiful. Today I am grateful.
your students are here to learn from you and they respect you
you don't have to know everything about your subject, but you might want to know where to find the answers to those tricky questions. Students are usually fine to wait a little while for the answer even if you have to Google it and get back to them later. ;-)
you are teaching because you love what you are teaching
let your passion show
this is fun
this is YOUR class for YOUR cause and the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it
you may learn more from teaching that what you actually teach
to really know something is to teach it
you are making a difference
your are building awareness for a worthy cause
we are proud of you
In class, it helps to:
split the lesson up into small chunks interspersed with different group activities
engage the students by encouraging questions and participation in discussion
be funny
look into the eyes of the student who is asking a question and when you have finished providing your answer, check in with the person that their question has been answered
speak clearly and loudly
check to make sure everyone can hear you
create an agenda for the class so that you can follow a roadmap
know what you are going to talk about
improvise
tell a story
use props
practice your lesson plan
feel confident
know that this is a warm and loving environment and we are all friends here
My friend Arianne turned me on to the Ideal Bite which is a great little (weekday) daily email with cute tips on how to be green. There are even localized versions in several areas including one in San Francisco. Today's bite included a story about the Slow Food Nation '08 which will be held this labor day weekend. It looks like it will be very exciting: You'll be able to taste delicious food, meet farmers, wander urban gardens, and discover the recipe for a fair and sustainable food system.
I also opened an invitation on Facebook today for an event called The Everywhere Game II. I have always wanted to see what The Go Game is all about, because the company was founded by a fellow Obie, Finn Kelley. The event is on Sunday August 17th at 2 p.m. in San Francisco and it benefits The American Academy of Neurology Foundation in support of a nine-year old boy, named Orion, who had a brain aneurysm while on his first trip outside of the U.S.
I am training for the Chicago Marathon which takes place on October 12th, 2008. I am raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, so watch this space for donation requests soon! ;-) Training for a marathon requires running several times a week and putting in lots of miles. Yesterday I ran 7 miles from my apartment to Aquatic Park in Berkeley and then along the beautiful Emeryville shoreline to make a loop back to the starting point.
One of the things I love about Aquatic Park is that there is a Disk Golf (frisbee golf) course there. It's so cool. I see people playing gold with frisbees and they are really into it. This kind of passion is what we're all about at Classes for Causes, so I had an idea to see if I can find a Disk Golf instructor for Classes for Causes. Well, I googled "frisbee golf aquatic park" and found a link to the East Bay Disk Golf Club. I found a contact name and have sent an email to see if I can find a disk golf instructor for Classes for Causes. Wouldn't that be the one of the coolest classes? (You know I think all of the classes are cool, right?)
Another random sighting and spark for an idea for a class is the Golden Gate Badminton Club which seems to have just opened in Emeryville. (They have another location in Menlo Park, so it looks like Badminton is taking off!) I will contact them to see if they are interested in offering a class as well.
Two years ago this weekend I went to see An Inconvenient Truth and I was deeply moved by the message. Immediately I wanted to do something about the challenges global warming presents. At that time I didn't know what to do, but I did sign up to be try to become a presenter on Al Gore's team of 1,000 presenters in The Climate Project. Well I didn't get chosen to be an honored presenter, but I have been determined to do something towards protecting our beautiful planet ever since. The movie was never-the-less instrumental in my conception of Classes for Causes and I expect that some of the classes that are taught by our instructors will benefit causes that are pro environmental, air quality and green causes.
"People should eat less meat," says R. K. Pachauri, "if everyone at 20% less meat in the United States it would be like everyone switching to a hybrid vehicle." Ray Lane said solar energy is the silver bullet. What do you think? Your comments are ALWAYS welcome! Check out that archives page of the Commonwealth Club, which has many very interesting presentations available to hear and you don't even need to be a Commonwealth Club member - yes, that's right they're FREE! I have just listened to the broadcast in my own time through the Internet and I recommend it for anyone interested in a current perspective on climate change today. We're anticipating being able to offer a presentation from The Climate Project through Classes for Causes one day and it will be a great honor. In the meantime, there are several opportunities to attend a presentation globally and for all our local Bay Area friends, several presentations are happening in October 2008 at various libraries in San Francisco.
