The first story featured several Amish men arrested for cutting the hair and beards of their fellow Amish. Everyone's a little shocked by the oxymoron "Amish violence," and the situation raises some legal questions about how to handle a crime in a community that generally governs itself.
That story got replaced by a national news feature showing an anticipated economic boom in the area. This sleepy, dumpy, rusted out little town could see enough job expansion to warrant a local Starbucks franchise! The story showed parts of town I see every day...rusted out industry, run down neighborhoods, cliffs stripped of their greenery for functional purposes. If it all comes to pass (and it may not), what would happen to that distinctive skyline of rusty towers belching out fire, smoke, and stench? I would miss that!
You may have heard that some exotic animals were shot this week - that happened in a neighboring community. Yes, some weirdo owned a bunch of exotic animals, and after 10 years of getting in trouble with the law for letting them roam freely, he decided to free them all (ie - turn them loose on an unsuspecting public) before he shot himself. The animals wandered around the area for two days as hunters tried to shoot them with tranquilizer darts. Unfortunately, the tranquilizers weren't strong enough to bring the animals down. The animals attacked the hunters or ran off and got themselves lost, only to wake up and start wandering around neighborhoods again. A bill has been drafted and sent to the state legislature, banning the trafficking of exotic animals in the state. (Because, you know, this sort of thing happens all the time.) Personally, I don't see why they didn't just take the animals away from the guy back when he started breaking the law to begin with.
I live in the weirdest place. Why do I love it so much?
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The weather got a little chilly this week, and the heat started coming on in my house in the mornings. I wore a scarf to work one day, tied in the cute braid my friend Joannie taught me (thanks, Joannie!). One of my girls asked if I would show her how to do it, and when I did, she decided it should be called the "Professor R- knot". Isn't that hilarious?
Advising began this week, which I think should be done by the Registrar, because I sure can't keep up with all the details of how to meet the requirements for their core courses, double majors, and triple minors, in time to graduate in 6 semesters, including a semester abroad. But it's given me a chance to talk to several students and hear their stories, including those of my own students. I teach the neatest kids! They all have fascinating life stories, and want so much to give everything they have to making the world a better place.
That said, the project I'm grading this weekend demonstrates that some don't (yet) have the skills they need to better the world in this field. Next week I'll need to host some private tutorial sessions in my office. This particular project requires the skill of organizing material into a multi-lesson unit. I am as surprised to discover that some college students don't know how to outline as I was to discover some AP students could not tell time on a non-digital watch. So I'll coach them and see if they fare any better on Unit 2. Interestingly, this summer I dreaded conversations with students in which I would have to tell them they weren't cut out for this ministry. But now that I see some students' abilities, I realize it's in the student's best interest to tell them. Such a conversation would surely save them from some miserable ministry experiences down the road, and would free them to find God's true calling for their lives.
On that note, I must return to the grading. I hope you are all well and enjoying a beautiful October!
That said, the project I'm grading this weekend demonstrates that some don't (yet) have the skills they need to better the world in this field. Next week I'll need to host some private tutorial sessions in my office. This particular project requires the skill of organizing material into a multi-lesson unit. I am as surprised to discover that some college students don't know how to outline as I was to discover some AP students could not tell time on a non-digital watch. So I'll coach them and see if they fare any better on Unit 2. Interestingly, this summer I dreaded conversations with students in which I would have to tell them they weren't cut out for this ministry. But now that I see some students' abilities, I realize it's in the student's best interest to tell them. Such a conversation would surely save them from some miserable ministry experiences down the road, and would free them to find God's true calling for their lives.
On that note, I must return to the grading. I hope you are all well and enjoying a beautiful October!
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