Pastor Danny Pankey from Ruddle Road Church of God has been visiting BHS the last 2 weeks, talking with various classes about Martin Luther King, Jr. and nonviolence. I had the privilege of hosting the Pastor in my afternoon classes today where he stressed the importance of nonviolence. Some excerpts from today's talk include:
~"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~"Nobody wins a fight. The person who beats someone down doesn't win. The person who gets beat down doesn't win." ~"Hatred causes violence. Every murder starts with hatred. Violence always escalates. Fists turn to knives. Knives turn to guns. Guns turn to death. Choose love, not hate." He also informed the students about MLK's 6 principles of nonviolence. 1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. 2. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. 3. Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. 4. Nonviolence holds that voluntary suffering can educate andtransform. 5. Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. 6. Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
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So with the ending of the fall semester, and the beginning of the spring semester, I inherited 17 new 9th graders in my Contemporary U.S. History class, while my former 9th graders moved to Drama class. I am also attempting to run this class on ECHO, the user interface the New Tech students are using. Although my specific class is not a "New Tech" class, I thought it would be best for myself and my students to at least try it this semester since that is what they are used to, and it will be what I will have to use next year when New Tech moves up to 11th grade. While I was a little bit (Okay okay, quite a bit) confused when I created the class on ECHO, I will have to say that I am beginning to like it. It's fairly simple, no paperwork, and the students knows exactly what to do and can stay updated with the class. Of course, I do still like to get the kids up out of their seats and moving around every once in awhile, so a little fun with the white board still works too. After receiving snow and sleet before Thanksgiving this year, I should have known winter was coming early. Last week, the weatherman predicted an ice storm and I foresaw having a snow day last Friday, never expecting to be out at least three days. But, here we are, still out of school the following Tuesday due to slippery road conditions and a skating rink for a parking lot. I've re-made my lesson plans for this week three times already, eliminating a few lessons due to semester exams coming up next week. My new focus will be preparing my students for the big tests so that they successfully pass this semester. This semester has been full of ups and downs, but I can honestly say, I've enjoyed my first year as a teacher at BHS.
I went to my first Chickasaw game and it was a success! We beat Okalona 26-14, I saw my two junior football players on the field, quite few of my band members, and my dancing queen! One of my juniors, Jamison Spears #11 even made it into the end zone! It was an awesome night! Looking forward to many more!
My New Tech kiddos discussing the different aspects of popular culture in American society. Brainstorming as a group and determining the difference between cultural icons, fads, and trends.
My 11th grader's first attempt at doing a "musical" presentation was awesome! They had fun and learned something! |
Kristy BrasfieldWife, Mother, Teacher, Child of God. Archives
January 2014
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