War-Peace Drum by Lori Tews

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means…The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Source: Excerpt from the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-29

This is one of my favorites passages because its meaning has only became apparent now that I am older. I now perceive those “troubles” as the type of trouble or persecution in this passage. These troubles can seem insurmountable, overwhelming…using the example of filtering and desktop lockdowns, consider the classroom teacher who wants to use technology, but at every turn faces challenges by the district organization. Perfectly reasonable obstacles, irrespective of her, but completely disheartening to the point that she moves her computers into the hall and rids herself of the trouble (Read I almost Got It Right and this other one I can’t find now). It is now that the parable of the sower takes on new meaning for me, like a book one reads after a life-altering experience…it speaks me on levels I never imagined or noticed before.

Of the examples in the Parable of the Sower, I am particularly attracted to the thorns. I am attracted because I am made unfruitful, like a teacher who denies herself the benefit of technology because of the obstacles encountered. But how does one counter this? Like a dear friend pointed out long ago, “Bloom where you are planted.” This perspective isn’t unlike Bonhoeffer who recalls Isaiah, “He who believes does not flee.”

I read Jeff Utecht’s (in China no less) post with some interest and agree with him…that is some of my best writing. Although Jeff focuses on the filtering aspect, those entries are attractive to me because I deliberately crossed the line and became “unprofessional.” And, that has made all the difference. Now that such foolishness is behind me, I wonder how I came to allow myelf to be restrained by the “rules.” …it is a recognition that one can be human.

Being a human instrument–both aware and open to others about your values while rejecting to play the traditional game of objectivity–isn’t new. However, I was excited to read this blog–Classroom Reflecting Pool–I’ve added to my aggregator:

Those whose research sensibilities are aligned with more traditional quantitative methods often look at naturalistic inquiry and have great concerns about objectivity. “How can one expect to find objective truth when one is so closely associated with the phenomenon under study,” they might ask. Part of the answer is for those conducting research using naturalistic inquiry to produce a “human as instrument” statement in which they state with as much objectivity as they can muster at the onset of a study who they are, and what their beliefs and biases are relative to the study. Doing so gives context to the study, it provides a lens through which the reader can view the findings.
Read Source

I suppose my response to all this can be found back in history, on a deeper appreciation for what I learned long in the past.

These posts are about transformation, and helped me better understand the reality I am living in…they are, I hope, a positive response to a negative situation that precludes a positive response. Looking back, I feel like the poet-performers/heralds/minstrels (whatever the right word is) that Plato described–we perform a work of art, maybe even add to it, but the source isn’t us. Rather, it’s the Divine in us speaking up. Or, perhaps, as St. Francis’ appreciated, it was an opportunity to be an instrument.

What would this prayer look like for educators caught up amidst the filtering craze, the loss of confidence? And, the question for me, as it was when I first read the Parable of the Sower, remains…how do I know that I have the root that will keep me going when trouble comes? And, what of the teachers in this example? If the Lord doesn’t propose to sort the weeds and the wheat until the end, what can we do in our schools today?

I choose this response…”Make me an instrument.”

Source: War-Peace Drum by Lori Tews

---

---

Subscribe to Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

---

Be sure to visit the ShareMore! Wiki.

---

Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure