Education in the true sense, of course, is an enablement to serve – both the living human community in its natural household or neighborhood and the precious cultural possessions that the living community inherits or should inherit. To educate is, literally to “bring up,” to bring young people to a responsible maturity, to help them to be good caretakers of what they have been given, to help them to be charitable toward fellow creatures.
-Wendell Berry
I'm about to finish my second semester of grad school. Three more weeks. I'm so excited to start this new chapter of my life. I can't wait to have my own classroom. Decorate the walls with the students' art and hang plants from the window sills and ceiling. I want to bring up the next generation to become caretakers of their community and their environment.
It's been a very cold dark and difficult winter. Day in and day out leaving the preschool in the dark getting home starting online lectures and homework until my stomach grumbled then shoveling microwaved food in my mouth and trudging back up to the cold attic to continue my work. Reading a different text book each day during nap time 50 or more pages. Still striving to keep this 4.0 alive.
I hope I don't forget these days and what life was like during grad school. These were hard days and sleep didn't always come easy. But soon the summer semester will start and after that field experience in the classrooms during the fall! In my psych class I learned about Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.
Hope: trust vs. mistrust, Can I trust the world?
Will: autonomy vs. shame and doubt, Is it okay to be me?
Purpose: initiative vs. guilt, Is it okay for me to do, move, and act?
Competence: industry vs. inferiority, Can I make it in the world of people and things?
Fidelity: identity vs. role confusion, Who am I? Who can I be?
Love: intimacy vs. isolation, Can I love?
Care: generativity vs. stagnation, Can I make my life count?
Wisdom: ego integrity vs. despair, Is it okay to have been me?
As I continue to struggle in the Early adulthood stage with the battle between intimacy and isolation I'm also looking ahead to the next stage of life, adulthood. Can I make my life count?
I've been thinking about both career and parenthood exactly like the care stage indicates. I feel strongly I have finally figured out the career path I want to walk down. And I am certain parenthood is a deep desire within me.
But God I need help in the intimacy isolation stage of love I am in right now.
I don't want to be in the Maturity stage suddenly reflecting on my life and answering 'No' to the question is it ok to have been me?
We don't get a reset button and life only has one gear, forward. I want to spend this life planting seeds. I want to plant seeds of hope in a community through education. I want to plant seeds of love through fatherhood. I want to plant seeds of trees that will grow long after I am gone. I want my life to be a personified life of hope to those around me.
As I continue to flow between the stages of
Who am I?
Can I love?
and Can I make my life count?
I want to choose the path of hope. I want to firmly walk that path so when old age takes hold of my mind and body I can confidently answer 'yes' to that final question all humans ask.
This season of my life has been difficult. God knows I've made mistakes. But no longer.
No more performing, no more facades, no more fear. Life is but a breath, I choose hope.
Noah Gundersen - Garden
-Wendell Berry
It's been a very cold dark and difficult winter. Day in and day out leaving the preschool in the dark getting home starting online lectures and homework until my stomach grumbled then shoveling microwaved food in my mouth and trudging back up to the cold attic to continue my work. Reading a different text book each day during nap time 50 or more pages. Still striving to keep this 4.0 alive.
I hope I don't forget these days and what life was like during grad school. These were hard days and sleep didn't always come easy. But soon the summer semester will start and after that field experience in the classrooms during the fall! In my psych class I learned about Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.
Hope: trust vs. mistrust, Can I trust the world?
Will: autonomy vs. shame and doubt, Is it okay to be me?
Purpose: initiative vs. guilt, Is it okay for me to do, move, and act?
Competence: industry vs. inferiority, Can I make it in the world of people and things?
Fidelity: identity vs. role confusion, Who am I? Who can I be?
Love: intimacy vs. isolation, Can I love?
Care: generativity vs. stagnation, Can I make my life count?
Wisdom: ego integrity vs. despair, Is it okay to have been me?
As I continue to struggle in the Early adulthood stage with the battle between intimacy and isolation I'm also looking ahead to the next stage of life, adulthood. Can I make my life count?
I've been thinking about both career and parenthood exactly like the care stage indicates. I feel strongly I have finally figured out the career path I want to walk down. And I am certain parenthood is a deep desire within me.
But God I need help in the intimacy isolation stage of love I am in right now.
I don't want to be in the Maturity stage suddenly reflecting on my life and answering 'No' to the question is it ok to have been me?
We don't get a reset button and life only has one gear, forward. I want to spend this life planting seeds. I want to plant seeds of hope in a community through education. I want to plant seeds of love through fatherhood. I want to plant seeds of trees that will grow long after I am gone. I want my life to be a personified life of hope to those around me.
As I continue to flow between the stages of
Who am I?
Can I love?
and Can I make my life count?
I want to choose the path of hope. I want to firmly walk that path so when old age takes hold of my mind and body I can confidently answer 'yes' to that final question all humans ask.
This season of my life has been difficult. God knows I've made mistakes. But no longer.
No more performing, no more facades, no more fear. Life is but a breath, I choose hope.
Noah Gundersen - Garden