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Outside my window, a new day I see,
And only I can determine
What kind of day it will be.
It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,
Or boring and cold, unhappy and gray.

My own state of mind is the determining key,
For I am only the person I let myself be.

I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help,
Or be selfish and think just of myself.
I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,
Or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone.

I can be patient with those who may not understand
Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can.

But I have faith in myself,
And believe what I say
And I personally intend to make the most of each day.

--- Anonymous --- Submitted by Pat Carley --- Florida

The old Zen master's health was fading. Knowing his death was near, he announced to all the monks that he soon would be passing down his robe and rice bowl to appoint the next master of the monastery.

His choice, he said, would be based on a contest. Anyone seeking the appointment was required to demonstrate his spiritual wisdom by submitting a poem. The head monk, the most obvious successor, presented a poem that was well composed and insightful. All the monks anticipated his selection as their new leader.

However, the next morning another poem appeared on the wall in the hallway, apparently written during the dark hours of the night. It stunned everyone with it's elegance and profundity but no one knew who the author was.

Determined to find this person, the old master began questioning all the monks. To his surprise, the investigation led to the rather quiet kitchen worker who pounded rice for the meals. Upon hearing the news, the jealous head monk and his comrades plotted to kill their rival. In secret, the old master passed down his robe and bowl to the rice pounder, who quickly fled from the monastery, later to become a widely renowned Zen teacher.

One clear autumn morning a single mother of two, peers out the window of her bedroom admiring the clear day and watching as the wind blows through the tree in her yard.

The woman named Samantha sits wondering what purpose in life has God in store for her. She realizes is she thirty years old and a single mother of two. Any other day she would not feel the pressures of life except for this day is the day before an operation that will forever change her. She wonders how people will see her and react to her once the operation is complete. More importantly she begins to worry about how she will see herself.

Samantha was suddenly startled by both of her children rushing into her bedroom with smiles upon their innocent faces wanting what they expect every morning, a hug and kiss from their Mom.

She is distracted long enough to give her children the hugs and kisses they so very much desire. A few moments are spent making small talk and casual play until the children run off to fix themselves some cereal. As she hears her children laughing and occasionally arguing, her mind begins to wonder into her past.

Starting with her childhood, she recalls growing up in a family she can’t help but love today, but questions her love and understanding while growing up in her family.


Her father; being a hard man whom stubbornly held to his convictions in life without hesitation. Her mother, a teacher of the word of God always ensured they knew the Gospel. Her four bothers and sisters wrapped up in their own world and not understanding her. All of this was racing through Samantha’s mind.

Her attention was again diverted when she heard the dreaded words from her son, "UH OH." Samantha went into the kitchen where she found that her son had an accident with the milk as he was pouring it into the cereal bowls. She patiently wipes up the milk and fixes their cereal before she retreats back to her room to take her shower.

Sitting on the end of her bed wondering what she will wear today, she again begins to think of the experiences in her life. She recalls a traumatic event whereupon she was attacked as a child. She vividly recalls the events of that day and begins to weep. She recalls how she refused to tell anyone, for fear of upsetting her family.

Her mind then drifted to how her now divorced husband helped her through this terrible time, when it was triggered later in her life. She pauses for a few moments and recalls how her relationship with God became so much more fulfilling during this time in her life.

All of a sudden Samantha is overcome with laughter as she sees her daughter standing before her wearing her clothes backward in an attempt to dress herself for the day. As Samantha helps her daughter get dressed she wonders if she is doing the best she can in raising her children.

As she finishes helping her daughter the phone rings. It’s Christopher, a new found friend she met only a few months ago. They say hello’s and talk about the coming day and each other’s plans. A few minutes later she gangs up the phone and steps into the shower.

While in the shower, she again thinks of how she’ll be after the operation. She thinks to herself that she’s not getting any younger, and if she’ll be appealing enough for any man to ever want her again. She abruptly puts the thought out of her head and begins to think of her friends. She can’t help but think at first if they will treat her any differently than they do now, especially her boyfriend, William.

As she gets out of the shower and feeling somewhat refreshed, she realizes how fortunate she really is to have the types of friends she has. She tells herself that she has always tried to be there when they needed her and how good she felt when they called upon her in times of need. Samantha gets dressed and begins to face another day, putting the previous thoughts out of her head for now.

The day goes by uneventful, as any other Saturday would. She enjoyed her times with friends and her children throughout the day. Now the day is over and the children are asleep for the night. Unfortunately, Samantha can’t seem to get to sleep.

While lying in her bed she drifts back to what she was thinking about earlier in the day, still having the nagging feeling of wondering what her purpose in life is. Chris pops into her head and she begins to think of him and what kind of troubles he’s going through in his life right now and how she’s tried to help him through them by helping him trust in God.

She also recalls how he has offered his shoulder to cry on and a compassionate ear whenever she has needed one. Her other friend, Donald, comes to mind. She again thinks of how he’s troubled in life and how she has tried to pull him through his times of need, and then William, and Vicky. She starts to realize that she has been there for all of them. She wonders if this is it, "is this why I’m here?"

Samantha gets out of bed and gets on her knees and begins to pray. She prays for those in her life: first her children, then William, Chris, Donald and Vicky. She then prays for herself. "Dear Lord, help me understand the things that have happened to me and show me my purpose in life."

She remained on her knees for a few minutes, completely silent, hoping for something, anything. Then she heard it, the most calming and compassionate voice she had ever heard. The voice filled her soul with warmth and peace as she heard it proclaim:

"Samantha, your hurt and sorrow is not punishment, but a precious gift. I have provided you with the experiences in life to give you the knowledge and wisdom to help others. You have fulfilled and will continue to fulfill what I have in store for you. For what you seek, you have become. A healer of souls and a guide to my door step for those who have strayed or forsaken me. You cannot begin to replenish or heal lost souls without feeling their past experiences. You question that which is your purpose. You will understand that which is your body is only but a shell and what is inside you will shine brighter than the stars themselves, and you will be better prepared for your task at hand. You will be rewarded in your mortal life and in your everlasting life. Keep your faith and trust in me, for my hand is always upon you. Rise up and accept my gift and continue to help those in need."

Samantha wept for a period of time and realized again, how fulfilled she was to know the Lord. From this day forward she will continue to go to the aid of those in need and trust in the Lord.

Samantha then went into her children’s rooms and hugged and kissed each them again for the night. Samantha finally went to sleep with anticipation of a new day dawning tomorrow.

--- Robert Vickers --- California

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

(some versions of this story describe the monk as carrying the woman across a mud puddle )

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Tom Allred --- Wyoming

Haim Ginot, Professor of Psychology

If we were to recall a teacher who we felt had a positive influence on us during our student days, we are most likely to think of a teacher who had made us feel comfortable and through the teacher’s ability to make us feel comfortable, we are able to learn what we have been given to learn. Modern cognitive research also shows that the brain cells would shrink in the face of a hostile environment as for example when we feel fear or unsafe. On the other hand, the same brain cell would grow and develop if the environment is safe and comfortable. A teacher, therefore, ought to be aware that the classroom climate is the most important condition for learning to take place. The teacher must cultivate positive attitudes and perceptions about learning among the students.

A Visit to Judy Rex’s Classroom via Video
By Agepe

“How can I ensure that every student in my very diverse classroom will demonstrate growth and reach a measure of success?” It is Judy Rex’s question at the opening of video A Visit to a Differentiated Classroom. The utterance above is a both question and statement at the same time exhibits the efforts done by her to reach classroom’s learning climate. It is not only a classroom learning climate for the 25 students in the class, but, it is rather a differentiated learning climate for every individual in the class. A differentiated classroom is one in which a teacher actively plans and teaches to address the varied learning needs of students in the class.

It is hard to imagine how a teacher teaches 25 students, age 8-11 years old, based on each student characteristic or background. In the video Judy said that two of her students have Individual Educational Plan for special education. Another three might be in the student study team process for possible identification for emotional or learning difficulties. Three students will be identified as gifted. Two of her students are generally second-language learners (ESL). Several others take medication for attention or hyperactivity disorders, or both (ADD). Indeed, in 60 minutes watching, I was amazed to see the hard-working Judy Rex in her classroom of 3rd and 4th graders in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I am going to describe my analysis results on the video. I focus my analysis on three things: (1) Classroom Management, (2) Learning Climate, and (3) Student Engagement.