The Arrow's Path

 I really have no idea where August went. One would think with changing jobs and getting a cold, I'd have some idea, but, alas, it has come and gone. I was hoping to get some fall weather, but it's like 100 degrees F.  Not sure if this is September or the 4th of July. 

Finished my second week transitioning to education. It has been an interesting shift, career wise speaking. It has been nice to have actual colleagues to talk to, as well as seeing the enthusiasm young people being to life in general.  Driving a bus has been an adventure. Thankfully nothing bad as yet. I just take a hour drive out into the cornfields of Nebraska every afternoon. It's planted an idea in my head for a novel. I am curious as to whether I have enough content to do write a full length story.  More on that to come.

 So, I have started a new venture. I am back working in education after not being in an American classroom in 25 years. I did student teaching but never touched the profession since. I finished up my first full week, and it's been an interesting learning experience. My, how things have changed. I was taken aback by the school orientation over active shooters. Students practiced getting down behind windows, lockdowns announced over the intercom. None of that existed the last time I taught. Columbine had largely not even happened yet.  The kids largely took it in stride. They had never known a world where that wasn't a thing. It was as common to them as fire drills or 'duke and cover' drills were in the 1950s Cold War era.  I also noticed the school, which has been built before Columbine, on the outside looked like an institution of higher learning. Lots of windows in ever classroom. It more resembled the schools built prior to 1965 before they were built to resemble pris...

 As many of you know, I have been a bit quiet these last few weeks. I have had a change in circumstances-changing jobs and going back for another Master's degree in education.  I started up my new job this week. It has been interesting to observe how schools work after not largely being in a formal school classroom in 25 years. Lots more technology. Smart boards, Chromebooks etc. That was to be expected. I was somewhat taken back by teachers playing playlists from their computer into the big screen smart boards, both during class down time but also when they are simply in their class rooms by themselves planning or grading.  I am not sure why that surprised me as much as it did. I guess the last time I was student teaching, none of that largely existed unless someone brought a boom box and played a CD or something, which was extremely rare in my recollection.  I think we have become afraid of the gift of silence. We have to have background noise. That sort of makes m...

 

I had a question posed about the Church and Secular art: I was just wondering if the Catholic church has any official teachings regarding the music we can or can’t listen to. Prior to my reversion, everybody had some sort of different interpretation. Some people were more convicted than others about certain genres, opinions were very strong, and I didn't know what to believe. So I never really knew if there was any official teachings or standards that we should follow. With that being said, now that I’m Catholic, I’m wanting to revisit this topic again. I appreciate you all and hope everyone has a great weekend. God bless. My response:  Historically, actually, the Church has had a lot to say on the effect of secular arts on the Catholic soul. You usually have to consult theologians and teachings from the ordinary magisterium, but, yes, there is a lot of historically mine about the effects of secular arts (from music to sculpture to theater) on the soul.  Even going back to the...