Goertz Thoughts

Yesterday, I was having lunch with a Savio alum who keeps me updated on what's going on in her life. In the course of our discussion, it was brought up how strange it is that people who are rational human beings can have such completely opposite ideas when it comes to politics. It's great when students still want to see you. While a portion of the explanation can certainly come down to training in formal logic (which we don't do anymore in school), I think a bigger part is found in first principles. First principles are those founding ideas that we build our arguments and decisions upon. (There are other definitions, but this is what I'm sticking with today.) In order to enter into any rational discourse, a person should know where they stand on the fundamentals. I would suggest that the irrationality present in many of our political discussions today is due to the fact that we don't examine these deeply held beliefs. The argument is started higher up the chai...

When I first became a teacher, I didn't think that I would ever be an administrator. The job of an administrator is very different from that of a teacher. I went into teaching to help students to reach their full potential. Administrators don't work directly with students (at least not in the same way). But now I'm stepping out of teaching. Next year I'll be Assistant Principal Goertz in charge of curriculum and instruction. What exactly that means I'm still trying to figure out. Some of the things that I will be working with: Standards alignment Observations Professional development Technology integration Testing (AP, PSAT, etc) Course guides and teaching schedules Very different from day to day teaching and not really at all what I thought that I'd ever be doing. So why make the change? Over the past few years, I've noticed God directing my talents in directions beyond the classroom. I gained a Master's in Education. I've been ...

I believe that the time has come to let the Santa myth die. There, I said it. This is probably the most controversial statement that I make to my students each year. But hear me out. Starting the children early First of all, I think that the story of Santa Claus is great. I really enjoy Christmas movies (especially Rankin-Bass films (even Rudolph's Shiny New Year )). I believe that the imagery is good. The whole idea behind Santa as a benevolent Big Brother figure is comforting. It is the belief in an actual entity bringing presents that I take issue with. Here is why: The theological difficulty: When you are a child, you are taught that there is a man who watches you from afar, knows if you are being good or bad, and if you are good will reward you. This description (for many Christian children) could apply equally to Santa or Jesus. Two problems here: Only one of these persons is real. This description is actually a very poor descriptor of Him. When children co...

These are less complete and finalized than my others . I only work on them during December. Christmas  (Songs I like to hear) Christmas Hangout   (Songs you might like to hear) True Christmas (Just Jesus)

I can't say #MeToo. I'm a male and, in many ways, on the "good" side of the double standard. This isn't even to correct forum for much of what I feel needs to be said (too many students read this blog). However, I really need to talk about a problem with one of our (not mine) beloved Christmas songs. Each year, when we return from Thanksgiving break, I treat my students to a variety of lectures on problems with Christmas. I talk about the theological damage that Santa can cause (more on that in a later post). I talk about how annoying and odd the song "Christmas Shoes" is. Most seriously, I talk about the problems highlighted (highlit?) by "Baby It's Cold Outside". I love a lot of what Frank Loesser wrote ( Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ). It's easy to write off this song as a product of a society that didn't respect the rights of women. The continuing popularity of the song shows that we a...

I hope that everyone is having a fun Halloween night. However, I hope that your fun is being had in an appropriate way. I don't mean no drugs or alcohol (well also that), but in particular trick-or-treating. I have nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween. It can be very fun, even as just a secular celebration. But just as Christmas means different things as we get older so does Halloween. Going door to door asking for candy is for children. After you are out of middle school, it is time to move on to something else. If you continue to trick-or-treat, you are literally taking candy from babies . Here's what I think you should do: Invite some friends over. Order a pizza. Watch a Halloween movie (funny or scary, your choice). Hand out candy to children (enabling them to have a good Halloween). Fun changes as we age. PS: Stay away from Ouija boards. Either it's a stupid game or you actually believe that you are communing with spirits. Don't mess around.

So, I was listening to the announcements at the end of the school day yesterday. It mentioned something about the Lady Eagles volleyball team playing the Panthers (or some such team). Why does it need to be the "Lady Eagles"? The volleyball team is exclusively women. We don't say the "Gentleman Eagles" football team. We say Savio baseball, not Savio Boy's baseball. A gentleman eagle I can see some cases where a distinction might need to be drawn between teams (soccer, swimming, track, etc). However, we should then use both modifiers (Gentlemen and Ladies). I know that the problem is bigger than just Savio. It often bothered me while I was at UT as well. Many of my students accuse me of overthinking things like this. I think that as a society, we don't consider them enough. What is the micro-message of this disparity? That male sports are "normal"? That you need to be warned that you're going to see women play sports? This is symptom...