tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12811784597135362182024-03-13T22:14:17.200-07:00The Watershed Athlete Cronicles of SFU HEAL Graduate Studies ProgramJoshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-20048501694255749992014-02-12T11:48:00.005-08:002014-02-12T11:48:45.053-08:00Narrative #2: The Jeweller's Loupe: Patience, Curiosity, and CareIn our second weekend of the HEAL EDUC 823 course, Professor Kathryn Alexander introduced us to the concept of Traxoline. Being completely unaware of what Traxoline was, I believed it to be some form of craft or artisan work based on the supplies laid on the table by the side wall in the classroom: some rocks, coniferous branches, foodstuff, small plastic objects, among other things. She introduced us to the concept with a short overhead introduction. It went like this:<br />
<br />
<i><b>It is very important that you learn about Traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is monotilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon and then bracter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukised snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>1. What is traxoline?</b></i><br />
<i><b>2. Where is traxoline monotilled?</b></i><br />
<i><b>3. How is traxoline quaselled?</b></i><br />
<i><b>4. Why is traxoline important?</b></i><br />
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To read this, it comes across as terms that are jargon, specific to a subject area that looks a lot like gobbledegook to an uninformed learner. If I were to take this test, I could easily score 100% without even conceptualizing what Traxoline is, or how to apply it, or even being able to communicate a simplified definition in lay terms. I could regurgitate the answers to the questions, but I have frame of reference to how Traxoline fits in relation to anything else in my realm of understanding, because I do not have any prior background knowledge relating to Traxoline.<br />
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It is a simple, yet epiphanic discovery to be part of the realization of this activity: for a moment, as a learner whose profession is to be a teacher, I immediately become the student in my classroom. The ESL student, the student with learning difficulties or learning disabled, the student who behaviorally challenged, the student who is turned off by the format of the lesson, the student who attempts to win-at-all-costs-get-an-A for the sake of getting an A.<br />
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I am all of those in the moment of Kathryn's lesson on Traxoline. All of this is tongue and cheek really. At least, I hope it is.<br />
The test does not matter. In fact, as a student, I do not care about it anymore after I get my 100% on it, and am ready to jump through the next hoop. As students we have proved that we can score highly on the test, and the teacher feels great because we all can demonstrate and understanding of Traxoline and its importance. However, none of us knows what it is, and we can only apply it in so far as the context of the quiz. We have no practical application knowledge of what Traxoline is. As educational psychologist Jerome<br />
Bruner states:<br />
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<i><b>"[I]t is only in the trivial sense that one gives a course (or a lesson in this case) to "get something across" merely to impart information. There are better means to that end than teaching unless the learner also masters himself, disciplines his taste and deepens his view of the world, the "something" that is got across is hardly worth the effort of transmission. (Bruner, Curriculum Studies Reader, 4th Ed. 79)</b></i><br />
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Kathryn was not trying to "get something across" to us with her Traxoline lesson. Instead, the process of leading us through the exercise placed us as student in role. We experienced what our kids go through in classrooms where they are immersed into learning for the test, rather than learning for understanding and inquiry. We embodied how a student feels and experiences their learning, and are active, reflective participants in the lesson.<br />
<br />
Kathryn was actually taking us through a lesson about inspiring creativity and inquiry with a patient and careful approach. We were told to look, look again and draw what we see, taking a snapshot of our world using the Jewellers loupe in order to "deepen our view of the world" as Bruner suggests, by looking at the micro--our hands, fingers, skin, nails, rocks, caterpillars, wool. The ability to see magnifications of up to 5 times with the eye through one loupe, or 10 times with ones eye with two loupe, inspires and arouses a curiosity from the mundane and ordinary. A shocking realization of just what is taken for granted.<br />
<br />
By changing focus from the immediate to the micro to the macro and back again and again and again, certain discoveries were made. My hand made apparent to me with more depth via the jewellers loupe: regeneration was constantly happening. Smooth skin on to the naked eye revealed its damaged nature. Dirt in the cracks, beneath the surface blood vessels were abundantly clear. The balance of the past and present developed through the lens. The loupe allowed me to see how we are embodied memory capsules--our bodies carry with us the past through a perspective of the micro.<br />
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Observation: We can never really have clean hands.<br />
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The process of exploration, as it is clear the process of learning taking place takes precedence here, rather than the "getting of something across":<br />
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<i><b>1. Visually explore the object with the loupe</b></i><br />
<i><b>2. Put pen to paper</b></i><br />
<i><b>3. Loupe, look, draw</b></i><br />
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After that happens, the keys to the lesson are in the Private Eye 3 questions:<br />
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<i><b>What does it remind me of?</b></i><br />
<i><b>What else does it look like?</b></i><br />
<i><b>Why is it like that?</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
From this examination of the ordinary, it is key to write down the key questions about what makes the micro so interesting: as each class member examined something unique and different, the exchange of ideas and concepts began to flow in the class as we shared what we saw.<br />
Go slow, look, revision, imagine, draw what you see, change the scale with the two loupes<br />
<br />
And I made my observations:<br />
<br />
<b>The calm within as I engage my small world of the rock--</b><br />
<b>Every </b><br />
<b>crevasse, </b><br />
<b>Cut, </b><br />
<b>Wrinkle, </b><br />
<b>And scar</b><br />
<b>The lines of the small</b><br />
<b>--a mountain in reduced form</b><br />
<b>The peaks summited, takes shape and form--</b><br />
<b>Coulees and canyons apparent through the naked eye</b><br />
<b>Each mark/crease indicated by rust, the darker inner untouched</b><br />
<b>Like the edges of the baseboard that never get attention from the vacuum cleaner</b><br />
<b>The whole, compressed together by separate parts</b><br />
<b>Forming a 5 part mosaic </b><br />
<b>With near seamless construction</b><br />
<b>This only on one side.</b><br />
<b>The depth that only one can imagine presented before me</b><br />
<b>Clear.</b><br />
<br />
Looking deeply into what is presented before me, rather than dismissing what is on the surface, I am able to see the wonder in what is taken for granted. Imparting this patience, the detailed observation, and depth of inquiry and care is something I must now translate to my students in my classroom, with more care. It is difficult, it is hard work, but necessary.<br />
<br />
It is for the curiosity of student learning. It is warming and inspiring. It is what learning must be about!Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-75499115717252610682014-02-11T14:41:00.001-08:002014-02-11T14:41:45.084-08:00<a href="http://cmapspublic3.ihmc.us/rid=1LG4GT9Y8-1LM69G2-11FS/Learning%20Theory%20v4.cmap" target="_blank">Learning Theory:</a><br />
<br />
A little something that fits with our M.Ed 823 course content:<br />
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Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-83248096959329050932014-01-20T22:44:00.003-08:002014-01-24T16:51:53.276-08:00Tensions Within the Classroom: Navigating my Teacher Persona, Student, and CurriculumToday a student approached me with a question. It went like this:<br />
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Jason: Mr. Weiss?<br />
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Mr. Weiss: Yes, Jason? <br />
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Jason: Uh…can we borrow a gun?<br />
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Mr.Weiss Why is that, Jason? <br />
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Jason: It's uh… for our scene.<br />
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Mr.Weiss: I understand that. Why do you need a gun in your scene? These scenes are to be based on a significant life experience that we all shared at check in this morning? I don’t remember you talking about a gun. Do you normally have access to a weapon in your home life?<br />
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Jason: Well, no. But we just thought it would make the scene more interesting and fun if we used a gun at the end….<br />
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Mr.Weiss: Can you do the scene without using a gun, coming up with a less violent conclusion to your story?<br />
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Jason: HEY GUYS—WE CAN'T USE A GUN IN OUR SCENE! Please Mr. Weiss?<br />
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Mr. Weiss: Do you think your group could come up with a scene with a less violent conclusion? This is the fifth scene you have develop with weapons being used.<br />
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Jason: Well, maybe, I guess. This sucks….what else can we make our scene about?……<br />
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The dialog presented is one that I have with my pupils on a near-daily basis. It stuns me to see a class of students who are in the midst developing their skills over a matter of a 5 month semester, continually making similar mistakes and slip ups, choosing inappropriate content, or changing assignments altogether to conform to their notions of what needs to be included in a Drama scene. The audience member is the one that is directly exposed to such baseless, aggressive behavior on stage. I cannot count how many times over my career that I have seen students (mainly grade 9 boys) include inappropriate, mature content (violence, substance abuse and trafficking) in what they conceive drama to be about. By the time they are in grades 10, 11, and 12, the students work becomes more refined, purposeful, and thoughtful. The work begins to become more animated than before.<br />
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<u>Tensions in my classroom</u><br />
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On a grass roots, frontline level, one source tension in delivering the curriculum stems from a combination of disappointment and exhilaration for the successes and failures of students. That these young students have chosen such mature content, even though they know and understand the boundaries established by the teacher, they continue to exhibit a lack of remorse, awareness, or show of sensitivity to the content they are presenting on stage. I hope for them that they might attempt to be, ironically, a bit less dramatic and more realistic in their scene content choices.<br />
Being a Drama teacher, there are many forces at play in my practice, both internally and externally that lend to the tensions in the daily goings-on of my classroom. I have ministry-mandated curriculum that I must cover for my specific curricular areas I teach; I managed a class of (up to) 30 students from grade 8-12, three to four periods a day; I plan and develop my lessons to have the most impact on my students in helping educate, inform, and shape their world view; I deal with interpersonal conflicts between students; I deal with home-life issues. I strive to draw a group of diverse individuals closer together, day by day, in order to become a unified, accepting body of people who all work together for the group rather than for themselves. This is the ideal outcome for my classes, one that does not always happen.<br />
<br />
<u>The tripod: Teacher, Curriculum, and Students</u><br />
<br />
The contact that I have with my students provides an opportunity for the learners to grow and transform socially in magnificent ways. Much of this relationship building comes from the interfacing of a number of things: curriculum, lesson planning, classroom management skills, prior experience, and my approach to the students all contribute to the learning environment. The kids bring ideas, a willingness to learn, risk taking ability, their own creativity and imagination, and their energy. Marrying both my approach (the teacher) and the students' enthusiasm helps in the community building and partnerships that takes shape. What is produced is borne not only out of the curriculum, but is more products of the way the teacher acts as a medium for the curriculum, and how the students interact with each other, and imagine and create from the curriculum presented to them. It is in this space that a student's confidence begins to develop. On its own, the curriculum is an inert object or set of ideas. It takes both student and teacher to animate the curriculum.<br />
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<u>The student as an increasingly confident young adult</u><br />
<br />
My grade 9/10 classroom: a place where students are testing the waters of their skills. In the development of an adolescent, it came up in a conversation between me and a band teacher at my school regarding students and a lack of willingness to perform in their performing arts classes. We spoke about how we often see students at the junior grade levels lack the confidence to perform in acting and band.<br />
<br />
Social, physical, and cognitive changes are happening for the adolescent students. Changes in expectations on them within the family, their personal and social responsibilities, their exposure to multi-media, their smart phone and social media usage, and the parent child relationship all contribute to a child's sense of their place in the world. They are constantly developing a wider global awareness that has one foot based in their childhood, and the other search for some stable footing on uncertain ground. Often time these students reflect what they see in the world, or from media, or what they are exposed to on a day to day basis.<br />
<br />
I recently spoke with a parent of a former student of 5 years in my charge. I asked her just what did the performing arts do for her daughter. The typical pat answer, usually is something along the lines of how “it built her confidence”. I know that about the performing arts, and have seen it time and time again. I dug a little deeper. I needed to know how it built her confidence. I was looking for an answer from a parent’s perspective, not the answer that I knew from watching her grow as a human being over four years. The more projects she worked on, the more confident she became." My response to her was "How was the confidence built? How did that happen for your daughter?"<br />
The parent thought about it for a minute, then said "As she developed through her adolescence, she was able to take on role and act as characters. Each time she did this, she began to sort out who she was not, at the same time understanding who she was." It was through this process of taking on role that she defined herself —a shaping of her-self and her identity.<br />
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In my classroom, my expectations for my students are high. Often times, I adjust my expectations for my students to their ability—I recognize that not all students start at the same place or have the same experience or levels of personal self-confidence. I see this subject area as being personally and socially transformative—however, within each student, growth does not take shape at the same rate. Therefore, as I approach the learner in the classroom, tensions begin to rise to the surface. I realize the need for a tremendous amount of patience for the student in my classroom. This patience runs in relation to the work ethic of the learner—deadlines and assignment/ topic boundaries must be set and enforced, then adjusted to meet the level at which the student is at.<br />
For the aforementioned student whose mother I spoke too, the growth was slow over time, yet once that student showed the slightest bit of proficiency, it created an opportunity to support that student in their learning.<br />
<br />
<u>Drama as a unifier</u><br />
<br />
The elective nature of the course, along with the idea of student retention from year to year is something that I keep in mind when assessing, evaluating, and interacting with students at work. This seems to a tension that exists in the back of my mind. It is more of a guiding principle for my course: make the work light, fun, manageable, treat students fairly, and help them to see the possibilities that drama can have in their life. Students will, in turn, see the benefit for their lives, respond, and continue their education along a performing arts path. It could totally backfire on me—they could see the course as too light and end up feeling disengaged.<br />
<br />
My job as teacher/facilitator then becomes one who conducts and moves the class along, attempting to achieve moments of unity within and trust within the group—of a shared, collective experience between students. I become a designer of memory making for these students, memories that they can hold on to and learn from, that will help open a door to potentially guide them throughout the rest of their lives. I really believe in helping kids see why they need to choose original, thoughtful, sensitive subject matter is important to not only their lives, and those around them. It is what is prescribed in our curriculum for the Drama classroom!<br />
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Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-33815658179914660102013-11-26T23:16:00.000-08:002013-11-26T23:16:44.822-08:00Film for HEAL: I Am by Tom ShadyacOn the weekend, in class, I mentioned a film on Netflix that deals with many of the issues and topics that we have been discussing in class. The film is entitled <u>I Am</u> by Tom Shadyac. It is a film that delves into the appetizers of the topics that we have sampled in the first semester.<br />
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I strongly encourage other HEALer's to check it out before we meet again. It is pretty cool!<br />
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<br />Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-13084718135145886082013-11-03T22:08:00.002-08:002013-11-23T10:58:30.360-08:00The Mane Event: Pedagogy between a trainer and a horse<span style="font-family: inherit;">10 years ago, my first principal at my first school in Surrey used to utter a proverb. The old adage "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" was often spoken by him to many that he worked with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He used to finish it up with the question:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"....so how do you make the horse drink?” leaving me at a loss. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He would shortly thereafter provide the answer: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Salt the oats."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the longest time, I had an idea of what he was saying. Yet what he was doing was attempting to communicate an idea that required more depth than a simple proverb uttered could illustrate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I understood his saying to mean that as a teacher, one had to provide incentive for the student to want to learn. If that is the case, what then is the intrinsic or extrinsic motivator for that student? I have pondered the concept of what makes a person—a student--intrinsically motivated to want to want to learn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back then I had no sweet clue how to salt those oats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Mane Event made the depth of his statement clear to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Mane Event horse trade show was the first field trip for the M.Ed Heal program on Saturday October 26th. The show was essentially like any trade show for geeks of any discipline. In this case, the term 'geek' runs in conflict with who these folks really are: cowboys and cowgirls. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Salt of the earth folk, for sure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Being green to the whole horse-person subculture, it was pretty cool to see so many out to take in this event. Our purpose with SFU HEAL was to take in an exhibition called the trainer's challenge. The trainer's challenge was a judged competition that paired three horse trainer-cowboys up with a 3 two year old colts. All three trainers; Cayley Wilson of BC, Paul Clarkson of Australia, and Kerry Kuhn of Kansas; competed in the Trainer's Challenge exhibition to show off their master skills as horsemen. The colts were from the Nicola Valley/Quilchena ranch area of BC, near to where I grew up in Kamloops. The challenge consisted of the trainers attempting to train/break the colts over a three day period, each trainer taking a one hour session per day in a round pen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just three hours over three days to train a colt? I would not know where to start. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was fascinating to see how a trainer who, by very nature of our species, obviously does not speak the horse's language, could use a variety of methods to gain the horses trust, build confidence in the horse, and essential get a very stubborn, untrained animal to do what he wanted of it in a short time frame. The challenge was an exhibition in improvisation, patience, experience, pressure and release, and teaching, among others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What I was most intrigued with was how the trainers managed to manipulate the horses all through a series of reassuring touches, ramping up to more assertive signals established over the course of the session. For nearly all the sessions at the beginning, the horse would avoid the trainer in the round pen, running away from him. Through a series of approaches and retreats, the trainer was able to encourage the horse to approach him. Then after a series of gentle touches, the trainer was able to begin to develop a trusting relationship with the animal, one that was constantly reassured by the initial contact made by the trainer. In these cases, it was a simple, gentle rub on the nose, or variation of. The trainer would often return to that gesture in order to communicate a variety of things to the horse. That reassuring gesture repeated time and time again was the base of the relationship, and it began to represent many different ideas that the trainer wanted to communicate to the horse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The rub on the head of the animal was used in a variety of different ways as if the trainer was trying to say: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Trust me"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Good job"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"That's right--you are doing what I want"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Calm down"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Easy"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every time the trainer used the rub, it was purposeful, a small tactic used to achieve a greater objective. In fact, many times the trainer would come around the backside of the horse. I was certain that the animal would kick him as he passed out of the horse's sight, but it never did. I did note that the reason the horse did not kick was perhaps due to the face that the trainer maintained touch contact with the horse from the rub on the nose, transition to a rub on its back, to keeping contact with animal as he passed behind the horse, thus, assuring the horse that everything was cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It became very clear that as the trust between the horse and trainer increased, the horse's confidence increased, along with the trainer's confidence in what the next challenge the horse would be able to take on next. In nearly all of the interactions between horse and trainer, the trainer engaged in non aggressive interaction with the animal. Any form of confrontation or aggression and the trainer would back right off. In nearly all of the sessions, all trainers would give the horse time to process what was going on and what just happened with a few short moments of a break between training activities, and allow the horse to believe that what it just accomplished was the horse’s idea. Whether that was allowing the trainer to put a saddle on its back, allowing the trainer to get up on the saddle, allowing the trainer to place the bridal or bit over its own mouth and face, and allowing the trainer to see it cross over a blue tarp, the trainer had to give over to the horse so that the horse felt comfortable and in control--that it was the horses idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By the end it was apparent that training a horse, as these men have done countless times in their lives, is equal parts experience, different approaches, failure, game plans, relationship building, and improvisation. Also, there is clearly no set practical way to train a horse; there are many ways that show similarities, but all varieties have common threads:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer does not try to control the horse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer goes with the flow, and uses what the horse gives, rather than imposing his will on the horse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer adjusts to the horse's temperament.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer does not use punitive measures or corporal punishment tactics in the training of the horse. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer constantly reacts to the horse’s body language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trainer used patience in all methods in order to develop trust. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all situations in the trainers challenge, it appeared that the trainer was attempting to find a balance of power and comfort between himself and the horse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Case and point: in session two, the trainer needed the horse to be comfortable with a lasso being swung. The trainer used the lasso, touched the lasso to the horses body, and inevitable developed a level of comforts for the horse with the lasso. The lasso became a tool and signal for the horse. Tapping the lasso on the horse communicated the horse should move. When the horse moved, the trainer would stop using the lasso. In order to get the horse moving again, the trainer would then tap the lasso, along with a gentle spur of the horse under the ribs with his boot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The third session of the day was very enlightening. The trainer's practice of an increase in pressure on the horse, then release, was a very interesting concept. In doing so, the trainer developed a foundation with the horse and was able to work on areas of weakness. In essence, the trainer was playing to the strengths of the horse then tackling the areas the trainer assessed to be weak.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The methods that the trainers were using seem transferable over to pedagogical interaction between a human teacher and student in many ways. I even attempted to try some of the horse training methods on my six year old son who refused to clean up after himself that afternoon. I gave him the option of pitching in with the family and taking part in cleaning up the pumpkin carving session, or taking some time out to play alone in his room, all the while speaking softly and reassuringly rubbing his back as I spoke to him. He chose his room, which allowed the rest of the family to work without distraction. I let him think that it was his idea to play in his room, defining the boundaries of what he could and could not do. He could clean up, or he could play alone. The choice was his. He chose what he wanted to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had two objectives myself: have him clean up, or have him out of the equation. I did not try to impose my will on him, reminding him that he chose to play when he came out of the room too early. It seemed to work, and it was all in my approach to the situation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am reminded of a difficult student at school: one who has not shown a tremendous amount of talent or skill in my classroom drama program, who does not put in the best effort, who is very social and disruptive to the learning process. My approach to him this year has been different than in previous years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have backed off of his confrontational personality. I have gone with what he gives me, encouraging him any chance that I get. I would classify this year's as a relationship building year with a student who is much like the two year old colt. Slowly I am seeing his confidence in my student increase, and his skills improve as time passes. I show him the reassurance that he requires, and as he becomes more comfortable in his skills and abilities. It has been a great relationship that we are building, all due to not him changing much, but my approach to him and how I interact with him changing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Regarding my principal's original statement, it is clear to me now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Students need to engage in and take ownership of their learning. They need to feel in control of what they are learning, as well as in control of the situation that they are in, all the while working to the end goal of the instructor. That ownership is a significant part of making education meaningful for the learner, and crucial to inspiring passionate and lifelong learning. In doing so, the teacher makes themselves obsolete, as students take ownership of their own learning. The trainer will not always be with the horses that he or she leads through training. The horse needs to become independent and able to work as it is intended to do, without the trainer at hand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That independence is something that all teachers strive for, for all of their students. In order to get there, strong, sound positive reinforcement (pedagogy) is the base to work from.</span><br />
<br />Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-83465619586952332592013-09-30T00:05:00.001-07:002013-11-23T11:00:17.241-08:00Balancing September<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Trying to balance running and cycling... and family, and work, and M.Ed, and .........</td></tr>
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<i>This is a post that also appears on Watershedathlete.blogspot.com.</i><br />
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September has nearly come to a close. It started with a Meet Your Maker experience, that was very, very enjoyable and disappointing all in one, and ends with a decision to can the cyclocross season altogether. Along the way included 45 hours of physical activity, nearly 370kms of running on the month, the start of the SFU HEAL Masters in Education, along with the September start up at school.<br />
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<b>Finding Balance--the test of ones life:</b><br />
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Needless to say, it has been a busy month. Trying to find balance between late night studies, early morning runs, weekend long runs, classes for me at SFU Surrey and my own delivery of classes, and impromptu appointments like one the other evening ("Oh, by the way--it is meet the teacher night at the kids school. See you there!) have me reeling with energy and fatigue, trying to process the fast paced mad action that a jammed full schedule dictates. Our time is not our own--it is for those that expect of us. Kids, students, classmates, spouses, family, we give ourselves over to those who we are responsible to.<br />
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I do try to steal a few minutes of my own away at the bookends of the day. However, burning the candle at both ends means that it will burn out quicker. Balance is something that I am searching for. The early setting sun, more darkness in our day--I trust that we are in for a dank autumn--one that dishes out tenfold what summer managed to hold off. Rain rain, here we go. Get ready for SADs. But again, my secret weapon of choice will always be a positive attitude, and to run. And run. And run. And run....<br />
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Leaping from lily pad to lily pad-- weekends, family birthdays, thanksgiving, pro-d days--oh look it is Remembrance Day--cross country races (for me, the racer, and for my student athletes), HEAL classes, late night readings, cross country coaching sessions, massage sessions, Christmas, etc, etc, may prove to be the perfect excuse for a vacation. Away. To the sunnier climes. Unfortunately, that is not in the foreseeable future.<br />
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What I have left to get me through it all are: my next few runs, my positive attitude, my ability to deal with winter in Canada (as I have for the last 37 years), and staying productive. All of these will all help to keep me off the mundane treadmill of life, and keep me living with engagement and focus. I look at the schedule and see the excitement of responsibility, rather than the dread of work. The last thing I desire is to punch a clock with my time sheet--wallowing through my days.<br />
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<b>September Summary:</b><br />
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But back to the monthly recap, forgive me for including the self-indulgent dooshbrag part of this post: This September has marked a milestone for me. I have managed to run further this month than any month in my running life(style). I use lifestyle, and not career, because:<br />
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1. I do not make any money from running. I wish I did, but I don't, and never will. Unless I get into shoes in some way, shape, or form. Or unless I get really, really fast. Unlikely.<br />
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2. My life is about moving--running is a huge part of that life. It has become my outlet, my lifestyle. My closet tells the tale of that lifestyle. It may be time to cull some of the running shirts I have acquired, and downsize a little.<br />
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The total distance is 367 which averages to 12.75 kilometres a day.<br />
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Some notable points on the month:<br />
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--4 long runs of 37, 30, 26, and 32 kms in prep for the Victoria Marathon. Although those are short of the 42.2km distance, I am certain that once a person runs to about 32 for marathon preparation, running more makes them more prone to injury. Volume yes, but not too much volume. It is a balancing act.<br />
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--the 26k run finished one hour before I entered the 2013 South Surrey Junk Yark Dog Mountain Bike Race. I faded from 2nd to 6th over 3 laps of the course. It was a tough race.<br />
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--A second place finish at the South Fraser Bear Creek Park 8k XC on September 28th --first overall in my age category, in a time of 30:44. I now need to complete 4 more races with good results to capture to 30-39 overall series title.<br />
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--Four Wednesday mornings of Yasso 800m track intervals. That has definitely upped my speed.<br />
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<b>The Silver Lining: Running Healthy</b><br />
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The distance and volume for the month is not the whole tale of the tape. The best part is that I have more or less run injury free. No Achilles tendinitis, no IT band issues, no other nagging pains that become part of the life of a runner. Often in the past when I had those little pains crop up, I would run through them, ride through them, and not let my body rest up enough to let itself heal. With a big race coming up, or the need to train because of the thought that one day off just might be the end of my personal goal attainment, I would push on and punch through, weakening my body and tiring myself out.<br />
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By mid month, I was on pace for 400kms of running this month. As of tonight, I still need about 30kms to reach that goal, one that I have giving up on due to the fact that after school on Monday the 30th, a 33 km run is out of the question. What good would it do? Looking over this post, it seems that I am a bit unbalanced: the running is taking up much of my time and energy. I suppose that if I keep this up, I could actually find myself exhausted before I know it.<br />
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<b>Mind and Body: Just what is that connection? </b><br />
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In trying to be health, sometimes we engage in detrimental behaviors that affect our health; unhealthy choices as a means to an end. For instance, one beer tastes good, 3 more won't hurt right? Alcohol consumption is just the example. I know that we are talking about exercise, so I will keep it at that. Over training--the act of thinking you need to go harder than you body will allow at that moment. That is when one needs to listen to their body, rather than their head, as your body often times knows what it needs. Yet we will override those sensations and take control. A typical over-training conversation between body and mind might go like this:<br />
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<i>Mind: Go running. Now. If you miss a day, you will get lazy. You need to run. You need to exercise.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Body: But mind, I am sooo tired. I need just a day of rest.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Mind: You are weak. You suck. You are not any good. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Body: I am injured. I need to rest.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Mind: I can't believe you.....You disappoint me. Go out and run and run fast. It should be joyless and monotonous.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Body: .....Oh......Alright.....You win.....I will drag this tired, injured butt out the door and into the cold so that I can try to stay focused on my goal, yet continue to sink further in injury rather than take the necessary time off to heal up and approach these workouts with vitality.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Mine: Good boy. Shut up and run yer junk miles.</i><br />
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This back and forth is probably the opposite of the norm of moderately active people's inner monologue-- simply getting out the door to exercise is sometimes difficult for many people. For the athlete trying to be healthy or training in high performance, many do not do enough to take care of themselves to exist in optimal condition. Athletes will train hard, train hard, train hard, fall into a deficit, then try to taper and rest just a little before their event. While existing in that deficit, they can get discouraged and down on themselves if the results don't come or if the training sessions are not fruitful. It has happened to me, plenty of times.<br />
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I met up Tom Craik, a fellow trail racer/ friend/ competitor. Today at the Vanier Cyclocross race, we had a short conversation about running and cycling, and results driven performance. We spoke briefly of ultra running and the apparent rise of performance enhancing drugs on the ultra scene, a sport that is virtually untouched from doping controls due to its grassroots nature, small purses, and lack of a governing body to control athletes, much like BC Athletics or Cycling BC, or on a larger scale, Athletics Canada and Canadian Cycling Association. The main idea was that athletes are addicted to results--top results in order to perhaps feel validated, to allow them to reach the next level, the next contract, the endorsement deals, etc. Unhealthy choices as a means to an end.<br />
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The ever burning question that we all ask ourselves as runners of "why do we run" came into my mind, yet again. Do I run for fun? For results? For competition? For a future goal? To run away from something?<br />
I suppose the answer is yes to all of those, at different times and places. But right now that is for another post....<br />
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For now, I am curious:<br />
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<b>How have you dealt with maintaining balance in your life? </b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>When things get busy, and there is little time for anything but what you are doing right now, what do you do? </b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>The idea that something has got to give, usually does. If so, what is it? Personal health? Time with the kids? Your professional responsibilities? Time to exercise? </b><br />
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<b>Share your ideas!</b><br />
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Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-82696163242404024242013-09-29T17:21:00.002-07:002013-09-29T18:35:21.048-07:00Exploring the Body and Mind: Making ConnectionsThink about the greatest moment in sport that you witnessed happening live, or even the most moving musical performance that had the pleasure of experiencing. Maybe it was the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7DeQbTzPE8" target="_blank">gold medal hockey game at the Olympics in 2010</a>. Maybe you took in the Justin Timberlake concert this past summer (Timberlake is a quintuple threat--he can sing, dance, act, he is a comedian, and he is... a bit of a heart-throb. According to my wife. Yeah...that's it. My wife...)<br />
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Our SFU HEAL seminar discussions have revolved around many topics, but there is one main question of inquiry:<br />
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What is the connection between the mind and body. What is the relationship?<br />
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In our classes, HEAL candidates have taken part in many physical exercises and games. Our professor, Stephen, has challenged HEAL students with activities that, if practiced often enough, would help to rewire our bodies and how we use them. This, in turn, challenges our traditional movement brain routines. As a highly active person, I have difficulty moving my body in ways that are out of my movement pathway routine ( a la running trails or biking all sorts of different terrain). The familiar repetition I experience in those movement strengthens me to do those movements more efficiently the next time I do them again. Over time, I build fitness and my efficiency increases: exercise becomes easier if I do those movements<br />
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If I am not biking or running, I am engaging different muscles, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nisbR3D5vQ" target="_blank">some that may or may not be tuned to unfamiliar movements.</a> These new activities and games in class take a bit of time to get used to, but with practise, I can figure out how they work to get by.<br />
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For years I have used similar games in my classroom for team and community building exercises, and to break the crippling ice of a classroom full of newbie drama 8 students. However, from my first class in the HEAL program, I am beginning to understand the value of such play activities as a link that connects the mind and body, and just how important that link is.<br />
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Rene Descarte, the father of modern philosophy, suggested that the body acts as a machine, and the mind controls that machine. Descartes believed that the mind and body were separate, part of a dualism the addressed in the 17th century. His notions of dualism far reaching implications to how we think and behave today. Our tempered, rational, cognitive, thinking mind has trumped our living in the moment, instinctive, reactive animal brain. Hooray for modern philosophy!! We can rationalize! We can reason!! We are the pinnacle of all living beings. A win for the evolution of Homo sapiens!!<br />
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Or is it?<br />
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What we have lost in this Cartesian belief is the autonomy of, or connection to our body and it's ability to be guided by our heart--some may call it our gut--response to situations, and how and when we react to those situations.<br />
Sport, the arts, music, play--all are platforms for us to be able to create, allow our minds to flow, and simply just be. At its best they allow us to exist and live in the moment, be guided by our heart, and perform with a vigor and vitality. Think of amazing performances that transcend what we think is possible for ourselves, and for humankind. Those performances keep us engaged because of the very nature that we cannot help but watch anything else.<br />
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Performances as the ones above are magnificent: highly rehearsed, planned, and executed, and very commercial. It is important to note that the connection of mind and body are simply not relegated to a made for TV event. We can experience this connection every day, if we allow ourselves the time to re-train ourselves to think less and act more.<br />
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Years ago, I studied at the Vancouver Theatresports League Resident Training Program. For those 6 months with VTSL, we were guided through some challenging yet very creative exercises to access the inner depths of our mind. Doing improv theatre for an audience is something that instantly forces a person to choose, react, create, and be all at the same time, without any thinking taking place, simply reacting.<br />
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My former university acting professor, Jim Hoffman, likened the act of improvising to a very simple relationship: Inside our head is a police officer. They are there to help us color in the lines, play by the rules, and allow us to think before we act. When training for improv, that little police officer has to take a coffee break--we must allow ourselves to become uninhibited, and feel while we perform. No offer in improv is a neither good nor bad--it is what we do with it.If a person thinks while engaging in improv, the moment passes, and the work falls flat. Shoring up the time between the idea and the reaction is key for getting quick--in improv it is fast, not funny, witty, thoughtful or contrived that works.<br />
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Don't think, do.<br />
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The best improvisers are ones who are quick, not clever. The funny, gut wrenching, tear jerking, and beautiful all come from how we interpret their behaviors, in the moment. Improv skills are developed much like muscular fitness develops...<br />
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On my way home from the second SFU HEAL session, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP9ZFkqt5Lw" target="_blank">this beautiful song</a> soothed my soul as the sun was setting. The hauntingly beautiful chorus, in particular, capture my imagination. The connection between mind and body is never more present than when we are in the moment. Perhaps, as Lucinda Williams sings, that moment, our finest moment, is the moment when our time comes to pass......<br />
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Sorry to be a killjoy....our own mortality needs to be addressed, respected, and studied in my university studies. I look forward to digging deeper into this question of the relationship between our mind, and our bodies.<br />
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Can you think of a time when you experienced your body and mind working together in synchronicity? In posing this question to my students in my classroom, they concurred that the connection is strongest when doing something that they were passionate about.<br />
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Also, link a performance of greatness in the comments section below. I would love to have you share something you find to be simply amazing!Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281178459713536218.post-5460191449405071502013-09-12T22:23:00.000-07:002013-11-23T11:00:28.226-08:00A Fresh Experience<br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>Me, according to me: </b></span><br />
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My name is Joshua and this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life.<br />
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This extension of my strictly race report/ athletics blog at <a href="http://watershedathlete.blogspot.com/">Watershed Athlete</a> is new alternate format that will chronicle my graduate studies at SFU in the Health Education and Active Living/Lifestyle (HEAL) program. I am grateful for this opportunity as it will afford me time to delve into studying avast subject area that I am very passionate about: the health and well being of not only myself and my family, but of the conditions, notions, definitions, and societal aspects of health. I will share my findings with you along the way, and perhaps challenge the readership of Watershed Athlete with what I will discover.<br />
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I have worked in education and recreation for the last 18 years, 10 of those as a high school teacher. I developed a love of for acting and performance in my elementary school days. Through high school and my undergrad, I managed to transform those experiences into something that has allowed me to share the importance, love, appreciation for and the value of the arts everyday with my students.<br />
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The impetus to become a teacher stems from the fact that I had some pretty fantastic ones as role models growing up. I remember the greatest, most beloved teachers that I have ever had the honor to be a student of, or work with. I aspire to embody the qualities that they lived: a mentor who can positively influence the lives of their students. A person who challenges and encourages them to address issues and problems with creative approaches. One who inspires purposeful creativity and helps individuals build and develop their own thinking.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Why HEAL? Why now?</span></b><br />
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Athletics/competition and physical fitness are two very important positive outlets in my life. Those outlets have developed into obsessions over time. I began mountain biking in Kamloops (1997), with my brother and a few friends. That first ride had me hooked; I was on a borrowed bike that was too small for me. I bought my first pair of purposeful running shoes in 1999 in order to train for the Vancouver Sun Run, which I completed. I remember it was a painful experience, the run, one that I returned to in the following year, and have subsequently moved on from.<br />
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Biking and running--two ways of moving my body that I get an immense amount of satisfaction out of. The ability we as human beings have to more our bodies over space and terrain is something that I am fascinated with, a concept that we often take for granted. I move in the woods, over mountains, on the road, and in the trails because I can. It is exhilarating. I do not want to lose sight of the physical privilege that I have that affords me to do so. My legs take me many, many places.<br />
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In August 2010, I was involved in a bike crash on a training ride that left me in hospital for 6 days with a Grade III separated shoulder, 8 broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. This period of my life was one of immense pain and healing from my injuries. Two surgeries and much physiotherapy helped me to gain back the strength and mobility in my body, to the point where I am now pushing the boundaries of what I believe I can do--what we as humans can do. I am using myself as an experiment: just how far can I cycling? How far and fast can I run? In that crash my own mortality was front and center: I was ready to let myself expire in the ditch and take on the next journey. However, to my surprise, I learned in a hurry that the human will to live was stronger than anything I have ever experienced. The graceful strength I was able to conjure, broken in a ditch on the side of the road, was amazing.<br />
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In the years following, I have made a commitment to myself: to stay in the best physical shape that I, as an individual, can in order to grow old with my children. I want to be the dad who can run and play with his kids until they have their own kids. Then I want to run with my grand kids. Life is a precious thing, something that I cherish everyday. I realize that there are many things in my power that I can do to to preserve my own longevity. I am curious to define what is out of my hands that determines my personal health, identifying the key issues in our societal health.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>The mind and body, and their interconnections</b></span><br />
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My approach to the mind and body relationship is from the my experience as an athlete. Thinking back to the many events that I have been a part of, and the types of preparation that I did in order to compete at my best. I realize that the mind is very powerful tool, one that can over-riding the bodies natural tendencies to quit when stressed. I also know that the body has amazing resiliency in healing itself from stress and trauma. Often times, we do not allow ourselves to experience what we are capable of. I am curious to find out just how far I can push my body.<br />
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With training, the body will let you know when enough is enough. When racing, or doing anything that is highly demanding on the body, the determination of the mind can trump the body's natural ability to quit. The mind and body must be tuned in order to get the best out of oneself. I look forward to challenging myself in new ways, rewiring my brain, and use my body in uncommon movement pathways.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>My Goals for HEAL:</b></span><br />
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As an educator, I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge from this program with my students--allowing them to see beyond the egocentric, individual pursuits in life that are ubiquitously promoted by our mass media, entertainment, governmental policy development, political systems, and economic structures. Already I am recognizing the health of those around me as determined not by their individual pursuits (although that is an important part of health), but as a product of the national and global system that we experience on a day to day basis.<br />
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I am excited to incorporate my passions for health and promotion of the arts in my classroom, two very vital things in our society that are, in my opinion, undervalued.<br />
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I want to explore and dig into the current notions that we associate with physical activity: nutrition, hydration, training, recovery, and the many other components that determine individual health. I look forward to challenging the norms of what we as a society are conditioned to accept as normal when it comes to our own personal health.<br />
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I am looking forward to sharing diverse perspective with my cohort in the HEAL program. This will be a very fun and fresh 2 years. I hope that it does not fly by too quickly, as I would like to enjoy the work, the company, and the learning.<br />
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I am sure that I will gain that, and so much more.<br />
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This is the beginning. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwdUVjyxWrM" target="_blank">I am ready to start!</a><br />
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Singing Pass, Garibaldi Provincial Park. August 2013.</td></tr>
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<br />Joshua Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12329356382524197210noreply@blogger.com4