The presenters here are very big on catch phrases. I have found that catch phrases can go either way. Some are so powerful and stick with you…like ‘got milk” that’s just brilliance. Its catchy and direct. Also it cam be manipulated to fit any situation. For example in awkward situations such as one night stands you can be clever and hip by re-stating this particular catch phrase, turning it into “got herpes?” Many catch phrases are just fun to play with, like Nancy’s favorite “just say no.” When asked to decipher the value of “a” in the equation 10xa+b today during math games, I just said no. This was my clever yet clear way of saying back off Mathy…
The catch phrases here are not quite so catchy. A favorite here is Private think time. About once an hour we are presented with a mathematical gem and then given “private think time” to mull over these ideas…perpetually followed by a quick write. Really? Private think time for me is like an invitation to go off task. Perhaps they are not familiar with ADD or kids in general. Do you know how fast a bottle of glue can be turned into desk boogers, fake nails or a rainbow crayon? Private think time in my room would result in once pristine erasers chopped into small throwable chunks, to be launched at intermittent intervals during the day. As for the quick write…you’re reading it.
Another favorite this week is “we are all safe” this is designed to minimize the innate fear some have of math. I do not think that the 11/2 hours of problem solving that we use to start the day is actively calming my nerves about my math phobias. In fact I can assure you that not only am I not enthused by the prospect of solving a “rich” math problem (“rich” is another word they really like here) I am fairly intimidated, and so perhaps “being Safe” is more of a do what I say not what I do thing. I see the benefit of a safe environment for math…setting the culture that those of us who really suck at math are not going to be ridiculed for our stupidity. It is not lost on me that I am discussing a culture of safety only sentences below my statements of ridicule. I see the irony here….and I choose to ignore it.
Today’s safety exercise was a “gallery walk” Unbelievably we spent even more time today completing the math problem from yesterday and writing our investigative discoveries on posters (which were actually the post it notes of the Gods!) After posting each groups findings we were to walk the halls and look at the different ways each of us solved the problem and the different observations that the group came too. There was even a member from each group designated to be the docent. This (as it was explained to us) was the person in the group who would answer questions and comment on the inspiring math that had happened at our little table. This was very well received by many ….I was not one of the many. I have to hand it to my husband who attempted to help me be more of a team player by offering up handy comments I could use during the walk. He suggested “wow I like the way you carried the one there” and “ooh neat use of a 4” I briefly thought about using these and mingling among my peers but I quickly realized that there was no time in my life past present or future that these comments would come out of my mouth without sarcasm dripping off every syllable. So I did the only thing a sane person would do. I went for coffee.
I have to laugh as today’s agenda at the conference seems to be “how to be assertive” I gotta tell you I seem to have this one down. I am practicing with the others though. I smile ruefully at the rules they post to make us all feel safe. It would seem others have joined the bandwagon to make me a better person (or at least a more filtered person) Sometimes the safest thing you can do is just shut-up…and blog about it later.
And so I plodded through my day using “I” statements and asserting my own needs without aggression or intimidation. I listened actively and gave authentic praise… in short I learned to say exactly what I mean in a spirited yet “safe” way. Yippee! I’m a safety girl (this too is a great catch phrase for many situations!)
I was disappointed this morning that my experience with naked people seemed to be confined to my initial contact yesterday. Having made it to mid week at the conference I was hoping for some exciting event to see me the rest of the way. I simply had to be patient though, for a naked encounter was just around the corner! As I began to back out of the lot at the conference, looking forward to an evening in the downtown area of Ashland, I smiled at the mother and son riding bikes down the sidewalk. The bike they rode was tandem and there was a small baby trailer hooked to the back. The only piece interrupting this idyllic scene was that the young boy was bare ass naked. What is the deal here? Really, clothing is a lifestyle choice I’ll grant you, one that most of America adheres too, but should you choose to spend time in your all togetherness, why do so many people choose to do it exercising? The chafing alone would stop me from power walking and I don’t want to begin to guess where that bike seat has been. And so I end my day with the happy thought that while I mock the week I spend here I am actually learning quite a bit, and really any week in which you can relay the sightings of two naked health enthusiast is a good week, and finally the young man naked on the bike will be safe in case of a crash, because as all good cyclists do he wore a helmet….but that’s going to be a bitch of a road rash.