Life is a ride and we can change it anytime we want

Sunset in Barcelona - View from near Park Güell 

My students just finished projects on different conditions and diseases, looking at the effects on human health. I love assigning presentations and working with students to improve their presentation skills. Communication is an important life skill for all, along with learning to work with others. Project-based learning tasks are most engaging for students when they are given the ability to creatively find ways to reach a common goal. My favourite parts of teaching are the implicit lessons that underly the academic 
objectives. There are so many fantastic ways of nurturing important life skills through well-thought out learning activities. 

Next, we're moving into our study of chemistry which both the students and I are extremely excited for. Chemistry concepts can be learned through engaging hands-on activities that appeal to all types of learners.  We kick off next week with demonstrations and experiments about acidity using purple cabbage as a base indicator. I have a feeling these labs are going to be fun!

Exploring Palma City at night.
Nothing is more wonderful than getting lost in a new city!

In travel news, about a month ago I travelled to Spain with four other teachers. We began our trip in Palma de Mallorca and finished it in Barcelona. I was captivated once again by the beauty of the Mediterranean coast on the island of Palma de Mallorca. The architectural wonder that is Barcelona cannot adequately be described in words; it must be experienced, first hand. La Sagrada Familia (a Cathedral designed by Antony Gaudi) is one of the most beautiful human-created things I've seen in my entire life. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of peace/serenity that washed over my being when I walked through the brass-plated doors. The way in which Gaudi's idea for the cathedral is connected to the natural world is absolutely fascinating.

I leave you with a wonderful quote about life by Bill Hicks that I particularly enjoy. I enlarged some of my favourite parts. The message is so clear yet so far removed from the scope of many people's lives. I love taking a step back to reflect every now and then. 

" The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real." 

It's just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now,between fear and love. 

The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace. "



.... so choose LOVE.