Everything started out fine. I drove Mariah’s new car down to LA to do a couple meetings, then out to Walnut for a stop at the shop to fix her check engine issue. My meetings went great. No problems, got to the mechanic and he found and fixed all known issues with the car. It took a little time, but I expected that. As I am leaving my mechanic says “you have a bad radiator cap, you fix next time”. So I get done with my mechanic and start to Utah. I check my sigalert road conditions and the main road to Utah has a huge traffic jam, so I say “hey there is a windy mountain road”, I need to test the car’s handling, maybe this will be faster than going through that big traffic jam. So I happily go up into the San Gabriel mountains. The car does great. I climb up over 7 thousand feet and pretty much get lost. I am trying to google map my way out and make a turn that pretty much sends me back to where I started….. The road was so twisty I got car sick… So I found my way back to the road and started toward the traffic jam figuring that I would get there faster in a traffic jam than going back up in those mountains. So I survive the traffic jam and start heading toward Barstow (more about Barstow later)… Anyway I am three miles from Baker and I look at my temperature gage on the car and it is way over heated. I pull off the road and add some water and limp into Baker. It’s now 9:30 at night, I still have many hours to drive to get to Cedar city where my hotel room is. I purchase a bunch of coolant and refill the radiator. It was pretty much just a little steam when I first open it up. I add over a gallon and say a prayer. I have a gallon and a half of extra coolant and water in the back of the car. I then start driving again. I get to Vegas around midnight (hit a big traffic jam). Then drive on to Cedar City. Get there at 3:00 am local time. Collapse into bed and sleep till around 8 the next morning. Get up. Eat. Purchase a new radiator cap and drive up to Salt Lake. Have a good meeting with a prospective client and then check into my hotel and collapse into bed again. About 40 minutes later Elise calls. I need to pick her up. She is running in the Salt Lake Marathon the next day. So I meet Elise and Austin and we have dinner together. I do my don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you marry speech, and we have a nice time. I go shopping for final race stuff. Go to bed. Get up at 3:00 am to take Elise to her marathon bus. Can’t go back to sleep for a bit. Wake up late. Valet can’t start car. Drive up to top of mountain to watch Elise run and give her stuff if she needs it. Unload bike. Tires low. Try to pump up. Pump not working right. Don’t have the right fitting. What now?... Drive down to town. Ask a bike rider if he has a pump? Victory, pump up tires. Drive back up to the top of the mountain and start riding down to catch Elise. Pass hundreds of runners. No Elise. Ride over 40 minutes at 30 MPH and still no Elise. Finally, at mile marker 16 I catch up with her. I start doing my sag support job (here drink more water)… Clock her speed. She is doing 6+ mph by this point. Over the last 2 miles she steps it up to 7mph. She finishes in 4 hours and 4 minutes. She passes at least 50 runners in the last 3 miles. We get to the finish, no sign of Austin. He is on foot and lost. Dad is a bit annoyed but not saying anything… Elise has to walk at least 1 or 2 miles to get back to the place where she can get a ride. Finally, she sits down and says I am not going any farther. Get me a ride. Austin starts working on getting the Sanstrums to pick her up. I decide I have to get back to the hotel since my checkout time is noon. I ride the bike back, shower and change and wait. It took another 45 minutes or more for Elise to show up. She showers and changes and we go to meet the Sanstrums at a pool by their house. Elise just sits in the pool. She is shot. I do a couple can openers and swim around a bit then we have to get going to pick up Mariah. I drive Elise’s car since she didn’t think she could shift. I drive down and pick up Mariah. She had a great time at the camp. She met many very cute soccer and lacrosse boys. She also met a swing dancer who she had a lot of fun with. I drive back to Elise’s house. Switch cars and take Mariah shopping. She spends 3 hours looking at pants at that huge mall. Doesn’t find much. I take her to dinner then take her down the street to Ross and Tj max. She finds a pair of jeans in each store and we start toward home. Mariah drives from Provo to Cedar City. I try to sleep. Somewhere in the middle of this section she hits something and the car starts making a funny noise. I am too tired to care. Finally, I wake up and make her pull over. The rubber cowling under the engine was knocked loose and dragging on the ground. It is pretty much rubbed in half by the time I find it. I also attempt to fix an issue with the stereo and proceed to knock out the dash lights. I start using the flashlight to determine her speed. Make it to the hotel. Go to bed around 11:00 pm.
Get up the next morning. I attempt to solve the problem. Fix the 12V power issue with the car but the dash lights still don’t come on. So we start driving again. On the way to Vegas I did a speed test on the car. I hit 115 and backed off. Fortunately I slowed down because 2 minutes ahead of me was a Nevada trooper. Find a huge outlet Mall in Vegas. Take Mariah in and we start the pants shopping again. In the middle of the mall, Mariah said “I give up”. I want to eat and we abort further shopping and go to Panda for lunch and start driving again.
I get through Barstow. The car hasn’t overheated. I think I am home free. It is 2:30 pm and very hot. Suddenly I hear a loud explosion and figure out my left front tire had blown. Grrrr. Pull off the road. Unload the 250 pounds of Costco stuff in the trunk. Jack up the car. Pull off the tire. Try to put the spare on. Clunk, Clunk. The spare won’t fit over the modified brakes on this car…Grrr. Call AAA. Spend 20 minutes explaining where I am to the dispatcher. Get referred to the supervisor. Finally, they decide where I am and send a driver. Put the original tire back on. Tighten the lug nuts and reload the trunk. Still no driver. Call AAA back. Spend another 20 minutes explaining where I am. Get a call from the tow company. I am outside their area. Ask, can’t you just drive a couple more miles and get me? No. Rules are rules. Call AAA back. Spend another 20 minutes telling them where I am. “you see there is this sage brush on my right and this fence right next to it”. I have my laptop up and I am mapquesting the place where we are supposed to be. Tell the AAA person, “if A can’t pick me up then B must be able to do it, I can’t imagine you have a C tow truck driver for this section of road.” My logic was beyond the poor person and I had to try to explain where I was again. Just when I think it can’t get any worse a CHP pulls up. I am going what else can go wrong. I explain my sad tale of wo and he tells me where I am exactly. He also gives me some cold water. I told him that he was providing the best service my tax dollars have ever provided and thank you very much. I call AAA and give them the location the CHP gave me. They still can’t convert that into where I am on a map…
Finally, I figure out there is a rail line that comes close to the road at one point right by me. Finally, they start getting the idea that there are no other real landmarks and they send out a truck. Then the tow driver calls. I explain again. Say just drive east on the 58, my car is a blue green Acura you can’t miss it. By this time I am like 120 degrees, Mariah is ready to jump out of the car and start running home.
I say a prayer, “Heavenly father I am getting really hot, please help me get out of here”.
As I was praying the phone goes off and the tow truck driver is on the line. He asks me where I am. I tell him and say “look for a green Acura”. He finally sees me and pulls up. Nice guy. He is really unfamiliar with this section of the road. I give him directions to the Walmart and we were off. While driving there his phone rings. He has a gollum phone ring tone. He is wearing overalls. Has a mullet. I should have gotten a clue, but more to come... I get to the Walmart and finally get the tire thing going. They take a close look at my tires. Two other tires are showing cords. One is semi ok. I order 4 new tires and go off to get some water. I am majorly dehydrated by this time. Mariah and I search the store. Mariah wants a soft serve cone. Go to the Mcdonalds. No soft serve. So we go looking for an ice cream case. She finds one. I have found some water and put it in a cooler so I can have semi cold water. We get into line to buy our booty. I am behind a couple. He has too many tats to count. She is really rough looking. No bra black lady. They are having a disagreement with the clerk trying to determine how much money is on their Walmart cash card. This takes at least 5 minutes to sort out. Finally they figure it out and she has to put a bag of really scary looking cookies back so they can afford to purchase their stuff. Finally, we get to the front of the line and I get my total. $6.66 is my total. The clerk says ooo that’s a bad number. I say yeh I had better buy something else. I am too exhausted to buy anything else so I just pay my money and Mariah and I go over to the Mcdonalds to drink and eat ice cream. While we are sitting there I notice a sign on the wall “refills are free for this visit only”. I think boy what a funny sign. Imagine having to put something like that on the wall. Right about then I stream of drop drawerred, tattooed scungy looking teens walk into the walmart with their cups, walk through the golden arches and proceed to fill up their drinks. Then I start really looking around. Wow maybe this was the crowd those anti Walmart clowns were concerned with. I also noticed a large contingent of chubby, too little clothes, weird hair girls trolling the halls and hanging out with the drop pants boys. I then take notice of a family. Two boys around 18 and 20 with really long hair, tattoos and drop pants with chains and tattoos, I then see the dad. A 40 something dude with tattoos and a pony tail. The mom is wearing a white trash outfit and I am starting to think I fell off the earth and straight into hell. Mariah is now looking around and wishing the car was done. A kid runs up to his grandpa who is sitting by us. He tells his grandkid to buy a drink for him. The boy has a dollar and runs up to the counter. He doesn’t have enough for the tax and has to go back to the grandpa to get more change. It is getting a little surreal now. Finally, I get up and go with Mariah back to the tire department having had enough white trash entertainment for the day. I am convinced by this point that I have truely entered into deliverance land. My car is still not done. The clerks are having to check out regular customers because they parked by the tire store instead of in front of the Walmart. I am really tired at this point and just want to go home. Finally, my car is ready. I try to pay for the tires with my company card. It bounces. Says I am doing fraud. AHHHH! So I pay for the tires with the AMEX and run out of the Walmart wanting to get back to safe old Atascadero. I get back on the road. I pass the spot where the tire blew. It was now 4 hours later. Talk about twilight zone.
We drive back to Atascadero. No problem. I am on 101 in front of the church and I see red lights behind me. I am going “Oh no!”, I can’t get another ticket, I will loose my license. The cops walks up. Says, “your tail lights are out”. I tell him my sad tale of wo. He has mercy on me and tells me to get it fixed. No ticket. He tells me I blew a fuse. I say thank you and drive the last 2 miles to the house and collapse.
That is the end of my epic journey.
Epic Journey postlude.
The next week Mariah is driving the car and it overheats. I am in San Diego and get a call at 12:30 pm.
She says my car is broke. Mom picks her up and I get home. The next day I fill up the radiator and drive it to church and back. It empties the radiator again. I notice this time a stream of steam coming from the top. I know that my prayer is the only thing that could have brought that car 1200 miles without over heating. I am glad God is looking out for a simple person like me. Imaging the miracles he has in store for you if you just ask.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A letter to USA today's editorial board
Dear Editor,
I find it rather sad that your “news” organization chooses to “report” on the Republican’s pledge to America by immediately arguing against it. This was supposed to be news story. That means you report on what was said. If you wanted another point of view, you could have asked a Democrat what they thought. Instead you chose to put an entire fact finding group to try to tear apart the Republican plan. The story really belonged on the editorial page with all the “comments” your staff added. Over the years it has become rather obvious that your paper has become a propaganda paper for the Democrats instead of a true news paper. Perhaps that is why your subscriptions are down and you face hard times. Americans need real news. News with an agenda is not true news!
I find it rather sad that your “news” organization chooses to “report” on the Republican’s pledge to America by immediately arguing against it. This was supposed to be news story. That means you report on what was said. If you wanted another point of view, you could have asked a Democrat what they thought. Instead you chose to put an entire fact finding group to try to tear apart the Republican plan. The story really belonged on the editorial page with all the “comments” your staff added. Over the years it has become rather obvious that your paper has become a propaganda paper for the Democrats instead of a true news paper. Perhaps that is why your subscriptions are down and you face hard times. Americans need real news. News with an agenda is not true news!
Monday, September 27, 2010
More of my thoughts on education
Future of Education in Atascadero
With the massive cuts in education from the state and federal government that continue year after year, I have become concerned that instead of coming up with creative solutions to today’s world, the schools may start limiting the educational opportunities for my children. I have already seen it at the Junior high with the reduction in the number of electives.
My thoughts on how to improve our schools and combat the effects of reduced funding include the following:
1. Clearly state to the public that their help is needed.
2. Sell the quality and importance of the education received at our schools.
3. Improve parent involvement at all levels of the district from the classroom to the administration.
4. Seek community volunteers to fill in the gaps that are lost as our funds are cut.
We need to put the public back into public education. We can no longer afford to just let the “district” deal with the problems in our education system.
The administration needs to encourage a learning environment much like the one that exists at San Gabriel school. Parents are an integral part of the education system at San Gabriel. From parent helpers to PTA members to volunteers teaching enrichment classes. This model needs to be encouraged at all school sites including the High school and the Junior high.
I have five children who have been or are being educated by the Atascadero school system. My oldest just graduated from college and my youngest is in second grade. I can tell you the education system in Atascadero is outstanding. Music education is top notch. Core subject and AP level instruction is well done. I just don’t want to see this slip away due to budget cuts.
I feel that it is important for all parties that are vested in the education of my children need to be part of the solution to the current situation we face. That means that the contracts currently in place need to be reviewed in light of the current funding. That also should mean that each program and each project should be fully reviewed with one thing in mind, how does this impact the education of our youth?
Finally, I appreciate the efforts of the San Gabriel kindergarten teachers with the new pull out program they instituted this year. That was a excellent use of funds and resources and the results speak for themselves.
With the massive cuts in education from the state and federal government that continue year after year, I have become concerned that instead of coming up with creative solutions to today’s world, the schools may start limiting the educational opportunities for my children. I have already seen it at the Junior high with the reduction in the number of electives.
My thoughts on how to improve our schools and combat the effects of reduced funding include the following:
1. Clearly state to the public that their help is needed.
2. Sell the quality and importance of the education received at our schools.
3. Improve parent involvement at all levels of the district from the classroom to the administration.
4. Seek community volunteers to fill in the gaps that are lost as our funds are cut.
We need to put the public back into public education. We can no longer afford to just let the “district” deal with the problems in our education system.
The administration needs to encourage a learning environment much like the one that exists at San Gabriel school. Parents are an integral part of the education system at San Gabriel. From parent helpers to PTA members to volunteers teaching enrichment classes. This model needs to be encouraged at all school sites including the High school and the Junior high.
I have five children who have been or are being educated by the Atascadero school system. My oldest just graduated from college and my youngest is in second grade. I can tell you the education system in Atascadero is outstanding. Music education is top notch. Core subject and AP level instruction is well done. I just don’t want to see this slip away due to budget cuts.
I feel that it is important for all parties that are vested in the education of my children need to be part of the solution to the current situation we face. That means that the contracts currently in place need to be reviewed in light of the current funding. That also should mean that each program and each project should be fully reviewed with one thing in mind, how does this impact the education of our youth?
Finally, I appreciate the efforts of the San Gabriel kindergarten teachers with the new pull out program they instituted this year. That was a excellent use of funds and resources and the results speak for themselves.
Education and why it matters
Education
I have been asked (with pretty short notice) to speak on education.
First from Wikipedia a quick definition:
Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.
Why would God make education or knowledge one of the few things we take with us when we die?
Our] religion … prompts [us] to search diligently after knowledge,” taught President Brigham Young (1801–77). “There is no other people in existence more eager to see, hear, learn and understand truth.”2 Our quest for truth should be as broad as our life’s activities and as deep as our circumstances permit.”
Education expands and sharpens our mind and spirit, while strengthening our soul. We can gain wisdom as we learn from the mistakes of the past. We were sent to earth to learn with a physical body. There are things that mortal existence teaches that can’t be learned without a body. God’s plan for us had to include a time of testing and learning where we could increase our knowledge through our own experience. God gave us scriptures and the Holy Ghost to help guide us past the pitfalls of life. As we work our way through mortality we need to pay attention and learn from our experience. We need to seek out the opportunities to learn and educate ourselves.
Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for “a man is saved no faster than he [gains] knowledge,”8 and that “whatever principle of intelligence we attain … in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.”9 During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. The Prophet Joseph taught, “Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.”10
Why is education so important temporally?
Education can help us gain work skills. My experience with education was wide and varied. I prepared myself to go to college in high school, I wanted to study architecture. In college I changed my major and studied engineering. As I prepared to enter the workforce I chose to work in the computer industry. I started as a programmer, then did tech support and now I design software. In high school, I really disliked English. I found it frustrating and very subjective. I really enjoyed math and science. Today, the skill I use the most is English and communication. I never would have envisioned that in school. You can never be sure of where life will take you or what skill is most valuable. A solid education will give you the skills you can draw on as you work to support your family. Attaining knowledge throughout your life will keep you sharp and flexible so you can better deal with life’s twists and turns. Education helps improve your income over time.
What has worked for our family
When Brenda and I were a young married couple, we decided how we wanted to raise our children. One of our primary goals was to educate and train our children so they would be able to leave our home and be independent and successful adults. My goal was to make sure my children were properly prepared as they entered school. Brenda was excellent at teaching reading and I took care of some of the math. We stressed the importance of education to our children. We paid attention to their scores in school and expected a lot. If we felt our child didn’t do their best on an assignment, we would encourage them to improve. We also accepted our responsibility for our children’s education. We made several good choices when our children were young. First, we disconnected the cable and don’t own satellite. This was a large sacrifice for me since I love watching football. Second, with limited TV we encouraged our children to read a lot. Third, when the prophet asked us to read the book of Mormon several years ago, we chose to read scriptures nightly for several years. I have found that reading the old testament is a really good way to help a child get beyond their fear of sounding out words. We value our children’s education and they know it. We support and volunteer at schools to improve the quality of education our children receive.
We also chose to support our children in music and sports. This ends up costing a lot of time and effort, but our children have good outlets for their energy and music really helps sharpen the mind. Sports helps strengthen the body and our children tend to learn skills like time management and perseverance. For our oldest, she was recruited to BYU and received scholarships for her athletics and scholarship. Having a child graduate from college makes it all seem worthwhile.
Today, we see large cuts in the local schools. Atascadero schools have had to deal with over 25% cut in funding in the last 3 years. I currently work on a school site council as chairperson. In my position we worked on how to keep our standards high in the face of all the budget cuts. This last year we started expanding the volunteerism at the school We asked for parents and community members to give some of their time to help improve the instruction of the students. I have been working for the last 3 years teaching 6th graders basic algebra so they can do better at math in Jr high and high school It is one of my joys in life to see a student’s eyes brighten as they get a new concept or learn something new. In the first year of the program, we had over 50 parents sign up to help improve instruction in the classroom.
From Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80
And I give unto you a commandment that you shall ateach one another the bdoctrine of the kingdom. UAdd a Note
78Teach ye diligently and my agrace shall attend you, that you may be binstructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; UAdd a Note
79Of things both in aheaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must bshortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the cnations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a dknowledge also of countries and of kingdoms— UAdd a Note
80That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to amagnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the bmission with which I have commissioned you. UAdd a Note
Finally, we have education in the church. Our young adults have one of the best gospel teaching of any youth in the world. After 10 years in primary and 4 years in seminary our children often know more about the nature of God than many adults. I know, my kids know way more than I knew at their age. Education can also help you make things happen. Greg learned so much in primary, seminary and our family home evenings he has been very successful on his mission and has no trouble teaching the gospel to the people in Rio.
“But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.” (D&C 93:38–40.)
From President Uctdorff:
In our learning, let us not neglect the fountain of revelation. The scriptures and the words of modern-day apostles and prophets are the sources of wisdom, divine knowledge, and personal revelation to help us find answers to all the challenges in life. Let us learn of Christ; let us seek out that knowledge which leads to peace, truth, and the sublime mysteries of eternity.
Brethren, you have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a sense, can become your “university”—a classroom that is always open and admits all who apply. Strive to increase your knowledge of all that is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”11 Seek knowledge “by study and also by faith.”12 Seek with a humble spirit and contrite heart.13 As you apply the spiritual dimension of faith to your study—even of temporal things—you can amplify your intellectual capacity, for “if your eye be single to [God’s] glory, your whole [body] shall be filled with light, … and [comprehend] all things
I appreciate the importance of education in our church. I am glad God has chosen to let us keep whatever knowledge and wisdom we gain in this life in the life to come. I appreciate his gifts and blessings and the Holy Ghost and his role to help inspire and guide through this life. I appreciate the education I received as a youth. Often, I felt some aspect or another was annoying or a waste of time, but I can honestly say the things I learned helped me in the life. I have been able to work hard and support my family. I know that without my education I would have had less opportunity to grow and increase my income. Education opens doors and gives you the chance to succeed. What you make of your life after that is your choice.
I know the gospel is true. I appreciate the savior and his love. I have felt his condescension touch my soul and I know that he lives and stands with me and my family. He gave me the gift that I can never repay. I know that I can repent and receive a remission of my sins through his atonement. I know that education can open minds and unlock futures. I know there is more truth in this church than any institution in the world today. We can learn more by listening to the prophets and reading the scriptures than any other source of knowledge in the world. I know we can become wise by following the commandments. I know that education changed my life and opened my doors to success. God loves each of you and wants you to reach your highest potential in this life. Education helps pave that road. You have a choice, go through life on that unpaved, broken down dirt road or seek out education and ride on that smooth paved road toward your future.
Education brings rich and inumerable blessings to our lives both in our mortal existence through our own growth and oppurtunity and in the world to come as we grow and extend into eternity. Education, knowledge and wisdom are the seedss that help us reach our eternal potential. God designed this plan to bless us and help us be as he is, that through our own experience we could learn and grow and attain eternal increase.
Written for a talk in church 9/19/2010.
I have been asked (with pretty short notice) to speak on education.
First from Wikipedia a quick definition:
Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.
Why would God make education or knowledge one of the few things we take with us when we die?
Our] religion … prompts [us] to search diligently after knowledge,” taught President Brigham Young (1801–77). “There is no other people in existence more eager to see, hear, learn and understand truth.”2 Our quest for truth should be as broad as our life’s activities and as deep as our circumstances permit.”
Education expands and sharpens our mind and spirit, while strengthening our soul. We can gain wisdom as we learn from the mistakes of the past. We were sent to earth to learn with a physical body. There are things that mortal existence teaches that can’t be learned without a body. God’s plan for us had to include a time of testing and learning where we could increase our knowledge through our own experience. God gave us scriptures and the Holy Ghost to help guide us past the pitfalls of life. As we work our way through mortality we need to pay attention and learn from our experience. We need to seek out the opportunities to learn and educate ourselves.
Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for “a man is saved no faster than he [gains] knowledge,”8 and that “whatever principle of intelligence we attain … in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.”9 During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. The Prophet Joseph taught, “Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.”10
Why is education so important temporally?
Education can help us gain work skills. My experience with education was wide and varied. I prepared myself to go to college in high school, I wanted to study architecture. In college I changed my major and studied engineering. As I prepared to enter the workforce I chose to work in the computer industry. I started as a programmer, then did tech support and now I design software. In high school, I really disliked English. I found it frustrating and very subjective. I really enjoyed math and science. Today, the skill I use the most is English and communication. I never would have envisioned that in school. You can never be sure of where life will take you or what skill is most valuable. A solid education will give you the skills you can draw on as you work to support your family. Attaining knowledge throughout your life will keep you sharp and flexible so you can better deal with life’s twists and turns. Education helps improve your income over time.
What has worked for our family
When Brenda and I were a young married couple, we decided how we wanted to raise our children. One of our primary goals was to educate and train our children so they would be able to leave our home and be independent and successful adults. My goal was to make sure my children were properly prepared as they entered school. Brenda was excellent at teaching reading and I took care of some of the math. We stressed the importance of education to our children. We paid attention to their scores in school and expected a lot. If we felt our child didn’t do their best on an assignment, we would encourage them to improve. We also accepted our responsibility for our children’s education. We made several good choices when our children were young. First, we disconnected the cable and don’t own satellite. This was a large sacrifice for me since I love watching football. Second, with limited TV we encouraged our children to read a lot. Third, when the prophet asked us to read the book of Mormon several years ago, we chose to read scriptures nightly for several years. I have found that reading the old testament is a really good way to help a child get beyond their fear of sounding out words. We value our children’s education and they know it. We support and volunteer at schools to improve the quality of education our children receive.
We also chose to support our children in music and sports. This ends up costing a lot of time and effort, but our children have good outlets for their energy and music really helps sharpen the mind. Sports helps strengthen the body and our children tend to learn skills like time management and perseverance. For our oldest, she was recruited to BYU and received scholarships for her athletics and scholarship. Having a child graduate from college makes it all seem worthwhile.
Today, we see large cuts in the local schools. Atascadero schools have had to deal with over 25% cut in funding in the last 3 years. I currently work on a school site council as chairperson. In my position we worked on how to keep our standards high in the face of all the budget cuts. This last year we started expanding the volunteerism at the school We asked for parents and community members to give some of their time to help improve the instruction of the students. I have been working for the last 3 years teaching 6th graders basic algebra so they can do better at math in Jr high and high school It is one of my joys in life to see a student’s eyes brighten as they get a new concept or learn something new. In the first year of the program, we had over 50 parents sign up to help improve instruction in the classroom.
From Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80
And I give unto you a commandment that you shall ateach one another the bdoctrine of the kingdom. UAdd a Note
78Teach ye diligently and my agrace shall attend you, that you may be binstructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; UAdd a Note
79Of things both in aheaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must bshortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the cnations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a dknowledge also of countries and of kingdoms— UAdd a Note
80That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to amagnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the bmission with which I have commissioned you. UAdd a Note
Finally, we have education in the church. Our young adults have one of the best gospel teaching of any youth in the world. After 10 years in primary and 4 years in seminary our children often know more about the nature of God than many adults. I know, my kids know way more than I knew at their age. Education can also help you make things happen. Greg learned so much in primary, seminary and our family home evenings he has been very successful on his mission and has no trouble teaching the gospel to the people in Rio.
“But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.” (D&C 93:38–40.)
From President Uctdorff:
In our learning, let us not neglect the fountain of revelation. The scriptures and the words of modern-day apostles and prophets are the sources of wisdom, divine knowledge, and personal revelation to help us find answers to all the challenges in life. Let us learn of Christ; let us seek out that knowledge which leads to peace, truth, and the sublime mysteries of eternity.
Brethren, you have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a sense, can become your “university”—a classroom that is always open and admits all who apply. Strive to increase your knowledge of all that is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”11 Seek knowledge “by study and also by faith.”12 Seek with a humble spirit and contrite heart.13 As you apply the spiritual dimension of faith to your study—even of temporal things—you can amplify your intellectual capacity, for “if your eye be single to [God’s] glory, your whole [body] shall be filled with light, … and [comprehend] all things
I appreciate the importance of education in our church. I am glad God has chosen to let us keep whatever knowledge and wisdom we gain in this life in the life to come. I appreciate his gifts and blessings and the Holy Ghost and his role to help inspire and guide through this life. I appreciate the education I received as a youth. Often, I felt some aspect or another was annoying or a waste of time, but I can honestly say the things I learned helped me in the life. I have been able to work hard and support my family. I know that without my education I would have had less opportunity to grow and increase my income. Education opens doors and gives you the chance to succeed. What you make of your life after that is your choice.
I know the gospel is true. I appreciate the savior and his love. I have felt his condescension touch my soul and I know that he lives and stands with me and my family. He gave me the gift that I can never repay. I know that I can repent and receive a remission of my sins through his atonement. I know that education can open minds and unlock futures. I know there is more truth in this church than any institution in the world today. We can learn more by listening to the prophets and reading the scriptures than any other source of knowledge in the world. I know we can become wise by following the commandments. I know that education changed my life and opened my doors to success. God loves each of you and wants you to reach your highest potential in this life. Education helps pave that road. You have a choice, go through life on that unpaved, broken down dirt road or seek out education and ride on that smooth paved road toward your future.
Education brings rich and inumerable blessings to our lives both in our mortal existence through our own growth and oppurtunity and in the world to come as we grow and extend into eternity. Education, knowledge and wisdom are the seedss that help us reach our eternal potential. God designed this plan to bless us and help us be as he is, that through our own experience we could learn and grow and attain eternal increase.
Written for a talk in church 9/19/2010.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Forward or Reverse? Which way should the country go?
President Obama recently compared the two parties with the transmission of a car. The Democrats stand for drive or forward and the Republicans are the party of Reverse.. My initial response is to ask you a few questions. First, where do you stand today? Do you want more economic destruction at the hands of the Democrats and Obama? Is your healthcare better, less expensive, easier to obtain? Have any of the President's policies or agenda actually strengthened our country? Do we currently have the respect of any nations in the world? Is our financial system sound? Is our economy heading in the right direction? Is our business climate good? What steps has the President taken to improve our economy? Can we afford one more worthless liberal scheme claiming to stimulate the economy? Could all of this be purposeful? Is the true change he seeks be the destruction of our way of life? President Obama has had full control of Congress and our economy for long enough. In the last 18 months the President and Congress have spent more money they don’t have than all the previous administrations through Ronald Reagan. They have wasted trillions of dollars with no increase in employment. Their programs are designed to keep us unemployed and on our knees (extended unemployment insurance, taking trillions out of the economy to fund expanded government, oppressive regulations on banking, moratoriums on drilling, taking over entire industries are all job killers). The entire country is facing bankruptcy, if we don’t change something. Today, reverse is a good direction. We need to move back to a free market, growing economy with less government burden and over regulation. We need fewer government union jobs, more private sector jobs. We need to stop the assault on our businesses in the name of bailout and security. No more government programs designed to “save us”. Today, we can throw the bums out, reverse course and regain the greatness that is our hard fought birthright. The only way to reclaim our country and move forward toward success is to remove those in power that have driven us off this cliff.
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