Winter Survival Guide – 2

2 thoughts on “Winter Survival Guide – 2”

1. Nathaniel

   December 20, 2013 at 10:27 pm

   Jesus told a parable about a farmer. The farmer employed a method of planting which is called broadcasting. Instead of planting seeds in nice little rows in composted and prepared soil, the farmer flings them out as he proceeds through the plot, letting them land wherever they may.

   In the parable, we learn that some of the farmer’s seeds landed on compacted, resistant soil that would not even allow the seed to sprout, much less take root. These seeds became bird seed.

   Some of the seeds landed on soil that was thinly spread over rock. They sprouted and popped as he had hoped, but the soil was not deep enough to support a root system and so the young plant dried up.

   Some of the seeds landed in soil that was deep enough to allow them to sprout, take root and start to grow. But this soil was also conducive to weeds, i.e, to other plants that competed with and crowded out the young, recently sown plants. These spindly plants fared better than the seeds cast into the previously mentioned soils, but they were still unproductive.

   However, there were several grades of soil in which the seeds were able to attain various levels of productivity. Some soil allowed plants to experience a thirty-fold increase beyond the original seed. Some allowed for a sixty-fold increase. Some fostered a hundredfold increase.

   Jesus applied this parable to the response to his message. But I think that it is also a helpful way to think about what effect we can have on our colleagues. Some will resist for whatever reasons. Some will try it until it gets too tough, at least for their level of training (sounds like me at times). Some will make a go at it but get distracted and overwhelmed by all of the stuff (been there, too). But others will experience various levels of success and fruitfulness.

   My personality is not like yours, Ben. I have tried to avoid the fights. I already had enough bruises before I first tried TPRS. So I did not share with anyone. I even backed off for five years. Then I saw Blaine up near Boston. A friend and I jumped in. He tried to push it a little to hard and the machine fought back, especially a former FL teacher turned principal. So we laid low for a while, but in all of the new evaluation and accreditation requirements we kept hearing “TPRS.” Then I joined this PLC which has given me a lot of confidence, support, and information. As a result, this year I have tried to speak out more. I shared the Chris Stolz article. Then my friend started back with stories (but he does not talk about what he is doing). I have quoted Berty Segal a few times (Language is acoustical–not intellectual). I have referred to the ACTFL expectation of 90%. Hopefully, I will continue to cast out little nuggets little nuggets like these and something will take root.

   I am certainly not claiming that I have know what I am doing with this. In fact, I made my first foray into TPRS about the same time as you Ben. But I have been looking to you for guidance for the last few years because you have been working at it so steadily. Thanks.

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   1. Ben Slavic

      December 20, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Great post Nathaniel and thank you. And Chris has a new article but I can’t publish it here yet because it is being considered for publication in Canada. Chris will tell me when I can share the link here.

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