Recycling the 'un' recyclable

I am intrigued by creating. I enjoy finding new uses for things that were not made for that new use. One specific example of this is a bag I made from old plastic grocery bags. There were many plastic bags sitting around my house, so I figured I could use them to make a messenger bag to carry heavier things such as books and binders and such. I worked on it for days, taking hours at a time to weave and plan how this all would come together. I didn't have any sort of a pattern so everything I did came from guessing and supposing it would work. It turned out great and I got rid of many a plastic bag strewn about our house.

I prefer this type of recycling more so than just throwing it into the nearby can specified for plastics and cans. When I can create something tangible, something immediate, and something immediate; I receive more back. Its like the idea in education about immediate feedback: when a student can see the work he or she does right after it is accomplished, it is more effective.

I think this is the way we need to recycle. So many times we just dump our junk that is dubbed 'recyclable' to be shipped off who knows where, as responsible citizens of this world, we need to be conscious of the trash we are pumping out of our homes and act on it. We must conserve, reuse, and recycle; especially those things that are not accepted at the local 'recycling mart.'

In a lot of ways this correlates with education. As an educator, I need to know how to not only spit out information to students, but I must also know how to take information that is old and sometimes thought as useless and make it into something new: something even more workable than what it was before.

CSD: Celebrating service

During Goshen College's Celebrate Service Day I went to The Post downtown Goshen. The Post is an alternative 'hang out' spot for at risk teens. It has a gym, game room, weight room, etc for the kids to use.

I did not do any interacting with the teens because it was during the morning (come on now you should know this, its an education blog for Pete's sake) but I did a lot of needed cleaning in the building. This is the hardest type of service for me because there is little immediate satisfaction. You are doing something that, even though you know people will appreciate, there isn't the type of feedback that one needs to keep donating time. I'm talking about the kind of service that people recognize the work you've done and explicitly show immense thanks for that work. Things like cleaning and behind the scenes work often go unnoticed by those using the facilities.

But despite all these difficulties, I've learned that I need to find a way to make myself proud of what I've done. It is not easy to do, but when I serve people I pretend that I am the person I am helping. I pretend like it is me who is receiving this aid. This way I can think ahead - like what I need to do after I finish the task at hand, or what the workers (me) need. I am able to find a feeling of thankfulness for what I've accomplished. It is a sense of self worth and a good way to intrinsically motivate.