His Story Aug. 28

Writing Portfolio

We are working on 5 paragraph essays in response to the question, "Should American high schools have student uniforms?"

Students brainstormed ideas for both sides of the issue. Students are welcome to support either side of the issue or to find a reasoned, but definite, middle ground position. (e.g., "Dress codes allow high schools to gain many of the benefits of uniforms while also providing students the free speech they desire." or "Uniforms are ideal for high schools but impractical because...") Students then outlined and began drafting the essay. We will continue drafting on Tuesday in class.

Students should use the third person voice appropriate for academic purposes. However, because students have first-hand experience with school uniforms, they could use personal experience as evidence to support their positions. Thus, for this specific purpose, the first person voice would be appropriate. (e.g., "In my experiences as a student attending a private high school with uniforms, I have observed...")

Students should avoid a biased, one-sided approach to this essay. You can take a firm position on the question while considering arguments from both sides. (e.g., "Although opponents of uniforms argue that uniforms inhibit individuality of students, uniforms can actually refocus students' attention on genuine, non-superficial individuality.")

Core

Bellwrite: To what extent do you agree with this statement: "God controls history."?

We discussed how a Providential view of history can be reconciled to the truth of man's agency. Man truly is a free agent subject to the consequences of free choices and to the consequences of other people's choices. God seems to work with our agency to guide history so that His purposes are accomplished.  I am reminded of the following story:

      Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted an old friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.

      Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE".

     When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

      Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

      At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part.

      Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

     The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Perhaps His-Story is also Our-Story.

In Class B, some students share some very emotional thoughts related to God's purposes for death in our lives. We appreciate their willingness to trust us with their hearts. We took some time to review the basic outlines of the Plan of Salvation so that those in the class unfamiliar with these concepts can understand our discussions this year.

In Class A, we spent some time familiarizing ourselves with some world current events. We learned a little about Ebola and the Ukrainian/Russian conflict.

Homework:

Watch or listen to the news (world news) on the radio, television, or Internet. Use this opportunity to become familiar with the significant events occurring in our world today.

This should not be a one-time activity, but an ongoing habit. If you want to listen to news radio, you might try FM 90.1, 105.7, or 89.1. Whatever news sources you use, the important thing is to use a variety of sources. Each news source will have a particular take on news, so using several sources will help you get a better rounded understanding of the issues.