Tag Archives: teachable

Hey Mom, Are You and Dad Santa?

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Hey Mom, Are You and Dad Santa?

Hey Mom, Are You and Dad Santa?

A 2020 Update (original post from 11/7/2017 below)

My daughter and I were sitting together watching some Hallmark Christmas movies this past weekend. In the shows the subject of the authenticity of Santa Claus was brought up. My daughter is 13 now, but we’ve never actually had a conversation about if Santa Claus was real or not. Honestly, I expected her to ask the question a few years ago because that’s when she started doing the eye rolling and saying a long drawn out “Moooommm” when I’d say anything about Santa.

While we were sitting there I asked her, “Why haven’t you ever asked me about Santa? Your brother did.” She mentioned something along the lines that she knew he wasn’t real, but she like playing along. I assured her that a conversation wouldn’t change anything. Then I proceeded to tell her about my previous conversation several years ago with her brother. I remembered this post that I had written back then, and I pulled it up. Some of the similarities of then to now were pretty strange!

That conversation ALSO took place while watching Hallmark Christmas movies in early November. At that time I was in bed recovering from some vertigo. Similarly, this weekend I’ve unfortunately also been recovering—this time from COVID-19. Again, this conversation was not a very Hallmark or Pinterest worthy moment either!

I ended up reading her the post below, and we had a pretty good conversation about it. She reassured me that she didn’t feel betrayed, and she wasn’t upset (something I was apparently unduly concerned about before according to my original post). Thus, we still had a pretty good little teachable moment.

I thought you guys might like to revisit this post too! …If nothing more than for entertainment value! 😉

Hey Mom, Are You and Dad Santa? (Original Post from 11/7/2017)

Well, I had the Santa conversation this past weekend. Honestly I expected it some time ago, but somehow we’ve been able to avert it. This past week I’ve been recovering from a bout of vertigo. I decided to take the weekend to just completely rest and veg out because lying down seems to help significantly. Thankfully Hallmark has already started their Christmas movie bonanza so I had that to help with the boredom. You know how I’m a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies! 🙂

So there I was just lying there in and out of sleep, relishing my Christmas movies, when my son comes in and lays across my bed. Then the question came…

Hey Mom, are you and dad Santa?

I knew this question would come. 

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What if the Teaching Topic Isn’t Relevant to Me?

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What if the Teaching Topic Isn’t Relevant to Me?

What if the Teaching Topic Isn’t Relevant to Me?

The class I teach at the local community college is an introductory freshman class that is required for the majority of students their first year. More often than not, I get several students that are irritated that they have to take the class. I think for many of them they think what they are already doing is working, that the topic isn’t relevant to them anymore, and that there really isn’t any reason or benefit for the class. They are operating under a false belief that they can’t learn anything new or that they already know all that there is to know about the topics we cover in class.

It’s hard to work with people who aren’t teachable. However, if they’ll adjust their mindset a bit and stick with the class, they usually find that they will get something beneficial out of the class, even if they are already familiar with some of the material.

Some strategies I use with my classes when they believe the topic isn’t relevant to them

To preempt some of the negative attitudes in my classes I’ve added a statement to my syllabus:

You will be expected to participate in this class with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a realization that everyone has room for improvement. “Know-it-all” attitudes should be checked at the door.

Additionally, I try to share some strategies with them to combat the temptation to think that they aren’t going to learn anything new. First, I ask them to be open-minded, to never believe that they are above learning, and be willing to admit that they might have some room to learn more. Next, I will often share stories of other students who were also first agitated that they had to take this class but then were pleasantly surprised when they did actually gain some new and valuable information and strategies.

Then, I tell them to try to look at subject matter that they’ve already learned in a different light or from a different perspective. Finally, I tell them if they still think that they already know everything there is to know to approach the class as if they are learning how to teach this information to somebody else (i.e. a friend or family member).

Christians do the same thing

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