Sample This I Believe Essays and Videos

I Believe In...

1.  Astronaut Dan Tani:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Y45hvLp8EHigh
2.  School Senior Young Woman:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JUhH-Pp43w
3.  High School Sophomore Young Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dt12AriFKM
4.  An Adult Health Care Worker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJpZnUjtorI
5.  High School Student Reflecting on a Middle School Halloween:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFkFncqovL0&feature=related
6.  Excerpts:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB6ojPUIYpk
7.  High School Young Man:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k7lv7Z3stI
8.  High School Young Woman:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2jgY8c85E

Music/Art Videos

Music/Art Video:  http://vimeo.com/40055232  

This video is better than a picture of the ocean.  A picture is a frozen moment in time.  The ocean is so alive, living and breathing and always moving so that she can move the ones who love her.  She literally moves the surfers, swimmers, and boaters.  And she emotionally moves the ones who are content to sit still on the shore.
(An aside:  Yep, I just referred to the ocean as a person.  That's called personification, btw.  And, no, you aren't allowed to use text language in your writing.  And that's called hypocritical when I do what I ask you not to do.  lol)   

I appreciate the time it took the videographer to create the mood so that I feel like I'm at the ocean--and in some parts, in the ocean. I wasn't crazy about the rocks in the ocean; I prefer the east coast.  And the video of the town, cars, and railroad tracks were depressing.  I wanted all the shots to be focused on the water.  But maybe seeing the less desirable things of this world makes the ocean that much more precious.

(I just discovered Josh Garrel on iTunes tonight. He's more obscure than the mainstream artists, but I tend to like obscurities.  The lyrics are weird. His voice blends in with the music and I didn't clearly hear everything, but here are the words I heard: "when the night comes and you don't know which way to go...through the shadows, you will find a road...like an owl, you will use your eyes... you were born for this...live a serpent and a dove, you will have wisdom and love...waiting for the light...take the flame tonight...cause the time, child, has time for you to go....you will never be alone...as you're sailing across the great divide...every story will be written soon...)

 

 

More to come...I plan to write about another groovy singer, JJ Heller.  I like this homemade video of hers:  http://www.jjheller.com/  ("The Boat Song")

 



Who I Am Essay

"We are shaped and fashioned by what [and whom] we love."  Goethe



        This initial writing about who I am reminds me of those dreaded introductions at social functions.   As an introvert, those gatherings exhaust me.   I'm more of a people watcher at those things than a participant.  I'd rather be with a few of my closest friends in a cozy spot instead of meeting people I don't "do life" with.  

       Maybe I don't like those initial introductions because I can't easily fill in blanks of the scripted conversations.  It goes something like this...

        "I'm (fill in female's name), wife of (fill in male's name) , mother of (children's name) and I'm a (fill in job title) at (fill in place of work).  And you are?" 
  

        And if I'm to follow that script, I would respond, "I'm Leslie Lucas, a forty-eight year old teacher at Hoggard High School." 

        Notice there's a couple of those blanks that I skipped.  Those blanks just haven't been filled in for me...yet. 

         I could add that I have a cat named Lucy (in honor of that girl who adores Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia) but that just perpetuates the old maid cat loving school teacher stereotype.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!

         That one comment about Lucy would be all it would take for them to hear about how much I love The Chronicles of Narnia and how I'd love to live in that book.  I would be polite and listen to their choice of book to live in, but I have a feeling that they would have moved on by that point.  I can't hide my weirdness for even five minutes.  So, you can see why I'm not a hit at large social gatherings. 

        Yep, I'd choose being in the woods with Aslan any day.

Amie and Mallory

      Usually, people hear the names Amie and Mallory in our initial conversations.  They are my nieces and the reasons I live moved to Wilmington nineteen years ago.    I've written in my welcome letter to parents and students that I aim to teach and to treat my students the way that I wanted my nieces taught and treated.  They know that I am for them...no matter what.  And they know I love them.  

      They have such a different sense of humor.  Even as children, they shared my sense of humor.  Scary.  



An older Amie and Mallory

        Ahhh...the beach.  

        My ideal summer weekday is to wake early on a sunny day, drive to the parking lot right before Shell Island and be the first one onthe beach.  I've stayed many days from 8:00 a.m. until 7:OO p.m.   I love having no plans except sitting on the beach, looking for shells, reading, and napping. 



More about Mrs. Maudie Finch later...