so, as the outreach coordinator for the middle east studies center at OSU, from time to time my duties call for me to conduct outreach to p-12 groups and talk to them about the middle east. alright. fine. one little problem though: i am terrified of children. this has little to do with the children and everything to do with me having an irrational fear. irrational though it may well be, i sure do feel it. this has been the case since i was little. i remember being scared in my 2nd grade classroom. too many kids. whenever i could, i'd go to where the adults were to get away from the other children. yikes.
this fear wasn't helped by the stone throwers/children in morocco either. (see here and here. i did a cursory search of my archives). disclaimer: i met several nice children in Morocco. it is my understanding, however, that "several" is a nebulous term meaning between 5-9. that's probably about right. that has little to do with morocco and everything to do with the high esteem i have for children....
and i don't know what it is, but i consider it a particularly cruel twist of fate that children love me. if i were scared of them and they were scared of me, that deal would work out well for everyone. but like dogs, i believe children can smell fear and are attracted by it. this is compounded by the amount of kids in a group. 1-3 children can behave themselves, and i've learned to control my fear around them... but put 4+ children together and you'll quickly find out how thin the veneer of civilization really is.
simply put: teaching a group of 9-12 year old children about diversity in the middle east is basically my nightmare.
let it be said though, that these children were engaged, attentive, polite for the most part, and appreciative for the talk.
still, i think you can see the fear in my eyes.
this fear wasn't helped by the stone throwers/children in morocco either. (see here and here. i did a cursory search of my archives). disclaimer: i met several nice children in Morocco. it is my understanding, however, that "several" is a nebulous term meaning between 5-9. that's probably about right. that has little to do with morocco and everything to do with the high esteem i have for children....
and i don't know what it is, but i consider it a particularly cruel twist of fate that children love me. if i were scared of them and they were scared of me, that deal would work out well for everyone. but like dogs, i believe children can smell fear and are attracted by it. this is compounded by the amount of kids in a group. 1-3 children can behave themselves, and i've learned to control my fear around them... but put 4+ children together and you'll quickly find out how thin the veneer of civilization really is.
simply put: teaching a group of 9-12 year old children about diversity in the middle east is basically my nightmare.
let it be said though, that these children were engaged, attentive, polite for the most part, and appreciative for the talk.
still, i think you can see the fear in my eyes.
19 comments:
BEAUTIFUL!!!! This may be my favorite one yet.
I sure do love you and your multi-faceted abilities. You are incredible.
Ok. so here are my questions to you both (and yes, I am going to copy and paste)
What are you five favorite things??
In case you are interested, mine would be.... in no particular order....
1. corn on the cob
2. thunderstorms
3. being around a body of water
4. fireworks
5. dancing (and the friends I have made there)
ok, let me know.....
oh, good call mom. friday 5 is coming up.
I would like to play a game. What captions should we put on these two pictures? Or perhaps what would we put in a voice-bubble coming out of your mouth or a thought-bubble coming out of one of the kids?
Cory, I think kids like you because they see a lot of themselves in you. Kids like other kids. You are never to old to be a kid. It sure makes life fun. Keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!
i see the fear.
brewing in your eyes.
zapping out of your fingers like the web that comes out of supermans fingers when he is trying to capture his enemies.
i see the fear.
so, i'm manning indoor recess duty right now which means there are 28 5-6 yr olds doing various activities around the room, all with a noise level of "we-need-to-be-outside!!!!!!" every other minute, a kid comes up to me to tell me of some new ailment, to tattle, say they love me, or do a little dance as they ask to go to the potty.
during one of these visits, your blog pics were spied and questioned. i explained that they were pictures of my friend who was teaching kids about the middle east, "like where israel is". he said, "oh, that's great! when are you gonna teach us that?!" if you're needing to conduct outreach a little farther from home, my class is open.
(though i imagine this might stretch the realms of nightmare for you) =)
Kevin: thought bubbles:
top picture. girl above my left arm: "what did he mean when he said 'donkeys are delicious, but not usually considered edible'?"
bottom picture. boy in the lower right: "cory's [unpictured] assistant sure is cute"
Dad: but even when i was a kid i couldn't relate to kids...
J&J: my hands are up, not to shoot fear, but rather in case a child should jump at me. i was constantly making "demonstrative motions" in hopes that i would be ready to fend off a sneak attack. children are completely unpredictable.
Lissie: No. thanks.
Fear?? What fear?? Thanks for stoping by my blog.
cory and the black belt in crazy tee are back!
yay and thank you
;)
May I submit this photo caption:
Yeah, me too.
How fortunate that those little kids have access to a "mentor" namned "Cory"....I am sure that they love having you...keep up the great work...gp
haha i love j&j's picture. brilliant.
Even when Anna's that age she won't hurt you, I promise. She may, however, try to look at your teeth or your belly button. ;)
What will your degree be in at Ohio State?
What do you most want to accomplish in life?
What class(es) will you be taking in Morocco this summer?
I don't see fear in your eyes at all. I see passion, excitement, love, and wonder in sharing your message with God's children! Good job!! God is definitely working through you!
Marvelous
I take it you don't babysit.
J/J - HA!
Maybe he's making scary hand motions to make them afraid.
HAHAHA THIS CRACKS ME UP! Do you remember the concert we did for all those kids at Purdue? I am pretty sure that Corey Driver was about to have a heart attack when we walked out to all those screaming kids. They were all out to get you!!
Hope all is well
JT
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