Washing Over My Soul

This is the time of year for joy and peace, but, for me, it is also a time of reflection. The world is full of moments of tragedy and triumph, both natural and man-made in origin. Each of these events resonates with us differently, and, I believe, each event shapes us to some degree. I cannot explain why the tsunami of December 26, 2004 impacted me so much at the time, and I could not imagine how it would change my life--land locked as I was in central Alberta--but it did! Because of the tsunami, I met Eric Rajah and A Better World, I realized that I needed to involve the very talented people I know in humanitarian endeavours, and, most importantly, I recognized the importance of creating opportunities for our students to see the real world! It was as though that wave had washed over my soul.

Lessons Learned

Ours was the second team from ADRA (the Adventist Development and Relief Agency) to reach Sri Lanka; a medical team had been in the area before us. Pictures can never fully capture the experience of being on-site, so, in spite of my reviewing many photos prior to the trip, I was not ready for what I saw upon arrival in Pottuvil. When we reached the coast, the extent of the devastation was readily apparent, and there had already been two months of cleanup. I ran on pure adrenaline for the first three days. My mood ran from complete despair through admiration to optimism. I learned a few valuable lessons on that trip:

• Nothing good can happen if you do not have good local people on the ground.


• Not everyone is good.


• Follow the money.


• Leave your preconceived solutions at the airport.


• Listen.


• Make a difference one person at a time.


• The road to hell is paved with good intentions!

There is no question that I saw many examples of greed, corruption and profiteering, but I also saw many examples of giving, caring and personal sacrifice. The trick to helping is to always work with people exhibiting characteristics of the latter group.

One From the Latter Group

On one occasion, two of us were busily building doors to stop the monkeys from stealing the offerings at local shrine when a man brought us a melon. He spoke almost no English, and we couldn’t even identify the language that he was speaking, but I’m sure he was basically saying, “Take a break you crazy white guys. Don’t you know it is the hottest part of the day? We don’t need two dehydrated old men passing out on us; we have enough to deal with right now!” Sagara helped us for the rest of the day.

At the end of the day we learned that Sagara had aquired a simple machine and was attempting to make cinder blocks, one at a time, to support his family and to help rebuild his community. Sagara was a laborer who had lost everything but his family—a family that grew by one on the day of the tsunami as his wife gave birth amidst the chaos. Now, they were all living in a tent in his mother-in-law’s yard. My mind started whirring, plotting, and planning. After doing a quick needs-assessment, asking many questions of many local people, and, most importantly, listening carefully to their answers, our group discussed the idea of supporting Sagara so he could increase cinder block production.

Sagara had asked for nothing. He had given freely of himself. He was not aware of our plan when he arrived for a meeting at his neighbours house. We simply started asking questions of Sagara with the help of a translator, and, after four hours of talking, had a plan that would see him triple his production, employing 12 local labourers. As a bonus, Sagara would be now be producing “Super Blocks” because I passed on what I had learned from Sandy R. in Mech 269 when I was a student at Old College. (It still amazes me how misunderstood concrete is, but that is the topic for a duller blog.)

I went back to Sri Lanka some months later to see if what we had started had gone anywhere and to start more projects if the people we chose during our first trip proved to be the right people with whom to work. The change in the area was amazing. The results of international aid were evident everywhere--some positive and some negative. Buildings were going up all over, damage had been cleaned up, and many people were far better off than before the tsunami. Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky.

Of Locals and Labour
The best example of aid damaging the local economy involved the rice farmers. Most of the rice crop had been harvested before the disaster struck, but huge amounts of rice flooded into the country from abroad. The media carried footage of people without enough to eat so well-intentioned but misguided foreign agencies did what seemed right—they sent food. But the effect of that food hitting the market was that the price of rice was cut in half while the price of labour doubled. Aid agencies paid more double the going rate for labor, so those who would normally work for a local rice farmer were intisted into taking jabs in construction, and the rice crop for the following year was reduced drastically. Some local farmers lost their farms. In time, the markets sorted themselves out, but in the short run many suffered not from the wave but from the good intentions of other countries. The moral of the story is: if something is needed, buy it locally if you can!

Did we back the right horses? Mostly, yes. We had wells drilled that were producing clean water for residents of newly constructed communities—a very important project and a huge success! Some of the political relationships we had to cultivate produced less bang for the buck, so we minimized our exposure on those fronts. But overall our involvement was a success.

Changing Lives

For me, the greatest success was Sagara. When I returned, he was producing blocks—and lots of them! He was filling orders of 80,000 blocks, 3 blocks at a time. Still, the success was not in those numbers but in Sagara himself. Upon my return, Sagara was still living in a tent and a grass shack. When I asked him why, as a mason and block maker, he had not built himself a house like all his neighbours had, he replied, “I will build my house, but right now my country needs me to make blocks.” He was providing employment for his countrymen, producing a much-needed local product with local technology, and supporting his community by donating bricks for school projects. His loan repayment funded six small agricultural projects which helped some very poor families to get back on their feet.

When I left, Sagara said to me, “Before the tsunami, I had a black heart, but, because of all the help after, I am now a good person. I don’t have a black heart any more.”

For Sagara and I, this wave washed away the silt that clouded our souls, letting both of us see more clearly what is truly important.

Music Lessons in CAD

I have been very nice so far on this blog, and those that know me will wonder what valium derivative I take before writing. Perhaps it is time for some of my niceness to disappear…




Class dynamics have always intrigued me, and over the years, I have honed the skill of identifying early what might go wrong and who might influence it. I am frustrated when I get a group of students who collectively don’t want to take advantage of the opportunities to learn that are given to them here at Olds College. Instructors can try to encourage learning but will have, at best, only moderate success unless students engage the topic, actively think, and attempt to apply the content to real life. I have found one type of student with whom I always have to work hardest to redirect their thinking: “the Producer.”

The Producer is that student who comes to class and just wants to know the steps to get the assignments done. These students would do well working on an assembly line but not working as a land agent or any other career that involves lots of problem solving. The Producer is not bothersome in class but needs very detailed instructions and cannot handle unscripted events. The Producer somehow believes that if they get all the assignments done in the course they deserve to pass regardless of how long it takes them or how much help they needed to complete the task. These are the students whose eyes glaze over when I rant about assignments as learning activities, not production activities.



I give my music lesson example: When you took music lessons, who wanted to hear you practice your scales? Maybe your mother? Practicing your scales is important if you want to sound good at the recital. I tell students to think of assignments as their scales and exam as their recital. No one would ever dream for playing a piece of music once and then performing it for an adjudicator. The drawings I assign are learning activities. I don’t care what you produce during the practice part of this course; I care what you learn, and I know what you learned when I mark your exam!

The Producer would never consider doing a drawing assignment over.
“So how did you do on the assignment?” I ask.
“I got it done, but it took forever!” she replied.
“Really, why don’t you draw it again?” I suggest.
“What for, I got it done?” she answers indignantly.
“But did you learn anything? If it took you an hour and a half to draw it the first time, it should take you 20 minutes the second time, seven minutes the third. And I can do it in three minutes if I keep my mouth shut while I draw it!” I rant.

Learning CAD has a large tactile component and tactile learning requires repetition. Repeating the same drawing reinforces the tactile learning faster than doing three different drawings utilizing the same tools, but does not promote problem-solving skills. There is a balance that has to be attained between promoting problem solving skills and reinforcing tactile learning.

So remember students, you are here to learn, not to produce. You will get plenty of opportunity to produce when you are on the job. When you do produce something at college, it is to assist the learning process. When you say “I hate homework,” you are really saying “I hate learning.” No project or assignment should ever be given that does not directly support the learning objectives of that course.

I know that if I can break the “just do the work” mentality I have the opportunity to redirect a student so they can get more from the college experience. I encourage students to race each other the second time they do a drawing or add a funny object the second time around. I reinforce that if they make a mistake in practice, that’s OK as long as they know why and can fix it. All problems can be fixed in CAD! Well all drawing problems at least…

How to Create the Common Cold

If you want to study the common cold, you have to be able to produce it. Here is a sure-fire recipe:
First, collect seemingly empty incubation units, preferably from all over the country. Bring those incubation units together and pack them into confined boxes. For best results, continually mix incubation units between boxes. Often this in itself is enough to produce excellent results in about two weeks. To speed the process or to create new strains, however, try these helpful hints:

• ensure that incubation units run for a minimum of 18 hours each day.
  
• combine all incubation units into one large box and agitate.
  
• add loud music, causing the units to vibrate and collide with each other. If you want spectacular results, also add a little alcohol to the mix.
  

Wait 7-10 days, and voila! Your incubation units will produce copious quantities of the common cold for you.
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We are starting the third week of classes, and the sickness level rises exponentially at this point in the year. I, too, have fallen victim this year--something I often avoid. Olds College has it better than some institutions, partly because we don’t have classes of 500 and partly because students often are with the same group of people all day. After many years behind the teachers desk, I have become reasonably good at differentiating between stomach flu and the 24 oz flu (sorry, I mean the 500ml flu), between eyes red from allergies and those red from sleep deprivation.

College is more than learning how to learn. For many of our students, this is their first time away from home. Some of our students become of age during their first year here. So while I am trying to get them to be thrilled and excited about CAD or GPS or soils and such, I know I am in competition with topics like dating, exploring entertainment opportunities, or, as I viewed on YouTube, Olds College hallway tray surfing! I make it my personal goal to be more entertaining than hallway tray surfing, but I know I will never be able to compete with dating.

I walk the thin line of ensuring that students realize the connection between action and consequence while still providing a positive learning environment. I will get nowhere if I take a dictatorial approach, but I am not doing them any favors if I do not set high expectations for them to meet. Instead of saying, “Don’t come to my class hung over!” I prefer, “You don’t look so good; you feeling ok? There is no puking on my keyboards you know! Puking on my keyboards is bad for your mark. How is that balance between personal life and professional life going for you?”

I need to create a learning environment in the face of colds, distraction, hallway tray surfing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythe2cCtiMc ) and life. So far I think I am doing OK.

How I Spent My Summer Holidays

Last May, I travelled to Bolivia to help out at a couple of orphanages. While I was there, I fell in love. I really didn’t mean to, but the country stole my heart. Though I have been in the backwaters of every continent except Antartica, Bolivia grabbed my attention like no other place I've ever been. It is a beautiful country with the promise of a bright future. There is potential in Bolivia: land, water, and sunshine. Throw in a little knowledge, some hard work, and a bit of political stability, and you have the ingredients for success.

Bolivia is "homesteading" land like Canada did at the turn of the century. People are moving from the mountains to farm in the jungle. These new rural communities have great need, and great promise.

I volunteer as a "technical consultant" for a humanitarian group from Red Deer called A Better World. My title there is really just a fancy term for someone who is to be both creative and cheap. A Better World is assisting these rural Bolivian communities with three initiatives: financially supporting rural health assessments and treatment, promoting practical hands-on agricultural training, and helping to develop agricultural infrasturcture. Already, this years' health fund has been exhausted, and we are looking at increasing the funding for it next year. Two agricultural infrastructure projects are just being completed, and, by April 2009, we would like to have the first phase of the agricultural school complete.

This August I went back to Bolivia to see about setting up a tour for students and community members. It was good to see friends I met last year and to meet new people as well. It was good to see the progress on projects started earlier this year and to talk about starting construction of the new agricultural school. Being a teacher, this project really excites me! This school would be much like the apprenticeship system we have here in Canada.

I packed a lot into 12 days on the ground in Bolivia. I swam in the headwaters of the Amazon, I chewed coca leaves, I ate cuy (look it up), I walked deserted city streets during a general strike, I bought my first coffin (not a good thing; more on that in a later entry), and I cut down a banana tree in the jungle. All of these experiences shape and mold how I look at my role at Olds College, and, if nothing else, it gives me very unique examples for class: "How many people have used a GPS to tag the nearest all-night coffin store, or the top of the mountain pass to Cochibamba? Anyone? Anyone?"

My job with A Better World is to solve problems. The problem I pondered as we were working at those orphanages last May was "why are these kids here?" Supporting orphanages, though a necessary work, is really treating the symptom without addressing the underlying disease. In this case, the problem is poverty. Address that, and the need for orphanages is decreased. By providing care for immediate needs but also formulating a plan that will empower citizen--both through agriculture and education--A Better World is helping Bolivians today and into the future, and I hope to be part of it for many years to come.

For more information, check out:
www.a-better-world.ca

Or Marg and Jakes Hooglands blog on Bolivia at:
Blog page: www.hooglandsinbolivia.blogspot.com
Pictures:www.mjhoogland.myphotoalbum.com

The First Day of School!

I have had 32 "first day of school" events in my life, 20 as a student, and 12 at the front of the class. Last night was no different than any of the other 31: nervous, butterflies, and a little "what am doing!" mixed together. You might think this goes away with time, but not in my case. I confessed my feeling to a colleague a few years back. He has been teaching since the days of slate and I have the utmost of repect for him. He said to me "The day you aren't a little nervous, is the day to quit," so I don't feel so bad now.

I was in at 7:30 to get everything fired up in the brand new lab I am teaching in. Lots of great new tech stuff with unbelievable potential, if only we can find the time to learn to use it! Today the goal is just to get through the class without any smoke, fires, or complete computer failures.

The new students slowly file in; for many of them, this is the first time they have been in a college class, and I have to remind myself that they are more nervous than I am. I know from exerience that once I "hit the stage" I will be fine, but that 10 minutes before class is the worst time for me. 8 o'clock--curtain goes up, lights go down, and it is show time folks! The first ten minutes are a blur. Read the audience: who is bored? who is confused? who will be the group leaders? and most importantly, who will laugh at my bad jokes? My goals are simple: keep them awake, get everyone to engage at least once, and make sure that everyone smiles! This is a great group of students--eager, attentive and mostly interested.

My job is 3 part salesman and 1 part entertainer. I believe that I cannot teach anyone anything, but I can convince them that they will want to learn it. The sales job is getting easier every year. When I started this, half my students had never turned on a computer; this year I did not have one student who did not like computers.

Every year at Olds College I see about 300 new students personally, and this year will be no exception. The thing is that in 2 years, these students will graduate while I will continue to have a "first day of school" experience annually until they haul me out from behind my computer on a stretcher, or I don't feel nervous on the first day.