Thinking Back

This morning I was struck by an article about the challenges of being a teacher. Immediately I flashed back to a teacher I had who was determined that I would learn to read. Not just read words, but READ and comprehend what I read.

How can anyone teach someone to comprehend? Go ahead, pause and develop a lesson plan that teaches comprehension. So, does your plan teach or simply explain? Is explaining what a word means the same as teaching comprehension?

What I learned as a young child that has stuck with me forever is a simple fact that if I cannot read and comprehend what I read, then I will be extremely challenged in all other subjects. The school system uses reading to teach all subjects. Yeah...we have to be able to read and comprehend what we read in order to learn all subjects based on the method of delivery the public school system uses.

There are those who resort to pictures to learn by. They must read the picture in order to comprehend what it is "saying". Have you ever purchased one of those put-it-together-yourself in-five-easy-steps projects? Yeah....and do you go to the diagram because the first step says:

1. Holding part C in your left hand, insert the yellow cord in the slot provided and wrap it loosely about the end that is touching part A in your right hand. This is fun!

We all know that to comprehend what we read is to fully grasp all there is in relationship with the meaning of the word. Knowing what words mean is extremely helpful. So, we have to develop a thorough vocabulary. In developing a vocabulary, we can comprehend the meaning of a word if we increase our vocabulary so we can comprehend each word in the meaning and the meanings of all the words that describe it. This is exhausting! Can we really teach a child to comprehend? I read some place that the reason reading is so challenging is that the public schools do not drill vocabulary building as it was done ages ago when I was going to school. The reading is simply 'reading words' and the child, in time will self-develop and gain greater insight of the words read when able to visualize what is read. This I like but I do not agree with the concept.

We humans store knowledge visually. So, why not go to the picture first? Eliminates the need for learning the meaning of so many words! How silly this is. Mrs. Wellman alerted my teachers that I didn't understand what I read. Little did I know this was going on. But I soon realized that at any moment, anyone in the school would be asking me questions about stuff that was meaningless. It didn't take too long before everything had meaning. I was beginning to see things that weren't there. I now know that I was developing my brain to visualize the full concept of various things. Someone could mention something as simple as 'roller skates' and a picture of skates comes up. I now know that I see the skates in detail just by hearing the word. So, how do we teach reading comprehension?

The Webster dictionary states that synonyms for the word 'comprehend' include the following:

appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, and pick up on.

When a child, or anyone, is able to mentally process a word using the above traits, the child can fully comprehend what is read. Oddly, those are the synonyms, the words that have the same basic foundation as 'comprehend'. The same dictionary states that the antonyms for comprehend, the words that have the opposite meaning are: hang on now.... don't laugh.... the antonym for comprehend is: miss..... yes... you either comprehend (do all the above) or you miss. Now, can we teach a child to comprehend? Yes we can. Mrs. Wellman and the entire staff of the school taught reading comprehension, not just reading.. I have been blessed. I would have been labeled learning disabled in today's school system. That stuff was frowned upon when I was a child.

ADHD (Attention Deficiet Hyperactivity Disorder) started out as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). In my opinion, ADD became the label that permitted the 'system' to not spend time teaching. I was ADD. As less time was spent teaching, a broader brush was needed to encompass more students who weren't learning. So in comes the ADHD. It started with a child that just stared at the wall because he/she "missed" understanding a word, thus the written statement had no meaning, or the child was attempting to 'make a picture' of it, thus staring into space; and soon began acting out, so now is 'hyper' and now we medicate. Once we label a child, we ultimately re-enforce that label by behaving toward the child as though it is real.

I didn't plan on getting on this tract, because it is very involved and includes but is not limited to parental authority, diet, etc..... I, me, who could not read, still am challenged and must make the dialog a visual image. I managed to obtain a Master's in Education and my thesis was on "The Antiquated American Education System and ADHD"; who would have figured? That one curled some eyebrows at the time. No, I don't have all the answers, I just know that I would have been one of the medicated students that started the day with a bowl of cereal and sugar, then near mid-day a sweet treat, then come home to more empty calories. I thank Mrs. Wellman for teaching me and all those that came in my path from that day forward.

Yes, teaching is a most difficult job. Teachers nowadays, as far as I can see, are not permitted to teach the average student. A few selected students get into the specialized courses, but they get there because they can comprehend. The average student does not have that opportunity any more. The public school system has not changed in hundreds of years. We still write on the wall of the cave and regurgitate what we have written which we got from someone else. The student sits and stares at the writings on the wall and is expected to comprehend, automatically.

Heavenly Father, giver of Life, the Great Physician, Teacher of All, thank You for the time You have granted me to walk Your earth. Thank You for placing people in my life who care for You and others as You have taught. Father, I am so grateful that You were permitted in the class room when I was a young child. Please be with all the teachers and education authorities as they strive to 'teach' the child that has difficulty learning. Please be with the children and help them to comprehend the big picture. Help them to see the unseen. Thank You Abba for Your kindness and love. In Y'shua's name I praise You.

Shalom and shalom, 

Pinchas, 

a/k/a Frankly Speaking All The Time

Just When I Thought I was Becoming Torah Compliant

Our new friend Chaim listening to Steve Rees on Harp

For a while I actually thought and felt that I was doing a pretty fair job of reading the Word and acting on it. It has been a challenge for me for several years but as each day goes by I feel closer and closer to my Maker. Then I spent the month of October in The Land! Oh I could go on forever about the greatness and majesty of it all. But there is such an awesomeness not seen with human eyes about my last adventure. I am not going to take you along the "Chamber of Commerce Tour". I only want to release the pressure that has built up within me as I witnessed so many people that walk Torah without comment. People that just naturally and without hesitation epitomize Torah and all that it is meant to be.

There was the "thirty something" lady who was eating at a sidewalk cafe when a merchant attempted to bring his merchandise across the busy street on a hand truck. He lost control and the merchandise fell to the street. Ms 30something didn't bat an eye - as I sat stunned, she quietly got up from her meal, went over and started lifting boxes of goods back on the hand truck with the traffic never attempting to slow; then she came back to continue her meal. My Father was showing me Torah in action. As we continued to eat, (she was at a nearby table), a disheveled man came by, looked in the trash can, apparently for food, and this same lady packaged part of her lunch in a bag, quietly stood up, approached the man and offered it to him. Again, without fanfare or verbal exchanges. This is Torah. I must tell you; this lady was part of our 'group'...she is from Iowa and very much at ease in The Land.

Then there was the Orthodox Jew who met a member of our group earlier and befriended him. This man, the 'Jew" knew that we would be traveling in the north, the Golan and other areas. This same day the Chief Rabbi passed away and this 'Jew' called our friend to inform him that the roads back to our apartment would be closed for hours due to the million or some people converging before the funeral was completed. He invited us to his home to spend time and eat while waiting for the roads to open so we could return. He accepted a dozen people, unknown and not Jewish, to come and dine with him. Reminded me of the hospitality of Abraham. We sat, ate, talked, explored and learned so much from this one man. His daughter was present and obviously happy...genuine smile and forever ensuring our comfort. We met his wife as we arrived and she welcomed us as though she had known us for years...then off to work she went. That visit was more than three hours...and very difficult to leave. But it was midnight, and we had to get up "in a few hours" to do it all over again.

We met so many people with so much to offer...and they all had their hands out; not to take from us but to give to us! They each expressed a desire to learn about the people who strive to be Torah compliant while accepting Y'shua haMashiach as our Savior and our way back to Torah and YHVH .

We were invited to Shiloh where Joshua built the first permanent tabernacle that stood for 369 years. This was long before Jerusalem and the remnants of the Tabernacle remain to this day and in my mind are magnificent. There we met, among many people, the man who heads a rehabilitation center for children who are victims of terror. He started this endeavor several years ago, after becoming a survivor of an ambush attack, along with his three year old son. The son was shot in the neck at the base of the brain, one millimeter from the brain stem. He is now a healthy, happy pre-teen and is determined to overcome and move on to brighter days. They say it is the Torah thing to do!

Yes, the list goes on. The blessings were and are truly amazing. Word got out that our congregation did a weekly feeding of the homeless in our town. Next, we were invited to take part in feeding the elderly immigrants. Of course we agreed. So, we asked; where and when? The reply: you can come up here, to the heartland of Israel and purchase the food in a local grocery and you will be able to use the kitchen of our facility to prepare it and we will be forever grateful. So, my loving wife said, "I love to cook!" That was all it took. Everyone in our group participated. Keep in mind, we were not your usual tour group - most were members of our congregation; then there were a few we met along the way. All joined in and all seemed to enjoy demonstrating a Torah frame of mind. Our unofficial tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and flexible. For that, we are all grateful!

The experiences can go on and on. I think you get the point of the message. Just when I thought I was doing a fair job of being Torah compliant, I met Torah face to face. Let me wrap this up with Chaim. A fantastic man. Chaim is reaching out to be an instrument of peace in a land that has a three thousand or more year old war. Name the enemy, Israel has met them! Chaim is orthodox and teaches Torah at the Christian church. Yeah ... isn't it a hoot! This man is so gentle. He attends the Christian church and when the service is completed, he is asked to explain the "Old Testament" portion through the eyes of a Jew. Chaim and I were brought together by Divine appointment. That appointment would take me hours and hours to explain. Suffice it to say, he, Chaim, is guiding me and assisting me to better understand the wall that comes between "us" and "them". He is reaching out to all nations and nationalities to end the strife so the young people can have peace. Children are not born with a mindset to kill or disrupt. They are taught. He and I agree on this wholeheartedly. So, I asked for help in understanding and he wants help in overcoming. What a bargain! You all will be hearing more about this. For the moment, I will tell you, with a simple handshake, Chaim and I made a covenant relationship between Israel and North America. The Father above will guide us both.

Father in Heaven, You have the script. You can see the outcome. You and only You have the power to bring together two people of very different backgrounds. Two people with a heart's desire to see the children play in the streets again; to see the elderly sitting on the porch; to hear the laughter of infants pleasing their parents. Father, You know that I am not just referencing Israel, I speak of the United States of America and all other counties. This world has become so very callous and distrusting. When I was a child I could play outside alone ... now I can't even walk down the street where I used to live for fear of being accosted. When I was in Israel I heard the same stories ... but Father, they showed me the evidence that it is far worse. That tells me it will only get worse in my own country unless we reach out and embrace and come to terms. To do this, we must tear down the walls. Thank you Eternal One for choosing me to join hands with Israel, via my friend Chaim. Bless You Father and bless Chaim and those like him who strive for peace. In Y'shua's mighty and awesome name, Amein!

Shalom,

Pinchas

AKA Frankly Speaking All the Time