mnwilliams's posterous

Top 5 Tips on Working with Kids

Children’s Pastor Jason Scott opens up to reveal his top tips on effectively working with children. Pastor Scott has been working with children at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, California for six years. Each weekend he oversees five services filled with close to 800 kids from kindergarten through fifth grade. The following are the top five tips on how he makes a difference in children’s lives within the short hour that he has with them on the weekends.

Tip #1 – Develop a Relationship

It is easy to correct a child that may be acting out, but Pastor Scott feels as if it is necessary to take it a step further. When trying to connect with a child he always asks a child how their day has been, “Just because they’re kids doesn’t mean that their concerns are any less important than an adult’s.” Sometimes a child is dealing with serious issues, like losing a parent. Searching into a child’s life may reveal more than just the superficial behavioral issues.

Tip #2 – Set Boundaries  

Kids are going to test boundaries; it is inevitable. It is great to be their friends, says Pastor Scott, but he finds it necessary to establish what is and is not okay.  “Children are waiting to see if you care,” comments Pastor Scott. He points out that children want and need boundaries, and they will test their authority figure just to see if he will hold to it.

Tip #3 – Provide Options

Allow a child a choice. It is easy to tell a kid what to or what not to do. But when a child is making poor choices, give him options to change his situation. Pastor Scott uses the following example to illustrate his point.  A child may be acting inappropriately with a group of friends during storytelling time. He will tell the child that he can both stay with his friends and receive a consequence or the child can choose to sit elsewhere. By giving a child options, it makes the authority figure less of a “bad guy.”

Tip #4 – Consistent Leaders

Children need stability. Their lives are crazy and changing enough, but when a leaders is there every week a child is more inclined to listen to the leader. Pastor Jason Scott remarks that often times a child’s home life is not stable. Many children come from broken homes, so when a leader shows consistency it allows for them to speak positive principles into a child’s life.

Tip #5 – Develop a Relationship with The Parent

Pastor Scott only has a short time with children on the weekends. He feels that it is necessary for him to “come alongside [a parent] and say the same thing.” He can effectively speak into a child’s life when he combines forces with a child’s parent. Parents have 10 times more time with a child then he does. When he tells a child the same thing their parent is saying at home, he can successfully make a difference in their life.

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College Collage Weekend

In my opinion, it seems as if CSUN students know how to have a good time without it becoming all that crazy. One of the photos that you will see, as the collage scrolls from one picture to the next, is of a gal climbing some impressive boulders. Kristin and some friends were actually training for a bike race. They went riding and "found some rocks," and decided to put them to good use. Oddly enough she happened to also find a beehive on her climb. Another photo to pop up will have been from Aaron. I would have to define this guy as studious, although he did procrastinate on his assignment. His picture will be the one filled with books, "I spent the weekend researching." You have to give him props for staying in and doing schoolwork. Lastly is the easy to spot photograph of Monique in her cheer uniform on top of her partner who is holding her up. She spent her weekend practicing and preparing a film to be sent in for a cheer competition. This will be their first year in it. I hope it works out. And that about wraps up some of the weekends spent by just a few CSUN students.  

<p>Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.</p>

Something To Say

Artists undoubtedly have something to say. On July 12 through September 12, 2008 the 18th Street Art Complex in sunny Santa Monica hosted the “Citizen Artists Making Emphatic Statements” event.

 “They go inside their studios and actually do something about the problems of everyday society,” said curator Adolfo Nodal. Nodal opens this forum for artists to voice their thoughts and express themselves about issues of day-to-day life.

“I work with a project called Fallen Fruit which is an activist art project,” notes artist David Burns. “[We] work on a variety of projects, different media, engaging the neighborhoods and cities in Los Angeles and America and provoke thought about how fruit relates to the public and how the public relates to fruit.”

 Such artists like Burns and his colleges present their artwork to the public. It allows artists to pose questions where the onlookers ponder the issues they present.

It provides and opportunity for artists to share how they view the world. People can present their work at an open forum like this event. 

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<br /><small>View 18th Street Art Complex in Santa Monica in a larger map</small>

 

How To Get On An Elevator

There are days when you are too exhausted, tired and out of energy. You have no desire to take the many staircases of CSUN, so instead you take the elevator. Not only is it easier than climbing numerous stairs, but it’s easy as one, two, three.  Here are eight simple steps on how to get on and ride an elevator.

 

To get on an elevator you need to:

1.    Approach the elevator

2.    To go up, you must press the top button

3.    Wait for the elevator to arrive and for the doors to open

4.    Step into the elevator

5.    Press the desired button for the floor you want to go to

6.    Wait and enjoy the elevator ride

7.    Wait for the doors to open and exit the elevator

8.    You have arrived at your destination

 

Elevators are convenient for everyday use especially if you’re trying to avoid the stairs. Make sure you have an elevator, your two legs and your pointer finger to make this possible. So on those tiring days just enjoy the ride, the elevator ride.

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Budget Cuts Closing Library Doors

Money, money, money makes the world go round…and the lack there of closes our Los Angeles public libraries. That’s right folks, on Saturdays and Sundays your local public library will shut its doors. I for one have never been to the library on a Saturday or Sunday, but at least prior to all these budget cuts I knew I could. Maybe the all ready 17,300,000 people who do visit our 73 libraries, might reduce just a smidgeon (http://www.lapl.org/newsroom/2010_facts.html).

 

Not only are the hours changing but library jobs and programs are being cut as well, according to the Los Angeles Times, “$4.8-million cut from the county's public libraries, resulting in fewer hours at some libraries and the elimination of an adult literacy program and nine vacant jobs.” Our libraries currently run on a $75.4 million budget (http://controller.lacity.org/stellent/groups/ElectedOfficials/@CTR_Contributor/documents/Contributor_Web_Content/LACITYP_008025.pdf). And who knew books cost so much?

 

In an attempt to pull some sanity from the situation the Daily Breeze reported that the Board of Library Commissioners asked for a parcel of $39 a year to be placed on the coming ballot. And for those of you who are steeped in our county’s politics, it’s not there. What it basically came down to is that in a recession people don’t want more taxes. 

 

Okay, so the parcel didn’t pass, but some areas are looking toward privatization as a solution, “…Santa Clarita is poised to join a growing movement of budget-strapped communities that are turning over their libraries to private management…approved by the City Council in a 4-1 vote…to save the city hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars by withdrawing its three libraries from the county system,” says the Los Angeles Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com/ci_15967278?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com). Gasp, shock, horror…maybe a little overdramatic, but Santa Clarita residents are not happy.

 

And now a question lingers in the air permeating it like rotten milk: what will happen to our public libraries? I, like many of you, throw my hands up, shrug my shoulders and wait for normalcy returns to our economy. It seems as if we all will have to ride out the results of this recession for a little longer.   

Something With A Kick

A.

I open the bag to immediately find that these Punjabi Tadka have punch of scent to them as if I were walking into a foreign spices store. This finger-licking snack looks like thin, baked french fries with the coloring of a confused carrot. I cautiously begin to taste a couple and find that I enjoy its crunchiness very much.

Just as I begin to think that the "don't judge a book by it's cover" philosophy must apply here, the spiciness of the snack hits my tongue and my hand lurches for my water bottle. I finish what portion I have left and decide not to reach for more. 

Punjabi Tadka is distributed by a company from India called Haldiram's. Upon further reading the labeling of this pink, shiny bag, it notes that these anti-steroid french fries are made from potato, bean and gram flour noodles. I glance across the list of products that are dressing the noodles and of the many names that I cannot pronounce, I see the words "chili powder" and "paprika." The scent and taste make sense. 

It may be throat-clenching spicy, but at least it is safe for vegetarians. And for one serving size one will find that it is only 60 calories with four grams of fat. So one could say that it is considered a healthy snack, even though the spices kicked me in throat.

 

B.

I didn't like it. I would be inclined to try such a snack out because it is vegetarian safe, but it's spiciness did not appeal to me. I'm not one for things that sizzle the tongue, so this little food from India wasn't up my alley. Although, I did enjoy the crunchy texture. It is not something that I will be trying again in the future. 

I Am A Vegan

I am a firm believer that a person's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. What makes us great and who we are can also be our greatest downfall. The word that I chose to describe myself was the word "disciplined." Yes, I know, not a common word people would use. And to be honest it does sound a bit boring, which I am anything but dull. The reason for my word choice is my diet. Plainly, I am a Vegan. People like to act as if they know what that word means, but it seems as if every time I am out for dinner my meal is wrong. A Vegan is a person who eats no animal products. So that means no dairy, no cheese, no eggs, no meat, and so on and so forth. When I tell people my eating lifestyle, I receive these bewildered and disgusted looks of "why would anyone ever want to not eat meat." In response to these astounded looks I tell people the story of how I became a vegetarian.

About three years ago my mother found out that she had very high cholesterol, to the point in which she had to do something drastic with her diet or be on medication for the rest of her life. Now my mother is not an unhealthy woman, on the contrary. She works out five days a week and hardly to never indulges in sweets or junk food. In the end she decided that she would become a vegetarian, because in doing so a person reduces cholesterol and heart disease. She approached me and asked if I would like to try it with her. Normally, I would have never considered the option. I used to tell people that animals were put on this planet for us to eat. But at that time, I was at the heaviest I had ever been, and I couldn't use the excuse of "it's my freshman 15" considering that I was all ready in my second year of college. The weight was there to stay... or so it seemed. 

I agreed. I gave in and turned to the dark-side of food. I just did it cold turkey, no weaning myself off meat. The first month was miserable. I hated it. I loathed it. I complained every single chance I possibly could. It changed everything about how I enjoyed food. The second month rolls around, and I decide to step on the scale. And suddenly four weeks of misery was entirely worth it all. I had lost ten pounds. So I basically said, "Screw meat. I'm sticking with vegetables." So about three years later and thirty pounds lighter, I have no complaints. And then once I became a vegetarian, I realized I was lactose intolerant. I don't really have an dairy anyhow, so becoming a Vegan was really quite easy. It's not all that different from being a vegetarian. 

To wrap it all up. I enjoy being a Vegan. I am healthy and happy, and at the end of the day that is all that really matters. And that is why I consider "disciplined" as my greatest strength, because if that doesn't take a great sense of discipline, I don't know what does.