Flags of Our Fathers

A couple of weeks ago, I completed yet another long and winding trip back from Georgia where I spent my spring break with my parents. I had a wonderful relaxing time with the 'rents, their two dogs of whom I have grown especially fond, Guy and Gus, as well as the ol' Birman cats, Vandy and Webster. Fortunately, about a year ago, I decided to give audio books a try in an attempt to keep me as alert as possible on the roads. I've grown accustomed to making these long trips. After all, when I first moved to Texas, my parents still lived in Ohio, and they moved to Arizona in '03 before moving over to the Peach State just a few years ago. However, these trips can get rather dull when I'm the only one with opposable thumbs in the car (sometimes I take my cats, Jerry and Kosmo, but they're not very helpful when it comes to providing meaningful conversation). These audio books have really done the trick. A few times I've visited the Houston Public Library branch near my school, but their pickings are pretty slim. Last week I actually picked up a few good "reads" from Half Price Books but burned through those before it was time to head back Saturday. Lucky for me, my dad let me take his audio copy of Flags of Our Fathers for the trip back.



I had heard of the book and mini-series but had never taken the time to either read the work or watch the show. Granted, now after "reading" the book, I definitely want to see what HBO did with it. I was initially struck by the author's comments in his foreword at the beginning of the book. Only after his father passed away did he come to find out that his dad not only was one of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima, but he also was a highly decorated soldier during World War II. The author knew his dad was a veteran, but he just didn't realize how significant his dad's service had been. Sure, there were times when he tried to get information from Pops about what the war was like, but Dad had been reluctant to share anything. One thought with the author really resonated with me. He said he "needed" to know what happened to his dad, that his dad to some degree owed it to him to tell him about his experiences in the war. That's exactly how I felt for many years about my dad's involvement in the Vietnam War. Pops went to grad school at Vanderbilt on the GI Bill. When he finished his undergrad, he served three tours in 'Nam on two different ships, the USS Hollister and the USS Coral Sea as a gunner's mate.

Our fathers owed it to no one, not one person, to tell them the gory psychologically scarring details of their experiences. It took me a long, long time to realize that. Recently I've heard a military slogan that's stuck with me: "All gave some; some gave all." Rarely do any of us civilians witness the actual death of an acquaintance, but these men saw it all around them on a daily basis. They risked their lives day in and day out so we could enjoy the freedoms and way of life we just take for granted.

Spiritually, I find myself oh, so often confusing what I need for myself with what is best for me. I want things like personal happiness and professional happiness when I should be focused on just living my life in the way God wants me to. I put too much emphasis on what I need to do for myself rather than what I can do for others. I need to realize that only God truly knows what I need in my life and recognize that in order to find the peace and happiness I desire, I must turn my life completely over to Him and overcome the desires I have to pursue my own self-serving "needs."

Tennis, Anyone?

That's right. I'm doing my good deed for the day. This may be a good deed for at least a month or two to be honest with you. I'm serving as the school's tennis coach. I knew the school was in a bind since the tennis coach from last year moved out of state, and the only other people with tennis background are the two varsity basketball coaches. They're both firmly involved in their respective playoff runs, and one of them is leaving the school at the end of the season to take the head women's job at a small Christian college. I made sure the AD knew I had absolutely no background in tennis, and inexplicably, he wanted me for the position anyway.

This will definitely be a new and interesting experience for me. I've only minimally played the sport outside of gym class, so there will likely be some people on the team with more tennis knowledge than me. Yeah, it is a bit intimidating, but at the same time, I think I can still teach them a thing or two. I'm working on obtaining actual tennis drills and practices, but I do know enough about the game to know quickness and agility are very important. We did some drills today to work on those skills, and I definitely see the need to continue and augment this aspect of the training. Matches don't begin until March 1, so I've still got some time to develop into a tennis guru.

We had 12 players show up yesterday and an extra three showed up today. There may still be a few out there in the woodwork who want to come out. I know for some of the guys on the team, this is their only sport, so I do feel good that they are able to compete this year. Several of the players I have in class, and that adds an extra aspect to the student/teacher relationship that I really enjoy.

I'll keep you posted.......

Playoff Party in Plano

Well, we came, we saw, we had dinner at Taco Cabana. Oh, yeah, and we played a game against Plano Prestonwood Academy.

The day started with a bad omen. Originally everybody on the team and our groupies (about 15 family members made the trip with us) were going to meet an IHOP close to the school for breakfast before we left on the bus. However, my assistant coach astutely pointed out that there were just too many intangibles that could go wrong with such a plan. So, the two of us decided that we could try and get a bite to eat once we were on the bus and had cleared the cozy confines of Houston traffic. I even went ahead and reserved seating at an IHOP on I-45 up in Spring. We made good time getting up there, but once we were there, they only allotted one server for all 33 of us! Not good. We wanted to leave by 10:30 so we could get up to Plano in time for something light to eat for lunch and plenty of time to warm up. Well, the only reason we left at 11:00 was because the father of one of the boys on the team was gracious enough to put the entire tab on his credit card. If each of us had to check out individually, we may still be at that IHOP. We got up to the school in Plano at about 3:00. The second bad omen of the day took place once we were in the school, and my starting right fullback told me he had left his cleats at home. His first suggestion was that he could go buy another pair. I had no idea where the shoe fairy was at that time of day, but I was pretty sure the fairy was nowhere close to us. We had just driven up on a charter bus. I have no idea how Matthew thought he was going to procure transportation to a store. Fortunately one of the seniors on the team who's been injured for the last several weeks loaned Matt his shoes. Serves him right though since during the game I'd look over at Matt and see him walking quite gingerly in shoes that were at least a full size too small for him.

The campus itself was just immense. I think it would be similar to a campus here in Houston if Lakewood Church had a school. Maybe if I mention it to ol' Joel Osteen, it'll make him jealous and he'll break ground. The school had large full color action cut-outs of the boys and girls basketball players on the wall mats in the gym. They played soccer and football on a full field with turf just slightly softer than astroturf. I knew we'd be faced with a swanky complex, and this was only the second time of the season we had played on a field like this.

The team we played was the number one seed from its district. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that since, yes, they were undefeated, but they only had a five team district, and the last place team hadn't won any district games. Our district has nine teams, and three of the teams from last year's State Final Four in boys' soccer were from our district, including the state champion. Well, Plano was good, not spectacular, but good. It took us awhile to get into the flow of the game and adjust to the different field surface. Of course, I'm sure there were some playoff jitters for each of the boys. We lost, convincingly, but I think each member of the team now knows what it takes to compete with the best teams in the state. I wouldn't be surprised if Plano makes it into the Final Four. We have a great group of boys returning next year, and I hope the camaraderie that was established this year and the respectful attitudes continue so we can make another appearance in the playoffs. Of course, it would be nice if we could at least finish fourth so we wouldn't be faced with the task of playing the number one team from another district!

Before the game, I talked to the team about the great unity they had shown during the year. Of the eight seniors we had last year, four played college soccer. Of the other eight that we hadn't planned on losing from last year's squad, three earned some form of All District recognition. Obviously there were several holes that needed to be filled. However, this is the team that was able to make it into the playoffs. I know two of our seniors from this year's team would like to continue their competitive careers, but, honestly, I think last year's team had better individual skill players. The difference was that this year's team was able to come together and put the desires and needs of the team above their own. I'm proud of what this team was able to accomplish and hope that this experience motivates them to put in the work needed to not only make it back to the playoffs but make it back as a higher seed.

Soocer "Hoosiers"

Well, we made it! To playoffs that is. For the first time in nine years, our program will make an appearance in the state playoffs. We just finished a brutal five game week (due in large part to the consistently inclement weather we've had in Houston). Four of those five games were against the best teams in the district. We played the second place team twice and the first and third place teams once. Even though we lost the first four of the five games last week, I am proud to say the most goals any team scored on us was three. I think it did wonders for the boys' confidence to see that they could play not only with the best teams in the district, but the best teams in the state. Those top three teams also advanced all the way to the state final four last season.

I remember a similar situation when I was last a high school varsity coach. When I took over the job as head of the Logan Lady Chiefs' cross-country team, they were the only team on campus that had not won a league title. Obviously that was the big goal for the first season. Sure enough, and, yes, there were bumps along the way, we won league that first year. However, especially after winning the district the following week, I started to get a bit selfish and began considering the possibilities of advancing the team to the state meet. We didn't make it out of the regionals, and it took me a while to realize what a great success the season had been. Last week, to keep the boys' spirits up, I showed them the movie Hoosiers. I'm sure for many of them it was the first time they had seen the flick. The more I think about it, the more similarities I see between this year's soccer team and that historic team from Hickory (at least the Hollywood-ized version). Our school is much, much smaller than other schools in our district and state classification. We don't have a full soccer field for practice. When we do practice, we have to share the field with the girls' team. It's just one of the concessions you have to make at a small school. On a related note, I'm utterly amazed at the success our track team has had since they have no track on which to practice!! Anyway, we face a team in the first round that's one of those big school powerhouses. We'll be playing on their field which is part of an immaculate state of the art athletic complex similar to what is seen in most public school districts in Texas. One of their boys has already signed to play soccer at Indiana (a perennial soccer power) next year. Yes, you could say we have the odds against us. However, as I mentioned before, we just finished a week against three of last year's final four teams, and the worst we were beat was 3-0. Those teams usually take care of us with five or six or seven goals in a match. I'm actually quite optimistic about our chances. I know some of the boys on our team have done some research on the team we're playing, and they may be a bit intimidated by our opponent. Honestly, I see some great similarities between this match and the 12 spies from Israel who searched out Canaan. All but Joshua and Caleb came back with negative, intimidating reports. Those two guys saw what could be done rather than what couldn't be done. I know it's a bit selfish, since the goal all along this season has been to make the playoffs, but I want the boys to realize that they've already played some of the soccer powers in the state. I want them to realize and have confidence in what they're capable of. I guess it's the competitor in me not wanting to concede.

We leave Friday morning from school at 8:30. Several of the parents on the team are going up with us on a charter bus the athletic director has arranged for us. It'll definitely be a memorable experience. All I want is for the boys to believe in themselves, each other, their coaches, and just leave it all on the field.

I'll keep you posted.......

Roommate Ministry

I've found myself in a bit of a bind financially these past two years. Begrudgingly, I rented a room out in the winter of '08. Keep in mind I have two spare bedrooms, but it was quite a step out for me to rent even just one out since I have lived by myself for the past 12 years. I tried out ol' Craigslist and found a nice guy named Glenn who helped ease me back into roommate mode. Glenn was a self-employed handyman with a girlfriend living about 15 minutes away here in Katy. Glenn took jobs all over Houston, spent quite a bit of time with his lady friend (she also helped him find jobs) so, consequently, our paths did not cross a whole awful lot. It wouldn't be uncommon for me to go several days without seeing my new roomie. Unfortunately, I was still feeling the pinch financially, so in June, I posted an ad for another roommate and met Don.

Don's been living in Katy for a couple of years now. He moved down from Dallas and was taking classes at Prairie View with hopes of becoming a secondary math teacher. Soon after Don moved in, I remember asking him about his religious affiliation. When he answered "agnostic," I thought, "Oh, boy, this could be difficult trying to reach him spiritually." Don stocks groceries third shift, so, like Glenn, our interaction has been rather limited. However, several weeks ago, Don surprised me one Saturday by out of the blue asking me if I would be going to church the next morning. When I answered yes, he asked if he could come. Of course, I said yes. Within the first couple of Sundays, Don met the minister at my church and was able to set up a weekly Bible study. From what I can tell, it's really challenged Don to open the Word and find out for himself what God's plan is for him rather than just to rely on conjecture and speculation.

Soccer Hopes

The soccer season is about halfway over. We had a German student play with us during the first semester who was living with aunt here in the Houston area. He was really a blessing to the team. The other guys on the team accepted him as one of their own, and he was very fluent in the language. Of course, the fact that he's a pretty good soccer player came in handy as well. We lost 12 players from last year's team, and Robin filled in a sorely needed position. We've made enough of a dent in the district schedule so far that we most likely will make the state playoffs. I think it's been eight or nine years since the boys soccer team here at school made the playoffs. Both the girls and boys basketball teams have been very successful year in and year out. I've told the boys that people won't take notice of them and give them the respect they want until they produce something impressive on the field. I've always believed in my ability to encourage and motivate others. I don't think the playoffs is something they can wrap their minds around since they've never been there. It's foreign to them. I need to start instilling in them a sense of purpose. Last year's team came within one game of making the playoffs. My task is helping the boys understand that this goal can be reached.

The Soloist

Two nights ago, I finally got around to watching The Soloist. I've become a bit of a Redbox fanatic, as it's helped me catch up on recent movies I've missed without, well, breaking my bank. Some movies are barely worth the $1 rental, but The Soloist impressed me greatly. It was based on a true story which made the flick even more enjoyable and interesting.

The movie centered around a relationship between a newspaper columnist, John Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., who befriends a homeless man, played by Jamie Foxx, who turns out to be an absolute virtuoso at the cello. The reporter does a little snooping into the man's past and finds out that he had actually studied for a while at the Julliard but mysteriously dropped out. Upon further research he finds out that the man has suffered from mental illness, most likely schizophrenia, since his time in music school. The reporter goes to extravagant means to help the man, Nathaniel Ayers, regain a respectable way of life enlisting the help of Ayers's family members and professional musicians in Los Angeles. At the end, however, Lopez realizes that Nathaniel is comfortable where he is and doesn't want any assistance from counselors, doctors, or psychologists.

I think I identified with Downey's character so much because I find myself in similar situations frequently as a teacher. I've taught in small towns and affluent suburbs, public schools and private, and I've always taken a personal interest in each of the hundreds of students I've had over the years. Sometimes I'm able to connect with and make a difference in the lives of my pupils, but the hard part is when I do all that I can and the student shows no desire to improve or change. I've always maintained that I take a much too intensive personal interest in the lives of my students. Maybe that's what's expected? Maybe it's not? I know I've always been my worst critic, and I always struggle emotionally with apathetic students who don't want to work to their potential.

Thank you for letting me vent!