Author: Fred Shope

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Year-Round School?

A few weeks ago Bob Edwards suggested that I write a post on some of the ins and outs of year-round school. I am not an expert on school and the pros and cons of having the students go year-round with more breaks rather than have a long summer break. But I am a blogger, and I can give my opinion on anything. Right? I have had a bit of experience in education, twenty four years as a student, and thirty three as a teacher and coach, so my opinion is not totally uninformed.

There are a number of arguments in favor of year-round school. These include having shorter breaks throughout the year that are supposed to help retention of information, keeping kids off the streets during the long hot summers, and providing a place for working parents to put their children. Given the current cultural situation in the country, those could be compelling reasons. School districts around the country have instituted year-round school, in the elementary schools at least, and the results seem to be positive. When the students get to the upper grades though, there are a number of factors that I believe will hinder a broader use of a longer school year.

In a lot of areas of the country, particularly those whose economy runs on tourism, the businesses depend on a supply of teenagers who are on summer break to fill their openings. Some states have pushed back the start of the school year in order to allow those students to work the entire tourist season. The economic benefits of a long summer break would be awfully hard for those areas to give up. When I was coaching, one of the big benefits of a summer break was the opportunity to go to summer camps at colleges. These colleges were also on their summer break, so they could concentrate on the camps, which are a great recruiting tool as well as allowing the teams to work on their skills. A shorter summer break might not affect that so much, but longer breaks during the school year would make scheduling athletic seasons very interesting. In some areas of the country, sports such as football or basketball are nearly a religion, and one tinkers with that at great risk.   

It seems that a large part of American culture is built around  a school year that begins in mid to late August or September and runs until the end of May or middle of June. I think it can work in the lower grades, and possibly in the upper grades as well, but I’m not sure the majority of the people in the country are ready for the adjustments it would cause.

Just my thoughts. What do you think?

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Weekend Wanderings

Happy first weekend of August! The summer break is winding down for students and teachers, and the long break called the school year is gearing up for the parents. It is still warm here in the sunny South, and we may break the record for most days with temps in the 90s. Baseball is heading toward the postseason and football is getting ready for the start of the season. I believe we went a whole week without another candidate entering the presidential race that’s over an year away. Amazing.

On to the good stuff:

Abandoned, yet sacred.
Letting go of our baggage.
Learning social skills starts early.
Re-directed art.
That’s one mean turkey!

I don’t think this qualifies as “heritage.”
The list.
Good news, not good advice.
Bullies.
A to-do list.

Good question from John Frye.
Damaris Zehner on rights.
Curve balls.
Lines.
Kingdom at the table.

Nothing.
Dan Edelen on plans.
Two robberies, two responses.
Good post from Keith Giles.
Community.

Have a blessed week!

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Five Fred Facts

My blogo-friend Bob tagged me in a meme a while ago. The first part is to list five facts about myself.

1. I have been blogging for about ten years.

2. Mamie Eisenhower once held me in her arms (at least that’s what I was told). Really! I was three years old and was at a Christmas party at the White House with a friend of the family who worked there.

3. I have competed in, and coached eight different sports. Soccer, football, cross country, basketball, volleyball, baseball, golf, and track.

4. I have learned to enjoy gardening and am constantly looking for creative ways to redo the outdoor space at our house.

5. I am a beach bum at heart, but I also enjoy being in the mountains. Different things at each place speak to me in different ways.

The second part of the meme is to tag other bloggers. Since I don’t know how many bloggers actually read my blog, if you have a blog and are reading this, consider yourself tagged. Let me know in the comments so I can check your five facts out.

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Weekend Wanderings

It’s a beautiful weekend here in the sunny South. After a couple days with temps near triple digits, it is a bit cooler. The race for president is heating up and looks like it’s going to be quite the circus. That’s my political statement for the week.

On to the good stuff:

Body by God.
Good post from Jared Wilson.
This is interesting.
Damaris Zehner shares a poem.
Good post from Mike Erich.

“A cohort of wonder.”
A letter from Matt Appling.
Sabur.
Four things we can learn from heartbreak.
Humility.

Radical freedom.
This is an excellent post.
I know a couple of folks who would like this.
John Henryism.
Is Harper Lee a prophet?

Good article for church leaders.
I bet there are a few folks who are nervous about this.
You think you dread going to the dentist?
We should all see our marriage vows this way.
Chaplain Mike on Kansas and Oz.

Have a blessed week!

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Blast From the Past: A Place to Be

This was first posted on March 14, 2011.

 The language arts class in which I assist just finished reading Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli. Because I leave halfway through the class each day, I was only able to catch bits and pieces, but I was able to get the basic idea of the book. It’s about a boy who is orphaned at age three, and spends the next few years of his life trying to find a place to call home. He bounces from place to place, never allowing himself to feel comfortable at any one of them because he is afraid to settle in, afraid to let himself get too close, afraid of losing anyone else.

As we finished the book today, I started thinking about how that is so like those of us who follow Jesus. We’re afraid. Afraid to let others get too close, or to get too close to them. We’re afraid that we won’t be accepted once people discover the real us. I think our biggest fear is the fear of being hurt. I know that fear personally, and there have been times when I have tried to not get too close to folks in certain groups, because I have been hurt and don’t want to get hurt again. I understand those who have to deal with that.
I believe that these fears are one of the reasons churches are not what they could be. Many are looking for a safe place, but they don’t let themselves get too comfortable or too close to the people in a church. In a large church, they can hide. Eventually though, they will get the vague feeling that something is wrong, that the church is not meeting their needs. They will then look somewhere else, like Maniac Magee. Unfortunately the cycle will continue to repeat itself, or they will give up on the whole church thing altogether. Or, they may come upon a small to mid-size church that bills itself as a place “where people matter.” They soon find out that people matter as part of a program, not as individuals. Conflicts may happen, and then, out they go. Some spend their whole lives looking for a place to belong.
Even those who are part of simple churches are not immune to these fears. Again, they are perfectly understandable. If one of the goals of a simple church is to know and be known, there will inevitably be conflict. Too many folks have the idea that if they can just “do church” the way the early church did, all of their problems will be solved. Have you read the letters the Apostles wrote to the early churches lately? It seems that a large part of those letters were written to address problems that the people were having with each other. I have yet to be in a church where a man was sleeping with his father’s wife.
Anytime we deal with people, there will be conflicts. Life is messy, and the deeper we let people into our lives, the better the chance that we will be hurt. That hurt makes it hard to believe that we are safe, that it is really possible to live in community. Some return to the old routine of moving from place to place, never allowing themselves to get comfortable or to love again. Others will give up, and try to go it alone. Both approaches have problems. The first puts us right back into the system that hasn’t produced the community that many look for. The second forgets the fact that the Church is the Body of Christ, that we need each other as the body needs each of its parts. When a limb is amputated, the patient experiences a phantom limb, feeling pain in a part of the body that isn’t there. The same thing happens in the Body of Christ.
Living in community is hard. The conflicts happen, and the wounds they leave are real, and sometimes deep. I don’t believe the answer is to hide our hearts deeper, or refuse to be vulnerable again. Loving and being loved is hard, messy, and painful. It can not be accomplished in our own strength, it can only be done in the power of the risen Christ, the One who has told us to love each other as he loves us.
Be encouraged. Community and love can happen. It is what Abba wants. It is how others will know we belong to Jesus.
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Weekend Wanderings

Welcome to July! It has been pretty warm here in the sunny South here the past couple of weeks , although the temperatures have moderated a bit over the last three days. Next week they are predicting highs near triple digits. I am thankful for air conditioning. Does anyone remember the days before central AC and AC in cars? I do. It seems like the message of grace and forgiveness that was proclaimed by the survivors of the Charleston 9 has been quickly forgotten as people on both sides are showing what really amounts to hate. This weekend the kkk (and yes I put it in lower case on purpose) is having a rally at the SC statehouse. A lot of folks are saying everyone, including the media, should just stay away and not give the tantrum any attention. I think I agree.

On to the links:

10 reasons for pastors to avoid politics. 
Ahh, memories.
The smell of rain.
Gifts of the Puritans.
Crowdpounding.

This could be interesting.
This. Just because.
God’s favor? Really?
This is good.
Chaplain Mike takes another look.

Steve Brown on freedom.
John Frye on comfort.
Oh, good gracious!
I think I’ll see if our town will put this in place.
Daniel Jepsen on grace.

Pretty cool tattoos.
Good post from Frank Viola.
Four reasons for contextualizing.
Good book review by Scot McKnight.
Great question!

Have a blessed week!

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Weekend Wanderings

Gosh, it’s been a long time! It’s amazing how quickly a month can go by. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Jan and I celebrated our 35th anniversary. The US women won the World Cup. South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds. Kanye West is now the greatest rock artist. All of the above statements are true except one. Can you guess which one?

On to the links:

Historic day in South Carolina.
Church in bed.
Good post from Sarah Condon.
A different kind of World Cup.
Good post from Steve Brown.

He loved first.
A different look at Independence Day.
Tree church.
This is interesting.
Is it the culture?

Interesting article on aging.
Redefining greatness.
I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Crossroads.
Daring to forgive.

This is unbelievable!
Dan Edelen on fear.
Zack Hunt on the Church.
Putting on the new man.
Eight elements of creative people.

Have a blessed week!

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Flag or Cross?

The news this week is full of stories about the decision of the governor of South Carolina to push for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds. Polls are being taken, politicians are being interviewed, and the network talking heads are weighing in. In much of the discussion, the controversy is being used to advance one agenda or another.

To me, the issue boils down to what should I, as a follower of Jesus, think about this. First, some personal background. I was born in Rockville, Maryland, to parents who were raised in the North Carolina mountains. I remember going into the center of what was then a small southern town just outside of Washington, DC and walking past a memorial to soldiers from the area who had fought for the Confederacy. My family has been in North Carolina since the late 18th century and were some of the first settlers in the western part of that state. I have ancestors who fought for the South.

Because of this, and because my birth place is south of the Mason Dixon line, I have always considered myself a Southerner. Had I been alive in 1861, I probably would have fought for my state against those who were seen as invaders. None of my ancestors had slaves and were farmers rather than rich planters, so I don’t think my motive would have been to preserve slavery. It was a different time then, and a person’s state meant much more to them than the nation did. So, I get those who feel that the battle flag is about their heritage as southerners. I have felt the same way, and still would except for how that flag has been co-opted.by those who espouse hate and how it causes pain to the hearts of others. I have also learned more about the philosophy on which the Confederacy was founded, and as a Christian, I cannot be okay with that.

In this post, Russell Moore writes something that I believe anyone who calls themselves a Christian must take seriously. He writes:

The symbol was used to enslave the little brothers and sisters of Jesus, to bomb little
girls in church buildings, to terrorize preachers of the gospel and their families with 
burning crosses on front lawns by night. That sort of symbolism is out of step with 
                    the justice of Jesus Christ.
I get what the flag means to white southerners who love their heritage, and I have no problem with anyone flying the flag on their own property, although I would encourage sensitivity to neighbors. I also am beginning to understand what the flag means to those whose heritage includes enslavement, oppression, beating, death, and discrimination. As one who follows the King whose kingdom includes every race and tongue, I cannot be for something that causes heartache to my brothers and sisters in Christ.