One of my Facebook buddies, Pete, posted this quote from TechCrunch that Teddy Roosevelt spoke in 1910.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
I'm impressed by this quote. It eloquently sums up some of the ideas that I stumble with when I try to communicate them to students. It constantly amazes me how much more expressive our past leaders were in comparison to the decider. As a society, we've gone from the inspirational words of an amazing caliber of leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, etc. to language such as "Yo dog!"
But getting back to the point of the quote; too often I see students who are comfortable with failure. There is nothing wrong with failure as long as it becomes fuel for you to succeed. If you fail because you think you're a failure, that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Your success is dependent on how much you believe in yourself.
One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again each time expecting a different result. If you fail a class, and do nothing differently the next time you take that class and fail again, what have you learned?
I once subbed a class where I saw a girl who had failed my class a year or so before. The instructor I was subbing for gave out the same assignment I gave when I taught the class and she was my student. She turned in the same project for his class that she did for my class. In retrospect, I should have jumped on her ass for this, but what would be the point? If a student cannot get it together enough to turn in a new project, then will they really make it in the real world? I believe this girl has since been kicked out of the school, though not by my actions.
Be prepared to choke and fail, but also be prepared to bounce back even better and stronger. The world is a cruel, cruel place where many companies are more loyal to the dollar than to their employees. Ensure that you have the strength and fortitude to not simply survive, but also to become great.
I apologize for the crappy behavior of this website lately. I know many of you have experienced slowdowns or simply have been unable to get to the site because it has been down.
My hosting provider has been having issues and they've been trying to get the site working. I am debating whether or not to change hosts.
Keep in mind that I'm paying for this website out of my own pocket. The advertising on the pages barely make enough to pay for hosting.
Although the school offers myeclassonline.com, I have yet to see that thing working.
I do hope that this website is a valuable asset to you educational experience. If you want to let me know how you feel about, please state something in the comments.
While this thing was beautiful, such things are not meant to last. Sadly the forces of gravity, thrust, lift and wind resistance brought and untimely though glorious demise to this project.
I would love to see a student do a project like this for the miniatures class. Maybe not on on this scale, but something on that level of ambition.
I admit that I am a big nerd. I have always liked superhero movies. When I was in second grade and I got my report card, my Dad would buy me a comic book for every A I got in school. This was my motivation for doing well in school. As a result, I got a lot of comic books. My Dad started me off by showing me how to draw a little, but I got frustrated that I wasn't learning enough and he wasn't teaching me fast enough. So I would get sheets of typing paper and trace all the covers of those comic books. I had traced enough superheroes on the covers along with their logos that I was able to cover my bedroom walls from ceiling to floor with them. That's one of my most pleasant childhood memories. I am so looking forward to Iron Man. I am praying that it will be in the quality ballpark of Batman Begins or Spiderman 2. I was extremely disappointed with Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four 2, but I didn't have high hopes for those last two flicks to begin with.
So I ask you guys: What's your most pleasant art memory or art memory from your childhood? If you don't have one, you really should.
It never ceases to amaze me what George
Lucas has wrought upon our culture. His accidental
masterpiece has turned into a colossal obsession for many.
Take these guys for instance. I've always thought of solid rocket
fuel rockets to be the domain of a precious few. It seems like
there is a certain type of person that congregates towards certain
types of hobbies. I say this because you can walk into a hobby shop
and you will usually find materials for model building, rc cars,
slot cars and rockets. I think this sort of hobby attracts the kind
of person who is good at something while also having the ability to
concentrate on precise tasks for long periods of time.
I used to build rc cars when I was 10. I still long to build a gas
powered one. I wasn't so much into rockets. But I have to admire
these guys. Being married and a father and having responsibilities,
your hobbies tend to become one of those things that's sacrificed.
Until your kids are old enough to share in those hobbies, you sort
of have to have an understanding wife who will give you the time to
go and essentially play.
This photo is not only a testament to these guys achieving, but
also to the women who are not in the picture, assuming that at
least some of them are married.
I remember a job I once had that was seeking out venture capital. I
remember the bosses wife bringing in the wife of the VC capitalist
to come look at us working. At the time, I was working with an 18
year old kid with coke bottle glasses. I basically looked like an
older, more brown version of this kid. We were working together to
try and get some code working.
Anyhow, this 'Paris Hilton's Mom' looking lady comes in with the
bosses wife and said, "Oh! Nerds!" Like it was cute. Like we were
there, presented like some sort of zoo exhibit. It really pissed me
off at the time. Mainly because I was working on a Saturday, for no
extra pay. I wasn't there to be a fish in an aquarium, to be
looked at with fascination.
Looking back, that whole scenario was just funny. Still, I have
fond memories of that gig.
I admit that I am a big nerd. I have always liked superhero movies. When I was in second grade and I got my report card, my Dad would buy me a comic book for every A I got in school. This was my motivation for doing well in school. As a result, I got a lot of comic books. My Dad started me off by showing me how to draw a little, but I got frustrated that I wasn't learning enough and he wasn't teaching me fast enough. So I would get sheets of typing paper and trace all the covers of those comic books. I had traced enough superheroes on the covers along with their logos that I was able to cover my bedroom walls from ceiling to floor with them. That's one of my most pleasant childhood memories. I am so looking forward to Iron Man. I am praying that it will be in the quality ballpark of Batman Begins or Spiderman 2. I was extremely disappointed with Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four 2, but I didn't have high hopes for those last two flicks to begin with. 
It never ceases to amaze me what George
Lucas has wrought upon our culture. His accidental
masterpiece has turned into a colossal obsession for many.
Take these guys for instance. I've always thought of solid rocket
fuel rockets to be the domain of a precious few. It seems like
there is a certain type of person that congregates towards certain
types of hobbies. I say this because you can walk into a hobby shop
and you will usually find materials for model building, rc cars,
slot cars and rockets. I think this sort of hobby attracts the kind
of person who is good at something while also having the ability to
concentrate on precise tasks for long periods of time.
