April 25, 2016

Textbook Bridge is Falling Down


On Friday, my classmates and I had an engineering task of making a bridge out of paper, tape, straw, and paper clips. The objective was to make a bridge that could hold as many textbooks as possible. My team came up with this design that was able to sustain a whopping 18 textbooks before collapsing. Who knew paper and straw could be so dense and resilient!

I like this picture because it symbolizes to me the workload and pressure that everyone in my cohort carries every day. Spring quarter is a tricky quarter since we're trying to finish the school year, academic and student teaching, while trying to find our first teaching job for next year. In fact, 6 out of 16 students were away for interviews on that Friday. Two have already accepted offers. I have yet to get started.

I think I'm burnt out. I'm sick of "holding up so many textbooks" in the midst of so much uncertainty. I still have a bunch of work to do and I don't even know if I've passed my CSET, if LAUSD will inform us about the rumored hiring freeze, or if I'll get hired at a decent school. As I told my small group last week, uncertainty is uncomfortable, and I feel like I've been uncomfortable for quite some time now.

But discomfort keeps you close to God. You're pushed to constantly ask for help. And so you pray. And we know that He listens.

Even if the bridge collapses, it'll all work out somehow.

Thought of the Day: Science Practices
Song of the Day: Maxence Cyrin-Where Is My Mind