Thanks Yoda!

I love Star Wars – the first three movies.  Or Episodes IV, V and VI I guess…You know the ones with Mark Hammill, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford.  In case you don’t remember, Yoda is a Jedi Master or he’s reached the highest level of understanding the Force.  He’s a green and troll-like.  His cadence of speech is almost like an old, New York Jew.  He is full of wisdom, quips and anecdotes.  Honestly, I think he is full of AWESOME.  Despite being a fictional philosophy/religion, “The Force” has some great principles:  Sure it has its fanciful qualities like controlling the thoughts of others, using your mind to move large objects, detecting a “disturbance” in the Force (OK, I kinda think that one is real) and the dead communicating with the living.  But in terms of useful tenets the Force holds that evil exists and that people have to do all they can to resist and defeat it.  Those who follow the Force are self reliant, honest, confidant and have to disregard what others think.  They have to have large amounts of integrity.  In my book these are all great qualities to instill in children -especially boys. 

Bruce takes his first standardized test next week.  WTH!!!  Don’t even GET ME STARTED!  First graders taking a standardized test is ludicrous and ill-conceived in my opinion.  In class they have been taking many practice tests lately.  Bruce shared that the class gave him the dreaded “thumbs down” and did the “shame on you” sign to him.  Apparently there was a series of instructions that he failed to follow resulting in the class gestures.  We talked it over and I asked him, “Bruce are you going to listen and follow directions tomorrow?”  He answered, “I’ll try.”  And I replied with my favorite Yoda quote: “Do or do not.  There is no try!!!!”

Thanks Yoda for the wisdom.

On the way to school this morning he amended his story.  He said that the class didn’t give him thumbs down or the “shame on you.”  Mrs. Welch just instructed him to listen.  Yeah, we’re gonna work more on that honesty quality too. 

Check this our for more of Yoda's wisdom.