Piece #42 - Names and Faces

Being a teacher as long as I have and seeing thousands of students over the years, I have a terrible habit of trying to remember names. There have been times when I run into a former student and I want to so badly try to remember their name, but dejectedly I usually end up having to be refreshed on their name...and many times which school they attended! I really feel disappointed when the student is looking at you in hopes that I would remember everything about them. I guess I can remember when I was younger and I'd see my former teachers and some of them would remember my name (though I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing). Although, I have had other teachers not remember my name, but they remember me by my face. So to all my students that I've had or will have, I apologize if I can't remember your name, but understand I will probably recognize you by your appearance.

I have noticed that as my wife has gotten older, many people don't realize it's her. I honestly don't know what it is that stumps most of her old acquaintance, but many of them just don't realize it's my wife. She has admitted to me though that she likes it that most of those people that knew her don't recognize any more. I can understand why because it gives her privacy that if she was discovered then she would be obligated to have to strike up a conversation with them. I guess in some ways I have the same point of view. There are a few times when I am really curious on how some of my former students are doing, but now there is a great invention that I like that helps me a great deal with this problem and it's called...Facebook! I have several old students on my friends list, but I do have a rule that I never have current students as friends because I think that tends to cross a line with student-teacher relationship that needs to be kept in a professional manner.

The only difficulty that I run into is when I see someone out in public and I'm very sure it is certain I recognize, but it ends up being the wrong person. I've made that mistake were I was so sure on a person I'd actually walk up to the person and talk to them like I knew it was them; only to look like a complete fool when I find out I'm wrong. So I've noticed that I will not approach anyone unless they approach me first, but I'm starting to doubt my own ability to judge people's faces anymore. One other thing I've noticed is that when I'm driving or if I need give directions, I have to use landmarks. I'm really bad about street names so it's hard for me to give anyone directions to my own house! It can really drive me crazy! (Pardon the Pun.)

Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:

Song: "All the Right Moves"

Artist: OneRepublic

Album: Waking Up

Here's a picture taken at Kauffman Stadium before the Royals game. I could imagine that there were a few people that I knew would be at that game, the brain twister is that I would never know.

Here's the music video for you from my Song of Inspiration! Enjoy!

Piece #111 - First Impressions

"You already know that making a good first impression can go a long way. But forget all the advice you've received about dressing to impress or putting on a cheesy smile. Turns out, the true secret to building a lasting connection reaches much deeper than what you wear." "According to Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor who has researched first impressions for more than 15 years, everyone (consciously or subconsciously) asks two questions when they meeting someone new: Can I trust this person? And can I respect this person?" This quote comes from Reader's Digest and I actually found this rather compelling because I never really heard of this before. I've addressed this topic of first impressions in the past but, I have to admit that this idea is interesting. I guess since you hear a lot of things from a smile, the outfit or what you say make the difference; however these two questions have me a little perplexed. I think it depends on the ...

Broken Piece #2 - Susan Boyle

For those of you who are not sure who is Susan Boyle, she was the second place winner to the show "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009. She sang the famous song from Les Misérables "I Dreamed the Dream". Since the show, Susan had been making guest appearances on a variety of shows and recorded several albums. Susan's first album alone broke several chart-records and was very well received around the world. I believe why she had such incredible appeal was because she was a perfect representative of all the 'regular people' in the world. She didn't come in flashy or striking but, modest and humble. When a person like Susan is thrown into the whirlwind of concerts, parties, media, and money, it's very difficult to stay grounded and not having your own personal world torn apart. Sadly for Susan Boyle, her tiny universe is crumbling. First, she did have a health scare when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes that prompted her to lose weight. Se...

Piece #1 - The Beginning

I guess like embarking on any puzzle, it must always starts with the first piece. So to begin, I have Asperger's Syndrome, in other words I'm Autistic, and so this literature will be about my struggles with this disorder as an adult. I was first diagnosed back in the summer of 2004. If it wasn't for my twin daughters, I might not have ever known all the questions I have ever had in life; to them, I will always be in their debt. Growing up, you are never really aware of any differences until the judgment years...6th thru 12th grade of school. A time when one always tests their own humanity against others; meaning, how will I measure up against other students. In my eyes I seemed to be just like them; two arms and legs, ten fingers and toes, head and body...nothing unusual. Yet, for some reason, I was treated a little different than everyone else. That's one of those things that you can't quite put your finger on, but I observed on many occasions how kids would talk...

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