Internship Insights

I have been a horrible blogger. This is ironic, because I love to write. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as one may look at it, I have been excessively busy. It isn't the kind of busy where I am constantly productive either. A lot of it has been 'putting in hours'. I am almost done with my Master's Degree and to finish it up I need to get a whole lot of internship hours. I have all school year to do this, but I am a little bit neurotic about getting things accomplished and have probably overdone some of my hours. I am a fourth of the way done, and I am only one month into school.
I do this for a reason, get much done now and have less to do later. I hope however in the process I keep my life in balance.

I am thankful for my wife who is consistently supportive of me in this. I am thankful for my children who miss me during the long days that I have had recently. Just knowing that they wish I was around make my heart a bit tender. I have wonderful children.
During this internship time I have been learning about the job of a school principal: high school and elementary. I have seen and am seeing how much goes on behind the scenes of a school that is never appreciated, or even realized by not only parents and students, but even the teachers. Administrators earn their money. Extra hours, demands of all involved, and a scheduled that as planned as possible never seems to really go as planned. These aren't bad things. I have found them, in my small experience as an intern, to be really enjoyable.
Education isn't just about children learning. It is keeping teachers educated, helping parents know how to best teach, befriending members of the community, and learning to find ways where parties can come to agreements when agreement doesn't seem initially possible.
I have new respect for the school administrator.
Which is why the counsel given by the Lord in D&C 121 rings even more true to me. The end of this section, in my opinion is the perfect format for leadership. In any given situation, the principles are solid. This section is dealing with Priesthood authority in the church and home. But any authority that is given to us in our communities or church will flourish when these principles area applied to them:

 "Hence, many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned. By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile. Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou has reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; That he may know that they faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death. Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish they thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon they soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and they scepter and unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever (v. 40-46)."
I had a student I was helping to behave last night ask me why I wasn't more aggressive. I asked him later why he was. It was a bit of a humorous exchange, but I thought about it. I didn't need to be aggressive. I needed to be calm and patient. The student knew he was a bit out of line, he knew what my job was, and things were fine. I see too often situations handled with anger or 'authority' and little good comes of it. I have found also that most of the time, people just need to feel a little proximity to those put in leadership to realize they need change certain behaviors.
I think the Lord works this way. There is no force. There is no compulsion. There is just His presence and his principles he has lined out for us. Certainly there is rebuke when it is needed, but as the scripture says, there is "an increase of love" "That [we] may know that [His] faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death v. 43-44)."
Reading scriptures, praying, serving, attending church, these things keep us in the proximity of the Lord. When we feel we are close to Him, it is easier to watch our choices and our treatment of others.
Getting back to God isn't a complicated process. It involves simple steps, it only gets harder when we cease habits that put us within the proximity of our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
So see...I am learning something from all these internship hours! I love working with the students, teachers, and parents. It is not always easy to help people and 'keep the peace', but it can be done with effort, and revelation (yes, even in a public setting!).
I am also learning, that I need to balance things out better. I seem to always be thinking and striving for balance, and yet the application has yet to fully come!
Thankfully I have a supportive, beautiful wife who keeps me going and keeps me positive. If anyone on this earth loves me outside of my parents, I know it is her, and I am a blessed man because of it. She exemplifies womanhood and I will brag her up forever!