life beyond the well…

Category Archives: Life


by 2 Comments

Equal Opportunity and Equal Desire

Today my students and I traveled to Wilmington to visit the campus of UNC-Wilmington. I must admit that I was extremely impressed by everything the school had to offer. There were tons of amazing resources on campus- from their student center, to the building that housed their School of Education, to the 14 dining locations on campus (so they’ll never be hungry in college- LOL).

During the tour and our lunch I talked with students to gauge their feelings about the campus. Unfortunately, most of them felt that it was “too different” for them.

All of this led me to wonder- what good is equal opportunity without equal desire? Now this is not to say that my students don’t want to go to college- they do. But I struggle to understand why they would want to be in an environment that is so much like where they come from for their 4 years of college. How can you grow if you’re always surrounded by what’s similar/familiar?

As a teacher/counselor, how do I push my students to consider the many options that are available to them?

And seriously- what good is the equal opportunity they have if they don’t want it/desire it?


by 1 Comment

Book Review: “The Butterfly Effect”

It’s easy to believe that there’s no consequence for our actions. In many circumstances, we can function independently of others, never knowing how our words or our actions have had an effect. However, Andy Andrews’ explains that life is much more than that in “The Butterfly Effect.”

I previously reviewed Andy Andrews’ book “The Noticer”, and I enjoyed the simple way that Andrews relates to the reader through his writing. This feeling hasn’t changed after reading “The Butterfly Effect”. While in “The Noticer”, Andrews highlights the value of paying attention to details, in “The Butterfly Effect”, he emphasizes the value of these details, particularly within our actions.

“The Butterfly Effect” is a wonderful gift book, that would be ideal for those who question their purpose in life, or those entering transitions (graduates, retirements, etc.). It is a wonderful reminder to us that God has created each of us for a purpose, and that every detail and every part of our life matters.