To know them is to love them: Understanding your students

One by one, the young students file into my classroom excitedly, chatting with one another. A couple of giggling girls rush in, at the last moment. They head for the front of the room and fight over the first seat. The heavier of the two wins out and the other girl sits down behind her.

"As slivers of dawn burst forth on the horizon,
I stand in the cool, wet sand."

"Class, my name is on the blackboard. I have written a couple of lines of poetry on there. I would like each one of you to come up, add another line to that poem and put your first name beside it, so I know who you are. On the way back to your seats, pick up the course outline from my desk."

I only know one student in the entire class. Freddie is a skinny young man, with a brush cut. He lives with his mom, just down the street. He looks at me as if to say, "Please, don't center me out."

I smile and nod at him. I should be counting fifteen students, but I can only count fourteen. Someone is missing.

"By the way, this is Creative Writing 101, just in case you are not in the right class."

Beth: "With one foot sinking."

A tall, slender girl adds another line to the poem. She looks like a New York fashion model, complete with huge, dark sunglasses and a silk shawl wrapped over her skimpy top. She puts her name beside her line of poetry and returns to her seat. I love her matching purse and sandals, but I am not happy about the way that she jangles her car keys.

Bob: "Help! I cry aloud, but no one hears."

That tall, well dressed, young man, with a slick Mohawk haircut, does not look like he needs help, but maybe he does. I am not certain that I like his tattoos or the huge ring in his nose. He has a black Zorrow mask, in his left, shirt pocket.

The back door opens quietly and a heavy girl with bright red and green streaks in her hair tries to sneak in, unnoticed. She takes a seat at the back of the room. The girl beside her whispers to her and she nods her head.

A hush descends over the room, as someone's cell phone begins to play the first couple of bars from a hit song. Someone laughs. I hear a young man talking quietly, but I have no idea who has the cell phone.

Cindy: :"There is only silence."

Cindy looks so stern that she could be a police officer, in spite of her red and green streaks. I realize that what I might have said, she written on the blackboard.

A short, chubby boy waddles up to the front of the room, carrying his cell phone.

"I am sorry," he says quietly. "My dad is a bush pilot and he has been missing for three days. My mom says they just found his plane."

"I am so sorry," I reply. "I hope that he is all right. Keep me posted. Use the vibrations setting on your phone. If it vibrates, go out in the hall to answer it, so it does not disturb the rest of the class. All right?"

He nods his head and heads for the blackboard.

Randy: "I still believe in hope."

"I do too," I decide, as I watch him writing on the board. He is scared. He picks up the course outline and heads back to his desk.

Suddenly, a loud crash comes from the far side of the room. A smartly dressed girl, in a blue jean outfit, hastily re-packs her belongings into her backpack. She is embarrassed by what the others have seen. I did not see what it was.

"The only things that you need on your desk are a pen and piece of paper," I state quietly and wait while everyone in the room clears their desks. "Put everything else under your seats in your backpacks, please. Oh, and write this poem down."

A heavy set young man with huge, bulging pockets moves towards the blackboard. I wonder what he has in his pockets. "Should I be concerned?" I wonder. He could be carrying anything.

Tim: "I am a gentle soul."

Amazed, I sense no cause for alarm. It is as if he has just read my mind and put me at ease by what he has just written. He pulls a water bottle out of his pocket and takes a sip. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Mindy: "A tiny hummingbird hovers overhead, momentarily."

I look to see who just wrote that. It is a very beautiful girl, with lovely long blonde hair, who is dressed in a well coordinated, burgundy outfit. I sense that she is shy. I like what she wrote and she knows it.

Franklin: "Another step and now, both feet are sinking."

I sense a cry for help, from this young man, too. He may need to see an eye specialist. He wears huge, thick glasses. He stumbles and almost falls, as he returns to his seat.

"Sorry," he says to the young man beside him.

"You ought to be!" he gets as a response, much to his dismay.

"I said I am sorry!"

Gregg: "Deeper and deeper, all the time."

This young man, badly in need of a haircut, wearing britches over his t-shirt and torn jeans, looks dirty and unkempt. He has forgotten to tie his shoelaces. He has some kind of cigars in his shirt pocket and literally reeks of something rancid.

Brittany: "I will help you."

This is carefully written by a tall, skinny girl with freckles and long pigtails. She smiles at me. "Welcome to our high school!" she whispers to me, as she bends over my desk to pick up a course outline. "I hope you enjoy teaching here. Maybe you can come over for supper sometime?"

"Thank you," I reply. "I appreciate the invitation and I may take you up on it."

The young man with the cell phone quietly leaves the room. He is receiving another telephone call. I am hoping that this is going to be good news and wonder if I should go out into the hallway to be with him. I decide to wait.

Leslie: "Grab this rope and hold on tight!"

This is the last thing that I expect to read from this girl, whose dark hair almost hides her face. Her purse hangs open and I am concerned about what I see inside. She quickly closes it and seems to be embarrassed, as well she should be.

Grant: "I've got it."

This young man is too heavy for his years. I decide that he will be going to see the health nurse, on a regular basis. He is dripping with perspiration, but I realize that it is still hot for September. He is over-dressed for this kind of weather.

Young Chi: "You should not have risked your life trying to rescue me."

This petite, Oriental girl stands straight and tall. She is almost as straight as her long black hair. "What a lovely girl!"

Freddie: "Thank you. I was sinking fast."

The young man from down the street pretends that he does not know me. That is all right. I understand. I have decided not to single him out in front of everyone.

Tamara: "The light of dawn shimmers on the ripples, like flickering stars."

This is the girl who did not get the front seat. I think I may just have found a creative writer, perhaps the only one in this class? Time will tell.

Gerald: "Put your hand in mine and we'll be together forever."

"A romantic," I smile and say to myself. "I wonder who he is in love with!"

"They found him!" Randy hollers to me excitedly, as he re-enters the room. Then he gets embarrassed. "Sorry!"

"Wonderful!" I reply. No one but Randy and I know the drama of the moment.

The bell rings.

"That was excellent work, class. Thank you! I will see you all again tomorrow and we will discuss this piece of poetry, then."

I watch them pick up their backpacks, leave the room and head down the hallway for their next class.

"How will I ever be able to understand all of them?" I wonder.

Randy waits until the room is empty. "He has a broken leg, but he is fine otherwise."

I quickly give him a hug.

To know them is to love them.

Are Laptops Beneficial in the Classroom?

Beyond the dinosaur mentality: Laptops are beneficial in the classroom

In this debate, I will argue in favor of laptops in the classroom. Having spent a considerable amount of time in classrooms, both as an educator and a student, I will suggest that the use of laptops in the classroom is beneficial, although there are those who will argue to the contrary, stating that the use of laptops is a distraction.

We have to acknowledge the reality that using laptops in the classroom is a relatively new phenomenon that has taken place, only in the last few years. At the same time, there is a trend toward the increasing use of laptops in classroom settings. This is because they are proving to be beneficial to professors, teachers and students, in many ways.

The introduction of anything new into a classroom setting has always been a reason for concern and may cause those locked into tradition, to oppose the changes. Many people including parents and even educators are afraid of computers and will not try to learn how to use them.

"Why do I need a computer?" they may ask. "Particularly a laptop?"

Times are changing rapidly, regardless of the dinosaur mentality of those who refuse to go with the flow of change.

"I am a dinosaur," they will argue. "Laptops in the classroom? Not for my children!" or "Not in my classroom!"

Certainly, there are issues that have to be dealt with, but these cannot and should not be the criterion 

for the introduction of laptops into the classroom.

For example, in order to have laptops, there has to be a network system that is functional and there will be cost involved in setting it up. There are going to be those who argue against the cost, but they would probably be the same ones, who would try to disallow the purchase of any other equipment for the classroom setting.

It is not that difficult in our day and age, to set up a network system that is fully functional for a classroom. Every student could have a laptop to use, once this is properly set up.

In the meantime, individual professors, teachers and students may need to operate their laptops on batteries alone. This can create problems, but at the same time, every person can take the responsibility for the operation of his or her own laptop. Extra batteries can be purchased easily or provided for the laptops. Battery chargers could be used, as well.

Technical issues could be a concern too, but these are certainly resolvable, as businesses manage to deal with technical problems, all the time. A technician could be hired by the education department to deal with this or each person could take the responsibility for his or her own laptop. They also need to take responsibility for any damages or loss of equipment.

Discipline and etiquette issues are important for any classroom, not just in a setting where laptops are used. It will always be the responsibility of the person in charge of a classroom, to maintain discipline. Etiquette is something that is  taught and learned.

It is relatively easy to set up rules and regulations for the use of laptops and this is certainly not beyond the scope of a true educator. If there is a course curriculum, the guidelines can be given to every person in the classroom. Classroom tutors or teaching assistants can assist with monitoring the use of laptops.

Distractions could include issues like surfing the Internet, but again this goes back to the discipline and etiquette realm. Students using e-mail communication while in class, could be an area of concern, but there can be time allotted for both Internet surfing and e-mail communication, as these are part of using laptops or desktop computers. This is certainly not sufficient reason to outlaw the use of computers.

The advantages of laptops in the classroom far outweigh the disadvantages. This is particularly true in terms of ongoing research and development.

Part of this whole issue goes back to the appropriate training of educators. At this point in time, there is resistance to training, but that is not something new or different. In every era, there are those who fight against more advanced training, arguing that it is not necessary or appropriate.

Instead of wasting time and energy arguing against the use of laptops in the classroom, a educator's time might be put to better use by introducing courses on "How to use laptops in the classroom", or "The effective management of laptops in the classroom". Courses could also be offered on topics like discipline and etiquette, Internet surfing and how to use e-mail communication properly.

Every person who is continuing to be educated, will need computer skills, at some point in time, so what better place is there to learn than in a classroom setting? Anyone who has ever used a laptop, knows that it is far superior to using many of the other, outmoded means of communication and education.

Those who argue against the use of laptops will be left behind as progress will continue, with or without them. There will always be those who continue to think like dinosaurs, but the majority of true educators are far beyond the dinosaur mentality and will realize that laptops are beneficial in the classroom.

How to Grow Rose of Sharon Plants

Immortality: The Rose of Sharon

One of my most challenging and rewarding landscaping experiences was an attempt to grow Rose of Sharon plants. I succeeded, much to my own amazement. I also recall photographing an ant sipping rainwater from the heart of one beautiful flowers, on my Rose of Sharon shrub, shortly after a summer shower.

The Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a vase shaped plant, from the genus Hibiscus and the plant family Malvaceae. (1)

The flowering shrub grows to approximately two to four meters in height, with flowers that may be white, pink, red, lavender or purple. They are edible and are excellent as cut flowers, because they last for a long time.

Some of the more common cultivars or cuttings that have been grown into shrubs are called Diana, Lady Stanley, Ardens, Lucy and Blushing Bride. (2)

The Hibiscus syriacus is also known as the Rose of Althea. (3)

In South Korea, the Hibiscus syriacus is their national flower. The Korean word "mugung" means "immorality" (4)

It has been considered a heavenly flower. It was initially adopted as the national flower after their liberation from Japan. (5)

Because of the many blossoms, it represents the Koreans "wish for long lasting national development and prosperity" (6)

It also depicts "the glories of the county with its trials and tribulations". (7)

In my own personal experience, I learned that the Rose of Sharon, more commonly called the hibiscus, will grow where it is very hot in the summer. It was hot, where I was living in southern Ontario.

I purchased my first Rose of Sharon shrub called "Diana", from a local garden center. It had been pruned to grow like a tree, with several small branches. It was about three feet tall, at the time and had a single white flower. (Note that the shrubs can be multi-stemmed, as they tend to grow small plants beside the main root.) The leaves were a healthy, light green color. (When it is hot, they tend to burn and may become brownish colored.)

I learned that the hibiscus could be started from cuttings, so whenever I had a cut flower that finished blossoming, I would leave it in the vase and let it root in the water. Once rooted, I would plant it in its own clay flowerpot. Over time, I gave a number of Rose of Sharon plants away, but could have planted them as a hedge.

I found out that the Rose of Sharon grows well in full sunlight. My shrub was planted in a relatively sheltered, landscaped area on a gentle slope, by the driveway, on the east side of the house. Initially, I planted it deep and surrounded it with compost and peat moss to retain its moisture. Then, I planted several small junipers around the shrub and built a rock pathway, through the area.

The place it was planted appeared to be difficult to landscape, as the soil seemed too dry and sandy to grow anything. To my amazement, this proved to be an excellent location for it. (The soil does need to be well drained to prevent fungal infections.)

It was not long before the first blossom came out and it was gorgeous to behold. Before long, the shrub was covered with blossoms that seemed to last forever.

I began to fertilize the Rose of Sharon, approximately every four to six weeks and watered it regularly, but not necessarily every day. It seemed to thrive. I soon found out that the stamen of the flowers produces pollen that attracts bees.

The Rose of Sharon, being a deciduous plant, normally sheds its leaves, at the end of the summer. I worried about whether it would survive the southern Ontario winter, as the temperature can be below freezing, for months at a time, so I mulched the shrub with leaves that had fallen from the maple trees, in the yard.

Much to my surprise, when spring came, the leaves on the Rose of Sharon began to sprout and it was not long before it had flowers, again. Year after year, I had a lot of enjoyment from my Rose of Sharon shrub, as it blossomed profusely.

If asked how to grow Rose of Sharon plants, I would highly recommend it to anyone as a flowering shrub and suggest that they follow these guidelines.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_syriacus

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibid.

(5) http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/en/korea/symbols/flower.html

(6) Ibid.

(7) Ibid.

Reflections: College is Easy if You Know How to Study

See and do: Reflections by a visual learner

"College is not always easy!"

Whoever ever said that college was easy? I learned that the hard way. 

Discerning one's learning style can make studying easier. 

Let me reflect upon my own personal experience, for a moment and you will begin to see what I mean.

A number of years ago, I realized that time was going to go by, whether I had anything to show for it or not. So, I decided to make the best use of my time that I possibly could and go back to school. I had no idea where to start, but decided to take some interest level courses.

I began taking a course in ceramics, as I wanted to learn how to paint figurines. By the time that I was finished the course, I knew how to paint Hummel figurines. With some help from my instructor, I managed to create several, lace-draped porcelain dolls and mastered the basics of folk art painting. These courses did not require a lot of studying. It was a matter of ‘see and do’.

Then, I enrolled in a pottery course. My work schedule was such that there was only one course that I could fit into my schedule. It was a fourth year class that was held one afternoon a week. I had never taken any basics in pottery, so I had my work cut out.

Over that next year, I learned how to work with clay on a potter's wheel to make basic, pottery, which included mugs, cups, bowls, flower pots and vases. I was taught how to use different glazes and learned firing techniques for pottery, as well as how to use both indoor and outdoor kilns. In order to complete this course, I had to learn how to make big plates and teapots. With some assistance from the instructor, I managed to pass the course. This course did not require a lot of studying, either. This was also a ‘see and do’ course, as well as a ‘hands on’ course.

At the same time that I started the pottery course, I enrolled in a beginner's course on how to play the organ. I had some experience playing by ear and knew a bit about reading music, but sight reading proved hard for me. No matter how much I studied music, it did not get easier. Trying to read three lines of music, at the same time as I played it, was not something that I could do well, no matter how much I practiced.

I learned that I could hear music and play some of it by ear, immediately. My hand-eye-foot co-ordination left something to be desired. My hands were stiff from working with the cold, hard clay.

I gradually became increasingly frustrated with sight reading, but I persisted and finally learned the piece of music that was required in order to pass my organ course. When I took my examination, I was shocked to learn from my instructor, that I had played the piece perfectly, in a different rhythm than it was written. I decided that this kind of studying was not for me, though it did involve ‘hands on’ experience. I learned that I could write music, but that was difficult for me, too.

I gradually became aware that although my hands were busy, my mind was searching for something more. I realized that I was yearning for mental stimulation, rather than mere creativity with my hands. At that point, I enrolled in a two-year counseling program. That is probably the best thing that I could have done. 

Over the next two years, I began to understand myself, my learning style and how complex studying can be.

The first evening of my counseling program in a communications course, we were paired off with other classmates. I began to talk with a young mother who was having a difficult time at home, because her daughter had been injured at school. Having been trained as a pediatric nurse, I began to counsel her.

We worked our way through the courses together, over the next two years. We both obtained our counseling certificates, while two thirds of the students in the class were eliminated in the statistics course.

"If you don't have the patience to do statistics," we were told by the professor, "You won't be an effective counselor."

We obviously had patience. Maybe we had learned it somewhere?

Personally, I had begun to take more and more notes. I had made massive notes in my statistics course and shared them with my classmate.

While I enjoyed the counseling program, the studying that was required did not come easy to me. As fast as I would learn something, I could start and learn it all over again. I found out that I did not have a photographic memory, like some of the other students. I began to realize that I was not a person who learned by listening to lectures, as much as I enjoyed them. What I heard flew in one ear and out the other.

Over time, I gradually learned how to write down only key points in a lecture. As I did that, I became aware that what I wrote, I would be able to recall. Then, I knew how to study. When I wrote, I learned. That was the secret.

A number of professors, who watched me take notes, told me that I did not need to do that. Some of them got angry at me for taking notes. I took notes anyhow. I would go back over them at night or before my exams. I gradually started to realize that what I wrote down was being written in my mind, at the same time.

It was not long before other students, who were not adept at taking notes, would check with me about course information, that they had not been able to record in class. I chuckled as I helped them. My notes may not have been well written in any structured format, but they were there. As time went on, I began to take better and better notes. My hand writing improved, as well.

It was not until many years later, that I was told by one of my professors, that I am a visual learner. He said that others can be auditory learners. Then, I understood why I had struggled so hard academically, for all of those years. But, I had instinctively done the right thing. I learned how to study by writing everything down, so that I could actually see the information.

To ‘see and do' something like ceramics, is only one of many ways to study. Learning what my learning style is helped me to study more effectively and it certainly made it easier for me to study. This will probably hold true for others, also.

What is the Ogopogo?

Ogopogo, unicorns and dragons: The mystery of the ogopogo

The mystery of the lake monster called Ogopogo, Naitaka (N'ha-a-itk) or the lake monster, originally sighted in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia (Canada) in 1860, still remains to be solved. (1)

While it appears that no one has been able to prove its reality, no one has been able to disprove this legend, either.

Ogopogo is classified with unicorns and dragons under the grouping of cryptid, coined by John E. Wall, in the year 1983. Both cryptozoologists and zoologists suggest that although there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest the reality of the lake monster, at this time, it is still insufficient to confirm, or prove this scientifically. (2)

"Where does this leave Ogopogo?" one must ask. "Is it real?"

Some also suggest that Ogopogo is a serpent-like-creature that has emerged from an underground channel of some kind, that is or was connected to the Pacific Ocean. The reason for the speculation has to do with the depth of Lake Okanagan (232 m) and its numerous shelves, with glacial and post-glacial sedimentary deposits.

It is not unrealistic to suggest that there might have been or still is, some kind of a water-filled, underground, passageway that connects Lake Okanagan to the Pacific Ocean. There is the possibility that the flow of water could have been blocked in some way, because of the movement of a glacier or numerous glaciers shifting over the centuries. There is no question that there are underground water channels, in various locations throughout the world. (3)

Lake Okanagan is now a fresh water lake, so the creature, however one might choose to refer to it, would 

now have to be able to live and breed in fresh water. The Pacific Ocean is salt water.

There is no evidence of any breeding, but in order for this to be perceived as a reality, the lake monster would have had to procreate. In other words, there would have to be more than one, now.

At some point in time, if the Ogopogo came to Lake Okanagan from the Pacific Ocean, it would have been a salt water creature, at that time. But, fresh water drains into the lake from glaciers, so a transition from salt water to fresh water might have been possible. Over the centuries, the sea monster could have undergone genetic modification of some kind, allowing it and its offspring to live and breed in fresh water. But, this is speculation, of course.

In 1926, Roy W. Brown, from the Vancouver Sun, suggested that "Too many reputable people have seen (the monster) to ignore the seriousness of actual facts." Archival records date back to the year 1872, but there have been recurrent sightings since that time. (4)

Some have suggested the possibility of a basilosaurus cetoides, which is a large serpentine-like sea creature that dates back to the end of the Eocene epoch of the Cenozoic era, around 34 to 35 million yeas ago. Fossils on the basilosaurus cetoides, suggest that this may be some kind of a whale. (5)

References by the Chinook, natives dwelling in the Okanagan area, suggest that this creature has been perceived in a negative light, as the wicked one, a great-beast-on-the-lake or a snake-in-the-lake that needed to be appeased, by being fed with animals. (6)

Numerous sightings give different descriptions of Ogopogo, but none of them seem to be consistent, other than the fact that the creature seen swimming in the water, was large and had a long neck and small head. (That is not totally unlike a description of some dinosaurs.) 

Some have suggested that this is merely the sighting of a log floating in the water. Others have suggested that there were footprints found in the area.

The styracosaurus shows a remarkable similarity in appearance to Ogopogo. Interestingly, it seems to have been regarded as serpent-like creature, as well. Some pictures of it suggest that it had a unicorn-like horn. (7)

The styracosaurus appears to have been related to the rhinoceros, which is a now water and land creature. 

The indricotherium had a long neck and ate leaves from trees. (8)

Dinosaur bones have been found as far inland as Alberta, in Canada, so it is not impossible that the lake creature is some kind of a descendant from a dinosaur. But, until fossils are found, it cannot be proven.

Meanwhile, the sightings appear to continue, but like unicorns and dragons, Ogopogo remains an unsolved mystery and a local tourist attraction.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogopogo

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptid

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Okanagan

(4) http://www.strangemag.com/ogopogo.html

(5) http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1386

(6) http://www.strangemag.com/ogopogo.html .

(7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styracosaurus

(8) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros

Philosophy: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

The Hen myth: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Philosophy, by its very nature, seeks answers to questions like this one.

"Which came first the chicken or the egg?"

It is one of life's oldest, unsolved mysteries. The following is a simple story, which may shed some light on this inquiry.

The hen myth

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a chicken. Her name was Hen.

"I am lonesome," Hen said to herself, silently. "It really does not seem fair to me, that I am all by myself, when all of the other animals in the whole wide world, already have someone else."

The creator heard her thoughts and gazed at her, from up above. After a moment of silence, he asked Hen quietly, "What is to be gained by giving you a partner? You seem to be just fine, all by yourself." 

He waited patiently for her reply. 

"That Hen is always complaining about something," he said to himself. "First it is the chicken feed. Never enough it seems, no matter how much I give her." 

No answer came, as he waited for her response.

"I am still waiting," he said. "Give me one good reason why I should give you a partner."

"She is forever pecking at something," he reminded himself. "She is worse than a woodpecker, sometimes. Her constant pecking is enough to give me a headache."

"Well, I don't know," said Hen finally. "Maybe because"

She brooded, for a moment longer.

"I am still waiting for your answer," the creator said, as he watched her brooding. "Then, she complains about the water, because she does not want to swim with the ducks," he reminded himself. "She is always clucking too! Never stops."

"I like to brood," said Hen. "But, I don't want to brood alone. Does that seem so wrong to you?"

"I actually think that you brood too much!" replied the creator. "You are always over anxious about something. Why are you so gloomy all the time?"

"It is not that I am gloomy," said Hen. "I am meditating."

"Meditating? You look like you are very worried and depressed," the creator replied. "You even sound that way when you cluck!"

"Well, wouldn't you be depressed, if you didn't have anyone else to cluck to?" asked Hen. "I am not asking for too much, am I?"

"I am wondering why I should create more hens like you, but then, if you are not gloomy, worried and depressed, maybe I should rethink my stance. There is nothing wrong with meditating. I like to do that, too. Let me brood about it, for a bit. I will get back to you on this."

So, Hen went about her chicken business, for the rest of the day. First, she went over to the feeder and filled her gullet.

"I guess I was hungry after all. Maybe my creator thinks I am over-indulging, I fill my gullet, but I always leave some food for the next meal. I never eat more than I should. I always have some to spare, even for the soggy ducks!"

Then, she took a sip of water. "I like water, but I don't like to swim in it. I never did like having wet feathers. It is bad enough when it rains. Do all birds have to swim?" she wondered. "I always keep myself clean! I even pick up tiny stones, with my beak. Well, that does help my digestion, too. I don't think there is anything wrong with that either."

Hen looked around.

"I always thought contemplation, brooding and introspection were good for my chicken soul. Besides that, what else do I have to do with my time, other than meditate? My broodiness may not be good, after all. Maybe I should get busy and put some more straw in here? That will make my brooder more comfortable and freshen it up a bit, too." She began to move the straw around with her feet. "Anyhow, it's time to redecorate this place."

"Perhaps I should make my brooder larger, just in case I do wind up with a partner. I really should make it big enough for two!"

She began picking up tiny pieces of straw and piled them high. "That is beginning to look quite comfy!"

Hen smiled and clucked happily, as she worked at enlarging her brooder. "I wonder what my creator is going to say, when he sees it?" she wondered. "Maybe I should wash my feet more often too, so that the straw stays clean. I have such funny feet."

She laughed aloud, for the very first time.

"I think I will preen my feathers as well, so that I look good, when my creator comes back again. If I had a comb"

Hen laughed aloud again.

"I just know that I am going to get a positive answer from my creator!"

The creator smiled, as he looked down and listened to her laughter. "I am going to give you something to really laugh about," he decided. "It will come as a complete surprise."

He chuckled.

"If nothing else, I am learning patience." Hen said, as she waited some more. "I am definitely going to change my behavior," she decided. "It is such a gorgeous, sunny day! I am going to sit here and enjoy it, regardless of what kind of an answer I get from my creator." She waited and waited. As she sat there, she felt something very strange happening.

"Hmm," said her creator. "I really don't need two old hens that cluck all day. Is she ever going to be in for a surprise, when she realizes, that I just created an egg for her to hatch. She can just sit there on it. It will hatch, if she has the patience to wait. If not, she is out of luck."

The creator laughed aloud.

"In my master plan for creation, I still have a whole bunch of tricks up my sleeve."

He watched her meditate.

"This is hilarious! I have decided that this, tiny chick that I have given her, will be a rooster. I gave him a bright red comb. If she is a good mother, maybe I will even give her a few more chicks, later," the creator thought to himself. "I love to create and I really do love all of my creations!"

The creator rollicked with laughter, in anticipation of the event. He continued to observe Hen, from up above.

She moved around in the brooder, trying to get more comfortable. Suddenly, she realized that she was sitting on something very hard, that was partly hidden, deep in the straw. "This is huge!" she said, looking at the egg, with total amazement. "What kind of a rock is this?"

"This is a first. I am keeping that rock," she decided after a while. "It is much too big for me to move and besides that, it keeps me warm or am I keeping it warm?" she asked herself. "Where did it come from?"

Twenty days later, Hen was still waiting patiently for her answer. "I wonder where my creator is," she wondered. "He promised me an answer and I have been so patient!"

The very next day, Hen realized that something else was happening. The rock beneath her started to vibrate. "Oh, no!" she said, as she heard a cracking sound. "I must have broken it."

The Creator roared with silent laughter.

"What on earth?" Hen was startled. "Oh, my!" she said to herself.

"That should keep her busy for a while," the creator said to himself. "She won't have time to brood now. She is not going to sleep in the brooder all day, either. That little rooster is going to get her up, every single morning. He will sit on the fence and crow at her, as soon as the sun comes up! I will keep her busy laying eggs, too."

"Brooding is going to take on a whole new light!" Hen decided. 

And it did!

The moral of this story leads us into another, important philosophical question.

"Would a creator, who truly loves his creation, create a chick, without a mother to nurture it?" 

In philosophy, there is nothing more exciting, than to posit an answer for a question that leads right into another question. Such is the nature of a philosophical debate.