CHICAGO, IL (February 17, 2016) — Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.
Former Playwright’s Teaching Method Adds Up to Better Math Students
This is a story of hope. It’s also a good reminder about how often we tend to pigeonhole each other and even ourselves—whether it be regarding our ability to do math or other areas of our lives.
From the article: “Mighton has identified two major problems in how we teach math. First, we overload kids’ brains, moving too quickly from the concrete to the abstract. That puts too much stress on working memory. Second, we divide classes by ability, or ‘stream,’ creating hierarchies which disable the weakest learners while not benefitting the top ones.”
This Foster Father Only Takes in Dying Children
Mohamed Bzeek is a man of immense compassion. This is a must-read beautiful story.
From the article: “Of the 35,000 children monitored by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, there are about 600 children at any given time who fall under the care of the department’s Medical Case Management Services, which serves those with the most severe medical needs, said Rosella Yousef, an assistant regional administrator for the unit.… ‘If anyone ever calls us and says, “This kid needs to go home on hospice,” there’s only one name we think of,’ said Melissa Testerman, a DCFS intake coordinator who finds placements for sick children. ‘He’s the only one that would take a child who would possibly not make it.’”
How to FedEx a Giant Panda
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. is returning a panda that has been on loan from China. It’s not easy.
From the article: “A keeper and veterinarian from the zoo will travel along with the panda to keep her as safe and comfortable as possible. For the last several months, they’ve been gradually helping her become accustomed to being inside the shipping crate, giving her treats as she walked through it, and then eventually closing the door.
America’s New Ministers
Laypeople are doing more ministry in many churches, according to the article. And that’s a good thing.
From the article: “Today, sheer force of necessity impels churches toward what was in the 1950s and early 1960s promulgated as the meaning of the church—that is, the active ministry of the laity,” says E. Brooks Holifield, professor emeritus of American church history at Emory University in Atlanta and author of “God’s Ambassadors: A History of the Christian Clergy in America.” “It didn’t catch on then, but it’s catching on more now.”
You’re Never Alone at the Museum of Broken Relationships
It’s just around the corner from the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. While pondering who would actually visit this museum—or donate items to it—I am struck by how long people held onto these items that represent their heartbreak. Also, it’s a reminder of how the commonplace can be filled with meaning.
From the article: “This museum cuts through to the truth of the human experience now like a scalpel. I think that it’s a very sophisticated, conceptual art museum even though maybe the objects that compose it themselves individually might not be necessarily considered art,” says Alexis Hyde, the director of the museum.
Don’t just take her word for it. In a 2016 article, one writer opined, “The Museum of Broken Relationships opened up to the press on Tuesday, and it is a stunning feat of artistic, storytelling genius.”
