Run On

I thought I would post a bit of an update on my running. Being here at the beach has been a huge blessing for my running. As I like to say/think...I am living the life.
Living the Life has a certain meaning to it within the running community. Basically it means you sleep, eat and run. And that is my life currently.
It has been an interesting Journey since May of 2001, when I began running...

• May of '01 I opened the newspaper and saw an add for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 10K in late July. I told my girlfriend(one Melissa Barber) "I am going to run this" She said "how far is it?" "I dunno" I replied. Well, later discovered it was 6.2 miles and I did run it. 37:58 . 39th place. Age group - 1st place.
• That was it - I was hooked. I had not had a lot of positive feedback in my other athletic endeavors...but this??!! This was awesome.
• Oct '01 - Columbus Marathon - 2:52
• April '02 - Boston Marathon - 2:56
• Oct '02 - Columbus - 2:41 26 miles on my 26th bday, good for 26th place!
• Oct '03 - Columbus - 2:34 13th place
• Have not run one since.
• '04 - injury
• '05 - a great running year...big miles, fastest race times, but an overtraining injury in Oct when I was preparing to run the Philly marathon in Nov.
• '06 - it has been an interesting year. I was getting in good shape...then ouch -

• I fell in April. That set things back a bit. I got back to running, but then I had a lot of distractions...end of the school year, moving, etc... All sorts of things. But I am now here in Strathmere, NJ Living the Life.

A quick update of my last three weeks...

1. July 3 - 9 : 90 miles, Pitman Four Mile race - not good
2. July 10 - 16 : 100 miles, Avalon 5 mile race - went ok, still slow
3. July 17 - 23 : 108 miles, Avalon 5K - still slow...

This week I have been heading to the track to start putting some speed in these legs. We will see...I am running another 5K, in Atlantic City, this Sunday. Normally I would never race this much, but I have only run ONE race this year, before July. Also, I am using them as workouts. The 'plan' is to run Philly in Nov, IF I stay healthy. Let's pray so...

Run On and God Bless

Bethel Prep

Melissa and I are extremely excited for the beginning of Bethel Prep! It is a unique and challenging opportunity. We have already met four times as a staff. We are undergoing training this summer to prepare for the school year. A few interesting things about BP...

• Our first day will be September 5th. We will have three one week breaks during the school year. One in November(Thanksgiving), one in January, and one in April. We take a week off at the end of each quarter. We also get a week for Christmas.
• We will begin with about 30 students. Three or four teachers. We currently have three teachers, we might add a fourth if we get enough kindergarteners.
• We will use the Principle Approach. You can read about it on the website. It is really tough to sum it up in a nutshell. I like it because I believe that it creates to students who love to learn. And it uses proven methods. It is interesting to me because I have taught for 6 years. In those 6 years I have heard so many different ideas and methods on how to teach. But here is my question "Do people learn differently now than they did 10, 100 or 1000 years ago?" In other words, are our brains wired differently now? I do not think so. Now, I am not talking about learning styles(visual, auditory,etc...) I am talking about all of the different methods that have been applied in the last 25 or so years. Everyone is looking for a better way for to teach. But how we learn has never changed. WHAT we learn(content) changes, but not how. Thus, the Principle Approach returns to how people learn best and creates students who love to learn.
• Because the student loves to learn, he or she takes ownership and is in control.
• The teacher becomes a "Master" teacher for his or her subject or grade. More of a "professor" than a teacher. I will do this by researching my subject using primary sources, and then developing my own curriculum. Basically writing my own textbook.
• However, the coolest and best thing...?? I get to talk about GOD!! No more hinting and hoping that my students pick up on the Christian ideas that I try to quietly mention or allude to. I get to teach about the Creator. More on this later.

If you have any questions, email me.

WOW! What a great class and what a great year! I have never taught a more talented class than this bunch. I already miss seeing everyone. Graduation was a lot of fun, but I was sad to see this group go. The talent in the pic to the left is amazing. There are lawyers, doctors, athletes, veterinarians, you name it, all in this class picture. Of course they know how it have a little fun too...

And this is what happens when Mrs. Melahn gives them too much sugar...

I want to thank all of the students for their hard work!!! And all the parents for their help and support.

THE GIFT...words cannot express how thankful I am for the end-of-year gift. I think this pic shows my shock...

THANK YOU! AND THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR.

KEEP IN TOUCH!