Fall - Final Week (and hike debrief and a bonus challenge)

 

I hope everyone had a happy, cold, wet, difficult hike! I hope it was an experience you can look back on and see parallels to your own life.

 Since we couldn't get a fire started, here is a picture of a fire where some "burdens" are being made "light."

 But don't worry, I will give you an opportunity to carry those burdens again on an upcoming hike, in the snow, to make them light (and warm us up!)

 Please do the following this week: 

1. Write a comment in the comment section below about something you learned on the hike. Feel free to comment on other people's comments.

2. Post your revised papers on the discussion blog and comment on some other people's papers. (At the end of the year, we will put together a yearbook that will contain, with your permission, pictures, some of your favorite quotes, your definitions of happiness, and your goals or happiness plans - so make this writing something you will want to look back on to help you move forward).

 3. Make a presentation to inspire others to seek happiness in the ways that really help it grow. You will present this to our families on Friday. I will try to film you for the blog too. This presentation should include:
A) Your testimony about happiness (how you understand it so far and why, as well as your experience with it) and
B) Something you are working on (a talent, a weakness, a goal) that grows your joy and your explanation of why it grows your joy.

4. Optional bonus challenge!!! During testimony meeting, share your testimony about God's Plan of Happiness, His Son's role, and the true nature of happiness as you understand it so far.

Answers to FAQ about presentations:
-Ideas for presentations: A memorized speech, a slide show, a video, a poster, art, poetry, a song, an object lesson, an activity, a game, or anything else that teaches others what you have come to know and experience about true happiness.
-Yes, you may combine A and B if you want to (your testimony with the talent that grows your joy). Please feel free to call me with any other questions!

 

Fall - Week 8: Due Oct. 23rd

From lds.org - A Summer with Great Aunt Rose

We won't have class this Friday, but your papers will be due that day. I will send feedback by the following Tuesday and you will be asked to comment on each others' papers by the following Friday the 30th - when we are meeting.)

1. Review this semester's readings and write a happiness plan:
For our final writing of the semester, we will be making a personal happiness plan. You can use your process paper and adapt it to yourself if you would like. Here is an example of what I mean: My Steps to Happiness. This final writing will need to include at least:

• One quote from Plutarch
• One quote from Plato OR Tolstoy
• One quote from Stevenson
• One scripture
• One quote from Maxwell, or another church leader
• What holds you back, personally, and what you plan to do about it.

This is easier than it may sound since most of you have already written your favorite quote from each of these readings. We will be using this final writing to help us with our final presentation to our families on November 6th.

2. Watch or read: A Summer with Great-Aunt Rose by Elder Uchtdorf. I am asking you to watch this, not only because of the happiness principles through the talk, but because I want you to pay attention to his method. Notice how he uses art and story to relay his message. Notice what that does for us as the hearers. You will be sharing happiness principles on the 6th in a creative way as well. People are becoming increasingly visual and guided by what "feels right and beautiful" in our culture, so it is important that we learn to share truth in a way that they can "see" through vivid stories, art, music, symbols, visual aids, etc.

3. Email me any ideas you have about what you would like to do for your presentation on November 6th:
For your presentations, I will ask you to share do two things: First, present your happiness plan in some way (speech, Prezi, song, poem, Powerpoint, skit, video, poster, craft, etc). Second, share something your are currently working on that gives you joy and share why it gives you joy (it could be a talent, or a weakness you are trying to improve).

Fall Week 7 - Biography and Scenarios Continued

We missed almost half of you in class on Friday, but since Friday's class was important in understanding the nature of happiness, I am asking for those who weren't there to do just a little make up work (it shouldn't take you longer than 15 minutes). Then you can work on next week's inspirements.  If you were in class, scroll down to "Inspirements" after the make-up work.

If you were not in class Friday:
Make up work-

Watch: In class we discussed the article Infinite in Love and conference. Some of the youth thought it would be fun to ask each other what scripture we have "Ponderized" that week in future classes. We then watched the following video that I would like you to watch at home (even if you've already seen it):



After the video, we talked about why a loving God would let these things happen and what it the refiner's fire has to do with happiness and whether we could be happy through a refiner's fire.
We talked about how sometimes videos about trials make us anxious about the trials that we will have to face some day. So we discussed what we could do so we could face the future without fear:

Write:
We had a reflection. Here is what you need to reflect on at home if you weren't in class:
a)What are some of your "selfishness triggers" -things that tend to put you in a selfish mindset (stress, overwhelm, hunger, being tired, free time being infringed on were some that were mentioned).
b)After identifying your selfishness triggers, list some principles of happiness that can help you when you notice one of these triggers is putting you in a selfish mindset.

Watch:
We then watched the following video that you can watch at home (even if you've seen it before):



We talked about how if we practice being unselfish with the triggers we have now, we will be strong and immovable when other, perhaps even bigger, trials come our way. Through anything we encounter through our lives, we can be calm, like Elder Nielson and we need not fear.


Everyone:
Inspirements:
1. If you have not yet done so, comment on 5 or more people's process papers on the discussion blog. If your final process paper is not yet on the blog - post it by Tuesday. You will be using your process paper for your final writing assignment  in a couple of weeks so be sure to get them finished!
2. Write the principles you would apply to last week's scenarios on this link on google docs (I added a couple more on the list) - we will have everyone's answers on the same page and start creating a class list of principles.
3. Read: A biography about someone who chose happiness in difficult circumstances.
4. Write: As you read, write down the principles of happiness they applied in their lives. Be prepared to share one experience from their life in which they chose real happiness over pleasure or ease and what the outcome was of that choice. It might be fun if you share it in some creative way - make a drawing of the situation, or a stick-figure cartoon (graphic summary), song, or whatever you think might be fun. This is optional, but it may make it a more interesting class time if we have some of you present the situation creatively.

Preview for next week:
If you would like to know what you need to do for our last week of class (Oct 23) before our final presentations to our families (Nov 6), here are the next week's inspirements. You don't have to complete these this week, but I am posting them so you can start thinking about them before next week and you can let me know if you have any questions. Some of you asked if we were having class the day of the "Into the Woods" performance (the 23rd). I will check with parents and see if we can move class that day to Thursday (October 22) or Friday (October 30th).

1. Review this semester's readings and write a happiness plan:
For our final writing of the semester, we will be making a personal happiness plan. You may use your extended definition paper or process paper and adapt it to yourself,  or you can write something new if that is better for you. I will post an example of this by Monday if you need one. This final writing will need to include at least:

• One quote from Plutarch
• One quote from Plato OR Tolstoy
• One quote from Stevenson
• One scripture
• One quote from Maxwell, or another church leader

 This is easier than it may sound since most of you have already written your favorite quote from each of these readings. The quotes can be put in quote boxes somewhere in your paper (as decorations to what you are saying) -  or you can add them as quotes if they fit in within the paper. We will be using this final writing to help us with our final presentation to our families on November 6th.

2. Email me any ideas you have about what you would like to do for your presentation on November 6th:
For your presentations, I will ask you to share two things: First, present your happiness plan in some way (speech, Prezi, song, poem, Powerpoint, skit, video, poster, craft, etc). Second, share something your are currently working on that gives you joy and share why it gives you joy (it could be a talent, or a weakness you are trying to improve).

Fall: Week 6 - Scenarios

I am sorry about cancelling class today. I was really looking forward to a cool activity I wanted to do with you. We had some things come up so I am going to ask you to do this activity at home and we will discuss it online and in class next week.

I was going to break you up into 3 groups and give each group different scenarios of unhappy people. Your challenge was going to be to find a principle that you have learned from any of your readings and experiences that would help the person in that scenario.

It might actually work better to do this at home because it will give you some more time to go through your notes and readings to remind yourself of the happiness principles you have discovered.

I will write the scenarios below. Again, your challenge is to find a principle that would help the person in that scenario. If you can reference where you learned that principle (scripture, reading, experience) that would be best.

Here are this week's inspirements:

1. Do the scenario worksheet below (I will also email these) and bring them to class.
2. Write one of your favorite quotes from conference below.
3. Rewrite your Process Paper after I give you feedback and put it on the discussion blog (I am happy to offer additional feedback if you'd like before you post it). If you need another invite to the discussion blog, let Cassia know: spicedoodle@gmail.com
*Note: Make sure you have evidence to back up your opinion when you rewrite your Process Paper. This doesn't have to be scientific evidence (though it can be), it can also be evidence from your own experience or the experience of others you have read about. Words of prophets or wise men are also evidence, but make sure you share your personal experience of living what they teach so you can add an additional witness of the truthfulness of their words. If you don't have personal experience of what you are writing  - apply what you are preaching this week so you can share your witness of it's truth.
4. Make comments on at least 5 other people's papers on the discussion blog before Friday.
5. After conference, refine your goals if needed and the way you want to track them. Bring your ideas to class.
6. If you have time this week, read the biography you chose. This will need to be read in two weeks.

Scenario Worksheet:

Your challenge:

Look for the happiness principles that would help you go through each of these situations with a joyful heart. Look for principles you have learned in your reading, discussions and notes. Another way to think of this is think of what advice you would give someone who was struggling with these situations.  As you discover or remember a principle you know to be true, write it down on a page you title “Happiness Principles”.

Last of all, write your own scenario in which you struggle to find happiness and look for a principle you can apply to your life that will help you live more after the manner of happiness. Write it down and work on it for the next few weeks.  

Scenarios:

You wake up determined to have the Spirit with you that day. You read your scriptures, say your prayers and are ready to go and do some good in the world. Then you leave your room and you remember an assignment due that day that your forgot to the night before, you realize it is your day to do the dishes and they are stacked up really high, you begin to feel really stressed and your siblings run into the room fighting. You yell at them to be quiet and then realize that you already failed in your determination to have the Spirit with you all that day.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You wake up and step in bowl filled with milk and cereal that was left on the floor by a sibling, you clean that up and go upstairs to find a list of chores your mom wants you to redo because they were not done to her standard. Then you go to seminary and everyone ignores you, even when you tried to start a conversation. You get home and you find that the paper you took 3 hours to write was not saved and someone cleared it off the computer.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You have worked hard to get into a prestigious school. You have done all you could to prepare and you think your chances are pretty good. You receive a denial letter.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You feel a deep gloom settling over your life for the last few days and you can’t seem to snap out of it. You have tried service, prayer and reading your scriptures, and while those things help you mentally know that things will be okay – you can’t shake the feeling of sadness, gloom and lack of motivation that are pushing on you.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You learn that a close friend has passed away. You know you will see them again, but you feel a deep sense of loss for the companionship you have lost in this mortal life.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You make a list of righteous goals and are excited for the challenge of improving yourself. You work hard on them the first day, you struggle with them the next day, by the 3^rd day you realize you are too weak to be the kind of person you long to be.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You hear some people talk about things they don’t like about you when they don’t know you are listening.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You are working hard all day long, but don’t seem to be happy. You wonder why, despite your diligence to do so much, you find yourself stressed and unhappy much of the time.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You notice that when you are pleased with your performance you feel good about life, but when you don’t like how you did on a certain assignment or how you behaved in a situation, you feel really miserable.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You worry about your finances a lot and don’t know how you will pay for the important things you need money for.  All of the jobs you have applied for and opportunities you have pursued haven’t yet worked out.

Happiness Principle to Apply_____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________