Just finished reading James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys. It's a very sobering read about the challenges of raising boys in today's world. Here's a quote that encapsulates his main point:

"Their [parents] assignment during two brief decades will be to transform their boys from immature and flighty youngsters into honest, caring men who will be respectful of women, loyal and faithful in marriage, keepers of commitments, strong and decisive leaders, good workers, and men who are secure in their masculinity. And of course, the ultimate goal for people of faith is to give each child an understanding of Scripture and a lifelong passion for Jesus Christ. This is, I believe, the most important responsibility for those of us who have been entrusted with the care and nurturance of children" (p.7).

Summer ended too quickly, but then again, my summer was not really vacation either. I spent most of it training and getting the first group of peer mentors ready to launch the peer mentor program. It's been fulfilling work b/c I get to interact with my students in a different way than my usual classroom environment. I'm really excited about the peer mentor program b/c of its potential to impact the lives and livelihood of freshmen. The goal is to help as many of them succeed their first year, stemming whatever doubts they may have about dropping out. You can check out our website here. 

This past summer I also got a chance to trip a bit, some for work and some for pleasure. I got to go to Vancouver, Canada for an educational technology conference, where I learned about the latest technological tools being employed in high ed. I recently took on a new role at the university to help faculty implement education technologies in the classrooms. Thus, my new appointment reduces my teaching load to 50%, while the other 50% is devoted to the peer mentor program and educational technology.  It's good to do something new b/c I'm approaching my tenth year of university teaching, and I'm getting a bit fatigue.  The new challenges are keeping me fresh and on my toes.

My spiritual life has been a bit stale due primarily to increased work responsibilities and my super-active 16-month old son.  The only uninterrupted time I really have to do my work is after he sleeps (around 9pm), but for every hour I work, I risk sacrificing my sleep b/c he wakes up around 7am or so.  In other words, if I work till midnight, I will only have 7 hours of sleep, and if I work till 2am, I will only get 5 hours.  This type of time management is not ideal b/c I've been feeling like a zombie due to the 5-6 hours I've been averaging this summer. I'm finding the juggling act (w/family, work, and parenting) to be quite difficult and physically exhausting.

There is relief in sight. God has seen our trials and hear our cries for mercy, so he recently opened up a slot at a local childcare place for Timothy.  In a couple of weeks, Timothy will be spending the afternoons at this childcare facility, giving my wife and I some "down" time to catch up on some sleep, work, and/or personal errands.  We hope the change will also be good for Timothy as well b/c it'll provide him with an environment for him to play with other kids his age.  We'll see how long it'll take him to adjust.

My Leader Test result is