Coming Home a Man

"We will see you...tomorrow night."

Simple words. Maybe not the greatest, most original call ever by a sportscaster. But there's more to it. These words were first spoken on October 26, 1991, by Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Jack Buck, after Kirby Puckett's extra inning home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. 20 years and one day later, Buck's son, Joe - a great broadcaster in his own right - echoed his father's famous call following David Freese's extra inning home run in Game 6 of 2011 World Series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuAnVlRWf7o

Significant? Not to many. It was to me. It was to Cardinal Nation. It was to Joe Buck. 

What better way to honor his father? What better way to do the job he watched his father do better than most for all those years? What better way to walk in his father's footsteps?

This was especially significant to me this morning as a sat and thought about Father's Day. So far today, it is all I can think about; Father's Day. My father.

Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go home and visit my folks for a weekend; I don't do that enough. It was a great, relaxing weekend. I got the opportunity to spend some much needed time with family. At the time I didn't think much of it, but as I left Maryville to head towards the farm, it hit me; This was my first trip home as a man. Okay, I know that is an overused term, but what I mean was that it was the first trip home since I'd graduated college, accepted my job, moved in to my new place, began my new life. And at one particular moment, that became visible. Dad and I had the chance one night to just sit and talk. As usual with all our conversations, it began with Cardinal baseball and other various small talk. As we sat there, we began discussing the last four months of my life. I hadn't really gotten the chance to sit down and recap it all with anyone yet. I did then.

I won't go in to extreme detail about those four months; I may need to write a book someday about it all. But I will focus particularly on the moment when it all became too much. And that was what really made our (Dad and me) conversation take off. 

10 days before college graduation, the university informed me that my senior paper - required for graduation - was nowhere near up to standard. 10 days before graduation, I had a D in a class that required a C for graduation. End-of-Course exams were the following week for our high school students (I was full-time teaching). Our baseball team was struggling (I was a coach). In the midst of it all, I broke down. At that point, I knelt to pray, "God, I am weak. I absolutely cannot do this on my own. I know you will never give me more than I can handle. Lord, I give myself to you. Use me. Strengthen me. Work with me, Father."

As I told this to Dad, I explained how there was a noticeable pressure taken off of me. We continued to talk. We talked about our faith. We talked about what lies ahead for us both. We talked about a budget. We talked about priorities. We talked about our goals. We talked about our family. We talked about how blessed we were. It was two of the most powerful, memorable hours of my life. When I got to bed that night, I sat up and was reminded of all sorts of times that Dad and I have had. I thought about how I used to always hang around the adults and my older brothers and always wanted to be a part of their conversations and things they did. 

I used to think that it was going to take me having a serious girlfriend or wife and family for me to get to have that feeling. No more do I believe that. It was that two hour conversation that put me over the top. For the first time I began to see the man I have become. A man like my father. Daily, I am reminded of lessons and occurrences with Dad. It gets me through situations. Daily. He is a strong, God-fearing man who asked of me the same words spoken in Proverbs 23:19. "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path."

Dad, I've listened. Even in times you may think I haven't. I have become a man. One I hope you are proud of. Thanks to you serving the Lord like you have, through you teaching me, my heart has found His path. And ultimately, that's who I serve. My brothers and I are so blessed that God placed us in your and mom's lives. You've guided us wonderfully. Thank you.

As a last thought to any who read this, one of the greatest traits of my dad is his unconditional love and care for all people. Whether he knows them or not. I pray that we can all show that kind of love to one another. Be obsessed with loving. Obsessed people give freely and openly. Obsessed people love those who hate them and can never love them back.

Happy Father's Day to all Dads. And God Bless.

The Road a GPS Doesn't Know

Recalculating...recalculating.


When you hear that word, all you want to do is scream, "Can't you just tell me where to go?" Trust me; it will  usually get you there. You may have to give it a second; stay patient. But a GPS can't always tell you where you're going.

Sunday, January 22, 2012, started like any other Sunday. Sleep in. Go to church. Plan on watching some playoff football. I had just completed the second week of my last semester at college. Just two days prior, I had completed and submitted my first application for a math teaching opening in St. Joe. As I was putting my laundry away, that's all that was on my mind: getting that call, receiving a chance at an interview.

What can I bring to their school? What would I wear? How long will it take for me to hear from them? Do I have my homework done for tomorrow? Wha...


My phone rings. It's one of my two teachers I student taught under. With no expectations, I answered...

Hey, Tricia. How are ya?
---Well...not too good really...Are you sitting down?
Um..yeah. What's going on? What's the matter?
---Dale died of a heart attack this morning.


Silence. Shock. Dale was the other teacher I student taught with/under. We had become pretty close. The conversation continued with my disbelief, her explanation of the situation, tears shed by us both, consolation for one another, back and forth it went.

My thoughts were immediately to my last time seeing Dale, my concern for his family, for the school. Those were the only thoughts; then more information was brought to me.

They want you to fill in his position for the rest of the year.


I scrambled for words. Tried to sound strong, confident. They wanted me to think about it and let them know that night. I hung up the phone. That was the first time I broke down. I got on my knees and prayed. I prayed for Dale's family, for the school, and for God's direction for my life. I called and talked to my dad, my brothers. Called one of my professors at the college to see what I could do. Called the school to tell them I would do it. That school needed me. Those kids needed me.

So it began - the very next day. I was now a full-time teacher. A full-time college student. The manager of the local country club. Three weeks from my 22nd birthday.

Overwhelming? Absolutely, but in a way you wouldn't expect. Sure there have been days I've been absolutely exhausted. I've come home, went to my room and cried on a few occasions. Always followed by a prayer of thanks and for strength. But, the stress/scheduling of being a full-time teacher and full-time college student at the same time hasn't been the overwhelming part; it's been the support.


It starts at the top with my Lord and Savior. I'll finish up with that in a bit.

Next it goes to my parents - I honestly can't describe the love they've shown. Overwhelming.

My brothers and their wives. Unending support, advice, prayers, etc from them. Overwhelming.

The Maryville High School administration and faculty. Every day several of them stop and ask how I'm doing or what they can do to help. Overwhelming.

The Maryville community. People I don't even know. People whose kids aren't even students. Overwhelming.


My friends. I know most of them really don't understand it all and I know that many of them feel like I've shut them out or abandoned them. I promise that's not the case. They've been so supportive even though I'm hardly ever around any more. Overwhelming.


Northwest Missouri State University (especially Dr. Christine Benson). You want to know why to come to Northwest? They care about their students. In my biggest time of need and some real trials, they stepped up. They went to bat for me. They made a ton of special arrangements so that I can do this and still graduate in April. Overwhelming.


Dale's family. At the visitation they stood there grieving and kept expressing their support for me. Be strong. Be strong. That was their message. Overwhelming.


Lastly, my students. They bounce back better than anyone. They are resilient. They are battlers. I know there are days when I'm not great, but I would give it all for those kids. They are able to get past my "new teacher struggles" and help me get through. On my second day, one of my classes gave me a card signed by the entire class. It included notes such as: "We wouldn't want anyone else," "Thank you so much," "We are so glad you're here." Overwhelming.


I led off speaking of my God. The road He has paved for me is one that no GPS will ever be able to give directions to. I have been blessed beyond words. Just last week, it was made official that I will be teaching math as well as coaching baseball and basketball at Maryville High next year. The story just keeps building. I'm so undeserving; I'm a sinner. But God has blessed me with a lot of talents and has now started me down this road. He's called on me to be here. Nowhere else except for here. It's a dream come true. I've wanted to be here since late in my freshman year of college. Here I am. Closing no doors. Asking God daily for directions. He's better than any GPS; trust me. Overwhelming.

Again, thanks for all the support. I leave you with this. Colossians 3:23-24: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.


I work for the Lord. I pray that He continues to use me in a way that brings Him the glory. I pray the same for each of you.

Another Day, Another Scholar

Okay, so maybe the actual saying is more like "Another day. Another dollar." And sure, we have to make money to make a living. Trust me; I know. However, I make it a point to go into my day a little differently. I have created this spin-off I like to refer to as "Another Day. Another Scholar."


Cheesiest thing I've ever heard.


Definitely a bit cheesy, but if you want, just stop reading. I go in to each day looking at the opportunities I have with each person (student, teacher, or other faculty member). How can I help them learn? or How can I make their day a little bit better? It's not a terribly easy thing (especially the learning part). But it's worth the effort.

I had a moment while teaching the other day where I had just had enough. Students had been a bit restless that day; oh well, that's teenagers for you. But I had heard the statement, "I'm not good at math," (okay, it was probably more like, "I suck at math," but that's just details) far too many times. This was said as I was doing a problem with the class on the board (topic that we were spending our third day on due to failure to grasp or master the concept). As soon as I heard this student say that, I just stopped mid-problem and chucked my marker straight into the air (right or wrong, it got kids' attention). I instantly went into big-time fiery speech mode.

I was all fired up, but surprisingly not in an angry manner. I saw this as a moment to dig a little deeper and work extra hard to motivate those kids that day. I asked several students what they liked to do or were good at doing. After receiving their answers, I asked them why they enjoyed it. I got answers such as:

Competition, fun, challenging, etc...


Then I asked them what they did to get better at those things. Predictably...

Practice, effort, time, etc...


From that moment, all I did was ask each of them to apply those characteristics to math. I told those who enjoyed things that challenged them to look no further; math is a challenging subject. Conquer a problem. Do anything necessary to solve something you have to struggle with.

For those who were of the competitive spirit, I told them to challenge one another. Don't be happy with letting your friend next to you get a better grade. Don't shoot for a 3.0 when you can do better. Don't let that problem scare you; beat it.

As I concluded my speech (this had lasted about 5-10 minutes) I told them what we were going to do. We were going to conquer this topic through practice, effort, time, and belief. My final line was one similar to that of San Francisco 49ers Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh. "Who's got this better than us?" Nobody!

The kids have worked their tails off. And have mastered it. They come to class with a little pep, a little swagger. I realize we can't always take multiple days on a specific lesson, but I honestly feel that we (yes, myself included) learned more than just one lesson throughout this process.

I'm blessed, folks. Blessed with the opportunities I have. And with our God in control, who's got it better than us?

NOBODY!

Number of the Day: 214

Why in the world is your number of the day 214? I'll get to that - chill out. Let's show some much deserved respect for this number first by doing a little discussion about it.

214 is...

• The number of millions of international migrants worldwide
• The number of bones in the human body
• A number with prime factors of 2 and 107
• The area code for the Dallas, Texas area
• August 1st, 2012 (214th day of the year)
• The digits for Valentine's Day
• A combination of Allen Craig and Yadier Molina's uniform numbers
• 111 years more than the Chicago Cubs World Series drought of 103 years (so maybe you don't suck so bad Cubs fans - eh, don't kid yourselves; they suck)
• Dave Duncan's career batting average in the Major Leagues

Oh, and by the way (sticking to the baseball theme and the reason it is relevant today), it's the amount (in millions of dollars) that Prince Fielder's new contract (signed today) with the Detroit Tigers is worth. Let's break it down a bit more.

• $23.7 million per year
• $148,834 per game (if he played all 162 games in each of the next nine years - which he won't)
• $216,507,349 more than a teacher in the state of Michigan (where he'll be playing) would make in those nine years if they made the state's average salary of $54,739
• $7 million more than Albert Pujols will make in the next nine years (yes, Pujols will make an additional $30 million 10 years from now)

Okay, okay; I'm done with all the number crunching, but isn't it kinda neat to look at and think about. I mean, that's quite a commitment. Think about your life in nine years? (it'd probably be a bit different if you had $214 million coming your way over that time period) But seriously. Where will you be? What will you be doing? You don't know. Prince Fielder doesn't know. I sure as hell don't know. None of us do. In 214 minutes I'll be at Applebee's Trivia Night (we'll probably lose for the 14th week in a row; classic brilliance at it's finest). But even that's not a guarantee. Just saying, when things like this come up it makes me really take a step back and think of time and what is or isn't promised to us. There's a time, His time. And by the way, I don't happen to care if I have $214 million or $2.14 to my name when it is time. Why not? He doesn't care either.

**One last fun fact about the number 214 (this is kinda cool for Cardinal fans). 214 days from today is August 25, 2012. On August 25, 2011, the Cardinals began their historic comeback run to a World Series title. Cool day. Cool fact.**

Thursday, August 25, 2011, 8:15 pm , Busch Stadium III Attendance: 36,503, Time of Game: 3:11
Pirates 4 61-69 ⇐ Lost 1 ⇒ 4th, 16 GB Clint Hurdle	at	Cardinals 8 68-63 ⇐ Won 1 ⇒ 2nd, 9½ GB Tony LaRussa	W: Edwin Jackson (10-9) L: Charlie Morton (9-7)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - Pirates 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 1 Cardinals 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 X 8 12 1

Frame It, File It, or Trash It

• Game 6 of 2011 World Series - Framed. (I've seen highlights of this game over 100 times. I've gotten goosebumps EVERY time.)
• Mike Jones' tackle in Super Bowl XXXIV - Framed.
• The first time a student said "Mr. Kurz, you're awesome! You should teach here!" - Framed.
• The day I was baptized - Framed.
• Carrying the casket of my grandparents - Framed.

Every moment in time that passes, every day that happens, every word spoken or heard. All have to go somewhere. Some - like those above - are framed. Some are filed away. Some are trashed. How that process works is sometimes a mystery..

Like why in the world did I file away the memory of the 1996 MLB Playoffs (yes, I was only 6 years old) when the Cardinals collapsed and blew a 3-1 series lead in the NLCS to the Braves? Yes, i have that memory filed away. However, I can't remember how to do some important things in upper-level math that would be helpful for Abstract Algebra (I'll give you a moment to wash up after barfing at the sound of that class).

The majority of the information I've ever been taught in school has been trashed. The majority of the rest (yes, I know that's probably not politically correct) has been partially filed away. Just a tiny little bit has been framed. Each of us has different criteria for framing. What's important to me may not be as important to you. I wish I could convert more of the files to frames.

The quadratic formula - Framed. I can see Mrs. Conlan at the front of that classroom signing away. Still. And EVERY time I need to use the quadratic formula - BOOM! - her voice pops into my head. That lady inspired me. Yes, she was quirky and pretty doggone nerdy, but I learned as much mathematically in that one class as I have to date. She was a framer. She made a point of being a framer; it was her goal. It was her passion.

Coach Chance running/jumping/flying/(insert any other form of excitable, quick movement) to tell us we'd gotten 2nd place at the State Cross Country Meet - Framed. To be honest, it has very little to do with the fact we got 2nd. Honestly. It's the pure joy, happiness, sense of pride in us that coach had. That meant so much to him. To this day, I would go out and run a 5k for him (trust me, it'd be much slower than it was in 2004). He framed that moment for me. Why? Helping us succeed, teaching us to be great, and inspiring us to do the unthinkable (we had "absolutely no shot" on paper to challenge for a state title) was his passion. 

People caring enough about me and my success to go out of their way to help me understand something or be great at something is more than enough to meet the criteria of framing in my mind. Passion is a magnetic trait. Not enough people have a passion or show passion for anything.

I have failed at a lot of things; I have made a lot of mistakes. I know I will be down and fail again. But there is one thing I promise that you cannot accuse me of: not being passionate about things I love and those whom I love. When/if I am blessed with the opportunity to have my own classroom, it will be my daily mission to be a framer. I will work as hard as I can, using the strengths God has given me, to frame things of importance in the minds of my students.

P.S. I am currently reading (by force, not choice) Great Moments in Mathematics: Before 1650. I have a feeling that my trash can just might become a bit more full in the near future..

It Doesn't Always Take a Whoopin' Stick

As a kid, I raised cattle. Many times (whatever the circumstance) we would have to corral the cattle and get them up in a certain pen, different pasture, etc. In this transition, I (not just me, I was no all-star cowboy) would have to use a stick and smack or poke the cattle to prod them along. Constantly. Hey, you stupid cow, don't you understand that I won't hit you if you'd just walk?!

I would venture to say that it is frowned upon (at best) to use a "whoopin' stick" or "prodding stick" on a person to get them to work towards something, so what the heck are we supposed to do with those around us who balk and won't move without a push? How do we get them to work hard? The starting point is pretty doggone simple: care about them. If that doesn't apply; don't read on. You won't help anyone unless you genuinely care for them. Let me explain.

Care about them
I wish to become an educator is so that I can do everything in my power and use my God given talents to help students reach their full potential. All through school, sports, and life, one of the things that has frustrated me the most is people who don’t reach their potential because no one cared. It is my belief that as an educator you will fail unless you genuinely care that your students succeed. When I say succeed, I don’t necessarily mean get an "A" grade. Success is much more than a letter. Success is about working hard, thinking deeply, finding meaning in complex situations and places, improving one’s self, etc. Sometimes it takes putting your job, your relationship(s), and your reputation on the line all as an effort to help kids develop and move toward reaching their potential. When an individual sees you make it personal, they feel the support. Personally, when I know that someone believes in me I go out there and give it my all and prove that they're right. Give people that feeling. Believe in someone you know is struggling. Believe in your students. Believe in your friends. When you believe, you care. When you care, you will stay with it and push them because you truly want a great outcome. And you'd be absolutely shocked sometimes at what can happen.

If you believe in them, it gives them a reason to believe in themselves. And when that happens, possibilities are endless...

For those of you reading this, I don't know what you're going to do with your life. But I do know there are others in your life. And believe it or not at least one of them needs you. Right now. Tell them you care. Show them you care. Do what is necessary to help them. Trust me, they won't be the only benefactors.

Letter to Me

**I found this on my computer. Written in fall 2010 for my Adolescent Psychology class. Some interesting thoughts**

Letter to Me

Jason Kurz

            I feel a little bit like Brad Paisley writing this letter. In his song titled “Letter to Me,” he tried to give himself advice and support. The phrase from that song that I like the best is, “You’ve got so much up ahead, you’ll make new friends…these are nowhere near the best years of your life.”

Dear Me,

After this semester, there are definitely some things I wish I knew the importance of then that I do know now. The most important thing had to deal with my identity. It’s something that I have realized since I left high school, but during this class this semester, it opened my eyes even more. In high school, I really let my activities guide who I was. I just played the part of the jock, big-time high school athlete. Why? Because it was comfortable, and that’s what my fellow athletes did. When I was by myself, that’s not the person I was. Yes, sports were/are still one of the most important things in my life; it’s in my blood. But, the “jock” persona was not mine. I did this to increase my sociometric status, which our textbook defines as “the extent to which children and adolescents are liked or disliked by their peer group.” That was what was important to me at the time. But there were instances, such as in class and in the community, where I feel like I became what our book calls a “controversial child.” Many times, my peers got frustrated by my success in the classroom and things of that nature. Late in my senior year, I finally came to the realization that Brad Paisley talked about. When I go to college, I will make new friends. It will be my chance to re-identify myself as the person I want to become. The true self-identification process was helped by the fact that I was the only one from my graduating class to attend Northwest. And since I’ve gotten here, sociometric status has had no effect on me. That would’ve been helpful to realize in adolescence.

One other thing I wish I would’ve been better about was appreciating my mom more and arguing with her about the small things less. I always was and am very close to my entire family. Though we are really spread out, we remain a very tight-knit group. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always appreciated the blessing of my family. However, as an adolescent, I tended to take a poor approach with my mom on a lot of occasions. It usually started with my tone. And the majority of the time, our disagreements had nothing to do with anything important. I just got worked up and got into the frame of mind that I was embarrassed by my mom and that she was just clueless when it came to the issues I dealt with. A mixture of things helped me to realize that that wasn’t the way to go: maturation, being away from my parents, and more reinforcement gained from Chapter 8. Since I’ve come to college, I have been able to get a better grasp on how truly blessed I am to have a complete, close family. Friends and people I’ve met don’t always have that. The book talked about the struggles of adolescents in rough family situations, and it’s hard for me to fathom. The movie Bang, Bang, You’re Dead also helped me gain appreciation because his parents were, in my opinion, awful.

            Appreciate what you have, appreciate who you are, and keep your priorities in order.

God Bless,

Older (better looking) Me