"The Job is Done" https://youtu.be/Rz1ypj59LOA There's an old saying that goes, a manager tells people what to do and a leader shows them what to do. Break down the word "leader" and you get the word lead. Break it down further and for every leader you have followers. What does it mean to follow? It …
Continue reading “Last Boot on the Ground” Thoughts on Being a Leader: Kingston’s Journal #32
What does a moment in the spotlight cost. https://youtu.be/I_gn5VMX5JY Let's talk about Rudy, he was a young man with big dreams. He may have been small in stature, but that didn't deter him from playing college football. He spent years toiling, working harder than most to be a bench warmer on the team. Only in …
Continue reading “Rudy” Work Hard, In a Thoughtful Place: Kingston’s Journal #30
What is Love? https://youtu.be/IZ4UyKeKGro So yesterday I saw some of my M3 students likely for the last time. As I walked past, one of them called after me, "Mr. Kingston!" she said. I turned around, "good bye!" they called out as they waved farewell. Me, being more a man of letters and not so quick …
Continue reading “I Loved You, But Not No More” Thoughts on Love: Kingston’s Journal #29
What gives life meaning is moving a weight from one place to another. https://youtu.be/m-SdVe1naF0 I started the term with high ideals for myself, I was going to emulate the best teacher I ever knew and make all my kids better students. "Great teachers inspire" I said to myself. A number of my students have improved, …
Continue reading “A Man’s Burden” On Taking Responsibility for Everything: Kingston’s Journal #28
Teaching includes teaching yourself who you really are Recently I watched an interesting Youtube video that was about the advice an older person would give to their 20 something self. He compared this life stage as akin to running a series of experiments to answer 3 questions rather then trying to get the most prestige …
Continue reading “Who Am I, What Matters, What Am I Good At” Kingston’s Journal #26
Once on the birth bed and once on the deathbed, both times we are helpless.
The first family is the hand you were dealt, the second is what you make of what you have.
https://youtu.be/lo-xFMKBcBo As this school year winds down to the final 4 weeks, I wanted to reflect on the things I like and didn't like during my time here in Thailand. Pro: Firstly, the students are quite friendly, whenever they pass me in the hall, there'll normally be some that greet me. Con: On the flip …
Continue reading 5 Things I Like About Teaching In Thailand (and 3 I Don’t): Kingston’s Journal #23
Whether you're giving it your all or beating your heading against the wall, sometimes the line is blurred. https://youtu.be/m6kDpO3TV_0 Darn near 2 months ago, I talked about how I felt burnout from the monotony of teaching English in Thailand. I still feel that boredom and unhappiness. I've been trying to block out these feelings or …
Continue reading Persistence or a Waste of Time? Kingston’s Journal #22
Accept there are things beyond your control, but that the more you focus on what you can control, then the more you actually have a say on matters. https://youtu.be/8Bu-IrM2H04 Often there is a lot of talk about luck, specifically in life and career. How this person or that person became successful because of luck and …
Continue reading The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get: Kingston’s Journal #21
