We thankfully acknowledge that You are the Lord our God and God of our fathers forever. You are the strength of our life, the shield of our salvation in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, evening, morning and noon, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, for our souls which are entrusted to You, for Your miracles which are with us daily, and for Your continual wonders and beneficences. You are the Beneficent One, for Your mercies never cease; the Merciful One, for Your kindnesses never end; for we always place our hope in You. And for all these, may Your Name, our King, be continually blessed, exalted and extolled forever and all time.

The last five days were blessed. I was solo teaching from 7:30 to 4:30 each day, with plenty of thinking before and after.

Most of my adult life has been closely related to the defining and doing of "good" teaching, but it is hard for me to do. As an introvert (or is it just my pride?), I am especially sensitive to public error. I am too easily shamed.

Yet the best teaching method is to let learners take the substantive lead and to shape learning objectives to their particular interests. The best teaching method is to be open to the concerns of a group of strangers in an unfamiliar place and to uncover concerns that are held in common.

We always place our hope in you.

Unless I am effective at hearing their interests and insightful finding intersections with what I know, the learning can be uneven. And my students - cops, firefighters, emergency managers, and such - can be quick, harsh, and accurate in their judgments.

You are the strength of our life, the shield of our salvation.

When the intersections are found, the shared concerns are exposed, and these are explored and framed in a meaningful way, what unfolds is a kind of communal joy akin to a winning sports team. You feel it when a tough police sergeant shakes your hand and says, with a sparkle in his eyes, "these were the best two consecutive days I have had in years..."

Your miracles are with us daily.

According to the class evaluations, some outside observers, and my own assessment these were fabulous classes. The students enjoyed themselves, they were challenged, they learned alot, and they left ready and intending to apply what they learned.

Your mercies never cease.

Thank you my God and friend.