Value Clarification

Many years ago, I taught at Kiley Junior High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield is only eighteen miles away from Amherst and The University of Massachusetts. I believe U. of M. is the home of value clarification.

Sidney Simon, the author of several books on value clarification, taught there in the Department of Humanistic Psychology. Because student teachers from the U. of M. liked my teaching, that department once offered me a full scholarship for graduate work! I didn’t accept. I believe the extent of my reasoning was that I didn’t want to commute and I didn’t want to move!!!

Oh, nostalgia. Don’t you sometimes wonder what might have been if you had taken one road and not another? Of course, I do like where I ended up.

The kids in my classes had fun with Value clarification exercises.
Here’s one question of Sid Simon’s that I remember:

Rank the following 1, 2, 3. If you had to take one of the jobs below, which one would you least want to be (that would be #1). Why did you rank these jobs in the order you chose? Say everything you think of.

Be a tollbooth collector on the turnpike.

Wash cars at a carwash.

Be a pickle inspector.

Will you share your answers here?

And, if you could have any work you wanted, what would you choose?

How lucky we are that we have choice.

Posted by Gloria on May 13th, 2007 under these topics
Education, Your Personal Questions to God, Purely Personal, Godwriting Journal
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8 Replies

Reply from Carol Maurer on May 13, 2007

I think a pickle inspector would be a very hard job, because pickles, like people, come in all sizes and shapes with their bumps randomly distributed, so how could you possibly discriminate? All one could do in inspecting pickles is say, yes, this one is perfect too!
Washing cars would put one in contact with other people and be good exercise! But my first choice would have to be the tollbooth because it would be a chance to bless and be blessed by each person coming through, seeing God in each face, “Jesus in all of his distressing disguises” as Mother Teresa liked to say.

Reply from Gloria on May 13, 2007

Dear Carol,

You sure raise this exercise to a new higher level.

I wish I could have given my schoolchildren your point of view, Carol.

God bless you.

With love,

Gloria

Reply from Trish on May 13, 2007

Well Carol is a “better man” than I am. I would rather be road kill on the turnpike than a toll booth collector. Plenty of opportunity to give love and light in the years you wouldn’t even live to see after breathing all the fumes!

If I could have any work I wanted it would be — ah, let’s see — the work I DO.

Reply from Beverly Herman on May 13, 2007

It would be impossible to top Carol’s response in the ranking quiz. Thank you, Carol, from now on I will remember to see “Jesus in all of his distressing disguises” rather than some of the non-extraordinary people I may have been noticing.

The work I do NOW is my favorite to date. It’s called RETIREMENT. It requires getting up whenever I happen to wake up. It means having time to think, to read, to explore. It means having time to enjoy my family more than ever. . . watching my grandchildren grow in their exciting creative activities as young adults and savoring every moment. It means being able to do things for them that I didn’t have time to do for my children when they were young. It means having time to walk in beautiful parks, to feed the Lorikeets at the zoo. . . to go out for lunch at 3:00 PM. . .

There are a few lovely things I discovered late in life that I would have liked to do during the long working years, but that’s another story and now I’m just enjoying retirement. Perhaps if I get tired of doing nothing I can decide to do something.

Dear Gloria, the “work” you are doing is the ultimate. The path you followed could not have been more correct, more perfect. I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling than being hired by God as his little golden pen and spreading so much love and inspiration to people everywhere.

Love,

Beverly

Reply from Jack van Raders on May 13, 2007

Carol is spot on thank you Carol. I have the same job as Beverly now, and I do not know how I ever had the time to go to work. But love every moment of it though. Love you all Jack

Reply from Gloria on May 14, 2007

I happen to know that Beverly Herman who posted above re retirement is one of the busiest people I know. She is always in service. She chauffeurs her grandchildren daily. When you even hint at something Beverly can do for you, she jumps to do it, and so graciously that she makes you feel all she ever wanted to do was to give you a ride.

If you go this blog entry

http://www.godwriting.org/godwriting/heavenpetals-samples-of-godwriting.htm

you will have a good time getting to know Bev better.

With love and blessings,

Gloria

Reply from Brenda Kelly on July 27, 2007

Gretings Wow!! What an awesome wbiste!! You will be so blessed by God for what you are doing for Him. PPlease keep up the great work.

Reply from Gloria on July 27, 2007

Dearest Brenda,

God has already blessed me with the beautiful subscribers and appreciators like you who post such melting comments..

God bless you.

With love,

Gloria

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