An educated mind is an opened mind. An opened mind is a liberal mind. Teachers don't have to intend to create liberals, it happens naturally. |
On the inside:
- Commentary (an essay)
- Links to other education-related stories.
- As always, the topics will be whatever you want to discuss and there will be good community.
It's not for teachers only.
Door's Open...
Commentary
One of the reasons I put such a high value on commentary is that there are times when a comment or two can snap things back into focus...or at least remind us of another time and another focus that perhaps needs to be revisited.
At the end of this semester, besides being 60 years old, I will have been a teacher for 32 years. I have taken it as an article of faith that what I have been doing is trying to find more and better ways of expound upon Truth. I have told the same stories over and over again in a myriad different ways, looking for the light bulbs and trying to measure their luminosity.
Outside the classroom The World becomes my classroom and Truth is no longer restricted to learning mathematics or computer languages, but rather about life in general. In particular I have focused on what goes on in the human brain. The only one I happen to be able to experiment upon is my own, so there is bound to be bias in my sample. But I have concentrated on the possible, not on the probable, so I've not considered that too much of a flaw.
To teach Truth, one needs a curriculum and a method of delivery. I've been concentrating, perhaps, more forcefully upon the curriculum, on what is said rather than on how it is said. That hasn't always been so.
Wayback in the wayback...I wrote a bit about what I was calling "blog structures" (examples here and here) but I have to confess I had forgotten about it. In a vague way, I was trying to imagine how blogging could become something newer than it was, something beyond an email forum with a searchable database attached.
For a time I attempted to consciously build such a structure. But one of the really cool things about learning is that eventually what is must be consciously done came be performed below the level of consciousness. What was a focus can become a chord in harmony with the whole. Mental integration.
This past week I struggled to free my mind enough to let some thoughts flow out. I published the result of that effort last evening in Perfecting my own brand of insanity. I published it here and at Docudharma and received valuable input I want to highlight...because it means a lot to me:
Brahman Colorado wrote:
Your work has evolved to multi-dimensional masterpieces
of words, ideas, emotions, poetry, music, color and light.
I have followed this transformation for awhile and it's core base is very creative, intelligent and intellectual.
From Pluto, there was:
You have taken art and self-awareness -- and enhanced the whole thing with a feedback loop of collective consciousness. Nobody does it better...
And at Docudharma, there was this from Nightprowlkitty:
Really ... this just excellent original philosophy -- and mixed with memoirs and poetry, a whole new medium, I think.
To learn that one has succeeded, even on a small scale, has great meaning. I will treasure that. Thank you.
And thanks to all of you who have provided the commentary that has kept me going over this past year and the ones before that. There were times when it would have been very easy to walk away.
--Robyn Elaine Serven
--Bloomfield College, NJ
Education Round-up: I've categorized.
For examples of People Teaching, please visitPhilosophy and PoliticsStories: Ourselves and OthersFreedom on CampusNCLB/Department of Education/Standardized Testing/AssessmentMoneyAction, Advocacy and Information |
I'll be hanging around most of the day, actively waiting for your comments (actually, I'll be working in another program, but I'm close by), so at least one person will be here to discuss whatever anyone wants to discuss.
The Not-so-many Rules
- No general bashing of administrators, politicians, etc, just on general principles. If you want to bash them, have a point and a plan.
- No bitching about students unless you're talking about what you are going to do to alleviate the problems you think the students have.
- Introductions are encouraged, but not essential.
- I have no investment in hosting the Teacher's Lounge. If someone else thinks they can and wants to do it better, cool. I just want the space. And not for teachers only, but respecting the general theme of teaching and learning.
- Teacher's Lounge can be "slow blogging" if you want it to be. You don't get quality writing if you demand velocity. It doesn't have to be the case that something posted today is dead by tomorrow. I would like it to eventually be up and active 24/7, but that may have to wait until I have developed an independent blog site.
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Every Saturday I'll post a clean slate, around 12 noon EST.