Bird Droppings May 28, 2025
Why should we do more?

“Choices are sacred to life’s journey. They lie along the path that all of us must follow for ourselves. An important Cherokee lesson is that if you involve yourself in any decision, you also experience the consequences of that decision.” Dr. J.T. Garrett, Meditations with the Cherokee

It has been quite a while since I was able to walk out first thing in the morning and experience the newness of the day. Granted, not being in a structured school routine, I tend to get lazy because I don’t have to get up. For some reason, I’m up earlier than usual today. However, as we head back into full swing for summer, I may get back into a routine. It has been a very unusual and wet summer in Georgia, with rain predicted almost every day for some time. In the afternoons, we have a chance of scattered thundershowers and mowing, or yard work gets curtailed while plants and grass dry a bit. Over the weekend and several times this week, I had to stop until the drops subsided enough that I wouldn’t get soaked coming from my car. It has been nearly twenty summers since I submitted a reflection of sorts for my doctoral work on a book that explores viewing history through multiple lenses, cultures, or societal norms. Rereading that reflection led me to a powerful thought.

“Do more than belong; participate. Do more than care; help. Do more than believe; practice. Do more than be fair; be kind. Do more than forgive; forget. Do more than dream; work.” William Arthur Ward

As I sit here this early morning responding to emails from previous days, I am slowly catching up. It is through our actions that we are perceived. It was many nights ago, even several years ago, at a basketball game, when the administration politely asked several fans to leave. Eventually, the sheriffs intervened in the altercation. You may be upset with the situation, but when you vocalize using words that do not make sense, as swearing often does not (since it is not literal), and add hand gestures and increase volume, you are perceived as being out of control. When asked nicely to cease such distracting behavior, you continue to add to the perception of perhaps being out of control. Speaking to a sheriff in a derogatory manner again fuels the flames of perception; being a person who has ceased to utilize their self-control, and the result, being asked quite nicely not to be in the gym from a public view, might seem a bit understated.

It may be time for behavior modification, and coincidentally, I have a background in behavior modification. Today, we use less harsh terms, such as Functional Behavior Analysis and Task Analysis. BM is what it is about, and there are times now, with two little ones in the house, I see some behavior that BM could mean more along the lines of potty training. Back to my story, for example, the first offense at a basketball game, after which you can come but must wear a dog training collar to reenter the gym. In the control booth sits your modifier, preferably a spouse or child who probably will enjoy this, holding the button. If you get out of control, they get to press the button, sending a mild shock to your neck. However, if you continue, they also have an increase switch on the side of the control box, which raises the voltage. I think some spouses may automatically go to the max, even for the first jolt.

There is a chance, of course, that the child or spouse in the control booth has read Skinner’s books and articles and knows that intermittent, variable reinforcement works great, too, and that shocks are used just to let their collared friend know who holds the button, and that might become the norm. Sporting events would never be the same. In the stands, half the people are sitting and twitching from shock, while the other half sit quietly, smiling, and pressing the buttons. Kids could play their games, cheerleaders could cheer, and all would have a wonderful time. However, if everyone had read the first line of the first quote today, none of this would have been necessary.

“When you see a new trail or footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing,” Uncheedah, grandfather of Ohiyesa, Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman.

Is that something we now teach? In teaching biology, I employed the lesson and teaching style that I had used myself in a previous graduate school class demonstration on existential teaching methods. I let the students find the answers and act only as a facilitator. In one plastic container is a tiger salamander (Elmo), and in the other, a leopard gecko (Emily). One is an amphibian, and the other is a reptile. The lesson is based on taxonomy and differentiating between amphibians and reptiles. Having done this numerous times in summer school biology classes and during the school year, those who work through the lesson will remember, which is far better than having read a book or heard a lecture; they followed the trail. How often do we stifle curiosity, and how often do we erase the trail clean of tracks?

“The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity.” Edmund Burke

“It is a shameful thing to be weary of inquiry when what we search for is excellent.” Marcus T. Cicero

Far too often, we do not have time for children’s questions; we do not want to follow a new trail, as Uncheedah speaks about. We only want the status quo, peace, and solitude of a lesson plan laid out months in advance and carefully formulated to cover each of the subject’s required curriculum needs within a given period. Let us stay on track from point A to point B and avoid straying off the path from now on. 

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” Samuel Johnson

“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Often, I talk with students who lack curiosity. They seldom ask why and only accept what is taught to them; many don’t even do that, shrugging their shoulders and stating they don’t care. Many people in our world today follow this trend, and media and corporate advertising capitalize on it. When I read a statement from a person who says this is what I believe, and you cannot change that about any subject matter or idea, I sort of wonder.

We should teach children to challenge question, and never accept an answer. My middle son had the highest regard for a teacher and, on occasion, pointed out an error in a discussion about transparency when dealing with a specific type of animal. He pointed out that the information on the slide was incorrect and supported his claim with the biology book they were using, as well as other sources. A year later, he was in another Advanced Placement Biology class, and the same slide elicited the same response. He again pointed out the error, and the teacher continued to teach the same material, which was still incorrect, and had never changed that slide. By chance, three years later, when speaking to a class, that slide again appeared; this time, his respect for that teacher was gone. While she was a good teacher, she was a poor learner. It was difficult for the teacher to accept a student’s understanding of a topic. However, that student’s brother had raised and bred that specific animal at home for many years, so it was not simply a student spouting off. There was experiential, contextual knowledge involved.

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Carl Edward Sagan

“Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you: you must acquire it.” Sadie Black

We got into a discussion of sorts yesterday about doing schoolwork. So often, teachers assign a certain number of math problems, regardless of whether the students know how to do that skill or not; homework, for example, often includes twenty problems. If the skill is known, why assign it? If you are not familiar with a problem, attempting to solve it without understanding how to do so doesn’t help. This is not to pick on math teachers, but it happens so often that students begin to look down on busy work. If that assignment had meaning, perhaps more care and effort would ensue. It is no wonder that many students soon learn who is doing homework and copy that person’s work to get credit for it. 

“I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can.” Lucille Ball

“It is not good to know more unless we do more with what we already know.” R. K. Bergethon

When you can apply a piece of knowledge, it lasts far longer than when it is simply an idea, a passing thought, or something to forget. In some subjects, it is challenging to make ideas applicable; at least, this is what some teachers believe, and students soon grow weary, losing their curiosity. Several times, I have mentioned a friend who, in teaching history, would occasionally dress as a knight or king, or a lowly goat herder, to make a point of drawing the class into the lesson.

“The essence of knowledge is having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.” Confucius

“I would have the studies elective. Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion but by awakening a pure interest in knowledge. The wise instructor accomplishes this by opening up to his pupils precisely the attractions the study has for him. The marking is a system for schools, not for the college; for boys, not for men; and it is an ungracious work to put on a professor.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

To instill curiosity, a teacher must also be curious; they must also be learners. Recently, I read several articles about schools where students and teachers make choices and decisions regarding the operation of a truly democratic school. The Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts is an example of this, as I mentioned recently. Many years ago, Socrates would ask a question, and students would have to find the answers, rather than being told the answers. Socrates would assist with more questions. He must have upset his school board since he was required to drink poison.

“The trouble with the world is not that people know too little but that they know so many things that ain’t so.” Mark Twain

This is a great place to unwind today. I am sitting here, thinking, pondering, and wondering about where the day may go, what will be said, and who will listen. I find solace in that thought. Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts, and always give thanks for all. Namaste.

My family and friends, I do not say this lightly,

Mitakuye Oyasin

(We are all related)

docbird