The daily meanderings of a teacher

Category: The Foxfire Approach to Teaching

  • Intuitiveness and being there

    Bird Droppings January 7, 2015 Intuitiveness and being there I have always thought that teachers need to be two things intuitive and empathetic. Both require an element of compassion and caring. I wonder often how people teach without these capabilities. Over the last week with several other teachers we have been discussing this in detail.…

  • The fragility of life

    Bird Droppings January 6, 2015 The fragility of life Early this morning I was awakened a bit early our dog and we both needed to take a potty break. Hearing what I thought was rain and a teenager I assume tearing out of our subdivision about two in the morning did not help my sleep…

  • A chill in the air but not in the heart

    Bird Droppings January 5, 2015 A chill in the air but not in the heart For several days the now we have been below freezing in the early mornings which totally silences the crickets and tree frogs who need an ambient temperature a bit more warm maybe high fifties low sixties. So for today my…

  • Building Sandcastles drip by drip

    Bird Droppings January 4, 2015 Building Sandcastles drip by drip It was nearly fourteen years ago when I was physically attending classes in graduate school nearly every day and before switching to Internet classes and WebCT. This took some getting used to going to school and then going to teach school. I was teaching from…

  • Mountains offer a more clear view

    Bird Droppings December 31, 2014 Mountains offer a more clear view “I have a pretty fair education, but I would hate to be turned loose in these mountains right now and be told to put food in my belly, clothing on my body, shelter over my head, and provide protection from my enemies, both two…

  • Can teachers use learning as their pallet?

    Bird Droppings December 29, 2014 Can teachers use learning as their pallet? I wrote the basics of this article nearly ten years ago and at the time was thinking of an artist friend who was trying to define her art as well as searching for her own meaning in life. My friend often reflects her…

  • Sometimes there is Risk

    Bird Droppings December 27, 2014 Sometimes there is Risk It has been nearly a year since I drove my wife to work and while heading back caught sight of a glorious sunrise beginning. By the time I got to the house I had a few minutes to run in side and get a decent camera…

  • Where is the passion?

    Bird Droppings December 26, 2014 Where is the passion? I was sitting facing a rising sun thankful for a new day earlier today. It was ironic as I was sitting on an overturned five gallon plastic bucket next to a small circle of smooth river rocks facing east, listening to mockingbird chattering away in the…

  • It is the small pieces that seriously matter not how many presents

    Bird Droppings December 25, 2014 It is the small pieces that seriously matter not how many presents I was driving around and read a holiday post or two one caught my attention arguing the idea of Santa’s gifts. Santa is first a legend contrived over the years and developed sadly to be more of a…

  • Setting the example is such a simple lesson plan

    Bird Droppings December 23, 2014 Setting the example is such a simple lesson plan “We taught our children by both example and instruction, but with an emphasis on example, because all learning is a dead language to one who gets it second hand.” Kent Nerburn, The Wisdom of the Native Americans I have over the…