The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings January 24, 2021Taking small steps “Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great   ambitions.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow How many times are we told “take your time”? So often in life we are anxious to get the job finished or to get to the top today. We…

Bird Droppings January 23, 2021Why do we fail? Many times, I have wondered why people stop learning. I see it in high school students, in college and graduate students. Almost as if a switch is thrown and poof no more learning, I have reached my limit seems t be the mantra. I was reading today…

Bird Droppings January 22, 2021 Sailing off the edge and or thinking out of a box I was thinking back nearly twelve years when history was made as a new president was sworn in and as one of my students came into class and asked to start working on his assignments. I did not beg…

Bird Droppings January 21, 2021 Horses and Trains and learning It has been many years since I last rode on a train. I mean a serious train going more than the distance between concourses at an airport. Years ago, when I lived in the Philadelphia area, we all used mass transit to commute, to go…

Bird Droppings January 19, 2021It be great if we could script great teachers I watched several various movies about teachers over the years. It hit me as I was thinking it would be great if we could somehow provide a package to new Techers on how to do great teaching. If someone could write that…

Bird Droppings January 18, 2021Can we say heroism and humility are spelled the same? “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Arthur Ashe Even though I am one of the worst spellers in this…

Bird Droppings January 17, 2021How do we know if we are still human? Listening to the news and the recent activities at the Nations capital that many are calling an insurrection I wonder as people are interviewed and ideas are tossed around are, we all human? It seems some in Congress were complicit in the…

Bird Droppings January 16, 2021 Caregiving and or cared for, we need both? “To care and be cared for are fundamental human needs. We all need to be cared for by other human beings. In infancy, illness, or old age, the need is urgent and pervasive; we need caregiving, and we need the special attitude…

Bird Droppings January 15, 2021LIFE and FINALITY Morning has been a special time for me each day, a new beginning. Several aspects make it special, first one of going about taking pictures of sunrises. Then I go to my writing and reading which has become my meditation for the day. On some days I go…

Bird Droppings January 14, 2021Can we define our own success, or does it take another? Recently teachable moments have been rare as I have been semimonastic with the virus and being cautious. Today while grocery shopping, I ran into a former student of sorts. Thinking back, I do think she was in a class with…