The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings January 13, 2018 Are you, at the center of your universe?   “Tung-shan was asked, ‘The normal mind is the way; what is the normal mind?’ He replied, ’Not picking things up along the road.’” From Teachings of Zen, edited by Thomas Cleary, © 1998   One aspect of the Zen teachings is…

Bird Droppings January 12, 2018 Looking in a direction to start the morning   “Beginnings start in the east – from where the sun rises we begin a new dawn. Each day is a good new day with a fresh beginning, a new start. East is the direction of the physical body and newness including…

Bird Droppings January 9, 2018 Decontextualizing – Learning is a journey strewn with boulders   “In a word, learning is decontextualized. We break ideas down into tiny pieces that bear no relation to the whole. We give students a brick of information, followed by another brick, followed by another brick, until they are graduated, at…

Bird Droppings January 8, 2018 Walking and listening among the Cotton Woods   Since starting my breathing treatments for sleep apenea, I awake to vivid dreams on some nights. Today I walked outside briefly as I do listening, observing, trying to understand this reality I am walking about in. The sky was blanketed with clouds…

Bird Droppings January 5, 2018 Caring is a very precious commodity in life And some thoughts from Maxine Greene   As I am pondering my early hours today before getting my day started an article dealing with charter schools and how they exclude many students caught my attention. The air temperature is freezing outside and…

Bird Droppings January 3, 2018 Tripping on a grain of sand and naming your baby Bentley   I was so very close to starting this day with the title of Bentley, however as I thought further some might elude that to a rather pricey car. It was a post on Facebook from a former student…

Bird Droppings January 1, 2017 The fragility of life Mitakuye Oyasin      Hard to believe a year has passed. 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…