The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings July 20, 2017 Did you know trees can talk?   “Did you know that trees talk? Well, they do. They talk to each other, and they’ll talk if you listen. Trouble is, white people don’t listen. They never learned to listen to the Indians so I don’t suppose they’ll listen to other voices…

Bird Droppings July 19, 2017 Is it a paradox that sometimes small can be big?   July has been a slow month for sunrises with clouds and fog nearly every morning. Somehow between the clouds and even in the fog I have found images worthy of a photo. Finding the tiny pieces within our existence…

Bird Droppings July 18, 2017 Why not continue the Journey? Freire and Foxfire both start with F’s.   “So I’d much rather get across the concept of freedom. It’s what’s important to Indian children. The only way you can be free is to know is that you are worthwhile as a distinct human being. Otherwise you…

Bird Droppings July 17, 2017 Placing each puzzle piece one at a time a secret formula or just good teaching “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…

Bird Droppings July 15, 2017 Like the spider web all of life is connected and intertwined   As I thought about the Sydney J. Harris passage below I recall a walk Saturday morning out to a quiet spot where I meditate and something hit me. As I faced east towards the rising sun the gossamer…

Bird Droppings July 13, 2017 Hearing and listening are critical   “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Epictetus   A simple analogy yet we far too often do not understand that statement and perhaps it is because we have more jaw muscle than…

Bird Droppings July 12, 2017 In a world of data can we still use intuition?   I mentioned to a fellow teacher I can tell when a child has emotional issues most of the time after observing a few minutes and listening. Granted observations are part of most evaluations but I was referring to an…

Bird Droppings July 11, 2017 Just a morning observation   “I do not write from mythology when I reflect upon Native American spirituality in this book. In my own opinion, mythology leads to superstition; and superstition has proved fatally destruction to many millions down through time. It is ironic, then that Dominant Society accuses Native…

Bird Droppings July 10, 2017 Should we look within to who we really are?   Amazing what a day or two out of routine will do. I actually did not get on my computer and do anything of a writing sort the past several days knowing with the rest of the coming week my last…

Bird Droppings July 7, 2017 Why would some rather send a photo than write?   “Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.” Aldus Huxley   In 1965 I was introduced to this author in a tenth grade English Class. The book we were…