The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings March 7, 2010 Sometimes others see us Earlier in the day I was communicating with some friends in New York and the idea of example being the best teacher came up. So often the opposite can be said and example also can be the anti-teacher and children learn what perhaps they should not…

Bird Droppings March 5, 2010 Dropping a feather “If we consider the eagle feather with its light and dark colors, we could argue that ‘the dark colors are more beautiful and, therefore, naturally more valuable,’ or vice versa. Regardless of which colors are more beautiful, or necessary, or valuable, the truth is the bottom line:…

Bird Droppings March 4, 2010 Do we fail ourselves? “One of the reasons people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure.” John W. Gardner A topic that continues to bother me is, why do new teachers after a semester stop being creative and imaginative and full of vitality. In…

Bird Droppings March 3, 2010 You can wait a moment “You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance?” Franklin P. Jones I have yet to understand impatience. I experienced a situation yesterday with a teacher that made little sense. I understood what was going on yet within that moment…

Bird Droppings March 2, 2010 Compassion and passion are spelled similar When does the FIDO principle not seem appropriate? The concept of the FIDO principle implies Frequency, Intensity, Duration and Over Again which is the basis for how to teach a topic in some management courses. Perhaps in a debate when asked a question and…

Bird Droppings March 1, 2010 Do we teach or are we taught It was an interesting weekend and seldom do I miss writing for two days straight. I often will skip a Saturday here and there but my school email was on the fritz and up through late last night I was not communicating very…

Bird Droppings February 26, 2010 Practicing Patience It has been nearly thirty five years since I first went to Hemmingway’s just off the interstate in Decatur Georgia. It was a favorite local entertainment establishment. My wife and I would go prior and after our marriage primarily to listen to a local singer who with his…

Bird Droppings February 25, 2010 A chilly morning for so many reasons I was huddled in my blanket as I went outside to sit and think a bit earlier granted I was barefooted. The air was still except for a slight rustling in the branches and pine needles with the breeze. All in all it…

Bird Droppings February 24, 2010 Example “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 years looked to the wisdom contained in Nerburn’s…

Bird Droppings February 23, 2010 Saying Goodbye or is it hello? It might have been the fact I had never pulled out my Eagle Scout card from 1967 in class before that got me thinking back. In today’s hurried and rushed society it seems fewer children are involved in Scouting. By chance two kids in…