The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings June 19, 2024 Passion: Can it be rekindled? April 4, 1968, I was a freshman at West Chester State, now University. I was not seriously politically active, and I would say naïve. I do recall the news stories, and I recall all the tension that followed. I grew up in a town where…

Morning Bird Droppings June 18, 2024 I am trying to regurgitate a previous day’s thought. It was about ten years ago my youngest son was in a level one trauma center and was to be moved to a rehab facility. It just hit me with all the news of how lucky we can be sometimes.…

Bird Droppings June 17, 2024 What do teachers really know? "Teachers are one of the most important resources a nation has for providing the skills, values, and knowledge that prepare young people for productive citizenship – but more than this, to give sanctuary to their dreams and aspirations for a future of hope, dignity, and…

Bird Droppings June 14, 2024 Driving up a mountain takes effort. I am looking forward to another trip to Black Rock Mountain in North Georgia, the site of the Foxfire Museum property and the former site of Piedmont University’s teacher’s class in The Foxfire Approach to Teaching. My oldest son took the course as part…

Bird Droppings June 12, 2024Kissing a frog on a chilly, wet morning is still hard.It was on the chilly side and wet here in northeast Georgia, with nighttime temperatures hanging in the low sixties. We had an inch plus of rain just a few days ago and a quick storm two nights ago. However, a…

Bird Droppings June 11, 2024 Grandparenting/Teaching is telling our students and grandchildren the stories. I have been lazy lately. Actually, some of my grandchildren spent the weekend and wore me out. My youngest grandson is four, and he has started asking how and why questions. So often in preschool and kindergarten, children are made to…

Bird Droppings June 6, 2024This thought has crossed my mind lately. Are we experiencing genocide of learning? Lately, in the midst of my daily journal entries, it has been getting hectic. I am trying to finish my dissertation, an eighteen-year project. It has been a few years since the Foxfire teachers program was discontinued. I…

Bird Droppings June 5, 2024Don’t crossword puzzles take some time? Towards the end of my last history class that I taught in college, one of my students was working on a particular assignment and had to define bias. She was not sure which definition was correct and asked my opinion. I explained that in history,…

Bird Droppings June 3, 2024As teachers and leaners why should we do more? “Choices are sacred to life’s journey. They lie along the path that all of us must follow for ourselves. An important Cherokee lesson is that if you involve yourself in any decision, you also experience the consequences of that decision.” Dr. J.T.…

Bird Droppings June 2, 2024Do we, as teachers, build doors or walls? I enjoy arriving at school while the stars are still shining overhead; something about the darkness is peaceful for me. I can remember when my youngest rode to school with me; he was not quite as big a fan of mornings and pre-sunrises…