The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings September 18, 2023 Is the seat of the soul in the heart or mind? I believe I was prepared from childhood to discuss this topic. It has been many years since my first introduction to Native Peoples. I remembered my father’s Little Strong Arm and Black Eagle stories when I was three or…

Bird Droppings September 17, 2023It takes more than one strand to make a rope, in life and education. “You cannot contribute anything to the ideal condition of mind and heart known as Brotherhood, however much you preach, posture, or agree unless you live it.” Faith Baldwin Every day, as I talk to teachers, parents, and/or…

Bird Droppings September 10, 2023 Can we see a gray world in color? My wife shared a photo she took earlier while walking of spider webs along the power lines, a common event on cooler wet mornings when the dew settles on the webs. I was inspired to go out and take a few photos…

Bird Droppings September 8, 2023 Grandparenting/Teaching is telling our students and grandchildren the stories. I have been lazy lately. I have been reading and documenting notes for my dissertation but have not pulled them up in a few days. I am finishing up the first three chapters of my dissertation. My title has changed over…

Bird Droppings September 4, 2023 Ponderingerest is that even a word? Coming up are some exciting days. One is an interesting yet solemn day marked by dark memories; twenty-two years ago, I started teaching again after a twenty-three-year layoff; thirty-four years ago, we brought a new baby home. So many memories are coming up this…

Bird Droppings September 3, 2023 It is about understanding I read a student’s psychological report years back who could decode almost any word put in front of them. The confusion comes when trying to tell you what was read. The two components of reading, decoding, and comprehension, are needed to be a successful reader. I…

Bird Droppings August 26. 2023A beginning from an end “It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with, we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.” Albert Einstein The recent weather reminded me of…

Bird Droppings August 25, 2023 Quietly listening to Hot Tuna and pondering the word inspiration. Nearly twenty years ago, at a county-wide teacher kick-off meeting, traditionally a packaged inspirational meeting and welcome before budget cuts. This was the startup for the new school year led by a brought-in speaker. They would pay big dollars for…

Bird Droppings August 21, 2023Kissing a frog on a chilly, wet morning is still hard. It was chilly and wet here in northeast Georgia, with nighttime temperatures hanging in the sixties. We had an inch plus of rain two days ago and several more last night. However, a rumor of a nice week hanging out…

Bird Droppings August 15, 2023The synchronicity saga and or the saga of synchronicity I write often of coincidence; it may seem boring to some. It is a never-ending saga of special moments, one after the other. During a college graduate class, we discussed science and measuring data. Intuition and coincidence, it seems, are difficult commodities…