The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings March 23, 2024Why should life be a difficult journey? “Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.” Henry Van Dyke About six years ago, I visited with my mother, and I walked by my father’s and brother’s gravesites and stood by…

Bird Droppings March 22, 2024Can we find answers? Several years ago, I would have said there were answers to almost any question that could be asked. Today, sitting here, I wonder, granted; first, you have to ask what the question or questions are, but now I have a different attitude that allows for an unanswerable…

Bird Droppings March 21, 2024The inability of surmounting learning difficulties It has been a few days since my last post. I have been extremely occupied with some minor surgery yesterday, and the psychological impact of having a small spot of skin cancer removed the past few days. Last week, I had several doctor appointments, ultrasounds,…

Bird Droppings March 24, 2024So close to finishing So often, as I start my writing each morning, there has been an experience recently to build upon. It is utilizing these previous experiences to provide windows and doors for future experiences. I was driving through our town, and a shop I had seen numerous times caught…

Bird Droppings March 15, 2024 To die a happy death Lately, sitting on my back porch pondering and taking pictures of passing birds, I think of death. I read that sentence again, and it sounds grim. We are by nature provided with birth and, at some point, an ending. As you get to my age,…

Bird Droppings March 12, 2024 Should I be a wolf or dog in education? In light of the current news and political turmoil, I recalled a trip to the Atlanta Zoo. An elderly man approached me as I walked up the hill at the Zoo. I had never met this man previously and hoped never…

Bird Droppings March 10, 2024Our teaching can make a difference every day. I recall one day that I was looking through data as I sat through a special education training session. This is an exciting situation. I was reviewing data from a recent benchmark test in biology. It is an extremely poorly made and designed…

Bird Droppings March 5, 2024Are we going in the right direction? I reviewed my student’s online work status four years ago. There were a couple of surprises and some that were not. I thought that when the virus finally moved on, and the smoke cleared, some grades would go up, and some would drop. We…

Bird Droppings March 1, 2024What is the freedom we desire? “Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter, and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of…

Bird Droppings February 29, 2024The Power of Example goes beyond the curriculum. “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 For nearly twenty-five years, I have…