The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings September 9, 2022 Ponderingerest is that even a word? Coming up are some exciting days. One is an interesting and yet solemn day, a day marked by dark memories; twenty-one years ago, I started teaching again after a twenty-three-year layoff; thirty-three years ago, we brought a new baby home. So many memories are…

Bird Droppings September 7, 2022 It is about understanding I read a student’s psychological report years back who could decode most 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 September 2. 2022A 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 29, 2022 I am told there is a reason. Early today, I should not get into disagreements on Covid, and I try to avoid it. I have strong feelings about vaccines being a polio survivor, and I mentioned I was one of the lucky ones I survived till I started back to…

Bird Droppings August 26, 2022If you see a new trail or footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing “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,…

Bird Droppings August 24, 2022 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 23, 2022How do we know if we are still human? Perhaps it is from growing up in a situation where we were daily aware of special needs children and adults from the birth of my younger brother till his passing almost twenty years ago. Those in my family have directly or indirectly…

Bird Droppings August 21, 2022Driving 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 College’s teacher’s class in The Foxfire Approach to teaching. My oldest son took the course as a piece…

Bird Droppings August 20, 2022What 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 justice.…

Bird Droppings August 16, 2022 Finding the right spot for the puzzle pieces “In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around…