The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Education

  • Is curriculum sacred?

    Bird Droppings April 21, 2026Is curriculum sacred? My wife and I have been talking about taking a few days’ hiatus to head to the South Carolina coast with no schedule and little baggage—just a spur-of-the-moment trip. I was thinking about our last crazy trip, which included a nursery or two, tourist traps, museums, and good…

  • Going to school another day

    Bird Droppings April 18, 2026Going to school another day So often, as I start writing each morning, there has been a recent experience to build upon. It is utilizing these previous experiences that provide windows and doors into future experiences. I was driving through our town, and a shop I had seen numerous times caught…

  • Trying to teach an unteachable child

    Bird Droppings April 17, 2026Trying to teach an unteachable child “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” John F. Kennedy On this…

  • I recall watching a hawk fly by as I drove to Athens and the UGA library

    Bird Droppings April 16, 2026 I recall watching a hawk fly by as I drove to Athens and the UGA library One of my favorite memories: over the years, I have attended numerous track meets. I would take a few photos, as I tend to do. I recall about fifteen years ago, when I could…

  • Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be?

    Bird Droppings April 15, 2025Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be? My wife and I are talking about taking a few days’ hiatus to head to the South Carolina coast with no schedule and little baggage—just a spur-of-the-moment trip. I was thinking back to our last crazy trip, which…

  • Bird Droppings April 13, 2026Can we figure out a way to filter it all? “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” T.S. Elliot Sifting through the tons of information that bombards us daily is a task: emails, text messages, cell phone calls, online advertising,…

  • Making a difference each day

    Bird Droppings April 12, 2026 Making a difference each day “Dialogue is the encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world,” Paulo Freire. A Brazilian educationalist and one of the most influential thinkers of the late twentieth century used the term dialogue in his writing. As I read a bit…

  • I did some serious pondering and researching of education while sleeping by a waterfall.

    Bird Droppings April 10, 2026I did some serious pondering and researching of education while sleeping by a waterfall. It has been almost sixteen years since I stayed at the Sylvan Mills Bed and Breakfast in a room literally over a waterfall. I went up to North Georgia to recharge; perhaps another word might be to…

  • Should we sharpen the machete or bring a really big shovel?

    Bird Droppings April 3, 2026Should we sharpen the machete or bring a really big shovel? I have been reflecting on the concept of critical pedagogy, and in that reflection, I recall an incident nearly 55 years ago that calls to mind my interpretation and understanding of what we, as teachers, are all about. I purchased…

  • I have found a spiritual side to teaching.

    Bird Droppings April 2, 2026I have found a spiritual side to teaching. “Solitude does not necessarily mean living apart from others; rather, it’s never living apart from one’s self. Not about absence of other people – it is about being fully present to ourselves, whether or not we are with others.” Parker Palmer Dr. Parker…