The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Education

  • Is there a difference between progressive and traditional teachers?

    Bird Droppings December 23, 2024 Is there a difference between progressive and traditional teachers? A few years back, in a ninth-grade literature class that I happened to be co-teaching, I was introduced to the book Freedom Writers Diary. We also watched the film based on the book. In some ways, the story is similar to…

  • Determining what to learn

    Bird Droppings December 19, 2024 Determining what to learn “Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know — and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge so that we use it to destroy ourselves? Even if that is so, knowledge remains better than ignorance. It is better to know —…

  • Where have all the teachers gone?

    Bird Droppings December 15, 2024 Where have all the teachers gone? I first wrote a variation of this essay nearly seventeen years ago. Over the past few days, I have been talking with a few new college seniors who are student-teaching. As I head out to get my odds and ends done for the week,…

  • What is the Holy Grail in education?

    Bird Droppings December 12, 2024 What is the Holy Grail in education? Teachers in Georgia High Schools on block schedules are scrambling this time of year to get ready for the semester’s End-of-course and or tests/milestones. Basically, teachers are told by administrators to prepare for the tests. Teachers are encouraged to be proactive and practice…

  • Understanding the symbols of life

    Bird Droppings December 10, 2024Understanding the symbols of life  Symbols express and represent meaning. Meaning helps provide purpose and understanding in the lives of human beings. Indeed, to live without symbols is to experience existence far short of its full meaning. Ways of expressing and representing meaning include the symbol systems of mathematics, spoke and…

  • Finding a pathway even when one does not appear

    Bird Droppings December 9, 2025Finding a pathway even when one does not appear The past week has all run sort of together, although each was an interesting day. It may have been sitting and watching movies with the grandkids, eating all day long, and then getting ready to head to North Carolina or South Georgia…

  • Foxfire is a name for a fungus glowing in the dark until you wander up Black Rock Mountain.

    Bird Droppings December 4, 2024Foxfire is a name for a fungus glowing in the dark until you wander up Black Rock Mountain. A few weeks back, I was involved in another synchronous adventure, as I am daily. I have been thinking about it ever since. I have been a fan of Carl Jung and the idea…

  • Perception is often the beginning of the discussion and, for some, the end.

    Bird Droppings December 1, 2024 Perception is often the beginning of the discussion and, for some, the end. A dear friend brought up a conversation with a flat earth believer the other day. This person he had been talking with essentially disavowed science in many areas. My son offered that Mars is visibly round from…

  • Who would have thought that a buffalo snort in the dark could impact me twenty-five years later?

    Bird Droppings November 24, 2024 Who would have thought that a buffalo snort in the dark could impact me twenty-five years later? “Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly…

  • A look at essential Bird Pedagogy if you want to use a fancy word

    Bird Droppings November 21, 2024 A look at essential Bird Pedagogy if you want to use a fancy word Almost fourteen years ago, I read an article and an interview with Arne Duncan, the former Secretary of Education. Considering the impact COVID-19 has had on high school and college sports, these thoughts are interesting. I…