The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Education

  • Maybe we are in the wrong.

    Bird Droppings June 26, 2025Maybe we are in the wrong. “I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men with no right to talk. Too many misinterpretations have been made;…

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

    Bird Droppings June 24, 2025Foxfire is a name for a fungus that glows 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…

  • Trying to teach an unteachable child

    Bird Droppings June 20, 2025Trying 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 As I…

  • Learning and teaching are not the same, yet they intertwine.

    Bird Droppings June 16, 2025Learning and teaching are not the same, yet they intertwine. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” Dr. Mortimer J. Adler Dr. Adler founded the Center for the Study of…

  • Today should always be the first day.

    Bird Droppings June 14, 2025Today should always be the first day. Over the past several weeks, we have been cleaning out our storage buildings. It is a slow, tedious process of finding things we have not seen in twenty or more years. I found a briefcase with my bank statements from 1973-76 or so in…

  • What is this desire for freedom?

    Bird Droppings June 12, 2025What is this desire for freedom? “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…

  • Teaching can be successful.

    Bird Droppings June , 2025Teaching can be successful. When I am home, I try to walk out to a quiet corner of my backyard; a couple of weeks ago, I walked two miles on the beach at Pawleys Island. Even at the beach, strands of spider webbing are still hanging, connecting everything. The scientist, part…

  • Translating and communicating

    Bird droppings June 3, 2025Translating and communicating “Scientific management is always on guard against people who don’t fit securely into boxes, whether because of too much competency, too much creativity, too much popularity, or what have you. Although often hired, it is with the understanding they must be kept on a short leash and regarded…

  • In a world of data, can we still use intuition?

    Bird Droppings June 2, 2025In a world of data, can we still use intuition? Two years ago, I spent the better part of the week either sitting on or walking on the beach at Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Whenever my wife and I go, we ensure we see the sunrise every morning. It was supposed…

  • Constructivism, Montessori, Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, and others

    Bird Droppings May 31, 2025 Constructivism, Montessori, Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, and others Friday, five years ago, I had a heart pacemaker installed. It will be charged for eight to ten years, and I feel considerably better. My heart rate had been going as low as thirty-six and fluctuating throughout the day. I was constantly fatigued…