Bird Droppings September 3, 2013 Teaching can be successful So as I do on many mornings when I get the time I walked out to a quiet corner of my back yard. Nestled in a patch of weeds and brush I laid claim to my quiet spot and look toward the east in the morning.…

Bird Droppings September 2, 2013 Culture is far more than just a word “Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regardful of the rule that thought comes before speech. In the midst of sorrow, sickness, death or misfortune of…

Bird Droppings September 1, 2013 There is a reason I am told “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” Robert Byrne I have often wondered about this thought as have so many before me and will after I am gone. Philosophers wonder and wise men ponder, is there purpose, a reason for each…

Bird Droppings August 29, 2013 If only we can make a difference I walked out last night to a partial moon it was exceptionally warm with the high humidity which has become the norm. However between the clouds I did see a jet stream that was perfectly in line with what I could see of…

Bird Droppings August 28, 2013 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 Palmer is…

Bird Droppings August 27, 2013 A final look at essential Bird Pedagogy It was three years ago I was reading an article actually an interview with Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education. I selected a few choice quotes from his interview to savor and ponder for a few days. As I look at the words…

Bird Droppings August 26, 2013 Could there be such a thing as Essential Education? It has been almost two years since I was discussing various educational philosophies and pedagogies with my son. One happened to be essential education which per his text is only a slight step from perennial education which basically is reading, writing…

Bird Droppings August 23, 2013 Trying 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…

Bird Droppings August 22, 2013 The next great teacher: A new reality show with significance I drove back to school about nine o’clock last night to run some copies and check on a few things. Walking out of the building the moon was glowing through a patch work of clouds. I did not have my…

Bird Droppings August 21, 2013 The Sixteen hour syndrome and should embrace it? It has been nearly thirteen years since I wrote about the Sixteen Hour Syndrome in relationship to emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students. The idea developed from my own observations of a group of twenty eight students in a Georgia high school. At…