The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Life

  • Walking and listening among the Cotton Woods

    Bird Droppings June 8. 2026 Walking and listening among the Cotton Woods I walked outside earlier, as I do many mornings, listening, observing, trying to understand this reality I am walking about within. The sky was brilliant this morning, with a slight haze settling over the lake and the cornfield and a few visible clouds.…

  • Can we use the word sacred truthfully?

    Bird Droppings June 6, 2026Can we use the word sacred truthfully? “Teachers who do not take their own education seriously, who do not study, who make little effort to keep abreast of events have no moral authority to coordinate the activities of the classroom.” Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Freedom I have been a student and…

  • The impact of synchronicity, or perhaps you could say, in my life, the saga of synchronicity

    Bird Droppings June 4, 2026The impact of synchronicity, or perhaps you could say, in my life, the saga of synchronicity Today in my morning sojourn looking for a sunrise, I drove by a spot I have passed by 5,000 times at least and never noticed. Alongside a red barn, a red wheelbarrow with petunias in…

  • Don’t crossword puzzles take some time?

    Bird Droppings June 3, 2026Don’t crossword puzzles take some time? Towards the end of teaching my last college history class, one of my students was working on an assignment and had to define “bias”. She was unsure which definition was correct and asked for my opinion. I explained that historical bias is that of the…

  • Are we missing Creativity?

    Bird Droppings June 2, 2026 Are we missing Creativity? Today was another quiet morning; as I wandered out and about, birds hiding from view were already calling—the crickets and frogs, as always, a beautiful chorus for the morning awakening. Yesterday, several tree frogs visited our back porch, hiding under pots and a baseball cap. The…

  • Bird Droppings May 30, 2026 Taking small steps is a key component of patience “Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great   ambitions.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow How many times are we told, “take your time”? So often in life, we are anxious to finish the job or get…

  • Should we even consider ignorance, or I could say lack of experience, a part of the journey?

    I wrote this over a year ago, and it still seems very pertinent today, so I am sharing it again with a few changes. Cheryl Petersen shared a thought I just saw this morning.Thanks for sharing the thoughts passing through your mind. Ignorance can be tied to human knowledge, what we know or don’t know.…

  • What do we miss as we move through life?

    Bird Droppings May 20, 2026What do we miss as we move through life? All Along the Watchtower There must be some way out of here,Said the Joker to the thief,There’s too much confusion,I can’t get any relief.Businessmen, they drink my wine,Plowmen dig my earth,None of them along the lineKnow what any of it is worth.…

  • Bird Droppings May 19, 2026 Looking for synchronous moments Over the past weekend, my wife and I went to Pawleys Island, South Carolina, for an afternoon and night. We enjoy getting on the beach and walking, looking for shells and other bits of nature. Many birds were migrating, and we saw numerous water birds walking…

  • At what age should we be seeking a destination

    Bird Droppings May 16, 2026At what age should we be seeking a destination “Look in the mirror. Love that person, don’t let yourself down. Now, make yourself proud. If you needed a sign, keep going.” Tiffany, a former high school basketball player   Years ago, I photographed Tiffany playing basketball at Loganville High School. I…