The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Philosophy

  • Why is experience the greatest teacher?

    Bird Droppings July 7, 2025Why is experience the greatest teacher? “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy What a way to start with a line from a fiction…

  • 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…

  • Searching for a flower, the butterfly pea (Clitoria marina), or is it gone now

    Bird Droppings May 7, 2025Searching for a flower, the butterfly pea (Clitoria marina), or is it gone now Interestingly, I had two thoughts earlier in the week as I started the day that made me think of them. One I heard on the radio was that I was going to get some gas in my…

  • Bird Droppings April 21, 2025 Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln Perhaps some people are inherently grouchy in the scheme of things; in Lincoln’s view, they want to be grouchy. Sitting here pondering…

  • Pondering early in the morning, in my search for wisdom, while looking for a sunrise on a cloudy day

    Bird Droppings April 2, 2025Pondering early in the morning, in my search for wisdom, while looking for a sunrise on a cloudy day I started my day by having some green tea and heading out to look for a sunrise. The sky was beautiful in a strange sort of way. Using overexposure, I got several…

  • Ethics and Politics: I think they are antonyms

    Bird Droppings March 25, 2025Ethics and Politics: I think they are antonyms Many things are happening in our world that are often the result of a politician’s actions, whether we voted for them or not. Industry is being remade, wars are being fought, jobs are appearing and disappearing, and health care reform is possibly off…

  • I am Reading and listening to a philosopher.

    Bird Droppings January 28, 2025I am Reading and listening to a philosopher. There was a beautiful sky this morning as I walked out; the weather was wreaking havoc with my sinuses: cold, hot, colder, and humid. On the one hand, I can count the number of mornings with frost this year. The sky, while partially…

  • 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…

  • Can we use the word sacred truthfully, or is it purely mythical?

    Bird Droppings November 25, 2024Can we use the word sacred truthfully, or is it purely mythical? “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…

  • Listening to a philosopher

    Bird Droppings November 14, 2024 Listening to a philosopher There was a beautiful sky this morning as I walked out, even in the rain. It was actually not too cold, which is surprising as the sky was clear. Thinking back about six years, I looked across the space between our house and the neighbors, and…