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…

Bird Droppings August 20, 2013 Staring into the sky listening to an owl call: LEARNING – KNOWING – FINDING When I went out on my morning excursion this morning or I should say several times as I think my dog plotted against me. I heard our dog and she wanted out so we went for…

Bird Droppings August 19, 2013 Is there much difference in our perceptions? “The delineation of the difference between modern (secular) society and traditional (Sacred) societies and their competing views of land and nature helps to explain the persistence of severe conflict between such societies. Unlike secular societies – where land signifies property, property signifies capital,…

Bird Droppings August 18, 2013 Thinking about where I am going “Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular path… this is what I must do; this is what I’ve got to have. This is who I am. It’s important to ask yourself, how am I useful to others? What do people…

Bird Droppings August 16, 2013 Sometimes I wonder what is on my mind Where do I start twenty five years ago well almost my wife and I were at the hospital wondering if she was in labor. The doctor finally said she probably will go home but go check her in just to be safe.…

Bird Droppings August 15, 2013 I wonder what my favorite store is; Then again is it even important? Interesting two thoughts while similar struck me this morning as I started the day out. One I heard on the radio going to get gas for my wife the other morning from a radio announcer recalling an…

Bird Droppings August 14, 2013 Why does it take courage to teach? It has been several years’ back a tradition was started in my home town of Coatesville Pennsylvania. I recall an email about the event. One of the members of our high school graduating class lost his daughter to cancer a few years back…