The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: William Stafford

  • What is a birddropping?

    Bird Droppings March 30, 2016 What is a birddropping? On February 3, 2003 I officially started titling my daily emailing and blogging, Bird Droppings. I went back in my files and pulled up a few old thoughts and ideas. As I was reading the local paper today a street poll was included asking locals about…

  • Religion is what you make of it

    Bird Droppings March 29, 2016 Religion is what you make of it “A poor devotee points to the sky and says, ‘God is up there.’ An average devotee says, ‘God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master.’ The best devotee says, ‘God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God.’” Ramakrishna…

  • Why should life be a difficult journey?

    Bird Droppings March 28, 2016 Why should life be a difficult journey? “Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.” Henry Van Dyke I was visiting with my mother last week and I walked by my fathers and brothers grave site or I…

  • Can we really find answers?

    Bird Droppings March 25, 2016 Can we really find answers? Several years ago I would have said there were answers to almost any question that could be asked. Today sitting here I wonder granted first you have to ask what is the question or questions but I have a different attitude now sort of one…

  • A morning meandering while the moon is glowing

    Bird Droppings March 24, 2016 A morning meandering while the moon is glowing Last night no one showed up for tutoring after school. I read through several old emails from my doctorate and graduate cohort friends as some are defending their dissertations in the coming weeks. In another set of emails based on an article…

  • Can we teach again a love of learning

    Bird Droppings March 23, 2016 Can we teach again a love of learning This has been a perplexing time of my life. A few weeks back a car wreck young man was killed and his passenger who was a good friend of my youngest son was severely injured. My thoughts rambled back to when I…

  • As a teacher we should always be near the edge

    Bird Droppings March 22, 2016 As a teacher we should always be near the edge I recall taking groups hiking in North Georgia and always there is that one person who has to be at the edge of a gorge or edge of the trail dropping two hundred feet down looking over and nearly falling.…

  • The sacredness of finding Foxfire in the Kalahari Desert

    Bird Droppings March 21, 2016 The sacredness of finding Foxfire in the Kalahari Desert I have known about Foxfire for nearly fifty years since I bought my first copy of a Foxfire book in 1972 or so. Since that time coincidence as it may be I have taken courses in the Foxfire approach to teaching…

  • Seeking perfection all the while mired in sterile mud

    Bird Droppings March 18, 2016 Seeking perfection all the while mired in sterile mud It has been a few years since my students were nonverbal. Back in the day as my youngest son will say, I worked in private and residential programs. My students were considered severe and profoundly mentally impaired. Other words were used…

  • Is there data in a data-less environment

    Bird Droppings March 17, 2016 Is there data in a data-less environment I read earlier this morning a dialogue of sorts from a young man who is currently serving in the military. He is trying to decide on his future as he pieces together in his dialogue options and possibilities not just in his immediate…