The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Writing

  • Going to school another day

    Bird Droppings April 18, 2026Going to school another day So often, as I start writing each morning, there has been a recent experience to build upon. It is utilizing these previous experiences that provide windows and doors into future experiences. I was driving through our town, and a shop I had seen numerous times caught…

  • Trying to teach an unteachable child

    Bird Droppings April 17, 2026Trying 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 On this…

  • I recall watching a hawk fly by as I drove to Athens and the UGA library

    Bird Droppings April 16, 2026 I recall watching a hawk fly by as I drove to Athens and the UGA library One of my favorite memories: over the years, I have attended numerous track meets. I would take a few photos, as I tend to do. I recall about fifteen years ago, when I could…

  • Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be?

    Bird Droppings April 15, 2025Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be? My wife and I are talking about taking a few days’ hiatus to head to the South Carolina coast with no schedule and little baggage—just a spur-of-the-moment trip. I was thinking back to our last crazy trip, which…

  • Bird Droppings April 14, 2026 Innocence is more than a definition. “Look at children. Of course, they may quarrel, but generally speaking, they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they…

  • Trying to find a way back to normal, or is it abnormal? Is your child a hippy?

    Bird Droppings April 11, 2026 Trying to find a way back to normal, or is it abnormal? Is your child a hippy? “Your son or daughter may be flashing warning signals that he or she will soon drop out of society and join the ‘hippie‘ movement. If you know what to look for, you may be…

  • I did some serious pondering and researching of education while sleeping by a waterfall.

    Bird Droppings April 10, 2026I did some serious pondering and researching of education while sleeping by a waterfall. It has been almost sixteen years since I stayed at the Sylvan Mills Bed and Breakfast in a room literally over a waterfall. I went up to North Georgia to recharge; perhaps another word might be to…

  • Ethics and Politics are not synonymous; they could be antonyms.

    Bird Droppings April 9, 2026Ethics and Politics are not synonymous; they could be antonyms. So many things are happening in our world that are often whims of a politician we voted for or, in my case, against. Industry is being remade, wars are being fought, jobs are appearing and disappearing, and health care reform is…

  • Occasionally, we need to learn again about the Rock and the Smoke, perhaps before it is too late.

    Bird Droppings April 8, 2026Occasionally, we need to learn again about the Rock and the Smoke, perhaps before it is too late. Thinking back to my biology teaching days, high school students always ask questions about religion as we get into evolution. Occasionally, I get someone who wants to prove a point. A young lady…

  • How do we know on a cloudy day whether the moon is setting or the sun rising?

    Bird Droppings April 7, 2026How do we know on a cloudy day whether the moon is setting or the sun rising? I left the house relatively early to get pictures of the moon, and since I have been home today, I have been working on writing several responses to reflection posts in my graduate class.…