I love how you described those stand out teachers as whirlwinds of inspiration. I've been lucky to have one of two of those along the way, and totally agree that their zeal left an outsized impact on the trajectory of my learning journey. Nicely put :)
Thank god for those few renegade teachers most of us have had at some time. Mrs Dusenberry was my english teacher and the only class I didn't feel like falling asleep in. Such an authentic person! The state of public education as you assess it is why we're homeschooling our kid. My spirit shrinks when I think of sending him into the one-size-fits-all system you describe. This quote was fantastic by the way. “Nothing taught by force stays in the soul.” — Plato
I've always felt that the Dusenberry's should be the norm, not the exception. But, I think change is a coming, maybe not in mainstream ways yet... (for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6xStQSVOXc&ab_channel=WISEChannel and https://socraticexperience.com/). And I'm sure you're opening up a 'youngster' wing to your pivot to the podium pretty soon no? I can see you teaching our next gen some things that we all need from the get-go...
Rik, as I was reading I copied this: “I had a bucket of fish but no fishing rod, so to speak.” I loved it and I was totally drawn in, intrigued and committed. Then I got to the end and you came back to it. Genius.
I love how you described those stand out teachers as whirlwinds of inspiration. I've been lucky to have one of two of those along the way, and totally agree that their zeal left an outsized impact on the trajectory of my learning journey. Nicely put :)
We've talked about them and I've written about yours before ;) These are the unsung heroes for so many people. Reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTJyDe7a2bo&t=73s&ab_channel=FastCompany
Thank god for those few renegade teachers most of us have had at some time. Mrs Dusenberry was my english teacher and the only class I didn't feel like falling asleep in. Such an authentic person! The state of public education as you assess it is why we're homeschooling our kid. My spirit shrinks when I think of sending him into the one-size-fits-all system you describe. This quote was fantastic by the way. “Nothing taught by force stays in the soul.” — Plato
I've always felt that the Dusenberry's should be the norm, not the exception. But, I think change is a coming, maybe not in mainstream ways yet... (for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6xStQSVOXc&ab_channel=WISEChannel and https://socraticexperience.com/). And I'm sure you're opening up a 'youngster' wing to your pivot to the podium pretty soon no? I can see you teaching our next gen some things that we all need from the get-go...
That's so amazing that you mention offering something to kids, because this thought also showed up in my mind a couple of days ago.
I can totally see it. I'm envisioning a combined community of all ages supporting each other in/on every stage.
Thank you for mentioning this Rik, for the links, and the empowerment of this need for kids.
Rik, as I was reading I copied this: “I had a bucket of fish but no fishing rod, so to speak.” I loved it and I was totally drawn in, intrigued and committed. Then I got to the end and you came back to it. Genius.
Nice! Thanks for your comment James. I've always liked the metaphor so I was happy to find a place for it in this piece (twice ;)