When was the last time you greeted your class in a warm and sincere way? Have you ever said “I’m glad you’re here today” or “I’m really happy to see you! How was your …
4 x 4 x 16 Challenge Articles
Personal Acquisition and Private Possession
In 1933, John Dewey, wondering how an alien race might see the American educational landscape pondered, “The Utopians believed that the pattern which exists in economic society in our time affected the general habits of thought; that because personal acquisition …
What?
The answer is the question. What can I ask myself that propels my motivation? What piques my interest that beckons me further? What keeps me in motion once I have started seeking? What paths do I find that distract me from my goals? What routes are tangents that...
The Age-Old Old-Age Question
I wore a tie every day my first two-years teaching. It was not a dress code requirement, nor was it a fashion statement. I hate ties. No, I wore a tie because without one I would have been confused for an underclassman’s big brother. For a long time, I taught like a...
Fall Conference PD
During this fall PD, I had the opportunity to attend some amazing sessions. I especially appreciated learning from my peers in other departments. I discussed a book (The Power of Moments by the Heath Brothers-I recommend it!) with human resources, public relations,...
Instincts
We have had Border Collies on our sheep farm since 1993 when a student gifted me with his 9-month-old Border Collie, Doyle, who was not going to transition well to an apartment when he moved up to Houghton. When Doyle moved in we tried to be careful to keep him...
What We Want to Learn
Recently my friend Lisa Blackford gave me a draft of talking points or thoughts leading to potential talking points that her students had constructed in their planning for how they will approach members of the Traverse City community about a shared class project. Some...
They Dissect Fetal Pigs in A&P!
Okay, so I guess I should have thought about the fact that Anatomy and Physiology would involve, you know, anatomy--and physiology. It should have occurred to me that one does not learn how the body looks and functions just by reading books or listening to lectures....
Would You Please Start Arguing? Part 1 of 4
I thought for this first week, I’d share a bit of the talk I gave at the TYCA Midwest conference in Indianapolis earlier this month called “Would You Please Start Arguing? When Academic Argument, ‘Mere’ Opinion, and Comments Section Culture Collide”. In the talk I...