Learning is Loud!

The Mark & Helen Osterlin Library is the loudest library I have ever worked.  This past week it has been even louder than usual.  Maybe it’s the early snow or lack of sunlight, but there is definitely a loud vibe going on in the NMC library. We are a pretty...
A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture is worth a thousand words. I received a submission for a writing assignment today via email.  It was a picture, included as an attachment, showing a handwritten homework assignment, taken with the smartphone, at arm’s-length.  I have received three...
Understood Betsy

Understood Betsy

Have you ever read the book Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield? It is a children’s book, but is has a lot to say about education and learning. It is about a very timid, unobserving child, Betsy (Elizabeth Ann), who changes into a brave, problem-solving girl due to a...
Trying to be a Creator–Even in November

Trying to be a Creator–Even in November

For a number of years now, I have taught my ENG 107 students about the idea of personal responsibility. We use On Course, a college success book written by Skip Downing, as the primary text in that class. The whole book is based on the choice between being a Victim...
Has School Become An Extracurricular Activity?

Has School Become An Extracurricular Activity?

It seems to me that school has become the extracurricular activity as of late. I know that doesn’t make sense, but let me explain myself. In the past, school came first and then other activities were scheduled if they could be fit in around the demands of school....