When I was a kid, I used to pick on a kid smaller than me and it really made him upset. A few years went by and I kept picking on him and one day he finally got tired and started to hit me, and, well, you know, I started to hit him back. We got in trouble, but you … Read More
What I have learned
I have learned a lot of things in my life and had a lot of experiences but I’d have to say the most important thing I’ve learned is show respect. There are many stories I could tell about of how I’ve messed up by my lack of respect, but one I will always remember. When I was younger, I and … Read More
What a Difference a Word Makes
In 9th grade my English teacher would say to us, “PEOPLE, we are going to begin an essay today.” At first I thought it was a mistake. People? Really? But again and again she referred to us with a word that meant to me respect, acceptance and relevance. We were important to her, we were important in the classroom, we … Read More
Professor Geer
It was Bill Geer who launched me on my “life of unlearning.” In fact, Professor Geer (as we insisted upon calling him no matter how often he said ‘call me Bill’), challenged us to live just such a life, taking the term from Lincoln Steffens’ essay. It was, he would bellow from the front of the class room, “a damn … Read More
"I am not going to teach you any differently!"
Perhaps the most significant, life-determining learning experience happened in the eleventh grade in Mrs. Eli’s class in my West Texas hometown high school named San Angelo Central High School. I remember the first day of the school year in her class. At first–in the brief moments before class was to start–it seemed like any other eleventh-grade class. That is, pretty … Read More
I want our children to be taught how to think!
I was educated in England and best remember my High School English teacher, a woman who inspired through enthusiasm. She was in love with language and literature, and her unfailing, bouncing enthusiasm and permanent grin enthused us all.There were no non-participants in that class – the boys at the back of the class sat up, listened, read the texts, and … Read More
