I really enjoyed all of these thoughts on teaching. I’d love to join the book club for Family Lexicon too, could you please send me the Zoom link? Thank you so much!
Michelle and Albert: what a wonderful, inspiring post! Two things, one also hopeful and one a cavil:
The hard-right Democrat-Gazette estimated that 10,000 people were on the streets in Fayetteville on June 14. That is an appreciable percentage of the total population. More than 3.5%, I believe (though math and I are always at war). Little Rock saw around 5,000. And just about every small town in Arkansas showed up, even in small part. Even Texarkana, Jonesboro, Hot Springs – in addition to the predictable Fayetteville and Eureka Springs.
Just one objection. Please think hard about adding to the cultural fog surrounding aging when you write, even if light-heartedly, such thoughts as “our bodies rush towards the inescapable end of organic decay.”
In my experience of advancing age, I am intent on turning around that rush day by day, into a more merciful and contemplative listening to my physical self. “It” has tons to say. “It” is telling me what memory cannot about my history – and “it” is telling me what “it” needs, instead of what I think “it” needs.
This is a process so momentous, it feels actually holy. I hold it as a reckoning with my (all humanity’s?) connection to the natural world, the natural cycles. Those cycles don’t necessarily rush.
And that is a key distinction. Rush can be a dynamic that leads to unnecessary deterioration. It breeds carelessness, over-looking of critical nuance, and it can even encourage use of force born of denial or subterranean fear. Please don’t add to that dynamic (let alone participate in it!), even light-heartedly.
One day I plan on writing about how to “operationalize” this. Not fully baked yet.
And other than that -- sending big love to you both and total joy about what you're doing with our successors, the next generations. Now that is momentous!!
Aw, thank you Anita, for the report on what's going on in Little Rock, as well as this really thoughtful, soulful reminder -- I love this idea that we can turn around that rush by being more merciful and contemplative with our physical selves. We're going to try to constantly remind ourselves not to rush!
I also shared the song with my Taigi practice group! Taking one of your classes would be such a dream 🥹 and I am lucky to learn from you both in all the ways I can
I loved this piece so much. It reminded me of the joy of a vibrant classroom and made me think about how happy I am to still be a student for another year (and if I stay in DC, my university makes it really easy to audit classes as an alum!). I wish I was less tired and better at keeping up with the readings, although some of the ones I'm assigned are definitely are worth skipping (I never could say that about your classes Michelle and Albert!). I miss you guys so much.
The piece also made me think about how lucky I was to have finished college before the tyrannical rise of TikTok/YouTube Shorts and ChatGPT. The former would have (and has) fried my already unstable ability to focus. I can't imagine how much teachers have to navigate in that environment. I suppose you got an early taste in designing remote tests during the Covid years. The more things change... in high-school in my lit classes tons of people just read spark notes to pass the reading tests I actually found the tests to be a great motivator that helped me keep reading even when I fell behind regular deadlines. They motivated me to force myself to do something even though I knew how much I liked reading.
This section here "Meanwhile, the most mysterious aspect of reading lay excavated: the private inward memories it sparked, the idiosyncratic connections, and most of all, the impulse to create" is such a beautiful encapsulation of what makes reading magical (and why I'm so slow at it, I am great at making idiosyncratic connections that lead me down rabbit holes). I suppose reading is also basically the only way I can really get into other people's heads. Doing that doesn't come naturally to me at all, despite how much my idiosyncratic brain tries to analyze things.
I love the board games, it's such a perfect activity because it naturally brings together complementary talents (drawing, vs writing flavor text vs game design). I would love thinking about the meta-game and would try to stay as far away from the markers as I could.
The 3 hour classes are definitely an adjustment Albert, that's probably been the biggest change between grad school and college.
It's so strange thinking how short a time it's been since I was in your classes (less than half a decade) and how many lives I've lived since then.
I'm very proud I went up to Philly to go to the flagship No Kings Protest. I wish I could say I planned it from the beginning but it was a impulse decision I made a few days before the event after a friend in Philly invited me. It was drizzling on and off but the turnout and the energy were genuinely moving.
So many of your reflexions ring true for me- reading quizzes, worrying about cheating, AI, how to hold students accountable at a minimum, inspire them to be critical thinkers in the ideal, rather than creating punitive ways to check for compliance. You have brought so much creative energy to your teaching. I am inspired and in awe of you and what your students came up with! Brava!
I really enjoyed all of these thoughts on teaching. I’d love to join the book club for Family Lexicon too, could you please send me the Zoom link? Thank you so much!
Yes, of course, just messaged you privately! If you didn't get it, feel free to email us by responding to the newsletter in your inbox. Thank you!
Michelle and Albert: what a wonderful, inspiring post! Two things, one also hopeful and one a cavil:
The hard-right Democrat-Gazette estimated that 10,000 people were on the streets in Fayetteville on June 14. That is an appreciable percentage of the total population. More than 3.5%, I believe (though math and I are always at war). Little Rock saw around 5,000. And just about every small town in Arkansas showed up, even in small part. Even Texarkana, Jonesboro, Hot Springs – in addition to the predictable Fayetteville and Eureka Springs.
Just one objection. Please think hard about adding to the cultural fog surrounding aging when you write, even if light-heartedly, such thoughts as “our bodies rush towards the inescapable end of organic decay.”
In my experience of advancing age, I am intent on turning around that rush day by day, into a more merciful and contemplative listening to my physical self. “It” has tons to say. “It” is telling me what memory cannot about my history – and “it” is telling me what “it” needs, instead of what I think “it” needs.
This is a process so momentous, it feels actually holy. I hold it as a reckoning with my (all humanity’s?) connection to the natural world, the natural cycles. Those cycles don’t necessarily rush.
And that is a key distinction. Rush can be a dynamic that leads to unnecessary deterioration. It breeds carelessness, over-looking of critical nuance, and it can even encourage use of force born of denial or subterranean fear. Please don’t add to that dynamic (let alone participate in it!), even light-heartedly.
One day I plan on writing about how to “operationalize” this. Not fully baked yet.
And other than that -- sending big love to you both and total joy about what you're doing with our successors, the next generations. Now that is momentous!!
Aw, thank you Anita, for the report on what's going on in Little Rock, as well as this really thoughtful, soulful reminder -- I love this idea that we can turn around that rush by being more merciful and contemplative with our physical selves. We're going to try to constantly remind ourselves not to rush!
I also shared the song with my Taigi practice group! Taking one of your classes would be such a dream 🥹 and I am lucky to learn from you both in all the ways I can
Aww, thanks so much dear Leona! You're my role model for how i want to organize and create community =) Love to you.
I loved this piece so much. It reminded me of the joy of a vibrant classroom and made me think about how happy I am to still be a student for another year (and if I stay in DC, my university makes it really easy to audit classes as an alum!). I wish I was less tired and better at keeping up with the readings, although some of the ones I'm assigned are definitely are worth skipping (I never could say that about your classes Michelle and Albert!). I miss you guys so much.
The piece also made me think about how lucky I was to have finished college before the tyrannical rise of TikTok/YouTube Shorts and ChatGPT. The former would have (and has) fried my already unstable ability to focus. I can't imagine how much teachers have to navigate in that environment. I suppose you got an early taste in designing remote tests during the Covid years. The more things change... in high-school in my lit classes tons of people just read spark notes to pass the reading tests I actually found the tests to be a great motivator that helped me keep reading even when I fell behind regular deadlines. They motivated me to force myself to do something even though I knew how much I liked reading.
This section here "Meanwhile, the most mysterious aspect of reading lay excavated: the private inward memories it sparked, the idiosyncratic connections, and most of all, the impulse to create" is such a beautiful encapsulation of what makes reading magical (and why I'm so slow at it, I am great at making idiosyncratic connections that lead me down rabbit holes). I suppose reading is also basically the only way I can really get into other people's heads. Doing that doesn't come naturally to me at all, despite how much my idiosyncratic brain tries to analyze things.
I love the board games, it's such a perfect activity because it naturally brings together complementary talents (drawing, vs writing flavor text vs game design). I would love thinking about the meta-game and would try to stay as far away from the markers as I could.
The 3 hour classes are definitely an adjustment Albert, that's probably been the biggest change between grad school and college.
It's so strange thinking how short a time it's been since I was in your classes (less than half a decade) and how many lives I've lived since then.
I'm very proud I went up to Philly to go to the flagship No Kings Protest. I wish I could say I planned it from the beginning but it was a impulse decision I made a few days before the event after a friend in Philly invited me. It was drizzling on and off but the turnout and the energy were genuinely moving.
PS I love the drawings/infographics of Spinoza
So many of your reflexions ring true for me- reading quizzes, worrying about cheating, AI, how to hold students accountable at a minimum, inspire them to be critical thinkers in the ideal, rather than creating punitive ways to check for compliance. You have brought so much creative energy to your teaching. I am inspired and in awe of you and what your students came up with! Brava!