composition

Today, for whatever reason, the writing on the bathroom stall in the library caught my eye. Usually, bathroom stalls are scribbled with nasty things. I've seen "so-and-so is a whore" or gang symbols and graffiti tags a million times. People's names or hearts with lovers are common too. To my surprise, however, inspirational messages were written everywhere in this particular stall. Things like, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and, "You are beautiful," were written in pen on the green doors. I would have taken a picture, but I thought that cameras in public bathrooms would be inappropriate. For a moment, it made me smile. While I don't condone vandalizing university property, I couldn't help but think how nice it was that someone had taken the opportunity to reach out to other women and share a moment of inspiration, one that they (most likely) could not avoid seeing. I couldn't help but wonder how our world would be differ...

Taken at the Lego Store in NYC Last year, around Christmas time, my family took a trip to New York City. We made a pit stop in the huge Lego Store near Rockefeller Center. This Lego mural greeted customers the moment that they walked in the doors. We are often afraid to be creative because creativity invites chaos, unexpected ideas, things we don't have control over. But as this Lego mural reveals, creativity is our stability. It ensures that we will grow and prosper as a society. Creative thinking is the key to progress, and so I find it extremely sad that many people deny our students access to their creative outlets. When we ask our students to routinely do what they have come to know, we are not asking them to tap into their creativity. If you ask them to repeat the same skills, they will never grow. Furthermore, when students do tap into their creativity and we reprimand them, we are doing them (and ourselves) a great disservice. We limit their ability to find new and better w...

First things first. I must offer my apologies for taking more than a month to write a new post. I kept starting and deleting half-formed ideas. With the new semester coming into full swing, I will be more consistent from here on out. Ok, now to the exciting topic... Contract Grading :) image credit: acuitydesigns.com Earlier in my short teaching career, I called a student out on the lack of effort in his revisions, and he told me, "I didn't make revisions because I knew I'd have to make them for the final portfolio," and later, "I know I'm getting an A anyway." Two things became clear: (1) even though his comment made me want to screech, he was right; (2) he was missing out on a valuable learning experience because he couldn't see beyond the grade on his paper. His negative attitude towards applying himself in my classroom was not all his fault. He had been programmed by previous learning experiences and my own failed teaching attempts. Something nee...