Tag Archive | "teaching"
Identity crisis
Self-indulgence is only one of many advantages associated with having a blog of my own. In a rare attempt to avoid drawing further attention to myself, I’ll not list the others. At least, not now. As regular readers know by now, I’m a lifelong educator. In fact, the most common insult hurled my way by [...]
Continue reading...Into the wild
Saturday, December 3, 2011
American essayist Norman Cousins wrote: “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” Personally, I’ve never been content sitting still, surviving for survival’s sake. Evidence is found in the roller coaster of my academic career, which was marked by significant change every few years. [...]
Continue reading...Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet
Friday, August 26, 2011
Cameron Conaway is not a warrior poet. He is the Warrior Poet. I strongly recommend his memoir, which will be published next month. I reviewed an early draft of the manuscript when I was finishing my employment at the University of Arizona. Caged is described at goodreads as “a captivating account of a young man [...]
Continue reading...Cleaning up
Friday, August 6, 2010
My office, that is. I was asked to move out of my office the same month one of my articles graced the cover of the premier journal in my field Although faculty members are fleeing my department like fleas from a drowning dog, the interim department head needs my office. It’s the only faculty office [...]
Continue reading...Liberal education in a neocon nation
Friday, July 9, 2010
What does it mean to teach liberally? The obvious answer, which might even be correct, is found in the dictionary, where we find that liberal means “broad-minded” (among other things). I agree with the dictionary but I don’t think it goes nearly far enough. For me, liberal teaching means putting everything I know, and everything [...]
Continue reading...Infiltrating the mainstream media
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I’ll be writing for Examiner, at least on a trial basis. Although this is a mainstream outlet, there likely will be some overlap with topics on this blog. My first piece is about the Wilderness Act, and it’s here. Please check it out, and tell me what you think with an online comment. This article, [...]
Continue reading...Celebration and cognitive dissonance (but not celebrating cognitive dissonance)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A reminder about online comments is given by John Michael Greer in this week's version of his blog. His primary point, that our information age is actually dependent on physical substrate, reminds me of the cognitive dissonance running so deeply among the American populace. Example A is the magical thinking that we'll create new alternatives to oil, despite the absence of any such alternatives so far, even when the price of oil skyrocketed to $147.27. Example B is the magical thinking that we need to keep the cars running at all costs ... which means, of course, at every cost to the planet and even our own species. Example C is the magical thinking that our economy is necessary to our survival, when in fact it is a grave threat to our survival.
Continue reading...Illegitimi non carborundum
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Teaching? I'm doing the best work of my life. Scholarship? Likewise. Outreach? Ditto. Obviously, it's time for me to move along.
Continue reading...What I live for
Thursday, August 7, 2008
I still struggle every day to find meaning in a universe without meaning. Who shall I serve? For now, I can serve students and society by teaching and acting as if a single life can make a difference in a world gone awry. For now, I can demonstrate the value and importance of relationships, relative to accomplishments. For now, I can be kind to individuals while forcing institutions to do right, even if it means being unkind to individuals who represent institutions. For now, I can serve people by criticizing society.
Continue reading...What I believe
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I recognize I'm quick to offend. Continue reading at your own risk.
Continue reading...
Friday, December 23, 2011
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