Through the Tree

I peered through the door, then pulled back to stare around the tree. Yep, the scenery was different around and behind the tree than it was through the tree. There were several puzzling things about this. First, the basic question – why was there a door in the tree to begin with? Secondly – where would I be if I stepped through that door? The view through the door was very attractive. Green, lush, and filled with sunlight. Extremely inviting indeed. I didn’t remember ever running across this patch of woods before and I’d been roaming this neighborhood for a couple months now.

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Academic Failure and the Loss of Discourse

A post from seven years ago floated up in my FB memories this morning. It was a rant from a former student about the loss of discourse and discussion in the classroom. At the time, this student was in a grad class and had raised a differing point of view only to be greeted with gasps of astonishment. I had copied the rant and posted it as Reason #47 for why I teach. In reality, rants like this, demonstrating the critical thinking skills of my students, remain Reason #1 for why I taught. Yes, I’ve left that world, and the inability to have constructive discussions and arguments in the classroom is my primary reason for leaving.

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MOTE Prompt: Rings of Stone

Looming silently over the landscape for thousands of years, the standing stones had puzzled scholars and archaeologists, both amateur and professional, for as long as anyone in Plainstone could remember. It was clear the town had been named for the stones, but how they got there, who put them there, and what they meant was a puzzle. The circle stood about five miles outside of town and was a popular spot among local teenagers to get away from their parents. As was common among teenagers, it never occurred to them that their parents had done the same thing.

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