Coming out from a long cold winter. . . .

Wow,

I'm in the Spring

of 2013. 

We made it to the other side.

I will admit, I've been way too busy

to even find words.

I'm deluged in the words of others.

The words of young people,

some of whom

are strangers in the land of written words.

Still,

I could write for hours about what my students say.

I heard a great idea today:

A student named Anthony presented an argumentative paper to me,

and his thesis was that we have to train everyone to be able to recognize

the signs of depression. 

And I said:

Everyone?  How can we do that?

And he said:

Change the education system.

He went on to say:

We worry about physical health,

and we have to take classes about that,

but why not mental and emotional health?

He proposed changes to curricula, beginning at the lowest grades,

in which we teach young people about their emotions.

We can teach them, he said, about the fact that they'll

be sad and happy and frustrated and angry

all in the same day,

and that's normal.

We can teach them ways to manage

their emotional states.

(Like yoga and meditation, I would add.  He didn't say that.)

And we can make it mandatory, Anthony said, throughout their education.

Because our emotional needs change, you know?

Yeah, I know, I said.

Anthony also thought we should teach, in this class,

morality and ethics,

separate from any religion.

So the young know that's it feels best

when they do the right thing.

As Anthony left my office, I thanked him.

And I felt exceedingly 

happy.

Because I think Anthony has a fabulous idea,

that could change the world,

and if Anthony,

and the thousands of young psychology majors in the world

all feel the same way about this,

well, 

we may be going in the right direction,

after all.

Labor Days Ahead

Alas,

the garden goddess is overwhelmed by the height of summer,

and I,

am returning to teaching

after a long sabbatical.

Tomorrow.

Alas.

Much of my word energy over the past few months has gone

to an article I am writing about

how No Child Left Behind

and other educational reforms

have created a generation of American college students

who are way far behind.

Tomorrow, I head back to classrooms full of 'em again.

My particular focus is on student writing.

Believe me, it's very difficult to teach writing

when you'd rather be writing.

I can theorize away about the problem,

but when faced with a class full of angry young people,

my words, and skills, wain.

Because these students are ANGRY.

Our youth KNOW they have not been educated.

They KNOW it's all been a farce,

and they are amused by teachers 

and administrators

who perpetuate it.

By their first year of university, in fact,

they expect all teachers to be overworked to a point that the students simply are spoonfed

what they need to know to pass the test.

So these dear untutored and undisciplined students get angry

when a teacher actually asks them to be responsible for their own learning.

ehow-college stress

I don't blame them,

or their teachers,

but I sure have my theories

on who to blame.

Hold on tight --

I may vent here.

Tonight,

this Labor Day night,

my thoughts and prayers go out to all

the teachers in the world,

burdened by testing and assessments so overwhelming

that they get in the way

of teaching.

why haven't I written one of my long rambling channellings for awhile?

Maybe some of my dear friends

and readers

are kind of relieved

that I haven't done that

for awhile.

Maybe some of you miss it.

I, for one,

miss it.  Because those long,

intense entries I write come to me

when I'm most relaxed

and my mind is most open

to that kind of reception.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case

for a few weeks or a month

or so

because

I have to fill my mind

with words that perhaps

should have never been

written.  

I try to teach college-aged students

how to write.

That's part of my job.

And it has become more and more painful,

as more and more

colleges are seeing the products of

"No Child Left Behind."

Oh, it's amazing how many children

have been left behind.

And I do not blame the teachers, 

no sirreee.

I have a sister

who is a teacher

and who reports the pain and agony

of the No Teacher Left Standing 

paperwork.

No Time To Teach;

No Child Can Spell;

Some Children Can Read and Write

but Most

Have Learned How to Get By.

Cheating has become an art form.

Now, I could write quite a bit

about my current  theories of how this has happened,

but I really have to get back to grading papers.

However,

a friend of mine, turned me on

to this guy named Taylor Mali

and I found this routine by

Taylor Mali,

and it summarized 

the kind of stuff I encounter regularly

far too well.

Listen,

and laugh

until you weep: