Teaching/Learning

I found out today that our newspaper started publishing my monthly columns! I am excited about that. Those of you who have been reading from the start of my adventure will recognize portions of the column from my first blog post, but what is in the paper is around 1,000 words. The original was over 1,700! I have received some suggestions about my next few columns, and Emily Jarrett from the Democrat has suggested a couple more; however, I was intrigued that three people suggested the same day’s post, although I am not going to tell you here what it is. You will undoubtedly know when you read it.

Today was a very good day at work, but that means I have very little to tell you about. I enjoy work when I have specific tasks that keep me busy and interested, and that happened today. One of the things I got to do was explain the process for re-sizing pictures for newsletters. This is funny for one reason: I learned how to do that from my students, who know way more about playing with Word than I do. I taught them how to do newsletters, but they had to teach me how to put the things in that make the newsletter appealing to a wide audience. That’s the best thing about teaching: learning from both sides.

Part of the work I did today reported on the teaching that is going on all over this country regarding the law and how to make it effective for all citizens. Although I don’t get to travel out much, at least not right now, what I am reading from all parts of the country tells me that the lessons are falling on fertile ground. As we are told when we are about to be parents, children like structure and like to know what they can count on. I think that is true for society, too. We like structure, and we like knowing what we can count on. In America, we can generally count on the justice system and the courts to work for us. That’s not always true, I know, but for the most part, people who need the court system can access it. Lots of people work long and hard to try to level the playing field so that everyone has a good shot at justice. It’s good to be working toward that same type system in this country, so people who need justice through the courts can get it.

Just as I teach my students and learn from them, I am both teaching and learning here. So far, it’s worked out well.