Green Grow the Rushes HO

 
The P in our Phdegreed.
 
Dear Paula,
 
You mentioned, during our talk the other
day, that possibly Philosophy of Learning
and Teaching might be a good topic to
consider for retreat  next August.
 
You wondered if I might be among those
willing to say—talk about it. Present.
 
Not so willing in THAT format, was my
delayed response.
 
It reminds me of  professional conferencing
where everyone reads a publishing paper
(so as not to perish). Folks fly  in on faculty
development funds, reimbursement forms filled
out accurately to reflect per-diem and shuttle,
maybe a  journal issue generated and sent out
where we each read our own article, cash-bar
for socializing, contacts made, often some
prospects interviewed.
 
Power Point Professionalism.
 
I recall a  conference on pedagogical
reform and  student-centered teaching
where we sat in rows, listened to a
lecture, with overhead projection, took
notes, entertained questions. 
 
It reminded me of my neighbor in Durham
where I was teaching high school convincing
me to attend a faculty lecture at Duke one
evening. We sat in the balcony while a
distinguished fellow went on and on, and I
watched colleagues nodding off below.
(Wouldn’t of been checking their cell phones
because this was mid 60’s)
 
Ceremonial Formalism Rite & Ritual
ah, er, um, it might be observed with
all due respect  and be that as it may …
  
I will be ruminating all summer long on this
topic, Paula.  Spamming my colleagues of
course because, like a dog who licks hisself:
I can.

Always a chance a worthy war might break
out, a skirmish or two: domestic violence in
the best sense  so that some charity might
begin, an emergent phenomenon and value.
 
Here’s how it breaks down for me:
 
        Amateurism on the one hand
     Professionalism on the other hand.

Can you tell the difference?  The relationship?
 
Choose your team. We’ll make logo t-shirts.
Pros will dominate.Goliath for crying out loud.
Never the less.
 
I would turn up the contrast.  Divide the house.
Encourage  proper resistance, qualification,
faux-dichotomy-charges etc. so we can
Bring IT on.?  That would be awesome.  
 
Without Contraries is No Progress.
We all know  this  to be true, but to
put it into practice,  in play:  that’s a
horse of another color.
 
Let us bray.
There’s no rush.
No faculty development funding need apply.
 
Henry Jensen used to claim that we might 
have our own  at-home conference on-going.
Now we’ve got the e-venue for it.
Don’t be taking your big  guns
to town, folks. Leave  your
guns at home.

We can cultivate our own mongrel
guerilla gardening:  weeds rampant
galore & glorious green grow the
rushes ho—mixed meta force not
with standing. .
 
yrs, redundantly,
Jonny One Note