Monday, May 17, 2010

Friday, May 07, 2010

Why we should walk (actually meant to post this yesterday)

I almost asked my wife to follow me in the van down to my local mechanic; I’m so glad I didn’t. On the short half mile walk home I was amazed at what I saw that I miss each day as I drive the same route to work: the refreshing brisk breeze, a mother goose with six tiny goslings, a enormously fat robin, the sound of a beautiful whistling bird which tellingly I do not know the name of, the presence of the wooded land somehow not developed along our neighborhood’s one and only country road.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m abundantly thankful for a cheap efficient car which moves me from place to place in comfort, but I was struck by the unseen, often unfelt price we pay if we unmindfully take advantage of this luxury.

Not grading

My plan was to grade 10-15 portfolios today--I've graded exactly zero. Still, I did give detailed feedback on a student essay being submitted to a national contest and one colleague's CCCC proposal; also, I finished my own proposal to NASPA, a conference for student affairs folks. And, of course, I attended the SLCC graduation (at least most of it). The question is do I have the wherewithal, at this point, to grade at least one student portfolio??? Unfortunately, I think not.