This week's blog continues on the topic of anchor texts and touchstone experiences. As you read, consider your own experience. Which authors or mentors influenced you the most? What ideals and ideas do you hold dear because of these people?
It is a beautiful thing to read and hear great ideas, especially when they help us become better educators. And, as Jan points out, sometimes it is also a great deal of fun!
From Jan: Orbiting the Giant
Hairball
When
Phil first came with the idea that we write about authors who influenced us, I
truly did not know where to begin. So
many authors have inspired (the art) or informed (the science) my views on life
in general and on education specifically.
One
of my favorite books, however, is Orbiting
the Giant Hairball, by Gordon MacKenzie.
I find myself referring to it a lot lately. It is a
book filled with short stories that contain powerful lessons.
 |
| Illustration from MacKenzie's book Orbiting the Giant Hairball |
One
of the stories is called “Pool-Hall Dog” and it is about the power of letting
go. MacKenzie closes this chapter by
saying: “If we do not let go, we make
prisoners of ourselves.”
Excerpt
from “Pool-Hall Dog” in Orbiting the
Giant Hairball:
To
be fully free to create, we must first find the courage and willingness to let
go:
Let go of the strategies that have
worked for us in the past….
Let
go of our biases, the foundation of our illusions…
Let
go of our grievances, the root source of our victimhood….
Let
go of our so-often-denied fear of being found unlovable.
You
will find it is not a one-shot deal, this letting go. You must do it again and again and
again. It’s kind of like breathing. You can’t breathe just once. Try it:
Breathe just once. You’ll pass
out.
If
you stop letting go, your creative spirit will pass out.
Now
when I say let go, I do not mean reject.
Because when you let go of something, it will still be there for you
when you need it. But because you have
stopped clinging, you will have freed yourself up to tap into other
possibilities – possibilities that can help you deal with this world of
accelerating change.”
 |
| Creativity requires letting go.... |
In
HSE, we say we value creativity. We want
it for ourselves and for our students.
The first step, and perhaps hardest step, toward creativity is giving
ourselves the freedom to let go and try new possibilities.
Respond to Jan: jcombs@hse.k12.in.us
From Stephanie: Lilian Katz and the Growing Edge
Lilian
Katz makes me bristle!
She
pushes me to the limit of my growing edge, and I can always count on her
to offend folks.
 |
| Dr. Katz pushes Stephanie to the limit. Learning and growing isn't always easy, but it is what we do in education. |
When
I first read Engaging Children’s Minds
I was struck by the insane amount of reflection her words required of me. My
breathing became a pattern of deep inhaling and exhaling as I realized that I
may have been unintentionally valuing teaching over learning.
Her
publications, keynote speeches, and biting coaching sessions offered a
case study on the value of the intellect. She challenged me to value the
conscious disposition that should be brought to instruction each day and to
consider the impact we have on the intellect.
Take seven minutes to watch this video of Dr. Katz speaking about the "Project Approach," and consider how we can teach academic skills in pursuit
of the intellect.
Click here to watch the video: Dr. Lilian Katz
 |
| Stephanie with her students.... |
Respond to Stephanie: sloane@hse.k12.in.us
Have a great week, HSE!
Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team
- Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
- Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
- Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
- Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
- Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education
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