1. After looking at the poetry, the poetic structures and metaphorical and musical qualities of the Creation story, we went to another source of creation today. Well, maybe I should say, procreation: we enjoyed and were collectively aroused to joyous laughter by two audaious Egyptian erotic poems. Like the story of Creation in Genesis, this erotic poetry is playful, energetic, affirming, and highly structured. I especially enjoyed seeing a parallel between the day to day structure of the Creation story and the woman's body part by body part structure of one of the Egyptian poems. The woman was compared to the sun: both the Creation poem and the erotic poem had this in common: Let there be light!
2. Is there anything I enjoy more than helping my students understand the fundamental qualities freedom of thought or of thinking freely, of developing a mind unconstrained by dogma and ideology? Unimpeded inquiry: what a deep pleasure to pass along!
3. It feels good every once in a while to be angry and I'm angry with the certain ways Lane Community college (dis)functions grossly interferes with students having a pleasurable experience at college. I don't think that's too much to ask: studies are difficult enough without the college's ill run systems and lousy policies adding more difficulty to student life. My response? I subvert the systems and disobey the policies as often as I can and try to make things as smooth and uncomplicated for my students as possible. That my colleagues don't all do the same makes me angry. I hate hearing their voices when I can hear them digging in and energetically enforcing some stupid policy about due dates or food and drink in the classroom.
1 comment:
That is why I am relieved to be in my "own little building" and not deal with some of that stuff. I learned that my students do much better with writing when they can listen to music. Some staff thought that broke "the rules". Others asked "what if they are listening to inappropriate lyrics"? I trust them, they are writing, and I have also created a great playlist of more current songs.
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