1. I was very grateful today for a comment David, a former fellow instructor at LCC, made to me on Facebook: All that really matters is that I'm happy with my pictures. I'm not educated in the arts of picture taking. I learn as I go and tend to conform my pictures to my own sense of what looks good or what I enjoy -- mostly the latter. Too often, when I read learned comments about others' pictures, they sound like template comments. It is as if a template of standards exists for what makes a good picture and the learned picture commenters judge the beauty of picture by whether they meet these predetermined standards. It's why a lot of the language in picture talk repeats itself. It's the same with writing -- often when I read what's said about what makes good writing, I know before I read itwhat's going to come and those predetermined standards, when followed, standarized, uniform writing, not uniqueness. It was the same when I sought out therapy when I was struggling with depression. My well-intentioned therapists had a rubric, a profile, based on studies, based on research, and talked with in terms of this rubric. I wanted to explore the particularities of my own experience with depression. I didn't want to explore depression with a thousand faces, the monomythic hero of depression. So, I'll keep taking pictures, trying to keep my mind free of others' standards -- except when they are helpful and figure I won't be a contest winner or anything like that because when I read judges' comments, they always have that rubric sound to them. It's the same with teaching -- rubrics, outcomes, course objectives are abstract and do not take into account the particularities of each student, the unique, erratic, non-linear, and unpredictable timeline of each student's way of learning -- nor do these rubrics take into account the uniqueness of each classroom of students. Maybe you can tell, if you are still reading this long beautiful thing: I am working to retire myself, with mixed success, from institutional ways of approaching as many aspects of my life as I can: taking pictures, writing, Shakespeare, poetry, therapy, teaching....and on and on. So far, though, I've surrendered my kidney to the blood test rubrics.
2. I don't remember the last time I was ill. Today I've been fighting a sore throat and some chest congestion. I'm grateful that I'm on a break from school and could rest, nap, and help myself improve.
3. After dinner, I thought -- hmmmm -- maybe an adult hot water beverage or two would help me recover. So, I got in my adult car and drove to the adult liquor store and bought an adult pint each of Seagram's VO, Christian Brothers' brandy, and Meyer's dark rum. I combined a dose of each adult liquor into an adult mug with hot water, honey, and lemon juice. Heh. I don't know if was medicinal, but it sure was good.
No comments:
Post a Comment