1. At school this morning, I dropped in on Jeff and we had a great talk about Levon Helm and I don't think I ever quite said it, but my words were circling around the fact that something about Levon Helm's spirit and goodness when he's being interviewed and when he sings and plays is so pure that it gets into dark corners and empty places in my soul and brings me light and deep satisfaction. He makes me realize I don't know my own longings. He fills longings I have for goodness before I know the longing is there.
2. My infected instep and big toe are doing better, but are not quite done being red, swollen, and angry. My students didn't seem to mind when I taught a part of class with my left shoe off and understood when I told them I would not be able to do the photography project on Thursday, but that I hoped to be healed up enough by Tuesday to traipse from one end of the campus to the other taking their portraits.
3. I confessed to my students that despite the fact that I've been teaching for over thirty-six years, I don't know how to make things stick. I know I explained clauses and phrases and independent clauses and dependent clauses and what makes a complete sentence as clearly as the headwaters of the McKenzie River, but will the instruction stick? I don't know. I never know what sticks nor how to make it stick. Some of my fellow teachers say things like, "I told them (the students) such and such and it's like I never said a word." Yeah. Ya never know what sticks. Or how to make it stick. I just calmly and jovially keep trying.
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