Reading & Education
Hi Everyone! (In case you couldn't tell...because it can be difficult to read tone in writing, that was a very cheery hello...a somewhat foolishly cheerful hello for someone who should not now be writing a post, but should rather have gone to bed an hour ago....but still, a very cheery hello) Hi.
It may (or may not) please you to know that I have decided to start posting here again. Hopefully, everyone will be happy to see my writing once again, and still more hopefully, the smarter people who probably notice that I make this resolution about once a month will only roll their eyes a few times...but not too few as one's eyes need exercise too...I am sure.
Okay, so...way back when I was a teacher, and maybe before that when I was a bookseller, I frequently liked to ask myself these two questions:
so, inspired by Kit's grand lists, I shall add my own answer. I also invite any of you who'd like to take up either of these two questions to comment here or post on your own journal. I'd love to read your answers.
Reason #7 why I think education is important
I love bridges. I love to look at bridges and I especially love to drive over bridges that are big and tall like metal mountains surrounded by miles of flatlands. I wasn't however born with this love...well, 'cept maybe for the part about driving over them, I always liked that. But to look at and appreciate the work that goes into bridge building and construction, I didn't always love bridges for those reasons. That began because of a librarian funnily enough.
When I was a teacher, the school librarian came to me and told me about this series of videos she was thinking of ordering. The DVD series was called Building Big featuring Caldecott winning author and illustrator David Macauley. Each video featured one type of large architectural structure: domes, tunnels, sky scrapers, dams and of course, bridges.
The librarian wanted to order the dvds, but since they were so expensive, she wanted to be sure that they would be used. I being the book/video junkie that I am, told her that of course my classes would watch them. And so, I naturally made my classes watch those videos every year...it did sort of relate to the science curriculum...motion and DESIGN...except that the design was supposed to be about how that affect motion, and most of these structures don't move that much...but DESIGN!...that fit, right?
And since my students watched those videos every year, and I watched them watching the videos, I got so I knew that information really well myself. I understood those structures better each year, and before long I began looking at domes, tunnels, sky scrapers, dams and of course, bridges differently. I really began to appreciate what goes into making them and how cool it is that they can do what they do.
So reason #7 why I think education is important? It helps us appreciate the world around us. Those amazing structures that maybe we see every day are opportunities for wonder and amazement if we only know enough to appreciate them.
It may (or may not) please you to know that I have decided to start posting here again. Hopefully, everyone will be happy to see my writing once again, and still more hopefully, the smarter people who probably notice that I make this resolution about once a month will only roll their eyes a few times...but not too few as one's eyes need exercise too...I am sure.
Okay, so...way back when I was a teacher, and maybe before that when I was a bookseller, I frequently liked to ask myself these two questions:
- Why is reading important?
- Why is education important?
so, inspired by Kit's grand lists, I shall add my own answer. I also invite any of you who'd like to take up either of these two questions to comment here or post on your own journal. I'd love to read your answers.
Reason #7 why I think education is important
I love bridges. I love to look at bridges and I especially love to drive over bridges that are big and tall like metal mountains surrounded by miles of flatlands. I wasn't however born with this love...well, 'cept maybe for the part about driving over them, I always liked that. But to look at and appreciate the work that goes into bridge building and construction, I didn't always love bridges for those reasons. That began because of a librarian funnily enough.
When I was a teacher, the school librarian came to me and told me about this series of videos she was thinking of ordering. The DVD series was called Building Big featuring Caldecott winning author and illustrator David Macauley. Each video featured one type of large architectural structure: domes, tunnels, sky scrapers, dams and of course, bridges.
The librarian wanted to order the dvds, but since they were so expensive, she wanted to be sure that they would be used. I being the book/video junkie that I am, told her that of course my classes would watch them. And so, I naturally made my classes watch those videos every year...it did sort of relate to the science curriculum...motion and DESIGN...except that the design was supposed to be about how that affect motion, and most of these structures don't move that much...but DESIGN!...that fit, right?
And since my students watched those videos every year, and I watched them watching the videos, I got so I knew that information really well myself. I understood those structures better each year, and before long I began looking at domes, tunnels, sky scrapers, dams and of course, bridges differently. I really began to appreciate what goes into making them and how cool it is that they can do what they do.
So reason #7 why I think education is important? It helps us appreciate the world around us. Those amazing structures that maybe we see every day are opportunities for wonder and amazement if we only know enough to appreciate them.