Week 19

05.08.10 to 05.09.10

Friday leading up to Sabbath:

I was exhausted, ‘tis the season. Spending hours upon end in the confines of a booth at a curriculum fair might look like something obvious to the casual glance. Thing is, I am not a salesman. I am a person deeply invested in my philosophy of education.

I was so relieved when Shirean picked me up from the conference. So relieved that I forgot to grab my overnight bag when she scooped me up. We were halfway to San Diego before I realized my absent-minded mistake.

We made the best of it, grabbed dinner at the mall so I could run through The Gap for pj’s and an outfit for the morning.

After dinner I did something I had not done in decades: I went to a club to hear a band. My friend Shirean’s son is a musician. Suffice to say it was inspiring to see this young man doing the work of chasing his dream and to observe an audience being vicariously inspired.

Evening

Aside from holidays and a handful of family gatherings, time spent with my sister-in-law revolves around work. I look forward to show season, when we have rare down time driving to and from conferences. Tonight, exhausted by two days of grueling work, our two-hour discussion was Sabbath refreshment. Exiting the 405, five minutes from home, it dawned on me that our discussion surrounding high school culture resonated with my musings on education and left me chasing questions:

Why are so few students interested in the work of becoming educated?

What happens when we leave no room for the development of the individual?

Is traditional education breeding Acedia whose one purpose is to crush hope?

Morning

In the garden I continue to breathe.

Evening

So tired I don’t remember.