Good post. As a side note I like the framework that you applied to express yourself. Today I would like to focus my comment on the part that said “I wonder how student learning will be changed, particularly in STEM, if departments adopt an explicit critical pedagogical arc over the course of a program.” I have a few thoughts about this. STEM disciplines have been historically difficult and this has driven away many would-be students. I believe that over the course of the next generation STEM courses will undergo a change that makes much more student centered and needlessly difficult to consume. I am hoping for this change. STEM is an important driver of prosperity across the world, and these courses should be more accessible. Again, thanks for the post.

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Thorough post. I would like to focus my comment on the portion that says “Principles of critical pedagogy can also be seen in the emphasis on the unique qualities of the individual, including the culture and background from which they come.” I couldn’t agree more. This sentence, to me, means that I should focus on individuals, not the amorphous group, and I should study my audience if I care to reach them. Thanks again for the post.

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Thanks for the post. I would like to focus my short comment on the part of your post where you wrote “Instead of treating all of the students the same, an educator is partial to the multiple differences in their student population. In doing so, they can create more engagement in the classroom and build a stronger bond between the teacher and students.” You nailed it. See the the individuals, NOT the class. “Class” is categorizing. “Class” is not human. Some of the greatest advice I have heard is that happiness comes when we truly give ourselves (full attention, time, talent, energy, resources, etc.) to the people that we are with in that moment. As we transition from the student role to the teacher role we have an opportunity to establish ourselves early as instructors who see students this way. Thanks again.

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Thanks for the input. I will consider this and add it in.

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Thanks for the link. I’ll have a look. I believe, like you do, that higher education remains a force for good in the world. Nevertheless, these legacy institutions need some adjustment. Thanks again.

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Excellent post! I believe that I know exactly how you feel. Three years ago, I recall, very clearly, sitting in traffic on the way home from another long day at my J.O.B. Thanks to the traffic, I had plenty of time for introspection and meditation on the subject of professional happiness. I am a husband, and a father to two little girls and the only time I got to see them was between 6:00pm and 7:00pm (when they were already grumpy). I realized that the trajectory that I was on, climbing a corporate ladder had stopped being a rewarding experience despite the promise of monetary fulfillment. It forced me to think deeply about how my reward system had shifted. I was no longer the super-broke college student that would do nearly anything for a paycheck. Instead, freedom and autonomy became the new reward. For this reason, I started to look for a change. I found graduate school and I believe this will provide what my previous professional life couldn’t. Keep looking and never stop crafting a future. Every day recreate your five-year plan. It will shift, ever-so-little, every day, but it will eventually be calibrated finely enough to point you where you hope to be. Good luck and thanks for sharing!

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Excellent Post! I’m glad that you found a hobby in weight lifting. I enjoy the gym as well. If you haven’t heard of Steve Cook on Youtube, give him a try. He does a really good jot explaining the technique. About your post. I read recently that Generation Z (the generation that comes after the Millennials) gets about 20% of their education from Youtube. I am using this to study how students prefer to learn. Just like you said, many traditional lecture-style classes are boring enough to cause brain damage. The class might even like the subject matter, but the delivery method could be so bad that the students that would have been interested are driven away. Thanks for the post.

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Thanks for the comment. You’re right, time is scarce as a graduate student. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that this will get any better after graduation. If you’re a productive and thoughtful person you will be in high demand all your life and time will always be scarce. Service must become a priority and not just an extracurricular. Find a place where you can become necessary, where people will depend on you. I have found this at church. I am a youth leader and have committed to this group. I strongly believe that as you seek to find a place to make a positive difference you will be provided with the opportunity. Thanks again for the comment.

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Excellent post! I love the beginning of the post where you talk about children and self-exploration. The way that children learn is to play, to explore. To do this the children must be given the space to play and be allowed their innocence which is part of the “space” to play. I have two small children and my own observations of them match what you are discussing. Part of the space that I was mentioning before includes turning off the TV adn freeing their minds to explore the world. I believe that conformity has its place. It is how we function as a society, but I have to agree that conformity taken to far can become toxic. Thanks for the post. Well done.

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Thanks for the post. I glad that you focused on the line from the text, “a flexible state of mind in which we are actively engaged in the present, noticing new things and sensitive to context.” It didn’t strike me until I read it on your blog post. I would like to add that mindfulness is becoming a very valuable, and even marketable, soft skill that will serve you in every dimension of life. For example, if you were to apply this quote in your marriage, being flexible, engaged, sensitive to context, I would imagine that many of the problems that plague relationships wouldn’t ever occur. It might be possible to say that this sentence is a very eloquent way of articulating “don’t be selfish!” Focus on others’ hopes and needs by truly giving yourself to them while you are together. Again, thanks for the post. Nice find.

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