I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to learn and how to be a good student. I teach students in a formal setting, when they’re enrolled in a university seeking a degree. These students are learning skills and knowledge with a direct purpose and application: to enter a profession. I also teach... Continue Reading →
Reading as a Way of Life
Do you read? You’re reading right now, but is reading a major part of your life? Do you do it deliberately, often, widely, and with intention? I do. Reading is woven into moments of my life— I remember what I read on my belated honeymoon with Max (Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth). I remember what I read... Continue Reading →
On Alignment
What do you think of when you hear the word alignment? The wheels on your car? Your body position in a yoga pose? I bet it's not online education. . . but hear me out. Because I believe breakthroughs come from cross-pollination among disciplines, I'm going to borrow this concept from Quality Matters-- which is a... Continue Reading →
What’s on your keychain? What’s in your heart?
I listened to an interview the other day on the Outside Magazine podcast. It was Tim Ferris, of all people, talking with Cheryl Strayed. And boy is she something! I knew this, of course, having read Wild and cried over Tiny Beautiful Things. But Tim Ferris? Not really my thing. But he was, and so... Continue Reading →
I got punched in the face the other day.
Don’t worry. The guy who hit me was wearing 16-0z boxing gloves, and so was I. I got hit because I was in a boxing seminar, and I’m not very good at boxing. I learned some skills in that class (and in other martial arts and self-defense classes), but more than that, I learned that... Continue Reading →
The value of persisting
When I was a teenager, I was part of a dance class— there were six or seven of us who were a core group. We had started as beginners and developed together. The teacher gave us a pep talk one day, saying that everyone had a distinct strength to offer— Allison had perfect feet and... Continue Reading →
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