I am stupid, as stupid as any person.
I have lately become really interested in learning about philosophy. I still don't even know what philosophy means, but I think that it is the search for meanings as well as the examination of what we know and what we can know. Language is the most dangerous thing to philosophy. Language seems mostly to just get in the way. Words and their meanings are in no way reality. They are just man's imperfect attempt to describe reality. My calling a cup a cup does not say whether or not the cup exists it only says that I have decided to call whatever I see of as being a cup, a cup, and that I have an unspoken agreement with most other people to do the same. Is there any way of being sure of a cups existence based on my referring to it as a cup? no. Do I even know that what I see of as being a cup is in any way similar to what another person sees? No. But in order to live life one must accept that they cannot know such things and that they must assume to know such things in order for the ease of communication and therefor the ease of existing.
Blah.
I just posit that philosophy and the world and the nature of existence must be looked at without letting language get in the way, which is impossible since we only can experience the world through our perception of its' created names. So... my point is that I am too stupid to even examine the true nature of things.
Purpose: There is no greater purpose. Our purpose, essentially, is to be living things, eating, sleeping, sexing, propagating our genes. This purpose provides no happiness for one who chooses to examine their purpose. It is not satisfying to the thoughtful person to realize that there is not purpose other than to live. That is where society comes in. Society provides a framework for humans to have the illusion of a purpose with which to make their purposelessness tolerable. The way one goes about fitting into society distracts them from the uselessness of being. Having nothing to do, boredom, is unhappy, so one must seek the above biological functions. In the process of seeking these they are distracted from the utter purposelessness of their doing do. This allows them to exist, propagating their genes, until they are no longer. Whoooey!
If I didn't have the very human, very animal, very natural urge to go on living, I would, as surely as the sky is blue, end my life right here and right now in order to avoid the boredom and the pain and the futility. But that doesn't mean that I am depressed! No! On the contrary, I take extreme pleasure in believing that I have a greater understanding of these "truths" than most other people. I enjoy life! When it is not boring or painful or nonsense anyways. I love to eat! I love to sex! I love to read, to learn!
No, I am going to go on living and attempting to fit myself into the puzzle of society as best as I can. I am not doing this because I believe it to be purposeful, I am doing it because I want to avoid pain, boredom and unhappiness through eating, sexing, learning, loving, doing, and etc. until the day comes when I know longer exist.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
I am, it saddens me to report, a terrible blogger. Almost two whole months with nothing to say? That doesn't sound like the me that I know.
It's not the me that I know. I have a lot to say; yes indeed, a very lot.
One thing that I learned recently is about how to correctly use i.e. and e.g. One thing that I have not learned, ever or recently (maybe in the future, it has yet to happen) is how to end a sentence that ends in a period (e.g. "I now know how to use e.g."). Do you double period the sentence? ("Most people, it seems, misuse i.e. and e.g.."). That seems awkward and it mustn't be correct. Usually when faced with an unknown of this nature, I solve the problem by avoiding the problem. That, I suppose, will have to suffice for now. So:
The abbreviations i.e. and e.g. are two language tools that most people seem to misunderstand; I am no longer among them. I.e. - this is to be used when providing some sort of clarification or complete list of information. "My favorite authors (i.e. Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain) are dead." This indicates that Vonnegut and Twain are my two favorite authors, not a sampling of some of my favorite authors. E.g. is used when providing an example. Some authors whose books I enjoy are still alive (e.g. Franzen, Eggers, and Moore). This list provides only an example of some of the living authors that I like. So, I hope this helps.
Teaching.
I am still going to be a teacher. I still am a teacher.
Mr. Keating, I have decided, is going to be my teaching pseudonym. I am now a lot more confident in my abilities, my chances, to become a great (ok, I would be satisfied with decent) teacher. And yet I still am not sure. I guess, perhaps, the fear of failure is something that most people have to deal with. So it helps that I use that fear to connect with humanity. Connecting with humanity, after all, is about the only way to find happiness as a human. Connecting with something is important. My connecting with myself is about the easiest thing for me to do. But that is ultimately unsatisfying.
I want to be a teacher; I am going to make myself into a teacher. At this point, what I need to really focus on is in coming to terms with the fact that when one first starts to teach they will know absolutely nothing. This is scary, but I think that it is inescapably the case for all beginning teachers. The successful ones either come to terms with that or they are too stupid to realize it. The latter is unavailable to me; the fear of failing, of feeling inadequate, incapable, is sometimes overwhelming. I just need to jump into the abyss of unknowing - of being unprepared. I need to trust that inside of me exists the abilities to learn how to handle anything that happens. Even if it is not true, believing that it is, is essential. So, wish me luck!
I am a teacher!
I am currently reading Tropic of Cancer. It, occasionally, really speaks to me. I am not sure if it speaks to me in a good way though, a healthy way. What it says to me, so far, is that life doesn't really have a purpose, human beings are not very "good" and that time progresses anyways and most things still turn out alright. What I really get from it is that being poor, having nothing, is not enough to get anyone down so long as they don't let it get them down. The state of having truly nothing, least of all food, is not that bad. Especially as long as other human beings exist on whose feelings of pity you can prey. As long as I am a alive, I vow to be happy. And until I am dead, I vow to exist.
(if you are offended, context-independent, by the word cunt, then I cannot recommend this book)
The end.
It's not the me that I know. I have a lot to say; yes indeed, a very lot.
One thing that I learned recently is about how to correctly use i.e. and e.g. One thing that I have not learned, ever or recently (maybe in the future, it has yet to happen) is how to end a sentence that ends in a period (e.g. "I now know how to use e.g."). Do you double period the sentence? ("Most people, it seems, misuse i.e. and e.g.."). That seems awkward and it mustn't be correct. Usually when faced with an unknown of this nature, I solve the problem by avoiding the problem. That, I suppose, will have to suffice for now. So:
The abbreviations i.e. and e.g. are two language tools that most people seem to misunderstand; I am no longer among them. I.e. - this is to be used when providing some sort of clarification or complete list of information. "My favorite authors (i.e. Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain) are dead." This indicates that Vonnegut and Twain are my two favorite authors, not a sampling of some of my favorite authors. E.g. is used when providing an example. Some authors whose books I enjoy are still alive (e.g. Franzen, Eggers, and Moore). This list provides only an example of some of the living authors that I like. So, I hope this helps.
Teaching.
I am still going to be a teacher. I still am a teacher.
Mr. Keating, I have decided, is going to be my teaching pseudonym. I am now a lot more confident in my abilities, my chances, to become a great (ok, I would be satisfied with decent) teacher. And yet I still am not sure. I guess, perhaps, the fear of failure is something that most people have to deal with. So it helps that I use that fear to connect with humanity. Connecting with humanity, after all, is about the only way to find happiness as a human. Connecting with something is important. My connecting with myself is about the easiest thing for me to do. But that is ultimately unsatisfying.
I want to be a teacher; I am going to make myself into a teacher. At this point, what I need to really focus on is in coming to terms with the fact that when one first starts to teach they will know absolutely nothing. This is scary, but I think that it is inescapably the case for all beginning teachers. The successful ones either come to terms with that or they are too stupid to realize it. The latter is unavailable to me; the fear of failing, of feeling inadequate, incapable, is sometimes overwhelming. I just need to jump into the abyss of unknowing - of being unprepared. I need to trust that inside of me exists the abilities to learn how to handle anything that happens. Even if it is not true, believing that it is, is essential. So, wish me luck!
I am a teacher!
I am currently reading Tropic of Cancer. It, occasionally, really speaks to me. I am not sure if it speaks to me in a good way though, a healthy way. What it says to me, so far, is that life doesn't really have a purpose, human beings are not very "good" and that time progresses anyways and most things still turn out alright. What I really get from it is that being poor, having nothing, is not enough to get anyone down so long as they don't let it get them down. The state of having truly nothing, least of all food, is not that bad. Especially as long as other human beings exist on whose feelings of pity you can prey. As long as I am a alive, I vow to be happy. And until I am dead, I vow to exist.
(if you are offended, context-independent, by the word cunt, then I cannot recommend this book)
The end.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Today, I teach.
I am teaching a high school lesson today!
I am not even that nervous, although I am sure it will ramp up over the next couple of hours.
The lesson I am teaching is a kinesthetic lesson wherein the students will play the roles of mRNA and tRNA as they carry out protein synthesis inside of our cell (classroom). I get to live in the nucleus, where I will share the DNA "code" with the mRNAs! Messenger RNA can travel between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, which is why it is necessary to carry out protein synthesis. The instructions, encoded in the DNA sequence, need to be brought to the "work bench" where cellular machinery puts together polypeptide chains. I do not think it is important to distinguish between polypeptide and protein at the freshman level (maybe in honors?). What do you think?
I have realized that I love fun, move-around activities, such as role plays. I don't want to just tell the students what a process is, I want them to carry out the process. I am afraid it will not go as I envision. It will be essential to show excitement and enthusiasm in order to get the kids to "get into character". This lesson was kind of thrown together in short order so hopefully in the future I would have some time with which I could tweak the specifics and create some costumes or set pieces to help the atmosphere of our classroom "cell". I am pretty excited to teach this lesson.
I can't believe that I am going to teach a lesson that I wrote to real students. Teaching is so fun, I can't wait to be good at it!
In this paragraph I will address some concerns I have about the lesson. First, I am afraid that I will lose focus and get off task. If I cannot stay strictly on task, then how am I to expect the same of the students. I think perhaps it would be good to make note cards with a brief outline, which I can reference and use to stay on task and on schedule. Secondly, I am afraid that I won't ask good questions. Now, you may be saying, there is no such thing as a bad question! Wrong. There is no such thing as a bad question from a student who is genuinely trying to figure something out, but there are absolutely bad questions from a teacher trying to accomplish something. Asking questions, writing questions, getting the answers to question is hard! My next biggest concern is that I won't get the kids to actively, truly participate. I don't want them to just go around the room doing the bare minimum of work. I want them to pretend that they are in a cell. I want them to believe that they are RNA! I hope what they take away from this lesson is that these are real processes that actually happen all the time inside their own bodies. And that DNA is the instructions for proteins, which do all the work of living organisms, determining traits, structures and functions. And that there is a certain precise process that takes place in order to get the DNA "instructions" out of the nucleus and to the place where proteins are made. Life is insane to think about...
How in the heck do we exist? It is beyond comprehension. My ultimate goal is for them to realize how complex and miraculous life is. How insanely wild the minute details of how we are put together and how we exist are.
I can't wait to teach!
I am not even that nervous, although I am sure it will ramp up over the next couple of hours.
The lesson I am teaching is a kinesthetic lesson wherein the students will play the roles of mRNA and tRNA as they carry out protein synthesis inside of our cell (classroom). I get to live in the nucleus, where I will share the DNA "code" with the mRNAs! Messenger RNA can travel between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, which is why it is necessary to carry out protein synthesis. The instructions, encoded in the DNA sequence, need to be brought to the "work bench" where cellular machinery puts together polypeptide chains. I do not think it is important to distinguish between polypeptide and protein at the freshman level (maybe in honors?). What do you think?
I have realized that I love fun, move-around activities, such as role plays. I don't want to just tell the students what a process is, I want them to carry out the process. I am afraid it will not go as I envision. It will be essential to show excitement and enthusiasm in order to get the kids to "get into character". This lesson was kind of thrown together in short order so hopefully in the future I would have some time with which I could tweak the specifics and create some costumes or set pieces to help the atmosphere of our classroom "cell". I am pretty excited to teach this lesson.
I can't believe that I am going to teach a lesson that I wrote to real students. Teaching is so fun, I can't wait to be good at it!
In this paragraph I will address some concerns I have about the lesson. First, I am afraid that I will lose focus and get off task. If I cannot stay strictly on task, then how am I to expect the same of the students. I think perhaps it would be good to make note cards with a brief outline, which I can reference and use to stay on task and on schedule. Secondly, I am afraid that I won't ask good questions. Now, you may be saying, there is no such thing as a bad question! Wrong. There is no such thing as a bad question from a student who is genuinely trying to figure something out, but there are absolutely bad questions from a teacher trying to accomplish something. Asking questions, writing questions, getting the answers to question is hard! My next biggest concern is that I won't get the kids to actively, truly participate. I don't want them to just go around the room doing the bare minimum of work. I want them to pretend that they are in a cell. I want them to believe that they are RNA! I hope what they take away from this lesson is that these are real processes that actually happen all the time inside their own bodies. And that DNA is the instructions for proteins, which do all the work of living organisms, determining traits, structures and functions. And that there is a certain precise process that takes place in order to get the DNA "instructions" out of the nucleus and to the place where proteins are made. Life is insane to think about...
How in the heck do we exist? It is beyond comprehension. My ultimate goal is for them to realize how complex and miraculous life is. How insanely wild the minute details of how we are put together and how we exist are.
I can't wait to teach!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Bad Feelings
I do not think that my unit is very good.
There is not enough inquiry. It is a unit that is similar to what I have observed in the classroom and that does make me feel a little bit better. I think the problem might lie in the disconnect between the emphasis on inquiry that exists in educational theory that I learn in my pedagogy courses and what actually takes place in the classroom. So much content is required to be taught that it is hard to get to the higher levels on bloom's taxonomy, especially in a classroom with so many diverse learners, who may be reading well below grade level. I am at a loss. Teaching is hard. Lately I have felt pretty good, that I am actually getting it. But last night I experienced a major crisis.
I guess I can only march forward, hopeful, forever hopeful. I don't know if I can teach but I must operate on the premise that someday I will be able to. That is the only way to think.
There is not enough inquiry. It is a unit that is similar to what I have observed in the classroom and that does make me feel a little bit better. I think the problem might lie in the disconnect between the emphasis on inquiry that exists in educational theory that I learn in my pedagogy courses and what actually takes place in the classroom. So much content is required to be taught that it is hard to get to the higher levels on bloom's taxonomy, especially in a classroom with so many diverse learners, who may be reading well below grade level. I am at a loss. Teaching is hard. Lately I have felt pretty good, that I am actually getting it. But last night I experienced a major crisis.
I guess I can only march forward, hopeful, forever hopeful. I don't know if I can teach but I must operate on the premise that someday I will be able to. That is the only way to think.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Observation and Reflection from EHS
I spent all morning at Elgin High School. I didn't really do much. What did I learn that will help me to become a teacher? Don't use the student restrooms. I did and there was apparently quite a bit of unpleasantness that had taken place beforehand. Yuck.
I discussed with my cooperating teacher the lesson that I will teach. I suppose I am going to teach a lesson to her regular biology class, which is 3rd hour, sometime on the week of 4/18 (Robin's Birthday!). I need to figure something out for that; I might just teach whatever lesson she has planned.
The first two classes that I observed today were learning about evolution, Darwin, Lamarck and natural selection. I love evolution. In the video that was shown, a scientist talked about how Darwin's evolution is the unifying theory of biology; it ties everything together. I have a seed of a lesson planted in my brain about how you could teach kids about natural selection. Natural selection is a very simple concept, but it is very hard to understand. My idea is, essentially, that you will assign varying traits (heritable traits) to your students. You will then set initial classroom environmental conditions. Next, "time" will progress. Students whose traits are better suited for the conditions, will produce more offspring with those traits and the ratio of traits will be recorded and graphed over some generations. The conditions can be changed at certain points to see how that affects the observed phenotypic ratios. This lesson requires a lot of work, but I think it could be made to be fun, and it will help the students to understand that the environment causes certain traits that are already present to lead to higher birthrates of the individuals with those traits. The offspring will have a higher chance to have the trait that led to higher fitness in the parent and that trait will therefor become more common in the population. I will have to defy my nature to put in the work required to develop such a lesson. I am sure I will be too lazy to do this.
My coop. teacher discussed the fact that scientists are human beings and are therefore affected by all the same things that we all face. Things such as religion, family, established societal values, feelings, beliefs, etc. This "nature of science" and how science really proceeds in the real world is really important and, I feel, is really under-taught. In Illinois, this stuff falls under Standard 13. I really think it is important for students to understand that scientists aren't really that different from them and they, therefore, can become scientists if they want to.
Some critical thinking questions that I wrote for "evolution/natural selection":
What evidence can you think of that supports the idea that all life is evolved from a common ancestor? (I am thinking that an evolution unit would closely follow a DNA unit, and one answer that I would be looking for is that all life utilizes the same genetic code, has DNA)
Why is variation important to a species? (environmental conditions change through time and we can't predict what traits today will lead to higher reproductive fitness tomorrow)
What traits would a farmer who is utilizing artificial selection select for? Why? How is natural selection different from artificial selection? How is it the same?
What is the "agent" of selection in artificial selection and in natural selection?
My cooperating teacher related a story to me that sheds some light on some of the non teaching issues that teachers face on a daily basis. A student of hers had asked her for a pass to get something from another teacher. This student was given a pass and was told to retrieve what she needed and to return to class. The student then disappeared and did not return during the class period. Later on my cooperating teacher learned that the student had gone to see the guidance counselor, which isn't a bad place for a student to go, however the student was not excused from class to see the guidance counselor and the guidance counselor did not check to see that the student was excused. The guidance counselor, in my opinion, should have check where this student was coming from and if they were given a pass. According to this counselor, he thought the student was coming from lunch (there are no lunch hours that take place when this incident happened). The student later on asked my cooperating teacher if the counselor had returned her pass. She did not even mention that fact that she had lied and essentially skipped class. This student apparently things that she can do whatever she pleases and, based on his actions, it seems that the guidance counselor agrees. I don't know how I would have handled this situation, but I do know that to me it seems important for students to be where they are supposed to be and for their teachers to know where they are.
Based on my observations today, my cooperating teacher has pretty good command of her classes. The classes are so much smoother when the students are quiet, respectful and attentive. This is something that needs to be attained from the very beginning of the year. Classroom management is so very important because it allows you to do your real job: to teach. Respect is the central theme to how I view classroom management. Students respecting their peers, students respecting their teacher and the teacher respecting their students. Developing relationships with my students and respecting them as individuals is how I plan to focus my classroom management strategy.
Something that I'd like to utilize in my classrooms that I learned from my cooperating teacher, are "questions of the day", "exit questions" and the Agenda written on the board.
I have a lot of work to do over the next week in order to complete my unit plan, I am not feeling very good about it. I want to make it awesome but I will settle for finished. I still know that I'd love to teach. A student asked me today why I want to be a teacher, and my answer was that I have to do something. I guess that is true, everyone has to do something. Unless they want to be a drain on somebody else. That is something I do not want to do.
I hope you find these observations and thoughts satisfactory.
Cheers,
Mr. Keating
I discussed with my cooperating teacher the lesson that I will teach. I suppose I am going to teach a lesson to her regular biology class, which is 3rd hour, sometime on the week of 4/18 (Robin's Birthday!). I need to figure something out for that; I might just teach whatever lesson she has planned.
The first two classes that I observed today were learning about evolution, Darwin, Lamarck and natural selection. I love evolution. In the video that was shown, a scientist talked about how Darwin's evolution is the unifying theory of biology; it ties everything together. I have a seed of a lesson planted in my brain about how you could teach kids about natural selection. Natural selection is a very simple concept, but it is very hard to understand. My idea is, essentially, that you will assign varying traits (heritable traits) to your students. You will then set initial classroom environmental conditions. Next, "time" will progress. Students whose traits are better suited for the conditions, will produce more offspring with those traits and the ratio of traits will be recorded and graphed over some generations. The conditions can be changed at certain points to see how that affects the observed phenotypic ratios. This lesson requires a lot of work, but I think it could be made to be fun, and it will help the students to understand that the environment causes certain traits that are already present to lead to higher birthrates of the individuals with those traits. The offspring will have a higher chance to have the trait that led to higher fitness in the parent and that trait will therefor become more common in the population. I will have to defy my nature to put in the work required to develop such a lesson. I am sure I will be too lazy to do this.
My coop. teacher discussed the fact that scientists are human beings and are therefore affected by all the same things that we all face. Things such as religion, family, established societal values, feelings, beliefs, etc. This "nature of science" and how science really proceeds in the real world is really important and, I feel, is really under-taught. In Illinois, this stuff falls under Standard 13. I really think it is important for students to understand that scientists aren't really that different from them and they, therefore, can become scientists if they want to.
Some critical thinking questions that I wrote for "evolution/natural selection":
What evidence can you think of that supports the idea that all life is evolved from a common ancestor? (I am thinking that an evolution unit would closely follow a DNA unit, and one answer that I would be looking for is that all life utilizes the same genetic code, has DNA)
Why is variation important to a species? (environmental conditions change through time and we can't predict what traits today will lead to higher reproductive fitness tomorrow)
What traits would a farmer who is utilizing artificial selection select for? Why? How is natural selection different from artificial selection? How is it the same?
What is the "agent" of selection in artificial selection and in natural selection?
My cooperating teacher related a story to me that sheds some light on some of the non teaching issues that teachers face on a daily basis. A student of hers had asked her for a pass to get something from another teacher. This student was given a pass and was told to retrieve what she needed and to return to class. The student then disappeared and did not return during the class period. Later on my cooperating teacher learned that the student had gone to see the guidance counselor, which isn't a bad place for a student to go, however the student was not excused from class to see the guidance counselor and the guidance counselor did not check to see that the student was excused. The guidance counselor, in my opinion, should have check where this student was coming from and if they were given a pass. According to this counselor, he thought the student was coming from lunch (there are no lunch hours that take place when this incident happened). The student later on asked my cooperating teacher if the counselor had returned her pass. She did not even mention that fact that she had lied and essentially skipped class. This student apparently things that she can do whatever she pleases and, based on his actions, it seems that the guidance counselor agrees. I don't know how I would have handled this situation, but I do know that to me it seems important for students to be where they are supposed to be and for their teachers to know where they are.
Based on my observations today, my cooperating teacher has pretty good command of her classes. The classes are so much smoother when the students are quiet, respectful and attentive. This is something that needs to be attained from the very beginning of the year. Classroom management is so very important because it allows you to do your real job: to teach. Respect is the central theme to how I view classroom management. Students respecting their peers, students respecting their teacher and the teacher respecting their students. Developing relationships with my students and respecting them as individuals is how I plan to focus my classroom management strategy.
Something that I'd like to utilize in my classrooms that I learned from my cooperating teacher, are "questions of the day", "exit questions" and the Agenda written on the board.
I have a lot of work to do over the next week in order to complete my unit plan, I am not feeling very good about it. I want to make it awesome but I will settle for finished. I still know that I'd love to teach. A student asked me today why I want to be a teacher, and my answer was that I have to do something. I guess that is true, everyone has to do something. Unless they want to be a drain on somebody else. That is something I do not want to do.
I hope you find these observations and thoughts satisfactory.
Cheers,
Mr. Keating
Monday, April 4, 2011
Self Doubt
Self doubt is a bitch. Is it based on an honest self reflection of ones own abilities? That question, I find, is impossible to answer. I do know that I think that I will fail. But I sure hope I do not.
I am in the library at NIU, it is 9:00 am and it is my birthday. I am 27 and I cannot get over that fact. I suppose that I am now an adult.
A teacher should be an adult and they should also feel like one. It seems to me, that in order to command a classroom, as a teacher must, one must have the self confidence and whatever else it is that adults possess. I do not know what qualities an "adult" possesses but I do not think that I have them. I am far too self conscious. Why am I like I am? I grow up through the passage of time, as everyone does equally, but one also needs to grow up through the acquisition of qualities and behaviors that define adulthood. This process can only happen through experiences; learning from them and reflecting on them.
*Aside: Every time I feel the need to use a semicolon I think of Kurt Vonnegut. He wrote:
"Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college."
I have been to college so I suppose it is a good thing to offer some proof of that, but I am still super self conscious regarding the use of semicolons. I don't want Kurt Vonnegut to think poorly of me. Oh well.
My goals for today are:
1. Write the two quizzes for my DNA Replication and Protein Synthesis UNIT PLAN.
2. Create the DNA Structure and Replication power point presentation for my previously named UNIT PLAN.
3. That seems to be enough. It is, after all, my birthday.
4. Upload and Print my ILAS 301 homework.
5. Get the previous 4 finished in time to catch some of the Cubs game with a beer at fatties.
6. CLASS
What will I do today to make myself a better teacher? I will be as engaged and excited as I can be in my classes. I will ask questions, make comments and chat with my peers.
I want to take this chance to briefly discuss my feelings regarding the human beings' self centered need to confuse our ruining of the world with our ruining of the world with regards to its habitability for human beings. Whatever we do to the world, I feel confident in predicting that the earth and, yes, even the universe, will march forward through eternity. The only thing that can bring about the end of our home is the same thing that brought about its' very existence: the sun. And there is no moral judgement that can be placed upon the suns' inevitable, looming destruction of the earth.
I will even go one step further in predicting that whatever condition we leave the earth in will provide for the perfect environment for some unforeseen form of life that will owe to us a large debt of gratitude for "ruining" the earth. We may kill, rape, destroy, level, pummel and punish whatever life currently exists but in doing so we will only open the doors for some new life to emerge and flourish. Whatever bad we do, in the big picture, will be balanced, quite equally in a moral sense, by whatever good we do for something else. Human beings are not the be all, end all and life will continue living regardless of how are story ends. We are insignificant.
I am in the library at NIU, it is 9:00 am and it is my birthday. I am 27 and I cannot get over that fact. I suppose that I am now an adult.
A teacher should be an adult and they should also feel like one. It seems to me, that in order to command a classroom, as a teacher must, one must have the self confidence and whatever else it is that adults possess. I do not know what qualities an "adult" possesses but I do not think that I have them. I am far too self conscious. Why am I like I am? I grow up through the passage of time, as everyone does equally, but one also needs to grow up through the acquisition of qualities and behaviors that define adulthood. This process can only happen through experiences; learning from them and reflecting on them.
*Aside: Every time I feel the need to use a semicolon I think of Kurt Vonnegut. He wrote:
"Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college."
I have been to college so I suppose it is a good thing to offer some proof of that, but I am still super self conscious regarding the use of semicolons. I don't want Kurt Vonnegut to think poorly of me. Oh well.
My goals for today are:
1. Write the two quizzes for my DNA Replication and Protein Synthesis UNIT PLAN.
2. Create the DNA Structure and Replication power point presentation for my previously named UNIT PLAN.
3. That seems to be enough. It is, after all, my birthday.
4. Upload and Print my ILAS 301 homework.
5. Get the previous 4 finished in time to catch some of the Cubs game with a beer at fatties.
6. CLASS
What will I do today to make myself a better teacher? I will be as engaged and excited as I can be in my classes. I will ask questions, make comments and chat with my peers.
I want to take this chance to briefly discuss my feelings regarding the human beings' self centered need to confuse our ruining of the world with our ruining of the world with regards to its habitability for human beings. Whatever we do to the world, I feel confident in predicting that the earth and, yes, even the universe, will march forward through eternity. The only thing that can bring about the end of our home is the same thing that brought about its' very existence: the sun. And there is no moral judgement that can be placed upon the suns' inevitable, looming destruction of the earth.
I will even go one step further in predicting that whatever condition we leave the earth in will provide for the perfect environment for some unforeseen form of life that will owe to us a large debt of gratitude for "ruining" the earth. We may kill, rape, destroy, level, pummel and punish whatever life currently exists but in doing so we will only open the doors for some new life to emerge and flourish. Whatever bad we do, in the big picture, will be balanced, quite equally in a moral sense, by whatever good we do for something else. Human beings are not the be all, end all and life will continue living regardless of how are story ends. We are insignificant.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Introductory Post
My name is Matthew Keating and I am currently learning to be a teacher at NIU. I do not have a whole lot of self esteem and I definitely do not see myself succeeding. Perhaps that will make this blog funnier or more entertaining, I do not know.
I was born on April 4, 1984 in Illinois. Illinois, for the majority of you people that I hear about that can't find anywhere on any map, is in the middle of the country. It is a boring state without mountains or oceans or anything that is interesting. I am not interesting and therefore my choice of birth state is fitting.
I grew up fat and I am still slightly fat but not enough to feel too bad about myself. I never tried anything or took any risks and was essentially a leaf, or a piece of garbage, floating in the wind. Then I decided to make something of myself and become a teacher. You may be asking yourself why I am wasting my time and money in that endeavor when I am clearly not qualified or skilled enough to teach anyone about anything, except maybe how to be a loser and suck at life. I cannot answer that question for you. I am just trying to not starve or be too miserable or experience too much pain or shame until I die and get to go back to being carbon and oxygen and hydrogen atom who are not aware of their existence.
My motivation for starting this blog is that I want to have some place where I can write down my thoughts, reflections, feelings, and any other words that come to me. If I have learned anything so far about the teaching profession, it is that self reflection seems pretty darn important. I am lazy and not good at keeping a journal and I thought "why not try to motivate myself by having a blog". I highly doubt it will work. This may be my last post ever and I truly hope, for your sake (as I am assuming you have fallen in love with my writing) that that is not the case.
Is there anything else about me that I think you should know about? Hmm. I have recently become a bird-watcher. I am in love with a girl named Robin. The Beatles are the best band of all time. I really truly do want to be the best biology teacher that I can be. And I am really really scared that I just don't have what it takes. My intention is to chronicle my trials and tribulations (whatever that cliche means!) and experiences within the virtual pages of this blog. I hope my anxieties and fears don't infect you, loyal readers!
Happy Saturday, I hope you are all feeling well.
Love,
XOXO
Mr. Keating
I was born on April 4, 1984 in Illinois. Illinois, for the majority of you people that I hear about that can't find anywhere on any map, is in the middle of the country. It is a boring state without mountains or oceans or anything that is interesting. I am not interesting and therefore my choice of birth state is fitting.
I grew up fat and I am still slightly fat but not enough to feel too bad about myself. I never tried anything or took any risks and was essentially a leaf, or a piece of garbage, floating in the wind. Then I decided to make something of myself and become a teacher. You may be asking yourself why I am wasting my time and money in that endeavor when I am clearly not qualified or skilled enough to teach anyone about anything, except maybe how to be a loser and suck at life. I cannot answer that question for you. I am just trying to not starve or be too miserable or experience too much pain or shame until I die and get to go back to being carbon and oxygen and hydrogen atom who are not aware of their existence.
My motivation for starting this blog is that I want to have some place where I can write down my thoughts, reflections, feelings, and any other words that come to me. If I have learned anything so far about the teaching profession, it is that self reflection seems pretty darn important. I am lazy and not good at keeping a journal and I thought "why not try to motivate myself by having a blog". I highly doubt it will work. This may be my last post ever and I truly hope, for your sake (as I am assuming you have fallen in love with my writing) that that is not the case.
Is there anything else about me that I think you should know about? Hmm. I have recently become a bird-watcher. I am in love with a girl named Robin. The Beatles are the best band of all time. I really truly do want to be the best biology teacher that I can be. And I am really really scared that I just don't have what it takes. My intention is to chronicle my trials and tribulations (whatever that cliche means!) and experiences within the virtual pages of this blog. I hope my anxieties and fears don't infect you, loyal readers!
Happy Saturday, I hope you are all feeling well.
Love,
XOXO
Mr. Keating
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