A Thought

Today, at lunch, I had a conversation with someone who said that I was holistic in my approach as a teacher and a grader. With that being said, I found their words humbling--humbling because I have never considered myself a teacher, but rather an active participant in the pursuit of knowledge; I have always considered myself a student rather than a teacher. So, with that being said, it almost feels as if that title fits like a 'suit made out of bees.'

However, I looked up the word holistic tonight--because while I make my life out of words, I am also aware enough to know that I don't understand them completely:

Main Entry: ho·lis·tic 

Pronunciation: \hō-ˈlis-tik\

Function: adjective

Date: 1926

1 : of or relating to holism
2 : relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts body> 

— ho·lis·ti·cal·ly  \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

I am not very smart, so I had to look up the word holism, and I found:

Main Entry: ho·lism 

Pronunciation: \ˈhō-ˌli-zəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: hol- + -ism

Date: 1926

1 : a theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles
2 : a holistic study or method of treatment

— ho·list  \ˈhō-list\ noun

I found these definitions very interesting and they have led me to ask a whole host (ha, ha, ha) of questions, but I am sure that you are not interested in questions, but rather with answers--so here are a few:

1.) I have read every word that you have written--whether those words have taken the form of an email, a blog entry, a self-assessment, a poem, a journal entry. Well not every word because I have not seen your journals for a bit of time now.

2.) Those words have been assessed--by me, but more importantly I hope that you have assessed them honestly and accurately. And, I have no problem providing feedback--I am just wondering why no one has asked for it, no one has demanded it...but, I apologize, because I ramble like the UM, and that is a question and not an answer.

3.) Again all of this has been planed and prepared....for the nay-sayers, I would encourage you to play it louder, or to just go back to the beginning--perhaps looking at our first HW assignment, or the first words we read in class would be a good place to start.

4.) I think some of the blog entries you have written this quarter are stronger, more articulate, and more complex in the thoughts they provide then some of the papers you have written for other classes at other times. Thus, I will say--if you would like me to provide feedback on them, to talk about them with you, to show you how I assessed them....just ask--because I do think they would provide stellar examples of the thoughts you are able to render as students; I think colleges would be thoroughly impressed with them because they are personal, they show your ability to transfer your understanding of literature to other realms of modern life, and they are well wrought in their construction.

Lastly, I will say--I love Morrison, but I also love HDT (another man crush, I must confess), and I wonder if you remember what HDT called the 'uncommon school' and I wonder if you remember why HDT went to the woods to begin with. 

But I do know that Emerson said, "In order to be good a minister sometimes you have to leave the church." Now that thought is radical--now that thought is great because so many misunderstand it. 

Again, I say this all has a purpose--so I ask again, why are the lights off?

I ramble--but that is good for now--more ramblings will come later, this I am sure of.