Sangram (one of my five bachelor roommates) asked me to clarify which word I'd said when he inquired about the purpose of my blogging. I had said "consciousness" but he heard another level of what I also meant. I was reminded of this yesterday morning, the last day of the teacher training for the Freshman Writing Program. A friend asked, "Do you have to censor what you write since you know so many people might read it?"
My goal is to be authentic to my experience at the perceptual and analytical level, but I do think about reception and make every effort to say things in a way that is affirming to the other persons involved. It's hard to know how well I pull this off because of the strange silence that occurs in the "space" between reading my writing (occurring elsewhere & elsewhen) and talking with me face-to-face. :-) I usually do not know what meanings are being made by others in response to my observations, interpretations, teases, and other offerings.
Ultimately, I imagine a forum in which we practice combining consciousness and conscience in a collective discourse. This means the first challenge is one of joining: me with others, others with me, us, together. :-)
In that spirit, I received constructive feedback from Mark (whose own choices hinge heavily on what works linguistically), Janel (who reads at the implicational level) and Peggy (who might well be wondering, “did we really hire her?”) about my grading policy. ;-)
During the small group task with Rachel, Sarah, Haesang, and Randall I was struck (again, as I have been at various times all week) with how earnest everyone is about doing a good job. Actually, not just a good job – an excellent one. I feel honored to be part of this high caliber group of knowledgeable and committed personalities.
Not to mention integrity and sharp recall: the pen I loaned to Emily The First was returned!
Brian gave a hilarious presentation on the twiki, including campus geography (everything is north, avoid the big holes) and this link that we're being encouraged to introduce to our students: My CompLab.
Josh's hot tip for dealing with students:
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