Over Spring break, I “externed” at a private school in Rhode Island where I attended a meeting for all faculty and administration on mindfulness. Mindfulness at this school is regarded as a tool for strengthening the mind by introducing calmness and control, and strengthening the heart by building acceptance and compassion. With these experiences still fresh in my mind, I was struck by the mindfulness embodied by third-grade teacher Alina Bossbaly in “Improbable Scholars.”

"These problems are emotionally draining for teachers, testing the limits of their capacity for empathy.  If they erect a protective barrier betwen themselves and their students' lives, then academics will surely suffer; but they cannot turn themselves into social workers, a role for which they have no training. 'I give a chunk of me to everyone,' Alina says. 'I know who these kids are.  I know what I can get out of them, but I can't change their lives.'"   (Kirp 19).  

Feel free to use this forum.

Students, please use this forum during weeks 7 and 8 to propose, argue for, debate, question, and plan ideas for section 3 of the course.  Enjoy!

When you return from spring break (by midnight on Mon, Mar. 16), please
post, as a comment here, a mid-semester evaluation of our class on
Ecological Imaginings. What's working--and what needs working on?
(Think about what you might do differently, as well as what might be
done differently in the class as a whole...)