We’ve all probably heard the conversation about being ‘book smart or ‘street smart’, heard others talk about someone ‘having a sixth sense’ or being a ‘people person’.
As a society, we often find ourselves describing people in terms of their strengths or ‘intelligences’.
But, what does it mean to be intelligent? Continue reading
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that your summer was glorious. As the calendar turned to August my mind turned to the year ahead. I wondered about what to write for my first blog of the new year. Then one day while having a conversation with my mom I was reminded about something funny at the movies … many, many, MANY years ago.
The story goes something like this …
Going to the Movies with Mom
When I was a young boy of about 5 or 6 I went to the movies with my mom. As we were waiting for the movie to start we both noticed another little boy moving between the aisles focused entirely on picking up litter. We were impressed and my mom told him what a good thing he was doing. He shrugged his shoulders, “It’s a Living”.
It was hard not to laugh and if I’m truthful I probably did — I don’t actually remember. I do remember that he was very serious about his job — it was important work. He was making a difference. It was his work.
Dogs Make a Big Difference in the Lives of Others
As we recalled this story it actually caused me to reflect a bit about my own work in education. As I am now in my 50s — certainly now with more of my career behind me than in front of me — I sometimes stop and wonder about the impact I’ve had on people in our schools and at the board office:
I’m occasionally asked why I’m so passionate about technology in schools. It can admittedly cost a lot of money and for what real advantage?
It’s a GREAT question. And it’s one that I’ve given a fair amount of thought to over the years — even more so in the recent past. You can read some of my thinking in some recent blogs that I’ve written on the topic:
For me the question isn’t really ABOUT the technology — it’s about the effect that technology can have on the learning or lives of those it impacts.
The Power of Why 