Philosophical Show and Tell: Shhh! Don't Tell Anyone, But I Was in Bed by 9 PM Last Night. #Fried

Typically, I like to have students present their worlds to me through various presentations and writing assignments that I spread throughout the semester (usually a couple kids a week present). This semester, I tried something new. In anticipation that I will assign PechKucha presentations, I want them to get used to the rule of 20 (just 20 images). Whether they do a live performance or a digital story variation, they will only be allowed 20 slides.

To kick off 'getting to know' you work this semester, I realized the pace wouldn't allow for individual presentations so I came up with a plan. In week two I said, "Bring in 20 objets that say, "Look Out World! This is Who I Am" and we created a walk-about museum where everyone could interact with everyone else's objects.

There was no formal invitation; rather, in small groups they talked about a few of their items, and then they wandered to connect with other people. Their task was to learn something new from everyone in the room - something they connected with and something that intrigued them to want to know more.

My point, of course, tied in with the readings on Jesuit Education and principals. I wanted to emphasize community and the the irreplaceable skill of networking. "The good student," I proclaimed, "learns no matter what fool is in front of them. They come in curious to learn as much as they can about the students in their class and the content being covered."

I think it went well, although m colleagues would probably say that the room looked cluttered like my office (which is true....temporarily, that is).

We are storied creatures and that was the point. From our experiences and memories of them come our philosophies and before we can set out to state what they are, we need to be focused on who we are --- especially with each other.

Good bye workweek. You about did me in.