I give high marks to Queen Elizabeth’s thinking and writing. Oh wait a minute, I watch The Crown, she probably had a wee bit of help with “her” official statement.
93 Is The New 73
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Category Archives: Education
PhD Postscript
Before you get too far into your review of the electronic social networking literature, keep these questions in mind:
- Is pervasive interpersonal conflict and invective on the rise or has it long been true that people do not get along with one another? If interpersonal conflict is on the rise, why? [This may prove a very helpful resource.]
- Is protracted interpersonal conflict endemic to vast swaths of the United States or is it more pronounced in certain regions? If more pronounced in certain regions, why?
Again, happy to help.
So You Wanna PhD
You don’t care that higher education is hemorrhaging jobs. You don’t care that you may end up living in a van down by the river. You’re determined to get a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology or Sociology. But you’re in need of a dissertation topic.
I’m here to help.
Wikipedia describes Nextdoor this way:
“Nextdoor is a social networking service for neighborhoods. Based in San Francisco, California, the company was founded in 2008 and launched in the United States in October 2011, and is currently available in 11 countries. Users of Nextdoor submit their real names and addresses to the website. Posts made to the website are available only to other Nextdoor members living in the same neighborhood.”
I’ve been a member for a few years and have concluded it’s a solid source for analyzing human nature and theorizing about it. For example, a recent post in my Nextdoor feed began thusly:
“To the fool driving the grey Lexus mini SUV today, tailgating me down Boston Harbor Rd. Can’t you see clearly that the roads are TREACHEROUS and icy today!?? Melting snow, causing severe ice, on roads that clearly have not been treated. You may have all wheel drive and feel safe. . . ”
The author, whose intro reads “I’ve been working in the Creative arts, music, video and ministry related field the past 18 years”, and lists “Westwood Baptist Director” as one of his titles, goes on to say he hopes the tailgater totals his car.
Leading to quite the kerfuffle. Keyboard warriors rushing into battle, angrily slinging words like arrows in The Game of Thrones.
A doctoral candidate in the social sciences could use textual analysis on Nextdoor messages to theorize about our modern state of affairs.
One would most likely draw an overarching conclusion from such an analysis. People do not know how to get along with one another. Interpersonal conflict is the new normal. People who enjoy harmonious relationships with others are outliers.
Invective, defined as “insulting, abusive, or highly critical language,” is the defining feature of Nextdoor communications. So much so, the only reason I’m still a member is I have a fear of missing out on the next “your horse is loose in our yard” or “your pig just ran into our barn” message that my urban self finds endlessly entertaining.
I’m not going to write the title for you, but here’s some words and phrases to help you get started.
- An Examination of A Social Networking Site For Neighborhoods
- Discord
- Interpersonal Conflict As The New Normal
- Dissonance
You’re welcome.
Expect More Of Students
Normally, I teach graduate secondary education teacher candidates; this month however, I’m teaching undergraduate elementary education candidates.
On the first day I canceled class in favor of a chill book club, now I’m the most popular prof of all time. We drink tea and eat donuts while reading half of Paul Tough’s How Children Succeed and all of Tracy Kidder’s Among Schoolchildren. Kidder is a non-fiction writing marvel. Like me, Among Schoolchildren is old; unlike me, it’s still really excellent.
Schools change so slowly, over three decades later, Among Schoolchildren still rings 90% true. The core of the book is one Holyoke, Massachusetts fifth grade teacher’s struggle with a particularly challenging student. Can she get him to cooperate and do some work without the herculean effort derailing the entire class?
This article, “New Peer Mentor Program at Centennial Elementary” just caught my eye because it was my daughters’ school and some friends work there. And because I was thinking about Chris Zajac, the teacher, and Clarence, her challenging student.
What if Clarence needs responsibility more than rules and restrictions. What would happen if Clarence, and Chris’s other challenging students she regularly struggles with, were asked to help some younger students with their school work? And to be role models of sort.
Would they rise to the occasion? Would they feel better about themselves? Could that create positive momentum; improve their school experience; and make Chris’s classroom a more peaceful and productive place?
Being A Billionaire Is Hard
No, I don’t have first hand experience, I’m basing that conclusion on this headline.
The critics are forgetting that Bezos went through a divorce last year, so in 2019, it probably took a lot more time, maybe 7-8 minutes of work.
I wonder how many of the critics have given to the recovery.
One woman said she raised nearly twice what Amazon pledged by selling nude photos online.
To which I have no comment.
The Proper Way To Begin The New Year
That’s what I’m talkin’ about Kerry Elson. Elson wrote this before reading yesterday’s post, but major props to her for the perfect follow up.
“Totally legitimate reasons that I can’t go for a run.”
My fav:
“I’m supposed to meet a friend in six hours. If I go for a run, I might enjoy it so much that I end up running for the full six hours. I’m a good friend and I don’t want to be late, so even though I would love to go for a run I will not.”
On New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are a weird example of social contagion because the refreshing of the calendar is an odd catalyst for self-improvement. If anyone’s serious about self-improvement, why wait until such an arbitrary starting point? You shoulda got started yesterday.
Despite that cynicism, I’m all-in on alternative types of resolutions—ones grounded in greater self-acceptance. Maybe people should resolve the following types of things:
- To accept that I will not eat as healthily as I probably should.
- To be okay with the fact that I will not exercise as much as I probably should.
- To not beat myself up for not saving as much money as I probably should.
The Slate staff has taken this one step further by advising that you mark the New Year by embracing vices instead of resolutions—whether sleeping in on weekends, driving when you can walk, or having a cigarette.
Count me in on Slate’s contrarian, probably tongue-in-check thinking, as another viable alternative to most people’s constant striving for some sort of idealized perfection.
Wouldn’t our mental health be better if this year we dedicated ourselves to trying to accept our limits, our insecurities, our imperfections?
I’ll lead the way with this overarching resolution—I resolve to expect less from myself this year. “Friends” will wonder how that’s possible, but they no doubt mean well.
If you think I’ve finally totally lost it, knock yourself out trying this.
Postscript: Via email, a PressingPause loyalist replied thusly:
“I agree the goal of embracing ones imperfections is one of the most valuable, but how does having a goal in general mean someone is striving for idealized perfection? Also, I like having society wide markers like holidays. I think it makes us feel more like a community. And some people may stress over breaking their resolutions, but not everyone. I just think it’s just the idea of new beginnings. Like baptism or new growth in Spring.”
Public Transit Is An Essential Community Asset
And as of 1/1/20, ours is free*.
“Zero-fare transit systems report many benefits. Going zero-fare increases ridership which in-turn improves the environment and reduces congestion. It enhances access and equity making communities more livable. Eliminating the fare reduces barriers both for those individuals that can afford to pay as well as those that cannot. And zero fare makes boarding easier and faster which reduces travel times for all.”
Intercity Transit reports that less than 2% of its revenue was coming from fares.
I detect a trend, people paying small amounts with dollar bills and coins is too time consuming. How long until the Costco food court realizes this and soft frozen yogurt is “free”?
*a portion of our sales tax revenue funds it
Public Libraries Are Essential Community Assets
And ours is now even more accessible.
“Starting January 1, 2020, Timberland Regional Library is no longer charging overdue fees on our collection materials. In addition, we are currently working with our system vendor to remove existing overdue fines. Why are we making this change while facing budget challenges? Research has shown that overdue fines act as an emotional barrier for many people and create a disproportionate financial impact on many in our communities. Library fines represent less than 1% of TRL’s overall revenue and data indicates that it is costing more in staff time to collect overdue fines than TRL receives in fines revenue. We’ve heard from patrons who have stopped using library services altogether because they can’t pay their fines, or they worry about being judged for being unable to pay. They’re not attending programs, accessing online resources, asking for help in finding a job, or utilizing the library in any other way that would enrich their lives. Eliminating overdue fines is a means to bringing people back into the library and supporting our communities.”
Don’t take advantage though.
“Patrons are still responsible for ensuring that items are returned by the due date. This Fines Free policy does not impact fees for lost and damaged items, those charges will remain on patron accounts. Items overdue for longer than 28 days will be considered lost, and patrons will incur a replacement fee for the item. Accounts with more than $10 in fees will have their borrowing privileges suspended until the item is returned or the replacement fee is paid.”
Getting Into College—It Isn’t A Level Playing Field
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Pressing Pause 