timothygoodwin

First, Do No Harm

The major thrust and most utilized aspect of the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors is “primum non nocere” or “first, do no harm.” Really, it seems this should apply to everyone. At this moment I’m looking at you Virginia (the state, not the little girl asking about Santa Claus). Under governor Glenn Youngkin, new rulesContinue reading “First, Do No Harm”

A Reason to be Kind

This past weekend Tracy and I went up to Grand Rapids, MN. Saturday we attended the Grand Rapids/KAXE Riverfest music festival. We heard some great music from Wild Horses (new MN band), Chastity Brown, Shovels & Rope, and Wilco. It was a beautiful day with good friends in Northern MN. All around lovely. Sunday weContinue reading “A Reason to be Kind”

Hey You! Step Up!

Last week I stood up for teachers, calling out the rest of us who are making their job untenable. Okay, now, teachers, in return it’s also time for us to step up. Yes, the past few years have been unimaginably difficult, and yes many are working in environments that are at best dysfunctional, and atContinue reading “Hey You! Step Up!”

Hey You! Back Off!

I teach a general methods and science methods course to prospective elementary. I’d like to share an anecdote from a recent class. During this session I was leading students through an activity in which we compare how many drops of water vs. rubbing alcohol we can fit on a penny. It’s a surprisingly large numberContinue reading “Hey You! Back Off!”

My Kitchen Appliances Think I’m an Idiot

My kitchen appliances must have a pretty low opinion of us humans. They insist on beeping to telegraph their every action, no matter how mundane. I recently discovered how to silence my microwave. Hold the “2” button down for a few seconds. You’re welcome. Why is this a secret “hack” and not in the manual.Continue reading “My Kitchen Appliances Think I’m an Idiot”

For Walter

I want to tell you a little about one of my heroes, Walter Enloe. I first met Walter when I was one of the founding teachers for a project-based charter school back in 2003. Walter worked with EdVisions which granted startup money for project-based charter schools and was providing some expertise and support. Boy, didContinue reading “For Walter”

Seeing (or not)

Monday I wrote about disconnection. Since then I’ve been thinking about disconnected and fractured relationships and in particular within families. A prominant cause of such fracturing and disconnection, and then leading to homelessness in youth in the United States is around issues of sexual and gender identity. In Northfield, the Northfield Union of Youth (alsoContinue reading “Seeing (or not)”

One(ness)

This is the week of the term when my science education students listen to a Radiolab podcast titled “From Tree to Shining Tree.” I tell them it’s utterly fascinating and they always unanimously agree after giving it the hour it takes to listen to it. It’s about how the trees in a forest are interconnected,Continue reading “One(ness)”

The Truths We Hold

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Do we? I get why the framers had to include a Creator in the first sentence. “Many philosophers and theologiansContinue reading “The Truths We Hold”

Interconnectednessness

I added the extra “ness” because understanding the interconnected nature of, well, nature is becoming increasingly crucial. Sort of like our lives depend on it. Because they do. But it isn’t just the interconnected nature of nature that matters. I’ll get to that in a minute. Try this. Close your eyes. Well, not quite yet.Continue reading “Interconnectednessness”