Educator, author, musician
Minnesota is looking at a $17 billion surplus as they begin work in the 2023 legislative session. Oh what to do, what to do? Nothing riles people up like the possibility of some money burning a hole in their pocket. To be clear, as a professor at Bemidji State University I’m a state employee–so I’mContinue reading “Oh, That Surplus”
Creating something, especially something artistic requires sustained times of focus. It can become a constant drone of thought and background noise if you let it–sometimes even if you try and prevent it. Or maybe that’s just what it looks like for me. It can be both a gift from somewhere I don’t quite understand andContinue reading “Music, Relationships, Math & Narcissism”
“How you doin’?” “Not bad, could be worse.” Lordy, there’s a lot to unpack there. For many, a passing “hello,” has been replaced by “how you doin’?” They don’t really want to know as they pass you in the grocery store. We’re too busy, we’re too self-absorbed. Yes, I’m looking squarely in the mirror here.Continue reading “Autumn Wind”
READ. THIS. BOOK. That’s it. That’s the blog post for this week. Here’s a link to a conversation between MPR’s Kerri Miller and the author.
We need to talk about butterflies. Specifically, the monarch, Danaus plexipus. Do you realize the miraculous nature of the life of a monarch? I don’t use that term lightly. The wonder of the monarch goes beyond the familiar nature of insect’s ability to undergo metamorphosis, which in and of itself, pretty cool. We’re all familiarContinue reading “We Need To Talk About The Monarch Butterfly”
I sense we’re all a little tense. A little worn thin. Maybe feeling tired, no? I know, I know. I feel it too. I have work to do today as well. But, geez, I’m having trouble focusing as I suspect many of you are too. Let me share this song from a friend of mineContinue reading “I Sense Many of us are on Edge”
We want the world to be simple. But it’s not. Yet, we still fall into the same trap trying to make things simple for our own comfort and ease. But it’s not. It seems the more access we get to information, the more access to news, the more access to the complexities of the world,Continue reading “It’s Simple Right? No. It’s Not.”
I’ve had two insignificant moments this week that have reminded me of this monumentally significant fact in teaching and learning. Context matters. It’s everything when it comes to learning difficult concepts in a way that leads to enduring understanding. The first was listening to, and then joining in a conversation between a retired science educationContinue reading “Context is Everything”
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Bob McPeek. One might consider it a stretch to call Bob a friend, as we’ve never been in a room together. But I do. Bob lives in Florida and I in Minnesota. In the summer of 2019 Bob and I attended the last two in-personContinue reading “My Friend, Bob McPeek”
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”
Tim Goodwin Ed.D