Pedagogy, Philosophy, and Nonsense Home 

Essays and Links

Creative Non-Fiction
Being Like Children

The Blessing and the Blues

David and the Revelation

The Dawn, the Dark, and the Horse I Didn't Ride in On (an odd, philosophical, semi-romantic meandering)

The Mug, the Magic, and the Mistake

Trumpet Player, USDA Approved
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Writing and Education

Autobiography Challenge

Considering Conclusions         

Considering Introductions

Four Meanings of Life

Godot and the Great Pumpkin

    A Major is More Minor  Than You Think

 Thoughts About Picking a Major

Quick Points

Quick Points About Writing

Reading Poetry and Cloud Watching

Revising Revision

Reviving Experience

Reviving Symbolism

Using an Audience

What Makes a Story True

What's the Subject of a Class?

Why Write? Legos, Power, and Control

 Writing and Einstein: The Difference Between Information and Meaning

Writing and the Goldilocks Dilemma

Something Somewhat Vaguely Like a Resumé

POETRY

Selected Poems

The Poetry Process

My Other Related Sites:

Showing Class: Writing by Current and Former Students

Links to Other Sites

1. Fiction and untrue are not synonymous.

2.  Non-fiction and true are not synonymous.

3.  History and truth are not synonymous.

4.  Narrative and fiction are not synonymous.

5.  Personal and unimportant are not synonymous.

6.  Personal perspective and social perspective are not antithetical.

7.  Plot and meaning are not synonymous.

8.  True and interesting are not synonymous.

9.  You can never tell the whole story.

     Would you like to know when the site gets updated? Drop me an e-mail, and I'll add you to the list. Much of my writing has been for the antiques site lately, but I have a long list of essays in assorted stages of revision for this site. The people who e-mail often apologize because they assume I'm swamped with e-mails. I only wish it were true. I'm a teacher from the marrow out, so give me questions. I'm a writer, so I also need an audience. Sometimes that means applause, sometimes rotten tomatoes.

     From time to time, a student decides to use some of my ideas, or perhaps they even quote me in a paper. Great, I'll take what fame and traces of immortality I can get. However, I should also warn such students that my ideas are not always the things that your teachers want to hear. I'm a stubborn idealist, and that puts me at odds with quite a bit of education theory and literary criticism. Sure, I think I'm right about some things, and I'm sometimes convinced of my own brilliance, but don't jump into the fire blindfolded.

FDP

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