Every day for a little bit now I've been working with one student in particular starting in the morning. He does most of the work. And yet, we both learn.
He learns how to write a sentence, over and over again, being reminded of starting with a capital letter and capitalizing names of people and places.
He relearns how to use an apostrophe, Scout's brother Jem; its country life: Maycomb County. (Of course, he's my inspiration for re-reading, re-membering, re-learning To Kill a Mockingbird.)
I learn how to get out of his way; how to let him resist; how to give him the space to process what's important to him and what's not. It's up to him. Not me.
And sometimes while he writes or thinks or daydreams, I flip through Siddhartha and land on quotes worth considering and learning how to incorporate into my life.
Like "...one must find the source within oneself. Everything else {is} seeking; a detour, an error."Yes.
While we do school work he's also growing some zinnia, here at my house. He checks on them, when reminded. Without the reminder, the zinnia will die. Who is responsible? Him or me? Both of us, I think. There's no difference between us when it comes to the zinnia 'cause they need water.
If you're a fruit and veggie person, those who know suggest this: Buy the Clean 15 Fruits and Veggies that don't need to be Organic to be Safe to Eat: asparagus / cabbage / avocado / broccoli / kiwi / mango / onion / papaya / pineapple / watermelon / tomato / eggplant / corn / sweet potato &
And be vigilant of the Dirty Others, recommending that you Buy only Organic of these because of the use of pesticides on them: Peaches / celery / apples / bell pepper / kale / lettuces / grapes / pears / carrots / nectarines / strawberries / cherries
Spring continues to flair in Asheville, every day new growth, new color and the fading of other; we had two days of really cold weather last week, but the turn has been made, and the heat is on.And the birds are busy and singing a lot. My friend (and a teacher) Ronnie pointed out a mockingbird this morning sitting on a telephone wire; she said they have a big song repertoire. Sitting on the wire, she knew the bird by its long tail and incessant song; this morning, he was singing to her (Ronnie); or to his babies; or to his mate, she guessed.
She knows her birds and flowers and how to do things like use a weedeater. At 86, she's buying one today at Lowe's! Maybe she'll teach me how to use it.
But first a trip to New Orleans where a new teacher is soon to come. Big aflutter in my home town. A baby, a new life. What will she teach us? Who will she be? Ah, more to learn, more to learn, always more to learn.
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