Comments on "This I Believe" Essays

I've shared my blog with some teacher-friends and they are so impressed with your work. Some have left you comments and one, The Teach, has left this message for all of you...

First, thanks goes to Ms. H. for inviting her cyber-teaching colleagues to read your "I Believe" blogs. I am a retired teacher who enjoys dropping into classes and sharing thoughts. I find, however, that the blog is too public for what I would like to say. Sometimes I prefer to respond directly to the person without having the rest of the world knowing what I have to say. I feel that what I have to say may
embarrass the person.

I applaud all of you for having the courage to write such personal narratives, knowing that anyone who has a blogger account can read your reflections. Writing personal reflections is risk taking. Yet, your stories inspire and challenge the reader. Some cause the reader to laugh; some move the reader to tears. Others evoke memories. We never know how the reader will react to our narratives, our arguments, our descriptions. What we envision may not be what the reader sees. Even the videos will generate different reactions.

I did not watch but a few of the videos; thus my comments appear beneath the essay rather than beneath the video. I wanted to savor the power of your words, consider the development of your message (notice I do not use "thesis"), reflect on the details that caused my reaction. Perhaps later I will return to the videos and watch. Those that I did watch, I found interesting. I wondered if I could put together something remotely similar and just how long it would take me. I am rather slow at such things!!! As one of you wrote, you want a perfect product; you want to do things right the first time. Thirty times later, I still do not approach
perfection!

It is heart-warming to read honest observations and self-evaluations. Again, I think it takes courage to do this. All of you have the potential to make a difference in your corner of this world. Perhaps the day will come when you will impact a larger part of this world. That change begins with one person or a small group. Look at the various social movements in our country. There was a time when the slave was considered property, when women could not own property--they too were considered
property. Women could not vote. At one time only male landowners could vote. One person had an idea; others learned about it; then people began to act.

I keep thinking that you should create a small class booklet of your reflections, something that you can carry with you and read now and again. Each of you has offered lessons of life, along with ways to solve problems we encounter everyday. If creating a little book is too old-fashioned, then create a file on your computer, something to which you can refer quickly: Daily Reflections. Years ago a young woman gave me a small spiral book of various things she had collected. I still read passages from her book, though not daily. We have lost touch, but I have her book, her lessons that she never realized are lessons.

Keep up your good work. Keep exploring the use of media with writing. Whether you realize it or not, you are learning to analyze critically and to express your thoughts in ways that challenge your readers to ponder and perhaps change the ways they view the world and act.

Thank you for letting me read "I Believe."

theteach

PS if you wish to respond or ask questions about my posts, please write to theteach@theteachonline.net