tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post6020979595663720904..comments2024-03-26T07:00:11.620-05:00Comments on Wisdom of the Hands: today in the wood shopDoug Stowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-9666327786801803822009-06-08T10:43:58.045-05:002009-06-08T10:43:58.045-05:00JD, teaching is one of those things that you never...JD, teaching is one of those things that you never really see the impact of what you have done, unless you live a very long time. Administration of teachers fits in the same category. What kind of learning environment have I sustained? Is it better for what I have invested here?<br /><br />It is a luxury these days to have the kind of work that is physically measurable in the moment... "I got that done!" or that has finite and definitive objectives. "Finally that table is a finished form that I can sell or be paid!" But in the long run, even craft work has those same qualities. You are lucky if you have seen results in your lifetime. "Have I really made a difference?" and that requires a feedback look somewhat different from the tactile one that takes place when the sand paper and hand smooth a rough surface.<br /><br />It requires a larger view that pulls in other considerations. Like, "have I sustained an environment of mutual respect and has my tenure offered refinement over what was before?"<br /><br />The educational system is the Titanic writ humongous. How do we turn such things and refine their course? It takes place in the day to day, just like sand paper on a rough board. <br /><br />Personally, I am very glad to see people of your sensitivity in the position you are in. I know you care deeply about your students. You may not always know how to make things right, but the bottom line for an administrator and a craftsman are the same... did I invest care and sensitivity in my work?Doug Stowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-35523078316125172192009-06-08T09:02:00.912-05:002009-06-08T09:02:00.912-05:00Doug, these are great ideas to ponder. Thanks for...Doug, these are great ideas to ponder. Thanks for laying them out. My mind is awash in all of this at the moment, as I just received my copy of Matthew Crawford's SHOPCRAFT AS SOULCRAFT book. I am only a dozen or so pages into it, but am already eager to get his take on this. I can relate to him very well, and have often had the same thoughts, i.e., what good am I doing here????" It just seems like much of what I do in my administrative role has no finite end! Oh, and I join the 60-year-old clan this coming Sunday...maybe that is making me take additional stock of what is worth doing!<br /><br />Cheers from NC, JDJDnoreply@blogger.com