I created a glog recently to express my understanding
of the dimensions important for early education to take root &
blossom.
In the center is the image of a multi-dimensional
figure, expanding up, each dimension emerging & linked to the preceding
sequence of figures, spawning as it were from each of the heads.
The dimensions make it possible for the secondary
school teacher to create student profiles.
The foundation for the profiles is the data amassed by the teacher as
she attempts to know & understand her students
But it is important to recognize that these profiles
& their foundations are not necessarily linked to the integration of the
self.
The self is an amorphous, nebulous entity,
ever-changing, ever-shifting, fragmented at times, integrated at other times,
but always in a state of flux.
Consequently, there can be no cause-and-effect
connection between such a fluidic, transitory thing and any human-centric
empirical process, particularly when it comes to the educational process.
It is a pleasant hope that learning might contribute
to an integrated self, but there is also the possibility that it might not, and
other, disparate factors, such as age, maturity, life experiences, technology
and popular culture, may play an even more important role in shaping or, in
fact, disintegrating the self.
I have juxtaposed the mirror images of the integrated
self and the fragmented self in the upper right and lower left corners of the
glog.
The wall behind the glog represents a vast, blue
goddess, the Goddess of Space & the Earth, pouring abundant waters upon the
planet & nourishing it.
The waters, perhaps, nourish the tasks that the
secondary school educator has set for herself.
And though her pursuit may end up yielding mixed results it is
nonetheless an important pursuit; a positive reminder that the stakes here may
be less than we might wish for, and yet, important & worthy of whatever
attention we can give them.
JLS
