Category Archives: Academia

Read Across America

“You may not see it now,” said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo’s puzzled face, “but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you’re sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it’s much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”

A couple days ago Jeremy asked if I would participate in Read Across America. This is the third year he’s asked people to call in via Skype and read something to his class. You probably know some of the others who are reading to his class today. Isn’t this a great idea?! I love it.

Today is also Dr. Seuss‘s birthday.

I had a hard time deciding what to read because most of my children’s books are in my mom’s attic in Rubbermaid containers. Also, at 10 years old I was reading at higher grade levels. This is somewhat surprising given my difficulties with reading. I read to myself like I would read aloud, so I’m a slow reader. I also switch words around (it’s the same with numbers). As a kid I also had severe anxiety and hated reading aloud in class because of those issues. I started thinking about this when I said I would read to Jeremy’s class. What if I screw it up? What if I switch the words around? I’m almost 28 years old and I got nervous thinking about reading in front of some kids! But I love reading. I always have. My frustrations and inability to read quickly never kept me from reading everything I could get my hands on.

I wanted to read some Neil Gaiman to Jeremy’s class, but the lovely Grace beat me to it. I chose not to read a Dr. Suess story because I didn’t really like Dr. Suess as a ten year old. Instead, I’m reading the first two chapters from one of my top ten favorite books of all time. It is a book that my mom read to me as a kid and one I read every few years because it is so remarkable. It was enjoyable to read as a kid, but I thought it was brilliant by high school. I still have my mom’s copy from when she was a kid. Maybe after hearing the first section, they’ll want to finish the story themselves or to ask a family member to read it to them.

{Image via Britannica.com}

It’s about a ten year old boy, Milo, who is bored with everything. After a tollbooth lands in his bedroom, he travels to a far off world filled with topsy turvy places like Digitopolis, Dictionopolis and the Doldrums. He meets some wonderful characters like Tock the watchdog who hates killing time, the Humbug who is a bug with nothing very positive to say, and the Spelling B-e-e who is, yes, a bee and an expert speller. They encounter terrible villains like the Senses Taker, the Trivium, and the Lethargians. They must rescue Rhyme and Reason in the Castle in the Air because there is a disagreement about whether numbers or letters are more important than one another. Along the way, a conductor conducts a sunrise, they don’t get wet in the Sea of Knowledge, a midget is actually a giant depending on how you look at it, people eat their words (and synonym buns), and the Whether Man doesn’t care what the weather is as long as he knows whether there will be weather. In the end, Milo comes to appreciate learning, curiosity, and perspective, and he is never bored again. Yeah, so it’s completely fantastical, but it is so clever and has a great message.

Books like this made me love reading. And love learning. It’s amazing how the lessons we learn as children can stick with us into adulthood.

“And remember, also,” added the Princess of Sweet Rhyme, “that many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you’ll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.”

Norton Juster Norton Juster > quotes

 

See if your friends have read any of Norton Juster’s books.

Sign up »

 

“Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“…the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“Time is a gift, given to you, given to give you the time you need, the time you need to have the time of your life. ”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“You may not see it now,” said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo’s puzzled face, “but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you’re sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it’s much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“The only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that’s hardly worth the effort”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“…it’s not just learning that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things that matters.”
Norton Juster
“Things which are equally bad are also equally good. Try to look at the bright side of things.
– Humbug”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“You can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and not get wet.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“It has been a long trip,” said Milo, climbing onto the couch where the princesses sat; “but we would have been here much sooner if I hadn’t made so many mistakes. I’m afraid it’s all my fault.”
“You must never feel badly about making mistakes,” explained Reason quietly, “as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“Everybody is so terribly sensitive about the things they know best.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“Would it be possible for me to see something from up there?” asked Milo politely.”You could,” said Alec, “but only if you try very hard to look at things as an adult does.”Milo tried as hard as he could, and, as he did, his feet floated slowly off the ground until he was standing in the air next to Alex Bings. He looked around very quickly and, an instant later, crashed back down to the earth again.”Interesting, wasn’t it?” asked Alex.

“Yes, it was,” agreed Milo, rubbing his head and dusting himself off, “but I think I’ll continue to see things as a child. It’s not so far to fall.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)

“A slavish concern for the composition of words is the sign of a bankrupt intellect. Be gone, odious wasp! You smell of decayed syllables.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“For instance,” said the boy again, “if Christmas trees were people and people were Christmas trees, we’d all be chopped down, put up in the living room, and covered in tinsel, while the trees opened our presents.”
“What does that have to do with it?” asked Milo.
“Nothing at all,” he answered, “but it’s an interesting possibility, don’t you think?”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“Whether or not you find your own way, you’re bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it’s quite rusty.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“As the cheering continued, Rhyme leaned forward and touched Milo gently on the shoulder.
“They’re cheering for you,” she said with a smile.
“But I could never have done it,” he objected, “without everyone else’s help.”
“That may be true,” said Reason gravely, “but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you *will* do.”
“That’s why,” said Azaz, “there was one very important thing about your quest that we couldn’t discuss until you returned.
“I remember,” said Milo eagerly. “Tell me now.”
“It was impossible,” said the king, looking at the Mathemagician.
“Completely impossible,” said the Mathemagician, looking at the king.
“Do you mean—-” said the bug, who suddenly felt a bit faint.
“Yes, indeed,” they repeated together; “but if we’d told you then, you might not have gone—and, as you’ve discovered, so many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”
And for the remainder of the ride Milo didn’t utter a sound.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“It’s bad enough wasting time without killing it.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“You must never feel badly about making mistakes … as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
“Let me try once more,” Milo said in an effort to explain. “In other words–”
“You mean you have other words?” cried the bird happily. “Well, by all means, use them. You’re certainly not doing very well with the ones you have now.”
Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)

“And remember, also,” added the Princess of Sweet Rhyme, “that many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you’ll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.”

How Gen Y (and beyond) can benefit from the truth

A brief preemptive disclaimer. My Google Reader is filled to the brim with writing from amazing, self-less, motivated, hardworking, genuine and beautiful bloggers.  These bloggers  challenge the status quo and break every known stereotype out there about Gen Y.  They are remarkable individuals (and it pains me that I have met so few of them in real life), but they are also role models.  I’m talking about Doniree, Michelle, Derek, Jenny, Shane Mac, Jennifer, and Ashley, to name only a handful of bloggers we have all grown to love.  There are exceptions to every rule.  To every stereotype.  The purpose of this post is to address how we can, as Gen Y bloggers, be role models for the upcoming generations by being honest and expecting more from each other. The point is, don’t get your panties in a wad about some of the things I say about Gen Y until after you read the whole post. Then you can get anything you want into a wad.  Thanks in advance.

~~~~~~~~~~

The power of truth

Yesterday, I blogged about the Life Raft Debate.  This is a second post inspired by the “Tough Guys” segment on NPR’s This American Life in which the Life Raft Debate is featured.  Every year (since 1998), students and faculty at the University of Montevallo (my Alma mater) come together to prove the value of a Liberal Arts education in America with a little event they call the Life Raft Debate*.

For a few years, the audience voted for the debate winner based solely on how well that faculty member “pandered” to the audience, using theatrics and humor.  In 2007*, one faculty member had enough.  He was tired of the faculty not treating the audience, the students, with enough respect to treat them like educated adults, to challenge them or to hold a real debate. To make the Life Raft Debate an exercise in true Civics.  That year, there was no winner.  The audience did not vote because none of the debaters actually debated anything.  The audience said No.  All the faculty drowned.

Dr. Jon Smith says we must stop treating each other like this.  We must stop acting as if the audience are complete morons who can only make a decision based on whether they laugh or are entertained. Dr. Smith thinks we can find a way to grow a spine and raise our standards with the help of role models.  He cites Simon Cowell (yes, from American Idol) as a breath of fresh air because Cowell is willing to say what no one else is willing to say: the truth.  Everyone who loves to sing or wants to sing will be able to make a career doing it, but some people are not told they lack a certain skill as children.  We cannot actually live all of our wildest dreams.  We have limitations, believe it or not. We are not perfect.  Sadly, we live in a society where we are afraid to tell people No. We are so concerned with people’s self-esteem that we are not honest with people about their limitations.  We are not always honest with ourselves about where we need to draw the line between attainable dream and fantasy.

Gen Y can handle the truth

Many Gen Y-ers grew up being told they were special.  My generation’s parents were told No by their parents and they don’t want to tell their own kids No.  The animated film, The Incredibles, touches on this topic beautifully.  In Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk even addresses how many men are raised by single mothers can never say No because they feel incredible guilt.  Gen Y-ers (and the upcoming generations like my little brother and step siblings) were told they could do anything.  Now our kids are told yes yes yes.  That they can do no wrong.  That they deserve a trophy for being last in the race.  That they are entitled to anything they want.  That they deserve a high paying job right out of college without working hard.  That it is perfectly acceptable to shop for things they cannot afford or to buy a house by the time they are 25 because they have a credit card.

But in actuality, those Gen Y-ers who have been told they are so special all the time are NOT** narcissistic, fragile people who will buckle at the first sound of criticism. They are ROBUST.  They WANT to be challenged.  They NEED to be challenged. We need the truth.  We want the truth. And the generations to come need it, too.

I know, some people can’t handle the truth, right?  Mommy and Daddy paid for everything, told them they were so smart, so pretty, so perfect, that they could do no wrong.  Well, they are in for a rough road, if they think they are entitled to something without putting something real out there first.  If you think your first try at something, a work report or presentation or paper or publication or journal article or book or song or painting is going to be perfect, you are wrong.  We all need constructive criticism.  We all need help.  We all need feedback. It is much better to have someone tell me the truth early so I do not waste my time.  Or so I know what I am doing wrong so I can improve. My time could be spent doing something more rewarding.  I am on my seventh draft of my thesis proposal.  It doesn’t mean I am a horrible writer, but it means I can always be a better writer.  I used to want to sing and dance.  I loved singing and loved dancing.  But somewhere along the way I was told I was not good enough.  And I had horrific stage freight.  It hurt.  A lot.  But I thank the person who was coming from a good place when he was honest with me early. It doesn’t stop me from belting it out in the car or from car dancing or even dancing in my chair while I study.  It doesn’t stop me from loving musical theater, for example.  But I know I had to put my time, effort, money, passion into other things. 

We can be role models

So tell Gen Y and Z the truth.  Expect the truth.  Be a role model.  Debate.  Educate yourself.  Expect others to educate themselves.  We all deserve respect and love and truth.  The truth is not always easy and it can be painful, but it is an essential part of growing up.  The truth will set us free, after all.  It will allow us to have a more fulfilling, happy life. Things will not always fall into place exactly how we picture them.  That is OK.  It gives us the opportunity to learn and grow and find our true paths.   Being a role model is more than living by example and empowering others to DO.  It is also about being honest.

A very wise man once made a call for us all to be the change we wish to see in the world.  It can start with us, friends.  We can demand more from each other.  More from ourselves.  With a simple No.  With a simple Truth.  We can be honest with our younger siblings who are told No less often than we ever were.  We must be honest with our own kids.  When the truth comes from a good place, it is beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~~

*You can listen to the podcast from the last Life Raft Debate in which Jon Smith called upon the audience to make a statement with a simple No vote.  The “Tough Guys” segment on NPR’s This American Life in which the Life Raft Debate is mentioned begins at 41:00.

** OK, yes, I know some actually ARE narcissists.  But that is a whole other conversation. One you can read more about here here here and here or with a simple Google search.

The Life Raft Debate and the importance of a Liberal Arts education

{Life Raft Debate}

The Life Raft Debate

Every year (since 1998), students and faculty at the University of Montevallo (my Alma mater) come together to prove the value of a Liberal Arts education in America.  In the Life Raft Debate, the scenario is simple:

There has been a nuclear war and the survivors (the audience) are setting sail to rebuild society from the ground up.  There is a group of academic-types vying to get on the raft, and only one seat is left. Each professor gets to give an introductory account of his or her discipline, then give a brief rebuttal to the others, and, finally, the audience will be allowed to ask questions and vote. Each professor has to argue that his or her discipline is the one indispensable area of study that the new civilization will need to flourish.  At the end of the debating, the audience votes and the lucky winner climbs aboard, waving goodbye to the others.

The true purpose behind the debate is to highlight the importance of a liberal arts education.  Each discipline brings something to the table, to the world, to the lives of students.  To the Raft, as it were.  We, in reality, cannot survive without any discipline.  They are all equally important.

Liberal Arts

A broad undergraduate education is valuable for many reasons.  Understanding the basics of multiple disciplines forced me to think outside the box, to ask questions, to learn how to do research and to learn how to think analytically. I earned a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Montevallo in 2004 (wow, I’m getting old).  Despite have a concentration in two disciplines, I still took courses in Math, the Hard Sciences, Engineering, Law, Political Science, History, Foreign Language, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, the Arts, Religion, Philosophy and more.  I learned how to love to learn.  I learned how to learn.  A Liberal Arts education prepared for the real world and for a graduate level education.  And I will always be a proponent of liberal arts education at the undergraduate level.

This weekend, NPR’s This American Life podcast featured the outcome of the 2007 Life Rafe Debate.  Listen to the “Tough Guys” segment on NPR’s This American Life in which the Life Raft Debate is mentioned.  (It begins at 41:00.)

In the segment, Dr. Jon Smith said:

There is a degree to which we sortof expect public discourse is going to be horrifically debased.  That we are going to have these god awful debates and there is nothing else except crappy emotional appeals that may or may not actually have an impact upon real issues.

That quote reminded me of an old episode of Real Time with Bill Maher in which Richard Dreyfuss discussed the importance of teaching Civics in school.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd7p1SGMuqU]

Few undergraduate programs will ever include even a glimmer of Civics in their curricula.  It is our responsibility as citizens of the world to be active in that world. To make a difference.  To ask questions.  To educate ourselves and not allow the status quo to dictate what we think, feel and do in our lives.

A Liberal Arts education challenged me to be a better human being, student and world citizen.  I will be forever grateful for such a gift.