By: Sean Dean on October 11, 2018
Occasionally I find myself on the outside of a conversation about The Blind Side the movie based on the better book based on the life of Michael Oher, the American football player. These conversations usually go as follows… Person A, “I love The Blind Side it’s such an amazing story!” Person B, “I hate that…
By: Jenn Burnett on October 11, 2018
Having recently returned from our Hong Kong advance, I was reminded of a truth that I had unearthed while living abroad: that I learn at least as much about myself when traveling cross-culturally than I do about the culture which I’m visiting. That knowledge doesn’t come without some reflective work. At first I just…
By: Digby Wilkinson on October 11, 2018
How to talk about books you haven’t read – Pierre Bayard “Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and read no more!” I loved this…
By: Karen Rouggly on October 10, 2018
When I was a child, I was fascinated by the book, Jimmy and the White Lie, by Bartholomew.[1] The book is centered around Jimmy, who broke the neighbors window by sending a baseball through it. Instead of telling the truth, Jimmy decided to hide the truth, which turned into a white blob that got bigger…
By: Nancy VanderRoest on October 10, 2018
Pierre Bayard (a French professor of Literature) shares an insightful perspective in his book, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. Bayard’s book is an interesting read ~ or non-read, depending on how you look at it. The author opened a door (along with Garfield as he spoke to us in China) about the…
By: Mario Hood on October 10, 2018
At first, it appears ironic that a professor of literature advocates not reading but as you dig deeper into the book and understand who Pierre Bayard is, the elation of a student skipping out on reading assignments quickly wanes. As a French based professor of literature, Pierre Bayard is an acknowledged non-reader and proud of…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on October 10, 2018
Growing up we didn’t play video games. My parents didn’t let us get anything more hi tech than an old school Nintendo, so while peers of mine in middle and high school were playing Super Nintendo, Sega, and even PlayStation, I was playing Tecmo Bowl and Paper Boy. My brother and I didn’t really think…
By: Digby Wilkinson on October 8, 2018
Where to start? Having arrived home from Shanghai, sleep is elusive and the need to work through a painful moment at the 2018 Advance in Hong Kong is preying on my mind. It needs to be exercised by writing. The anguish began on the second day as I sat with someone I did not yet…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on September 20, 2018
While I acknowledge my sociological designation as a Baby Boomer, I would say that reading is fundamental to all learning. Adler admonishes us towards active reading, where we “catch” more of the author’s material in direct correlation to the amount of effort (or activity) we invest in the process.[1] Of course, as Adler has…
By: Wallace Kamau on September 20, 2018
As I reflect on how far I have come as a person, the one factor that has been key to my growth in different aspects of life, has been reading. I recognize like the preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes 12:12 that to the making of books there is no end, which encourages more reading…
By: Andrea Lathrop on September 20, 2018
This book was a sobering read. Sobering is the best word I have to describe my realization of how little I know about reading and how much of it I have to do in this program. It is not that I don’t like to read. I have loved to read since I can remember. Books…
By: Rhonda Davis on September 20, 2018
As a young girl, I devoured books. I would spend hours reading. Of course, I am an only child, so I was often driven to stories to find playmates. In these stories, I would find countless friends. I discovered a lot about myself and was free to explore worlds that didn’t exist except in my…
By: Sean Dean on September 20, 2018
I love reading, but I hate reading. Now, before you start questioning how those two statements can exist simultaneously, let me explain. Even though I am a slow reader I enjoy reading, especially when it is something that I am interested in. I am not sure if it is because of what I am reading…
By: Tammy Dunahoo on September 20, 2018
I have always valued reading and have approached each book with curiosity, wonder, and a thirst for knowledge. I have taken the posture that the author is the expert and I am the student so I have struggled with the idea of not reading every word, not just for gaining information but for understanding. What…
By: Karen Rouggly on September 20, 2018
My six-year-old is learning to read and it’s fascinating. I don’t remember my own literacy journey, so it’s interesting to figure out how to shape someone else’s. It seems like Eli came out of the womb understanding and utilizing the power of communication. In fact, he started talking at 10 months, was using complete sentences…
By: Jenn Burnett on September 20, 2018
I’ve always loved reading. Fictional characters were my dearest companions growing up. Years before Shakespeare was part of my school curriculum, I was delving into Macbeth and Midsummer Night’s Dream with enthusiasm. Critical analysis emerged in late high school and then was refined in University. So while Adler’s book was useful, it was not new…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on September 20, 2018
Just last week was “Meet the Teacher” night at our local elementary school. This was the opportunity for the faculty and staff to introduce themselves to all the parents in town and to show off a little bit. It was a great night and the school did not disappoint. All the parents who showed were…
By: Harry Edwards on September 20, 2018
This blog post will be a little personal in a sense that it will reveal one of the reasons I decided to pursue this doctorate. I had looked at several DMin programs and each one of them had one thing in common: rigid, set coursework. I am confident this kind of learning is effective for…
By: Digby Wilkinson on September 20, 2018
Having no recollection of reading a book on how to read a book, I realised that I had learned to read well by learning later in life (not so many bad habits). My regular education was a total disaster. I left school with no formal qualifications at all, and even though I could read, I…
By: Shermika Harvey on September 20, 2018
CTRL, ATL, DELETE: CEREBRUM REBOOT Disclaimer: The text below is not written by, nor or for professional informational use for neuroscience and or computer science application. Though such terminology is included, it is also the metaphoric view of this writer’s approach to reprogramming the supercomputer of the human body, in particular, the cerebrum functions of…
