For Realz

Today's reading:

--Explicating self and connections (and perception of online clique-ish-ness, or click-ish-ness?) (Maha Bali) "...so I was one of them in the sense of 'not being one of them.'" 

--Questioning everything (Simon Ensor) and using words in the form of gorgeous skipping stones. "Peaks glower down our feeble flailings. Hearts bound in awe."


-- Creating more beauty from Simon's beauty (Kevin Hodgson) "Listen: Life streams on; Stars resist the darkness with light flickering from above."

--Incredible creation-collaborations by Terry Elliott: "The awe is that we are at all."

So much generative thinking, 
synthesizing of emotion and connections, 
into something worth thinking about, 
worth spending time on,
something that would not have existed without the "we."

Contrasted with:
This week, I went to a day-long "Professional Development." I am intended to take what I "learned" and present it to our staff next Tuesday.  For the PD, we sat in a large room while the [well-paid] presenter went through her many many powerpoint slides.  An Important Person was in attendance.  When she spoke, her staff photographer would get up and photograph her speaking.

When she speaks, she is photographed speaking.  This Speaking Moment will be tweeted.  Those Who Follow Will See Her Speaking.  

Did I miss the moment when education became Public Relations?  Obviously.

It is a Business now, education.  I get that.  
But I still fall back from the shiny surfaces; there's too much glare.  I still look askance at the Glitter; it gets in my eyes if I sit too close.

Is this what is real?

Nah. It's not.  We play along.
You want music?
We sing a song.

My hands are dirty with ink from making Blackout poetry with kids.
For realz.

http://www.bitrebels.com/design/newspaper-blackout-poems-a-creative-way-to-write-poetry/attachment/newspaper-blackout-words-poetry-5/