Failure for Dummies
One of the hallmarks of a quality learning environment is that it permits learners to fail. We might conclude that the primary reason is that without the possibility of failure,…
Generalizing Juggling
Generalizing knowledge is not the same as transferring knowledge. The process of generalizing means developing enough working expertise that knowledge can be transferred to new contexts at will. This is…
Cookies and Cameras
Each of us came into the world unable to exert any direct influence, unable to even feed ourselves! Some of us were born with the proverbial silver spoon in our…
Laughter Through Tears
Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. The character of Truvey Jones in Robert Harling’s "Steel Magnolias" A friend recently commented that he’s at the point in life where he’s…
What’s My Motivation?
This is the stereotypical phrase that the would-be actor asks the director in order to breathe life into the character. What motivates this character? What makes them tick? What matters…
Avoiding Deadlines
Deadline is an interesting word. It was created during the American Civil War by the horrifically cruel Confederate Army officer Heinrich Hartmann Wirz, who ran the prison in Andersonville, Georgia.…
What Would Future Me Do?
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If so, then the cement between those paving stones is the tired disappointment we feel with ourselves when we…
How High Can You Jump?
Between two stints in college, I went to business school. The counselor there looked at my records and said, ‘Well. I guess you can do just about anything you want…
Stop Running and Screaming
When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. Herman Wouk There are a few things less productive than running in circles while screaming and shouting, but…
The Anonymous Expert
In Mark Twain’s short story, Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven, once Captain Eli Stormfield makes it past the pearly gates and gets his bearings, he begins to learn about the other inhabitants of heaven.