Historians and genealogists, I think, are fact finders. We try not to assume such and such is true because we know that as we continue to delve into our mysteries, new facts come to light. We wait to see what is going to develop, we collect evidence and see how our hypotheses stands up.
A fellow teacher (I teach for fun but he teaches at the college level), spoke, yesterday, of his discouragement with the education process in these United States. This process has evolved over a period of years (or should I say "devolved"), to a system in which there is little evidence of brainy-ism learning. We are watered down by many elements, it would seem. The quality of our students' efforts has been supplanted with false agendas.
Now all of this languaage is dressing for my sense that parents don't care about excellency in their children's learning. Or, could it be that there is so much out there competing for our children's attention? Is sociality the key that shouldn't have been turned? Are teachers dedicated enough to get through all the hoops and jumps they have to go through, to pull the mind of the student from wherever it is hidden.
Just what is the deal, here? I'm terrible in math, but with a good teacher, a book, plenty of practice time, and the kind of thinking that is crucial to being the steward of the world, even I can pass algebra. What does it matter? Where is passing algebra an important achievement?
I learned to read at an early age; not a child prodigy or anything, but the key was given to me by my parents and teachers...the key to love of reading, dependance on reading, appreciation for those who could transmit not just words, but ideas through their reading.
Dad always included us kids in his bedtime stories. He used the device of tone inflection to catch our interest and vanity to keep interest. We were the heroes, we were the action figures, and my dad who really should have been an actor or on stage with his wondrous way of weaving a tale, it all came together on the tails of the teacher's efforts. I'm sure I read Dick and Jane, but it was clear to me from the first that if I wanted more complex and interesting tales, I would and should make them up myself. I don't even consider myself very imaginative, but there must be a store of the stuff somewhere inside.
It was both a safe haven (reading at the piano instead of practicing), and a secret (hiding under the covers of my bed, throwing caution to the wind, usually with a book that was "too old" for me. The Agony and the Ecstasy at age 11? I was too young to be intimidated or daunted by fat books
.
The "Real" Housewives of New York or wherever. Faux Fur speaks to this generation, yes or no? A student's grades at Harvard: real, as in honestly they earned it, or real for the purpose of "getting by" in life. Has the value of real, as in genuine, been supplanted by what is acceptable, by what will pass, by the lasting value of the gold standard?
« Finding Genealogy Records and Books on eBay | Main | Britain Destroyed Records of Colonial Crimes »
September 02, 2012
Geni Adds Facebook Social Sharing
Geni users will be interested in the latest addition to the service. Here is the announcement written by Geni.com:
Today we’re excited to introduce Facebook Social Sharing on Geni – a new way to share your Geni experience with your friends and family!
Have you ever been working on a Geni project and wish you could share your progress with your friends? Or perhaps added your latest census discovery to your ancestor’s Geni profile and wanted to share it with your genealogy Facebook buddies? Facebook Social Sharing will easily allow you to share your public Geni activities with your friends and family on Facebook!
The Facebook Social Sharing button can be found at the top right of any Geni page. By default, Social Sharing is turned off for all current users. To activate the feature, simply click to toggle it on. Everyone may turn Social Sharing off at anytime - just click again to turn it off. Note if you already use Facebook Connect to log in to your Geni account, you will need to toggle it on to begin sharing on Facebook. Don’t see Social Sharing on your Geni page? Only Facebook users will see this option, so connect your Facebook account to your Geni account now to start sharing!If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others. Tweet it, share it on Google , Facebook or on your preferred social network.
Republishing of this article in newsletters, blogs, and elsewhere is allowed and encouraged, with a few minor restrictions. Details may be found at http://goo.gl/hoHH1.Of course, if you haven’t done so already, you should join my email newsletter mailing list to stay current on my latest articles and announcements. You can also cancel at any time within seconds. I promise to never, ever send you any unrequested e-mail, other than newsletter updates.
Posted by Dick Eastman on September 02, 2012 in Online Sites | Permalink ShareThis
Reblog (0) | | |
|| | Digg This
Comments
We were some of us into this a while back; now that they have added social sharing, perhaps some of you will want to use Geni on a limited, private basis. Obviously, you should be thoughtful about what to share about whom, even if it is your own family. I'll give it a try later in the day.
