Musing about academia's separation of hand and brain.

I have often noticed that my mind may forget how to do a certain operation, but my hands remember. I can read about doing something or watch it done, but it is not really learned until I actually do it a couple of times. The first instance was tying shoes.

Sometime I look at someth>

In academic newspeak, it's called "kinesthetic" learning, but giving it a name doesn't guarantee a thing. It's pretty much sound and fury, another way to impress the public and show how progressive our underpaid "educators" (don't call 'em teachers) are. Strange as it seems, some teachers go out of their way to get math "manipulatives" like unit and tens blocks or use M&M candy, yet won't let the kids count on their fingers! Just where in the h*ll do they think base ten came from? Neat thing is that coin value is taught as a separate subject in the same classroom. Personally, I think dimes and pennies might do a bit for both.

In middle and high school, even the Biology and Chemistry labs are gone, much less "shop" or what we call survival skills - household troubleshooting- and for a good reason, lawyers. If you put your head down to help one student measure a reagent or line up a hole in shop, you are not doing your "duty" to keep the others, who are grabassing around acids or whirring blades, safe.

Don't even get me started on "attitude" and adamant ignorance as taught by television and abetted by absentee "parents."

Back to retirement.

Check out what Doug Stowe is doing...

Also, Keith Yow's program

Jack Grube Woodworking Teacher