Homage to John

Previous topic: Next topic:

Homage to John topic started 6/19/2005; 2:54:20 PM last post 6/19/2005; 2:54:20 PM

SplitterRandolph@d... - Homage to John   6/19/2005; 2:54:20 PM (reads: 4169, responses: 0) John is a fountain of ideas. Some people get a bit impatient with John's ever-flowing fountain, but--the thing is--John's ideas are always thoughtful and innovative, often great. If you aren't listening, you're missing a lot. John has always been fresh and eager. The idea of burnout is completely antithetical to his nature. He knew early on that he wanted to become a teacher, and for all these years he has constantly tried out new strategies, challenging his students, challenging himself, never content with the status quo, always seeking the authentic personal voice. Witness the poetry walk, in which John and his students hike into the woods (note the decontextualization of the traditional classroom) and read each other their favorite poems, and the magnum opus, in which students use their readings and their experiences to reflect upon what really matters to them, erasing the unfortunate line between books and life. Not to mention the blog, which some people say John invented. I remember John at the memorial service for his son, proudly showing his son's wonderful, innovative art work. John's own intelligence and creativity are to be found in his academic writings, in his numerous letters to various editors, in the many De Anza institutions he has helped to build, in the thousands of students he challenged and guided over the years, and of course in John himself. We're lucky if a little bit has rubbed off on us. Here's to you, John. --Randy Splitter Discuss