Socrates and Differential Appreciation...

A quick rundown of the day, as I am way past sleepy. The day started out rough, as my allergies kicked in last night around 10:00 p.m. and I could barely breathe for sneezing. I finally got to sleep at around 12:30 or so. Because of this, I didn't get up until 7:00, having let my alarm ring on snooze for one hour and twenty minutes. I made a quick sandwich, took a shower and headed for school.

For our first session this morning, Students, we read an article regarding Dropouts and the possible causes for this action. The article tried to make the point that school are partly to blame and that white kids tend to blame themselves for their failings and black kids tend to blame the schools and nobody listens to any of them. There were a number of "off the cuff" remarks from a survey about how, "Teachers all hated me." Nothing very compelling, in my book.

(The painting is "The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David, 1787, one of my favorite Neo-classical painters, although I much prefer the more energetic work of the Romantics to David's austere stylizations.)

We followed up the reading with a Socratic Discussion. Sitting in a circle, we offered positions regarding a topic question. Lots of anecdotal evidence flowed forth. To be honest, I am not much of a fan of Socratic Seminars. I much prefer an old-fashioned argument. We got through it, though.

Then, we met with Lee to review "Problem Solving." It sounds like Lee had a last minute Guest Speaker cancellation for the day and we sort of did some tap-dancing for our time together. He presented us with a couple of problems, one involving moving trains and cars around a circular track and the other a series of tangram problems. I am particularly lousy at the train/car problem. Even after having the answer shown to me, I still don't think that I could replicate it. I really struggle in solving spatial problems. Problems involving concepts and relationships I do pretty well, moving traincars problems, not at all. Lee, being the mathematical wonk that he is, has a deep appreciation of such spacial conundrums. Me, not so much.

In the afternoon, we met with Ali again and reviewed a couple more "Tools."

Then I came home.

Now I am tired.

Good night.