Roaming Writer: Dispatches from a Participant Observer - Latest Comments

Re: On Being a Regular Guy

Mike Morneault — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:12:22 -0000

Strikes me as an indictment of sorts of your former employer. ;-) I hope all is well, Barbara, and look forward to connecting again soon. Cheers! Mike

Re: House Envy

Glessie — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:07:58 -0000

Quite an interesting place to call home. It has that landmark look. I guess that is the reason for the tourists to be attracted to it. It could become a tourist attraction.

Re: Is College Necessary?

Ily — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:22:48 -0000

I've thought about this a lot, as someone whose BA seems largely useless ( I graduated in 2006). I learned a lot in college, and for that reason it was worthwhile, but at my particular school, readiness for careers was totally ignored unless your career was to be a college professor.

Advanced degrees are becoming oversaturated, especially in this bad economy. I applied for a job with a high school diploma requirement, and was told I didn't have a chance because people with Masters were applying for the same job. This was a part-time job paying $14/hr.

In high school, I was told "Go to college, get a job". I wish I had been told that jobs don't merely flow from college educations. Disappointment is an understatement for how I felt when I learned this wasn't the case.

Re: Nonprofits and Professionals - Why Can’t We Just Get Along?

Ily — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:13:48 -0000

Hi, I'm here from YNPN. I can really relate to what you're saying here as a first-time volunteer coordinator. There are "best practices" that are known in the field (like you should keep track of volunteers' hours and have them fill out applications), but I still seem to be constantly reinventing the wheel.

Re: Is College Necessary?

Chistopher Richards — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:01:14 -0000

Thank you for your message. I'm glad that Unconventional Ideas is getting the exposure it deserves. Well done for getting your letter to Stanford Magazine published.

My wife and I are reading The Element, by Ken Robinson.

I say my wife and I, because I ordered the book but when it arrived, the next thing I knew was she was half way through it. I'm up next. I guess it's a one more case of ladies first.

Acccording to the book, standardized testing brings in $100,000,000 to testing companies. This doesn't seem exactly like educational funding well spent. The good news is that Robinson sees the huge benefit of drama in schools. In at least one school ( I'll know the details when I get to read the book) the children learn lessons like history and geography in the morning. In the afternoon, they act out what they've learned. How about that for bringing learning to life!

I did some theatrical improvisation here in the Bay Area years ago. It was such a great way to connect with other people. And it helps you think on your feet.

Keep up the good work on the blog.

C

Re: Why Blogs Die - and How to Save Yours

michele c. hollow — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:33:02 -0000

Good article. I am a journalist setting up a blog, and it isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I give bloggers a lot of credit.
It's so true that as a writer, I just supplied the content, and my publisher supplied the audience and technical support. Now, I'm starting fresh as designer and promoter. I'm hoping to launch petnewsandviews.com next week.

Re: Is College Necessary?

Christopher Richards — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:32:43 -0000

I agree with you that there are some technical jobs such as surgeons who must undergo rigorous training. But training is not the same as education. Adaptability is a vital skill in work and in life. We need to know about history so we don’t keep making the same mistakes. But most of all education should nurture curiosity and a love of learning.

My education was not only free but I was paid living expenses. I did have to take exams to qualify, and have a portfolio to be accepted. I came out of the British art school system in the 1970’s. One way to describe it is creative anarchy. Students found tutors that would help them become more differentiated as individuals rather than conform and compete. It was a life-affirming experience that fostered my curiosity to learn.

I left home at age 16 without much of an education. I roamed about in my native England and across Europe and North Africa before starting college at 24. I had many jobs (all of them menial) but I gained another sort of education. I have always been a voracious reader and I was promiscuous in my literary tastes. I came across Ivan Illich’s book, Deschooling Society when I was just 17. It certainly made an impact on how I saw education.

Sadly, much of what passes for education in America today exploits young people and their parents. Instead of encouraging a love of learning so we can become autodidacts, it fosters dependency on a financially draining system. High school children want to go to college. College students want to get into graduate school, and so it goes. All this cost money. Couple this with a middle-class snobbish attitude toward good-paying skilled trades whose jobs will not be exported and the self-imposed misery is complete.

There are people choosing different paths. There is a refreshing personal website at unconventionalideas.com about a family who march to a different drum.

Whenever you make a decision to take one path or the other, there is always a cost. You always lose the opportunity cost of not taking the other path. What would you get for you time and money if you didn’t go to college? I think you can invest more wisely than prop up institutions whose first loyalty is to themselves. We can buy skills on the open market. There are alternatives. And for a wonderful and funny view of all this, check out Ken Robinson’s talk on ted.com on how schools kill creativity.

Re: A Response to Tina Brown’s “The Gig Economy”

Dan Arendt — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:04:17 -0000

It's true, what good is all the money if there's no time to enjoy it?

Re: Meet Jenna

Jaime Merrifield — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:41:01 -0000

What a lucky dog. In my perfect world every animal born would have a special job. For some reason that is my job to try to make that a reality. I am trying to write with enough inspiration to advocate effectively for these voiceless ones. Jenna is also a lucky dog because you have been able to do this for her. Your clear prose allows you to help her and other animals to have the life they deserve. This blog will be GREAT! I can learn a lot from your example too. And,if I learn enough,it will multiply the effect of your great story about Jenna! What a lucky dog. Besides, I'd love to have a Princess collar like that too!