Being Okay with Not Knowing

Experiment: writing about the connection between philosophy and my own view on research. At the end of a long day last week, I encountered a particularly challenging section of a book. I left myself this note, so that I would remember that it was not just a normal bookmark. Having totally forgotten about it, I opened…

What defines school?

Last weekend I attended the conference “A Voice for Education” in Nottingham. This was part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences and none of those titles prepared me at all for what to expect! This was the first question of the day, and I did not have a very good answer. The question is,”What…

The Invisible Work of Teachers

Experiment: Integrate feminist economics and education Teaching is a highly visible position. As a former teacher, I was a “minor celebrity”. I would be recognized in random shopping malls by people I had never met. Every time I left the house I would see at least one student. The job itself involves presenting to a group…

Is using Kiva really “Giving”?

Experiment: Writing about personal conundrums. I have been involved with Kiva for several years. Look! I’ve made a huge difference: Wow! So much giving, with so little money! I’m in the 94th percentile of donors! Doesn’t that sound amazing?!  I feel good giving with Kiva. I can see the people I have helped and I haven’t…

We are the same

Experiment: Writing philosophically about a tough subject Today was a bad news day. Terrible events took place. People murdered other people based on ideology. I read too many articles today around the subject of the attacks. Philosophers lashing out about how even kind words of world leaders paint a picture of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Some wonder…

Experiments in Writing

I am not a writer. So, here we go. After realizing that writing rants on Facebook is unlikely to improve my writing skills, I have started a writing blog. No guarantee on quality, frequency, editing, or argumentation. I expect little readership. This is just to get me in the habit of writing.