Seeking Higher Ground

When I was a public-school teacher, I was what they used to call a ‘constructivist.’ In other words, I was very interested in what was going on in a student's mind when they did not understand an idea or concept that I was teaching. I would ask them questions in order for me to more fully understand their thinking process. You see, I believe that everyone ‘constructs’ their knowledge in a different way. That each one of us is unique in that construction of knowledge. Hence, a ‘constructivist.’ This uniqueness is what I believe gives us our creativity that we can share with the world. What I learned from my life experiences is that people tend to ‘fall’ into thinking patterns that are destructive of their behavior and their world view. Some of these patterns are more dangerous than others. Concepts that I have learned to question in our culture you may find highly questionable about me. Some of these are: cuteness, simplicity, sentimentality, patriotism, just to name a few. Some of you are probably thinking: “What could be wrong with ‘cuteness’ or patriotism or simplicity?” Just you wait.