After watching the Calf-Path video and reading the poem from
which the video was inspired, the allegory jumped out at me (http://www.baroncarson.com/2008/12/the-calf-path). The Calf-Path is a cautionary tale that
draws awareness to the fact that most people do not like to think outside of the
box and find their own path in life.
They would rather follow a path that is tried and true, even though it
may not be the most practical solution.
I am reminded of a blog entry I read last week by Tara
Walker, in her blog, Free Spirituality: Go Deeper. She comments on Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book Excuses Begone. (http://freespirituality.com/dr-wayne-dyer-excuses-begone-18-affirmations-list/) He lists 18 commonly used excuses for not
trying a new (better) way and affirmations to get you motivated. My colleague and I shared this with a group
of incoming freshmen last week to inspire them to achieve their goals in their
college career.
One of the Calf-Path poem’s points that I most relate to is
trying to get students to think and express their own views, not regurgitating their
professor’s view or what they read in the news.
I was helping a student with a
writing assignment a few months ago. She
was tasked with writing an essay debating a current topic in the news. I told her she needed to think about her view
on this particular point and state her opinion.
She said, “I don’t want to have to think. It makes my brain hurt!” Unfortunately, this student is not alone. Most people don’t want to exert their mental
power and create something original.
They want, and in some cases, need to be led.
Another point I picked up on is that most people (and
animals) are complacent. Complacency has
become one of the biggest issues in today’s society, especially in the
education field. With the advent of the
Internet, there is a whole new world of opportunities available to educators
and students. However, there is resistance
from both sides, because they are comfortable with the known, Traditional
Model. Not that the Traditional Model is
totally wrong, but there has to be a happy medium between the two. Sometimes people who totally jump off the
cow-path without looking ahead for cliffs are worse off then they were
before. Remember to take time for
planning and proper implementation.
Technology Coordinators have our work cut out for us. Not only must we keep abreast of new
technologies and pedagogies, we must be advocates and cheerleaders for the use
of technology in the classroom. Although
there have been some strides in getting people on board, we still have a long
way to go.
