Howdy LATAWers. Homework for this weekend is to read the little
excerpt from "Into the Wild" and respond to this blog entry. What I
would like you to reflect upon is our class on Thursday. I told Mr.
Lichtman that I would pass some students reflections along to him. As a
reminder, here are some topics that came up in the
discussion/presentation that day:
1. The feelings that come along with being on the road (from Grateful Dead song at beginning).
2. The manner in which being on the road can free up your mind.
3. The possibility that you think in a different manner when you are moving -- walking, riding, driving.
4. The question I asked, "Does the need to write about your experiences cheapen or enrich them?"
5.
Educational innovation -- came up more in first period than seventh.
What skills should we REALLY be teaching in high school to prepare
students for the future.
Any other topics that came up that interested you.
I may weigh in a little later in the weekend.
Have fun watching those superb owls on Sunday.
mrh
I think being on the road is about isolating yourself from your worries and troubles, living in the moment and not thinking about what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow, and with respect to that, I agree with Mr. Lichtman. I believe that one of the best ways to enjoy life is to live in the moment because if we're not living in the moment, we're constantly worried; I consider happiness to be the journey, not the destination or a "trip," with a beginning and an end. On the road, nothing is around you, nothing follows you, and nothing necessarily awaits you.
ReplyDeleteNot being on the road, you're intertwined with society along with it's issues and expectations. But being far away in, for example, a roaded desert, you're by yourself and perhaps with a couple trusty companions, left to think freely and act how you truly feel. Your mind is free to wander in whatever territory with no societal influences, judgements, or expectations. You're left with yourself and endless possibilities that are enclosed in one's mind.
As Mr. Harrington said in class, it's funny how as humans, we want to relive our past often because within it lies happiness and good times, however in trying to relive our past, we move forward. Moving relates to the whole Western theme of escaping; escaping our realities, responsibilities, and worries and entering a heavenly worry-free atmosphere, where one can be oneself and act like it.
I think the need to write about our experiences enriches them. Many know Amy Irving, who is often on the road and traveling the world. And she logs every single day of every single trip, without fail. When I went to Turkey with her she would stay up all night to write about her day, and I thought it was kind of funny and I asked why. She explained that memories die, moments die, thoughts die, and small experiences can die, however, writing about your experiences keeps them alive. So I realized, you may figure out and piece together something about yourself you didn't know before while writing about experiences. And when your old and wrinkly and back in the real world once you're no longer on the road, you can read back and feel the warm breeze of the desert and think the same unskewed thoughts that were once in your mind, on the road.
The one thing I found myself not really agreeing with was Mr. Lichtman's view on education. Like Hank said, sure a kid can build a lego robot at the age of 7, but we all did that. Mr. Lichtman wants kids to take initiative on their education, finding out what they like at a young age. But what I think he's missing is that A LOT of kids are extremely unmotivated, especially at a young age. When I was little, I wanted to draw flowers and color Little Mermaid coloring books, not learn math or how to read. (Heck I still do). If I wasn't motivated and obligated to do my homework and fulfill my responsibilities, I probably wouldn't know anything or let alone have a full ride to a university. So I think education and success is largely based on motivation from others because at such a young age one doesn't really know what "responsibilities" or "priorities" even are.
That's all I have to say about that. Also fun side note: I listened to Going Down The Road Feeling Bad this entire time. woot!
First, I agree with Mr. Lichtman that the approach to education is changing. We have unlimited access to facts and information, so education now has to be more focused on analytical, critical, and creative thinking. I think that motivation and drive should be taught in school, but not with the current system that motivates students to cram facts, dump them on a test, get an A, and forget everything. This broken system has taught us how to remember facts for a short time but does not actually teach us useful life skills. Someone in class remarked that a course on how to manage bank accounts and other practical skills would be an useful elective. Just a suggestion, but maybe have this be the required class instead of speech.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with Arianna that writing about your experiences allows you to relive your trips later. Like Amy, I usually keep a journal when traveling abroad. Although the memorable or funny moments come to mind when I think of these trips, I forget about the tiny but still important moments. I recently reread the journal I kept when visiting Paris and it jogged my memory and reminded me of forgotten events.
Lastly, I do not think that being on the road is particularly relaxing or cathartic. Granted, I have never driven across the US for months at a time, but to me driving is stressful. Coming home from our ski trip over winter break, my car kept blinking the "emergency, see dealer now light" and then at one point the dashboard lights just turned off. Although nothing major was wrong with the car it was nerve wracking to be driving at 11 at night, miles away from civilization, with a car that might break down any second. Instead of cars, I find trains very peaceful. Riding the Amtrak from San Diego to Oceanside or from Boston to Philadelphia or the shorter commuter trains that radiate from Boston and Philadelphia, I relax and stare at the houses, trees, and towns flash by. I do not have to worry about traffic or when to stop for gas next, but can settle down, people watch, and read. I especially love the sound of the conductor's hole puncher when he takes the tickets. This is where I can zone out and watch life passing by just as I watch the green blurs of the trees go by.
I agree with what Arianna is saying about how writing about experiences can enrich them. Last year when I went on my trip to Vietnam our chaperones kept encouraging us to write journal entires. Of course, I didn't write a single one. I really regret this because I think if I had written about each day I could remember them a lot more vividly. When you write about an experience you will pull lots of things onto a page that you otherwise might forget. I wish I could remember what I was thinking during certain parts of the trip or names and descriptions of certain villages or monuments we visited.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was intrigued by the discussion about the changing of education because I think this could completely rejuvenate the school experience. I agree a lot of the times we are memorizing facts that in retrospect will not benefit us at all and are a waste of our time. Instead, we should be learning life skills that will truly help us in the future. We should be learning about whatever interests us and developing expertise in that area to have an advantage in college for our major. I agree that there needs to by some "general education" in middle school but by them time we are in high school we know what subjects we are willing to work for and delve deeper into and the subjects that we are just trying to get by and have very little interest in.
A little about the feeling of being on the road....The mentality we have when moving forward clears our thoughts and allows us to envision the broader perspective in which the important things shine more brightly than the messy details we have to deal with when not on the road. We are also more open to new things and adventure, which is very healthy to have this time to refresh our ideas about the world.
I don't get the same joy and fun experience of writing things down like many others seem to have said on this blog. I am more about experiencing the trip and having the most fun on it, not spending every night writing. The couple times I have written things down on trips I have lost the papers or not felt anything when I went back to look at it. I remember the most memorable things from trips and enjoy looking at pictures and videos instead of writing.
ReplyDeleteThe question I have thought while going through this section is, "why would somebody want to take a road trip?" I don't understand the whole appeal of it. It does not sound fun to just drive. I mean sure scenery is cool and all, but why is that worth all the driving? I am one who gets a little motion sickness when driving and the 15 mile trip I take to school each morning is already more than enough driving for me. I love trips and vacations, but don't see any appeal in driving.
I have taken two big road trips. I went from Florida to California and the Road to Hana in Hawaii. Both trips were gruesomely long and annoying. The highlights of the trip didn't really out way all of the hours of driving. I don't understand the romantic aspect of a road trip.
While I do feel the same freedom and rush of excitement when I go on road trips, it is hard for me to adjust in someways. When you are on such an open, large, and seamlessly unending amount of land , you are presented with a lot of control. This control in many ways daunts me, and makes me immediately indecisive. All I want to do to drive without meaning, without destination. At first that lack of direction really gives me worry, but it takes moments, if not minutes to realize that it's in many ways a wonderful sensation.
ReplyDeleteAbout five minutes ago, my sister barged into my room and forced me to listen to a Jim Croce song (I got a name) and an Al Stewart song (Year of the Cat). I will argue that the Stewart song is not nearly as much of a road trip song as the Croce song, they both had a very similar effect on me. Okay, from now, my blog entry is about to take a very abrupt turn. Sorry Harrington/anybody who decides to read this.
Lichtman's topic of music and its impact on our mood felt very random at first, but when I listened to those Croce and Stewart songs I almost instantaneously understood the purpose of him broaching that topic. There were many excerpts in Cannery Row when Steinbeck didn't honor Doc's or another character's feelings with his inadequate verbage, but with a musical reference. A flute, or a melodramatic opera was what he ascribed to some of Doc's feelings. Doc's feelings were not addressed until he brought up those pieces. Music fills in many of the gaps that poetry and literature cannot, and Lichtman had realized that concept on this road trip, a time when he was alone, and only had his thoughts.
In terms of what I think and feel as I am moving, I definitely resonate with Thoreau on this subject. When I am walking, my body feels in the mood to create a goal, to arrive at a certain destination physically, and my mind often mirrors that. When I am walking, every thought feels as if it were escaping my mind with relative ease, not from minutes spent pondering and scribbling on a piece of paper. It is then that I feel the need to write, not just because I am moving but also because I am thinking without restriction. And yes, I think we all seldom encounter those moments and are worthy for committing to paper. I don't think that they are real nuggets of wisdom, but they are worth remembering and returning too on a day when a similar trip is taken through walking, a road trip, or even just driving to school each morning.
Because I don't want the focus of my blog entry to be on education, I will only make the comment on one part of Mr. Lichtman's lecture. I truly do agree that education is diminishing in quality because of what independent schools think are "the correct standard". However, there is always the possibility that when a school, program, or even just one teacher deviates too far from the norm that it does more harm than good. For that reason, I think that certain standardized tests, such as APs are somewhat outdated. They are developed and changed over years because the College Board thinks they know what is accepted at undergraduate programs, without recognizing that each college and university is very different from one another. Teachers are capable of teaching a course beyond the AP, and preparing students adequately for higher education. And Matt is exactly right, critical thinking is not only apparent in a math course. Critical thinking is a skill that is used in every step of the high school experience, and the fact that educators can't see that is somewhat belittling the quality of other academic subjects. I'm sorry (to 1 or 2 people that read this), I didn't mean for this section to be this long.
I never really write when I am on trips. Really the only time I have recorded my actions on a vacation/trip was during last years interim. I don't really know if that experience really counts either because all I wrote down were the jokes we said that day or goofy haikus we wrote as jokes. I find the open road a place for relaxation, a place where it is acceptable to let your mind go numb. And even with the serenity that the open road provides, I can only stand so much. I am very destination driven. However, that does not suggest that I miss opportunities to have fun along the way. I believe the best part of road trips to be the little excursions that can be presented even in a regular gas station. Everything seems so different when your away from home, and for that reason it is just a little bit more fun. I try to never miss an opportunity to get out of the car, because that is where the fun really happens. Like I said, I am very destination driven and those little stops along the way, those are temporary destinations, and the most rewarding parts of road trips.
ReplyDeleteI thought the idea of the lecture was excellent, and, from what I heard about the discussion that took place in the 7th period class, the second discussion fulfilled that potential. Going into the discussion, I wanted to hear about the road trip aspects of his experience rather than the educational aspects. I am definitely one of those people who is drawn to travel and escape, so I was very interested to hear what he had to say. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the actual presentation.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't care about the problems with modern American education. I like how high school is set up and I don't believe that anything is going to change. There were so many interesting ways to take that discussion, but we were successful in taking it one of the few boring ways. He talked about how he thought questions and discussion are very effective ways of teaching, which they are, but only one or two questions were asked. I wanted to ask questions about vanishing American regionalism, the disappearance of the natural world, or the romanticized aspects of road tripping, questions that would have engaged much of the class; but instead, the two teachers and two members of the class talked about flaws in education. (This can probably be attributed to the two people who wanted to talk about education are two of the more prevalent voices in class.)
I also did not agree with his views on education. It is not reasonable to think that kids can be responsible for their own education. If I had been responsible for my own education from a young age I would be working at McDonalds. When I was younger, my ADHD was a much bigger factor in my ability to do anything related to school, so if left to my own devices I would have never made it through 1st and 2nd grade. So what if some second grader can build a lego, I did that when I was a kid and it has made no difference in my education. I went to a very progressive school from kindergarten to 6th grade, it was a far different educational experience than most other schools, but, although I got a lot out of my experience there, I believe I was worse off in some areas coming into Parker than kids who had attended the lower school. Ultimately I believe that education is fine the way it is our thursday lecture is proof that other ways, although the idea may seem good, do not necessarily work.
Creativity is not something that can be taught. As I stated on Friday, high school is a necessary evil in society and as nice as most of these experimental teaching methods sound on paper, they are not practical in practice. Into the Wild is about a man who was so obsessed with living a life in the wilderness that he gave up everything that he had to do with society. The letters he wrote were untainted with intent because they were meant to be communication with his family. Their appeal to the reader rests in the ability to live vicariously through him in the wild.
ReplyDeleteI think that writing about one’s experiences certainly cheapens them. When one is not content to use his own experiences for the purpose of self-introspection and tries to spread his philosophy to others, he loses his right to a private world. He no longer has an archive of thoughts that he can delve into to find answers for himself.
I agree that one thinks differently when he is on the road, but only when he is on the road by himself. I can say from experience that taking a long drive by myself is one of the few ways that I can clear my mind. It does not necessarily need to be a long road trip but even just driving on hwy67 or the pch or wildcat canyon is enough for one to escape for a few hours. The experience also has a lot to do with the type of car one is driving, if the windows are down, and the type of music that is playing. I think the reason for the feeling of escape one feels while on the road is largely due to the fact that one is not held back by anything and he does not have to share his space with anyone else. One can be the master of his own automobile and run away from his responsibilities for a while.
When one feels the need to write about an experience, it does not change the experience for the writer, but the writing definitely does not convey to the reader what the writer truly experienced, and leaves a cheap copy for the reader to try to recreate in their head. The writer can never truly convey in their writings the true experience, and this cheapens the writing for the reader. New methods of education, where the student has more responsibility, are very dependent on good, dedicated students. I believe that this is not a reasonable request, since many students are not dedicated enough for this practice to work. While changing the way the education system is run, you would benefit the students who would already be doing their own work and thinking in a more practical way, and the rest would be left behind, making it a failure. If the education system does not benefit al the students involved, it does not work and is not practical.
ReplyDeleteI think there are two aspects about writing on trips. Writing during and writing after the fact. I feel as though writing during the trip will diminish your experience because it causes your mind to draw away from what's going on around you and focus on the exact situation at hand. It causes you to stand still and you may miss out some amazing things. I believe writing after the fact is okay because it not only allows you to bring your memories of the trip back to life in your own words, it provides an outlook on the travel to other people.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the sun peak over different peaks, the sun setting over lands different from the one in your backyard, seeing different cultures and different people, its all apart of the road. Being able to flee whenever, searching through lines of motels, making jokes over a poor restaurant choice. Sure it may be over romanticized, sure flying may be easier, planning out your trip may be less stress, but just getting in the car and going, not knowing how long you will have to wait to pee until you come upon the next rest-stop, its is thrilling. Like Hank said, it is the little things that make road trips. Making a stop at that old country diner, that actually is very historical and still has the old juke boxes at the table tops still in working order. Stopping at the sketchy rest-stop that is actually next to a beautiful waterfall, you would have never known that if you didn't stop. Stopping at another rest stop that actually has a beautiful hike to the top of a small peak. Taking road trips, making little stops, it makes you appreciate life. Even though the lull of the tires rolling on the pavement can put a body to sleep, and miles of dessert can get boring, if you just look around and spot the birds soaring circles around the sky, you notice the old shacks left abandoned, or you see the cliffs, different colors that you thought you would only see in paintings you will see the beauty in life. Being surrounded by city all the time can kill appreciation for life. Taking a plane may expose you to different people, but like Mr. Harrington (or Ciaran) said in class, you miss all of the small towns, randoms diners, ice cream shops, and sketchy rest-stops along the way. You miss the gradual change of culture as you get further away from your home. I see road trips as a time to take in your surrounds and actually look at them, not observe them as a blur like you would on the way to work, but as separate pieces of art in an art gallery, pieced together to form nature. I also see taking road trips as a great time for bonding, my dad and I take so many road trips and it made us get so close, the same with my siblings, whenever we are going out of town together and just driving away we joke, we laugh. I do admit, sometimes road trips go sour, like my brother getting me a gallon of milk rather than a small bottle and both of us taking turns drinking it until we got sick... or when my father and I went out in 3 degree weather and our car unlock button wouldn't work and our hotel key got demagnetized. Did I mention that our room was an outside room with a door that didn't work properly, to make things even better my dad picked a gluten free restaurant without meat, or carbohydrates or the ingredient in pasta that makes it so good... BUT despite the problems we ran into, rather then be sour about it, we made jokes, the problems we ran into became a story. Road trips and their ups and downs make stories that can be told for generations to come. I am not sure how to describe it exactly, but being on the road, experiencing new things, its just so AMAZING. By the way, the very next day after our gluten free incident, my dad and I ate meat for breakfast, steak for lunch and BBQ for dinner... haha we were meat deprived.. haha
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't all fit in one... so part TWO!
ReplyDeleteI also don't think that road trips can be secluded to only going in a car. I take mini-roads trips almost everyday after school, I get home, I change and go for a run and just take off. (Telling my parents mind you and in safe places with my cell phone and in a certain radius by my house) BUT I take a different route everyday, to experience that something new, that something different, see different birds, see different sunsets, see different parents walking their kids. GAH, just looking around and seeing water ripple across a pond as sun shines through the arms of willow trees, it all just gets to me and excites me. That concludes my rant about how I feel about taking road trips.
By the way I didn't mean to offend anyone that eat gluten free pasta, or doesn't eat me... I am just not used to eating that, but I am sure if I had it another time when I wasn't expecting homemade italian, I will love it.
Regarding the writing about your experience, I sometimes feel as though it cheapens the experience if you are going on about your life problems, but whatever works for you. For me, talking about the day, just never works… Instead I like to write about my experience, what I saw, what I felt, smelled, that is what I do when writing on the road. Nothing dull like, we ate here, stopped there, no I like to get descriptive.