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- I was there.
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Welcome, Explorer!
"Let's see what's out there. Engage." (Captain Picard)
picard-outthere.wav | |
File Size: | 166 kb |
File Type: | wav |
Anne McCaffrey has created many worlds. Each time, she explores a new aspect of the human experience at the same time as she explores physical aspects of the new world. Her most famous creations are the planet Pern, its dragons, and their human companions named, dragonriders. The Pern series of novels creates a fantastic but seemingly real world populated with characters that face and conquer both ordinary and extraordinary dilemas. She also has many strong views on society and how it treats indivduals, especially those who challenge stagnated or what she often refers to as “hidebound” thinking. She encourages her characters to seek knowledge and to contribute to society much as a teacher encourages her students.
Teachers have a responsibility to help students explore the world of academia and to grow as individuals. Attending school definitely feels like a different world than being at home on the weekends or during the summer. School has a whole different set of rules and expectations, but also gives students access to specialized knowledge that they are not likely to learn at home. A teacher guides students into new facts (like the captial city of Portugaul), new skills (like long division), and new ways of thinking (like the code of conduct expected from students while at school).
Fictional worlds and characters created by writers surround us everyday. Even history feels like fiction when a good storyteller gets a hold of it. The goal of a writer is parrallel to that of a teacher. Both seek to engage their audience and show them ways of thinking that are beyond their current experience and/or skills. A good writer brings readers into their world, their philosophy, and their knowledge.
I chose the fictional character of Captain Jean Luc Picard of the U. S. S. Enterprise as the ambassador for this introductory page because Patrick Stewart is both a modern actor in Star Trek (among the greatest fictional universes of all time) and a student of Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers ever to walk the earth.
And so, Picard is here to remind teachers and writers, of one of the most effective tactics in the battle for the hearts and minds of students and readers:
Teachers have a responsibility to help students explore the world of academia and to grow as individuals. Attending school definitely feels like a different world than being at home on the weekends or during the summer. School has a whole different set of rules and expectations, but also gives students access to specialized knowledge that they are not likely to learn at home. A teacher guides students into new facts (like the captial city of Portugaul), new skills (like long division), and new ways of thinking (like the code of conduct expected from students while at school).
Fictional worlds and characters created by writers surround us everyday. Even history feels like fiction when a good storyteller gets a hold of it. The goal of a writer is parrallel to that of a teacher. Both seek to engage their audience and show them ways of thinking that are beyond their current experience and/or skills. A good writer brings readers into their world, their philosophy, and their knowledge.
I chose the fictional character of Captain Jean Luc Picard of the U. S. S. Enterprise as the ambassador for this introductory page because Patrick Stewart is both a modern actor in Star Trek (among the greatest fictional universes of all time) and a student of Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers ever to walk the earth.
And so, Picard is here to remind teachers and writers, of one of the most effective tactics in the battle for the hearts and minds of students and readers:
Engage(ment)!!!
"Commander Riker's team is aboard, sir." (bridge personnel)