A Good Class

For the most part I've been frustrated with graduate school for the past few years. The first M.A. was inspiring, the second Ed.M. tiring and the final push to the Ed.D. just a bit to disconnected from actual practice for my taste. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part I've been accumulating very good grades and a ton of debt without really being passionately inspired or feeling like a part of a community. It's been like dating was in the late 70's. Heat, friction and absolutely no sense of commitment, and by that I include the faculty and my classmates too. The classes in the field of technology have been the worst. Sitting in the back of a room while professors talk about how important computers are while students play Tetris on their laptop or check out the web on the wireless network just seems like, well, a betrayal of sorts. And many of them seem to have no respect or love of school, not to mention teachers. They want to revolutionize education; they want to "improve" education; they want to be the hero who saves the day. What they don't want to do is understand it or respect it. (Of course that isn't true of HB. He is a real hero and he respects teachers.)

Any Vygotsky or Bruner I read on my own, unassigned. With one class the book was right out of the business section of an airport bookstore. Absolute nonsense. It's been a tough run. I've been frustrated. One of the true belivers told me if I feel this way why don't I just drop out. Needless to say, I will not.

But I finally have a good class. Maybe even a great class. It is on research methods in the Organization and Leadership program. I'm very happy and I think my passion might be coming back...