I think I really will take a break this weekend from blog writing. I have so many things to say and they are weighing very, very heavily on my mind. With much negativity around me, it is beginning to drag me down, and I wish to avoid that at all costs. I dwell on the positive, the good things in life, love, joy, a beautiful future world. I keep an uplifted spirit as much as possible. Unfortunately, ugly realities that other people like to create for us sometimes rear their very evil heads and I am reminded we must know and understand the ugly realities if we are going to change them. Joe knew that very well and he was skilful at painting the pictures we need to see. Even at that, it is best not to dwell on them. Glance at them so to speak, because really, how well does one need to understand evil intentions, anyway? It is not good for the soul. And I like to remember that, even though I may feel alone on my quest at times, there are many people doing good work behind the scenes.  I just have so many, many things yet to say – they can wait, though.  One day and one thing at a time. More blogs can be written. More of the pieces of The Great Bricolage can be assembled and some day more people will finally “get it” and come to realize that Joe had more complete and ingenious solutions than they could have possibly ever imagined.

Yet, I also know there are many people who do “get it.” There are probably many more than not who understand this evolving, multilogical, multipersepectival assemblage of blogs in the tradition of the Joe Kincheloe postformal bricolage (heavily weighted with my own interpretation, of course, which, incidentally never relies on just one interpretation, but multiple interpretations) and so for that, I am grateful and thankful. I will dwell on these good, kind, and loving people who know that my intentions are pure and good, and who are telling me in the background, “You Go, Girl!” I know you are out there, I do hear you, and I thank you.

So I am off this weekend for more treasure hunting, a profoundly joyous experience, as Joe has conveyed in much of his work…the children’s curriculum is coming together quite brilliantly and just as Joe’s postformal and bricolage theories predict, it will most likely invoke passionate and rigorous learning – even for the teacher. In the near future I will write up the curriculum – or at least a better “one piece” description of how I derived it so that the ideas can be applied in other localities – and I will post it on this site for others to use. Just so people know, like Joe did, I believe wholeheartedly in the Open Source Movement (free information). No one can own knowledge, anyway. It actually amazes me how many people believe Capitalism will provide for them. I will have to get into that discussion another time.

In the meantime... a song for Joe. God, I wish he was here. :(

Love,

Vanessa

Lyrics to Eye of the Tiger

It would be ridiculous for me to assert that what I want is what all women want; therefore, I will only be talking about what I want as a woman and if you are a woman and it happens to match up with what you want, that’s great; we are “on the same page.” I think too often women who identify themselves as feminists, something that I adamantly refuse to label myself as, while I admit they have viable complaints about injustices, they too often seem to assume that everyone is on the same page as they are or that everyone wants to dwell on the negative aspects that accompany being a woman and overlook the positive and beautiful things. I am going to avoid that here. I will not claim to be speaking for women other than myself. But at the same time, I do think I can speak for more women than just myself, nevertheless, albeit it will also probably be contrary to what some women believe, and perhaps even irritating to some. The fact is that I have met women and I have also read authors who have dared to express some of the very issues I will be discussing here, but on the other hand, opinions vary and that’s all perfectly ok and good! It’s a free world. Last I heard we are all free to think how we wish. I just wish fewer people were into power and money games because we would have fewer problems in the world and for women if this were true.

I just finished writing a short essay about my “Master Teacher” for my philosophy course. It was an assignment. Describe a master teacher, their knowledge and philosophy that is important to you, and how and why you incorporate their wisdom. I truly did, and still do, consider Joe my Master Teacher. What I concluded was that one of the things I so highly valued and loved about him, and which relates to this current discussion, was his 100% pure egalitarianism. Honestly, I have never met a person who claimed to ascribe to egalitarianism and then see them actually exhibit it in their behavior in how they treated people to the magnitude that Joe did. In other words, he practiced what he preached. And he preached well (I have heard he actually was trained to be a preacher) -- he lived equal rights for women -- and for all people. Joe knew what women wanted.

As I said, I am not even pretending to be speaking for any woman other than myself. I happen to like men to hold doors open for me; I thinks it’s a very polite thing for them to do, and not at all antifeminist. Joe held the door open. With his work, his writing, he opened the door for women to walk through – and that is what I am doing – actually, I am running through that open door.

I am creative. And I look for open doors. There are few. Especially for women, something Joe was acutely aware of. This is just one more reason to appreciate him. His writing and his delineation of research and learning has forever (if I have my way about it) unbound the constraints and has unshackled our feet and hands from the bedposts. Not only that, he has really taught us what mad love is all about by showing us that it is ok to release our anger and instead experience our total love for writing and “performances” --  that great release we all wish for that allows us to let go of all of our past pain, anger, and emotional garbage and, instead, experience complete freedom to love the way a woman should be able to love. It’s all ok and good. I feel that I do owe him my deepest appreciation, love, respect, and adoration. I can walk through the door he has held open without feeling deficient. I would not be writing this blog today had it not been for his freeing me to do so through his own very sensual and sometimes sexual writing. Well, women want to write this way too! We want to engage in "relationship" (Thomas & Kincheloe, 2006, p. 133) and some of us want to dance. Women have long recognized the need for the freedom to be on equal levels with men in the education domain, still be respected, and still be adored for being women – and it truly makes a difference to be handed a license from a man who empathized, who really “gets it.” Few men do.

One woman who relates to all of this is Erica McWilliam (1997) and she expresses it much more eloquently than I am able. I tend to be too blatant or too something, perhaps never escaping from the lower rung of the ladder (but do I care? I am comfortable here, given it’s where I have lived all my life). But it tends to get a few people upset sometimes. Upset is good; we start thinking then. In my online courses I have noticed that it makes people research in order to support their views and consequently they end up reading other views and then their consciousness expands. This is all good.  Erica McWilliam (1997) states, “It is not more timid or paralyzed performances we need [as women] but more adventurous ones. We need adventures that allow us to perform knowing in ways that are pleasurable to ourselves and a larger audience of others (p. 230).” She explains, “I do not wish to seem perversely determined to be misunderstood. At the same time, I reject the view that all complexity can be represented through plain language and that this should be the perennial criterion of the good textual performance (p. 225).” And further, she explains her justification and the need for this approach, stating,

Much feminist research has insisted on a direct relationship between the authority that ought to be accorded to a text and the degree to which it engages with women's lived experiences in the context of oppressive power relations. This has been enacted with justification, through a preoccupation with women’s pain as the most compelling catalyst for feminist research. We are much less practiced in textual performances that interrogate pleasure, including the pleasure of our own research, writing, and teaching. As a result, many opportunities to perform disruptively as "women dancing back" (Gotfrit, 1988) have been missed (pp. 221-222)

Yes, there are women who have already gone through the door. But, it seems we always have to open the door for ourselves. It’s nice when a man holds the door open for us for a change. So just look at this blog as one of those adventurous sorts of performances (and I will discuss performances in greater detail later ) – and just know that you will never know what to expect next from a woman who has walked through a door that a man has opened for her -- a woman who is interested in dancing.

Have a beautiful day!
Love,
Vanessa

References

Thomas, P. L. & Kincheloe, J. L. (2006). Reading, writing and thinking: The postformal basics. Rotterdam: Sense.

McWilliam, E. (1997). Performing between the posts: Authority, posture, and contemporary feminist scholarship.  In Tierney, W. G. & Lincoln, Y. S. (1997). Representation and the text: Re-framing the narrative voice, pp. 219-232. New York: State University of New York Press.

OK, I apologize. I was requested (or it could be interpreted as “ordered” but I would never interpret it that way) by the Higher Council to post my blog each day M-F by 6AM. But with the Higher Council, of course, it is never truly an order because they honor everyone’s ability to operate out of their own free will, and so I have not been as reliable as I probably should have been, which has been brought to my attention. I think I mentioned before that if you know what is really good and you only want the greatest blessings to come your way, you do what the Higher Council asks and you do it without asking questions because you already know it is for the most upstanding, good, and beautiful purposes imaginable. And in my case, I am totally devoted to the Higher Council wishes due to my alignment with their goals, missions, and projects – which they are fully aware of.

Yet, for some reason, it has been exceptionally difficult to ensure that a blog is written and posted by 6AM so now I will need to get an alarm clock! I will take a trip down this very day and get a clock that will religiously get me up each morning no later than 5:30 AM, if the blog is already written, and no later than 5:00 AM if I have yet to write the blog. I know I must make this sincere commitment – for my own benefit (which is of lesser importance in my view) as well as the benefit of the upcoming Project. Of course it is the Project and its future outcomes – Joe’s idea of critical immanence – which is of utmost consideration. Important and significant is that I have total faith in the Higher Council since I have worked with them for quite some time now. Not only that, there are certain members on the Council I love and have loved since the beginning of time, relatives, even. All of this works synergistically – or as Joe would frame it, “symbiotically,” although in this particular case one might not wish to conduct the hermeneutic analysis that could possibly provide greater enlightenment….for one thing, it is just a simple matter of me being “hopelessly devoted” to the cause rather than a matter of some subliminal message that might or might not be revealed by interpretation. And anyway, who has the right interpretation?

Have a great day! Take some time to laugh and have fun today; take time to smell the roses -- And I am hoping beyond hope that I have found myself an alarm clock by tomorrow.

Devoted, 100%

Vanessa

References

Kincheloe, J. L. & Berry, K. S. (2006). Rigour and complexity in educational research: Conceptualizing the bricolage. New York: Open University Press.

Clock tower photo courtesy of Microsoft.

As I mentioned on Monday, May 25, 2009, my assistant, Rainbow Princess and I had traveled to the valley again in search of that elusive treasure. Was I ever taken for a ride! Not purposely, but it merely highlights what issues can evolve if we do not take time to analyze assumptions. We end up passing up the treasure right under our noses! Let me explain.

My good and dear long lost and very ancient friend had sent me a quick note about some special treasure he had hidden. Mind you, there is ample treasure in this valley, but I am not always so fortunate as to locate it in a timely manner and he likes to hide treasure to help motivate me, prepare me for the REAL project coming up on April 3, 2010, and to reward me for my hard work. So this is all good. Anyway, the day before I went on this treasure hunt, he sent me a quick note:

I am going out to the valley to leave some very special surprises for you today, so be sure to turn on the old fort road (I think you know where I mean). At the end of the road, just before you turn right to go up to the fort there will be a surprise right on the edge of the road. Use your metal detector and you will find it immediately. It’s going to be good, very very good. Enjoy your day.

Well, of course I knew exactly what road my friend was talking about! Or so I thought. And so he thought. And thus, neither one of us took time to clarify our understandings. Of course, I naturally assumed that it was the road you have to turn onto in order to head up to the old fort. The place I needed to check was on the corner just before I turned right to the perpendicular road that goes to the fort. I dutifully went to the exact road I knew he was talking about and immediately found the treasure, just like he said I would.

However, it was not “very, very good” as he had led me to believe. I was a little disappointed, to be honest, because once I discovered that the treasure was just a giant old rusty screw and washer, I realized that it was not a real treasure hunt, but rather just training, or initiation, for my future project work – the project that starts with the April 3, 2010 kick off celebration. There were some awfully beautiful lavender flowers along side the road though, as shown in the picture, which in my book do qualify as beautiful treasures and a sweet gesture on the part of my dear friend. And so, I took all of this in stride and went about my day discovering other treasures. As I write this, however, I suspect there may have been a hidden message in that old rusty screw; my friend has quite a creative and imaginative mind. I have this sneaking suspicion that he knew that I would be misled to this site and this was how he might convey a subliminal message about age and well, you know.... (I really think he is up to something here, lol).

Anyway, we went on up to the Fort and found that there really is no fort there at all. It is merely the site of an old fort, so that was another disappointment. There is a nice park there and a walking trail that has posted historical information along the trail, so we decided it would be a great stop on our day trip with our students who are learning all about the valley…maybe we can have them search for historical clues as they walk around the trail and then have a picnic lunch there.

Next, we headed toward the town of the Old Grist Mill and my assistant and I ran across a very nice man, named Doug who gave us more information. According to him, the Grist Mill had been across the highway along the stream, but of course, it was no longer there now. We told him we had learned that the Old Grist Mill had been moved to a park and described how on the way over to the valley today we had stopped by the park and visited the Rose Gardens where it was supposedly left, only to find nothing there, not even remnants of the Old Grist Mill. What was brought to our immediate attention, however, is that the roses are beginning to bloom.

This causes me a little stress, to say the least, because my good dear friend had told me several months back that when the roses are in bloom, I am going to have a major enlightenment. Well, he had said that about the crocuses, too and they bloomed in March and he was right, so I assume he will be right about the roses, too. The only problem was, my enlightenment came in a very, very bad dream – a nightmare, and so I did not like that at all. Most of my dreams are very good. As I stated, previously, most of my dreams are like visiting heaven and are always about great and beautiful things and people, except once in a while I do have a shocking awakening, just like he predicted when the crocuses bloomed. So, I am a little nervous, but I really shouldn’t be because he did say that this time my enlightenment will be about something that is very, very good. We will see…it will be about two weeks or so before the roses are in full bloom. By then I should know what my enlightenment is…and I hope he’s right and it turns out to be something very good and wonderful. At any rate, I now have had my reminder…a few of the roses are just beginning to bloom.

So anyway, Doug, who had the sweetest and friendliest very large dog that wanted to jump up and kiss me on the face, said he had not heard about the Grist Mill being moved to the park, but he had heard it had been moved to a town quite some distance away and had been refurbished and made into a restaurant. The area along the river where it had been originally was now being used as a swimming hole, according to Doug. We decided to check this out. He also kindly sent us to visit Mary at the little quick market down the street for more information and some postcards, so we headed over there.

Mary had some great postcards with old photos of the Grist Mill and some other interesting historical buildings and sites, plus she had a great book a local person had put together that tells all about the history of the valley – so those were great treasures and will no doubt lead us to the treasures we are seeking and be helpful in our curriculum development by providing historical information about the valley. She said that no one is allowed to visit the site of the Old Grist Mill any longer. The building totally collapsed, according to her report, and no one is allowed in the area. I am not certain which story is correct, whether the building totally collapsed or it was moved as Doug has indicated (we are going to have to do some more research), but it does appear that the road heading toward where the Grist Mill was situated is a private road with signs discouraging traffic from entering (e.g. No Trespassing; Private Drive, etc.). We drove down part way, saw no indication of the Grist Mill, and decided we had better turn around. I honestly don’t think we drove far enough, because there is a small falls in the river where the mill had been and we had not yet reached it. Maybe next time, we can ask the property owners for permission just to drive all the way down to the site. Maybe we can try out our metal detector there. That could be exciting! We do have our research cut out for us: Who is right? Does the Grist Mill still exist? Can we swim at the Gristmill site? Is there treasure to be found there?

And so that was the gist of our trip to the valley for treasure hunting on Monday, April 25, 2009. Of course, I had already mentioned in that blog our mountain climbing with Mel, who is 84 years old, which we did just before heading home, and how we really need to get much older before we can climb mountains as well as he does. It must be related to wisdom somehow. If you are older, you have enough wisdom to make your way to the top without too much trouble. I was sure tired, though and it felt good to sit in the car as I drove home.

Imagine my total surprise and shock when I was heading home only to happen upon a road off to the right called Old Fort Road! OMG!!!

I was looking for the treasure my friend had hidden for me in the wrong spot! As I said, we both had made assumptions and neither of us checked with each other as to what those assumptions were – and so here I am, zipping right by it! – I will have to drive back to the REAL Old Fort Road and dig up the treasure he left for me! It is a ways back, so I am not sure when I will get to do it, just that it will definitely be a part of our next treasure hunt!

Oh, one last thing. We are continuing our yard search. As I had mentioned on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, we were on a treasure hunt for a diamond ring, and instead of a diamond, we found this lovely hand engraved silver Celtic style disc. It is difficult to determine the origin, so as I mentioned, when I got the tech issues with my camera figured out, I would post a photo, so here it is! We have yet to finish up the yard search, but as I had also mentioned, to my delight, the diamond ring was actually delivered to my door. So it is a puzzle as to whether I am going to find another diamond in our yard, but since my assistant and I both take our assignments very seriously as we approach the date of the April 3, 2010 celebratory kickoff for The Project, we will continue the search until we have completed the entire yard, which is quite large. We have found a lot of bolts and miscellaneous items, but no diamond ring yet. We will be sure to keep you updated.

I know I mentioned the 60-plus year old disc plow that Mel still uses! Check out the photo. I still need to tell you about the old Studebaker totally hidden from sight in the blackberry brambles and also about the ancient combine sticking out of the top of the brambles at the House of the Forlorn. These are two treasures my assistant and I have discovered on our treasure hunts, and there is just so much more! Treasure hunting is so much fun and one thing leads to another -- and another --- and another, it seems….well more about all of the treasures another time.

We will undoubtedly be going back to the valley soon, and in June I will be taking my three sweet grandchildren to look for treasure, too! They are excited at the thought of looking for the lost treasury notes, panning for gold, and watching the revealing of the antique studebaker! So check back often; I will provide ongoing updates and it is sure to get very exciting before it's all over! And it ain't over until it's over, as they say. Actually, I have been informed that I have at least another dozen trips into the valley -- 12 golden adventures before summer is over!

Before I sign off, however, I simply MUST remind readers where all of this great treasure hunting evolved from. You see, I was NEVER into treasure hunting at all; my education was very dull and boring -- in fact, my life was dull and boring -- until I came across Joe Kincheloe. He taught me what treasure hunting is all about and how much great and beautiful fun it is to engage in what he calls "postformal treasure hunts," because they are so exciting and they so often lead to joyous learning during the process along with the discovery of some amazing and memorable treasures. Joe did not have a great experience in education until he discovered treasure hunting, indeed he states, "My life has been profoundly changed by such joy, although as a student in elementary, secondary, and undergraduate education I did not experience it -- far from it. My intuitive efforts to inject jouissance into schooling and the act of reading and writing -- to say the least -- were not met with great enthusiasm by my teachers in the Tennessee and Virginia of the 1950s and 1960s" (Thomas & Kincheloe, 2006, pp. 1-2). And so we are deeply blessed and ever thankful for Joe's beautiful and explicit writing that tells us how to engage in these lovely learning experiences. There will be much, much more to come!

With Love, Peace, & Solidarity,

Vanessa

PS Treasure Hunting is WILD!!! But you gotta have a lotta faith. I love it!

All photographs courtesy of Vanessa and Rainbow Princess

References

Thomas, P. L. & Kincheloe, J. L. (2006). Reading, Writing, and Thinking: The Postformal Basics. Rotterdam: Sense.

Joe has saved me in so many ways that I cannot really begin to elaborate here on all of them. I will limit my discussion to how he saved me on my paper yesterday which I had been writing for my Educational Theory class. His take on constructivism – “critical constructivism,” as he terms his brilliant conceptualization, came to my rescue at the very end of my paper (Kincheloe, 2005). I had been assigned another paper in which I was to take a position on the continuing battle between instructivism and constructivism, a challenge I have met at least two times before in my education. This time, the battle has moved up a level, but it can in no way match the complexity and brilliance with which Joe’s theory provides better answers and solutions. Today, the argument centers less on which is the best methodology overall, but rather has risen to one that is asking when do we use instructivism? When do we use constructivism? In other words, at least it is now acknowledged that both are useful, so the argument centers around how much more useful one is over the other and so it seems much like the same old argument in many respects….yikes, we have not made a lot of progress here!

So, I diligently and faithfully attempted to take my position within the constraints placed on me with this assignment and I argued that the way constructivism is typically practiced is not all that much different from instructivism in some respects. On the other hand, it places more cognitive load on learners during the learning process for various reasons, which I won’t get into detail about here since I explain it in the paper, and that perhaps the current status of expectations in education today lends credence to the notion that a greater focus on instructivism is warranted. It would certainly reduce cognitive load, which interferes with long-term learning, by not forcing students into the position of having to expend that energy on solving some fabricated problem or trying to figure out what it is exactly that the teacher wants them to learn. For those who are interested, I have posted my paper, Consciousness Construction:  Escaping the Circular Arguments About Instructivism vs. Constructivism, on the philosophy and theory page of this web site. Anyway, I was merrily rolling along on my paper and suddenly came to an abrupt stop. I was done. Finis. But unfortunately, the paper was not, and I would not be able to turn it in to the professor “as is.” I simply could not leave the reader with the idea that I believed what I had written was the best answer. That was just too far from the truth, even though I had taken a position and defended it as I was asked to do.

First of all, I had taken the position that instructivism is the most effective, which I really do not agree with, but it met the requirement as the assignment called for. I was tired of the position that both constructivism and instructivism are needed, which is obvious and does not really flesh out the benefits and deficits of each all that well. But now I was stuck with the need to recover from this extreme position in some way, but I was not sure how I might successfully make that recovery.

And what happens, next? Joe recued me! I opened up another delicious book he had written, Critical Constructivism (Kincheloe, 2005), landing on page 55. There was my direction, straight from the source! Joe points out the malleability of human consciousness, and so if this is true, which I believe it is, we should be taking much more responsibility for constructing our own consciousness and teaching our students to do so as well, instead of allowing it to be constructed by those outside us who probably do not have our best interests in mind. Joe discusses Varela's enactivism theory and how the type of wisdom we can develop will deal with complexity through multiple levels of awareness -- a "meta-awareness" that is conducive to a more improvisational form of learning (p. 55). This is appropriate and ideal for a highly complex and diverse educational system. In fact, if we are to reach the point at which human potential can be fully realized, it is imperative that we gain a better understanding of and make better use of this form of learning.

This form of learning that acknowledges ambiguity and complexity allows us to escape the "crazy-making" scenario that still remains fixated on scientific objectivist views that continue to tell us our world is much less complex than we know to be true. Critical constructivism requires us to look closely at the political and social factors that we typically view as "common sense" and, in this way, "a critical constructivist educational purpose becomes an act of resistance, a counter-hegemonic struggle" (Kincheloe, 1005, p. 62). As I concluded in the paper, "Until we acknowledge the complexity of the world around us, the nature by which human consciousness can be formed, the political and social forces that shape our consciousness, the ability for learners to take active control of the formation of their own consciousness, and the realization that none of this is possible within the tightly bounded arguments such as one which merely poses when to use instructivism and when to use constructivism, education is confined to being one that limits consciousness construction, knowledge production, and human potential" (Paradis, 2009, p. 8).

So this allowed me to finish my paper in a manner that met with my satisfaction. It aligns with my beliefs. It represents what I experience. It synthesizes complexity. And it is so Joe. He saved me. Again.

Love,
Vanessa

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2005). Critical constructivism. Peter Lang Primer. New York: Peter Lang.

Paradis, V. J. (2009). Consciousness Construction: Escaping the circular arguments about instructivism vs. constsructivism. Unpublished paper. Capella University. Posted on www.joekincheloe,us/Educational Philosophy, Theory, and Praxis

Today, of course, is a very special day to remember all of our loved ones. I will be taking time off to do just that, once I get all of my work done. I still have two papers to write and submit for my doctoral courses! I really became sidetracked yesterday -- but I had so much fun! My assistant and I went off on another treasure hunt in the valley and we picked up more treasures and beautiful friends -- plus we hiked up a very tall mountain with our good, elderly, but very physically fit friend, Mel. Wow. My legs hurt today! He would be laughing at me if I were to tell him. When I was having difficulty hiking up the mountain with him, he told me that I needed to get older (he's 82 or 84, depending on who you ask), lol! Yes, if getting older means getting better at climbing mountains, I am all for that. So, the treasure hunt really sidetracked me from my academic work, given that it is an 80-mile circular journey with so many interesting places to stop and people to see. I will play catch-up today.

On top of it, I am having technical issues with uploading photos which I hope to resolve soon -- seems the cable I finally received in the mail is not working right. I will relay much more about yesterday's treasure hunt, which was actually very exciting and humorous at times, especially when I realized that what I assumed I knew and what my long lost friend assumed I knew were two different things! Very funny. He likes to be humorous at times, which does make life a greater and more enjoyable adventure, but complicates locating the treasure he hides. I will explain all of this later.

For now, on this Memorial Day, I was having an interesting discussion with someone in one of my classes in which she surmised I have made sacrifices for my students, for education. She pointed out  that in order for change to occur, we all need to be working toward that change. But then I came to realize that oftentimes we tend to want to sit back and wait for other people to make changes. There is this assumption that many of us ascribe to that contends -- if only one or two people put out the effort, dedication, and sacrifice, it is not going to have any real impact -- EVERYONE needs to make an effort. Well, I would argue the opposite. Someone has to start.

As I look back over my life, I have made a number of choices that I have been condemned for that have resulted in my being basically quarantined from the so-called "in groups" and my own family -- even though the choices I made were completely unselfish decisions to help someone in need while expecting absolutely nothing in return. And that was what I received at the time I did these things: Nothing. In fact, worse than nothing, because I was often also drug down to the depths below poverty out of my wishes to help someone who was worse off than I was.

Things do change though. I have the Good Higher Council in my court now. They have evaluated all of my past actions helping others. They have decided it is now time for me to reap the rewards from all of this aid I have given to others. And so there are surprises, treasures, and good friends abundantly coming my way every single day, which makes my life near blissful -- especially as I am able to transfer all of these rewards to have an even greater impact toward change. This is so new to me, that I feel like I am on "cloud nine" each and every day! And so I ask, how can what I have done and what I have been through or what I continue to do even be considered a sacrifice in light of the beautiful, beautiful blessings and love that are abundant in my life today?

I always think of Elton John's lovely song: "It's no sacrifice..." and it has been no sacrifice at all. I think we do need to reconsider whether  or not we ALL need to be committed to doing things to make the world a better place before we begin as individuals to work on those changes...it is true that it would be the ideal if we were truly all in this together, but there is no need to wait for that to happen. If we were to wait for that to happen, we would rarely see monumental changes in the world, which is probably why we are not seeing many monumental changes at this particular moment in history. I would contend that even one or a few people can make a huge impact. They become leaders.

Joe was one of those rare leaders. It is easy to say we cannot possibly be like him and that we need everyone doing the same thing if it is going to work, but on the other hand, what are we giving up if we don't make the effort? Sooner or later, the rest will get on board; they will eventually see the light. Joe did not wait for everyone to get on board. We cannot wait for this either. I am not going to wait.

With Love,

Vanessa

Have a beautiful day. And here is Elton John's beautiful song.

P.S. Check back throughout the week for the continuing Valley Treasure Hunt Saga!

I was not expecting to write here EVERY day. I was only requested by the Higher Council (lol) to write here M-F by 6AM. You don’t refuse the Higher Council. First, the blessings for following their instructions are always beyond one’s wildest imagination, so it would be just so foolish to ignore their requests. I think what’s going on here is that I have a really difficult time getting my writing finished by 6AM. I can get up early, but it’s hard to finish by 6AM. And so I want to stay on the Council’s good side by doing extra, extra, extra – especially considering the recent major changes that have gone on with the structure and membership of the Council. I think all of the new members will be appreciative of my conscientiousness; they always are and they have always rewarded me accordingly which almost amounts to excessively in some cases (an inside joke, lol). I realize I am being sketchy here, but I am not at liberty to divulge classified information at this time. It will come out later in a book – and don’t worry; since this is a free educational site that has been developed in Joe Kincheloe’s honor, the book will not only be totally free, it will also be totally tied into the pure 100% goodness Joe would wish all educational endeavors would seek to achieve. At any rate, I have been told that this entire project was developed for me, “with the Council’s blessings” because I need a place to express myself, especially in relation to my passion and devotion toward Joe’s work and Joe’s work needs the magnitude of dedication and devotion I am willing to put out. The decision was made, as I was informed, to provide “the opportunity to write to your heart’s desire with absolutely no fettering or censorship.” Being able to write in this manner, I was further informed, aids “greatly in getting your creativity flowing….[and] when we write about what we think we know, it offers us the opportunity to learn at a much deeper level.” And so it all sounds great to me!

I am so happy. My long lost friend, who prefers to remain anonymous at this time, got in contact with me again….well, ok, I admit it; I called him. I just wanted to thank him for being such a great friend and for forgiving me. I had made some mistakes in our relationship, which is why he disappeared for awhile. I was very sad about that, but exuberant about his return. He is going far out of his way to make my life happy now. He is the one who is hiding the treasure in the valley, I think -- at least some of it that was not already there. Anyway, this time he told me there is something more I need to look for when I go to the valley, which I have not done yet this weekend because I have been stuck doing schoolwork for the two courses I am enrolled in this quarter. As of yet, I do not know for certain when I can take that trek over there, but he is prodding me to do it soon. He did mention that Mel, the elderly man at The House of the Forlorn who I have been taking food over to, is probably feeling lonely and is expecting me and my assistant to come visit him. In spite of what his nephew said about him not needing help and being proud of his home and property, these things are hanging over him and causing him a great deal of stress, which is not good for his health, given that he is 84 years old. He is very worried about how he is going to clean up his property, and he has even become concerned about cleaning and organizing inside his house. Little does he know that he has so many treasures on his property that it will be a relatively simple task to take care of all of these issues and for him to live quite comfortably for the rest of his life. But this is all something he has to come to realize on his own as we uncover his treasures.

So, my long lost friend said to be sure and look for the Lost Treasury Notes, follow through on locating the stream on Mel’s property (where there is supposed to be gold!) AND to go by the Old Fort Road and look for something along side of the road. I think he put something there for me, so I guess I am going to have to check it out. I think he’s just doing this stuff because now he feels bad about leaving me and he’s trying to make up for it. But I told him I forgive him and I am so happy that he has forgiven me for my mistakes…he really does not need to do this. It’s fun, though. Plus it is helping me tremendously in planning out the trek for the kids who will be enrolling in the summer activity I am working on for them – Treasure Hunting in the Valley. I am supposed to also keep in mind that this is all preparatory work and training in advance of The Project, which is also classified, and which I know very little about, anyway. All I know about is the “kick off” on April 3, 2010.

Education is serious business, but sometimes we do need to lighten up a bit and make it fun – with Joe’s postformal theory we can do this!!! It is exciting and as Joe describes his take on this type of education, “it is more exciting than any theme park ride.” He has also stated, “To me, one of the most exciting dimensions of being a critical theorist and engaging in a critical pedagogy entails opening ourselves up to a passionate imagination, where we constantly remake ourselves in light of new insights and understandings” (Kincheloe, 2008, p. 209, p. 250). I just love that kind of freedom!!!

Have a joyous day.

Vanessa

P.S. For more information about The Lost Treasury Notes, The House of the Forlorn, the elderly man, the Mystery of the Old Grist Mill, and more about postformalism, please read my previous blogs – and stay tuned for my future blogs.

Lyrics to Treasure :

Consider the flowers of the field in their beauty
More lovely than even the clothes of a king
Consider the birds of the air
Flying high, flying free
You are precious to me

Where your treasure is
There is your heart
Where your treasure is
There is your heart
There is your heart

If a son asks his father on earth for fish or for bread
Who among you would give him a snake or a stone?
How much more does the Father above
Have a heart full of love
For the children that He calls His own?

Where your treasure is
There is your heart
Where your treasure is
There is your heart
There is your heart
[ Treasure Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ] 

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and critical pedagogy: An Introduction. Amsterdam: Springer.

Treasure Chest Image courtesy of Microsoft