A Place to Read

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• Couldn't agree more with your comments, Dennis, regarding reading. I like that you're reading poetry in class also. By the way, good article mentioned via Kairos News today all about Wikipedia. Reminds me of the indirect reference to "chaos theory" that I made in my last blog comment to you. In the article on Wikipedia, they say: "Wikipedia represents one of the closest expressions ever seen of genuine anarchy -- a "self-regulating cooperative of free thinkers acting voluntarily for a greater common good." Their motto is "out of mediocrity, excellence."

• When I first went to college, I took my Commodore 64 (a computer that used a TV for the monitor). It wasn't portable at all, and many of my dormmates felt that I was unreasonable asking for quiet in the dorms -- "Can't you go to the library to study?"

  I do think, Will, that discipline is part of the problem. Only a few days after I got to U.Va., I had auditioned for and landed a small part in a play. That meant I had reherasals for 3 hours, 5 days a week, and around midterm time we were putting on the show. So I was pretty efficient in terms of how I spent my day, and once the show ended and the November crunch began, I had more time than I knew what to do with. Plus, my friends from the show mostly lived in other dorms, so I had to make an effort to go for a walk and see them. That probably helped my study time.

  Mike, I certainly ask students to read poetry aloud during lit classes -- particularly on the first meeting of a 2-1/2 hour once-a-week class. And occasionally I give students in-class time to blog, for much the same reason -- I think it's a valuable activity. In-class peer reviews are another communal time when reading is important.

• One thing I wondered as I read this article is whether or not Ceasar would be prepared to make time for reading IN THE CLASSROOM itself. I know it's hard to sacrifice time when there's many activities and conversations to be performed, but then again, sometimes the classroom can BE that space of shared quietude that -- much like collectively silent prayer in some churches -- can be deeply meaningful.

• Hmm...you know, I was thinking about this and maybe there's more to it than my own initial reaction which was along the lines of the "self-discipline" response. I do think that having an easy, comfortable, convenient place where you feel like reading or studying certainly makes it easier to do so. And not being constantly surrounded by hyper-energetic people who want to have "fun fun fun!" constantly would sure help that study thing - I'm definitely not saying people don't want to have fun, but certain people can be very...disruptive about it. They're the kind of people that also tend to disrupt other fun that you're having if they're not interested in it - they're not trying to be rude, they're just looking for something they can get into.

  It's just harder to want to do something when it feels like it's a huge effort to even get started.

• cis, I remember times in college when the walls of my neighbor's dorm room were pounding so hard it made stuff on the shelves rattle. Earplugs wouldn't have helped.

  I'm more inclined to agree with post #2, and I think Ceasar was kind of hinting the same thing when he inserted the "she claimed" bit.

• I think the much more likely explanation is that she flunked out because she lacked the self-discipline to spend the time reading and was sucked in by the "fun" parts of college. To claim that there are no quiet places on campus, ever, is ridiculous. While libraries are no longer the silent tombs they once were, you can ALWAYS find quiet areas of the building, especially in the stacks.

• There's a strategy for response. It's called "ear-plugs" (I like the crushable foam type used by shooters).