My own little world.

Today: more discussion on teaching in special education. I mentioned that I have gotten some recent experience in being an aide for the field of special education, and also that I have enjoyed it and see its benefit to me and to the world. But a comment from a friend (see "Glamour.") was an excellent word on the tendency to act like a kind of saviour to the world for befriending and helping those who are friendless and helpless. I should not say anything at this moment simply because I will start sounding like I have answers, etc, which I don't. (And already this post is sounding incoherent.)

I returned again to a school where I was an aide in a Developmental Learning Program. Why the strong desire to return? for that is what I had. I don't know. Maybe because it felt like being with and educating my own kids.

Dostoyevsky's The Idiot addresses the issue of being with children and the importance of treating them with dignity as you would any adult. Children can teach us more, perhaps, than we can teach them. I would say this is true also of developmentally disabled adults (who act like they are seven) and kids (who act even younger still).

The point is, we can learn much from them. I guess I have nothing more to say right now. My desire is that I could start conversation and discussion, but that is probably wishful thinking. In a year and five years I'll look back at this writing and realize how little I knew then -- and how much I've grown since -- and how much I still have yet to learn.