Fast on the heels of the deafening response to my Reinvention Goals post, I found this gem from The Economist that set my poor excuse for a heart (I know, some of you believe economists have no hearts) beating a little faster. In an article entitled “Painting by Numbers,” the author asserts: IN A recession theContinue reading “Art for Art’s Sake?”
Author Archives: Don Laackman
Disagreeing with Reinvention’s Four Goals
One of the reasons I wanted to work at City Colleges was I believed in the goals of Reinvention.(1) While I take no credit for crafting the goals, I was working with the District during the early days of their creation. I was excited to be working with a system that was so committed toContinue reading “Disagreeing with Reinvention’s Four Goals”
When No One’s Watching
My father took me to McCrory’s, a five-and-dime type store in the Philadelphia area, to buy watercolor paint for a school project when I was in second grade. After shopping for some other items, we checked out, walked out of the store, and then out of the large shopping mall in our long walk backContinue reading “When No One’s Watching”
Faculty Press
Alberto Aguilar received a wonderful write-up in the Chicago Tribune regarding his latest show. Congratulations to Professor Aguilar for the write-up, and thanks to Armen Serrafian and John Metoyer for passing this along. “Alberto Aguilar and Michelle Harris” runs through Nov. 12 at Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center, 1034 N. Milwaukee Ave., rootsandculturecac.org.
Caught in a Mousetrap
I attended the opening night of The Loop Players performance of “The Mousetrap.” It brought back fond memories of hiding under my bedspread with a flashlight reading Agatha Christie novels after my bed time. I urge all members of the HWC community to take advantage of the opportunity to see the talents of staff andContinue reading “Caught in a Mousetrap”
Keeping You in the Loop
Taking a tip from the Harold Lounge, I wandered over to the new Herald website at theheraldhwc.com. There is so much to like about this new site, including the ability to sign up for an RSS feed, the great articles, the format. I could go on and on. I am very impressed. Kudos to EditorContinue reading “Keeping You in the Loop”
A Little Dead Music
At the request of President Munroe, I am spreading the word regarding opportunities to see the Chicago Sinfonietta on November 1, 5 and 7. Student tickets are $10. Personally, I have always loved events celebrating Dia de los Muertos. Flyers for both performances are below. Enjoy.
Word Clouds Cause Death
I used word clouds(1), created through Wordle, to show faculty and staff the results of my one-on-one discussions. Not surprisingly, “students” was the single most-cited word through all of my discussions. I was nonplussed, then, to read this post arguing that the use of word clouds led to the lack of critical thinking about the warContinue reading “Word Clouds Cause Death”
Revised Tenure Deadlines
Hot on the heels of my last post, esteemed Provost Kojo delivers this good news: Please note the revised deadlines for Tenure Projects: December 12 for first year portfolios as already discussed, and December 8 for all others. It is important to note that all tenure projects have to be completed vetted at the collegeContinue reading “Revised Tenure Deadlines”
So You Had a Bad Day
I subscribe to The Marshall Memo, a self-described “weekly round-up of important ideas and research in K-12 education.” In his latest memo, Mr. Marshall found this gem from Roxanna Elden: Your job is not to be a perfect teacher the first year. It is to keep working at it and get better so on someContinue reading “So You Had a Bad Day”
Don's Desk 