“I tend to learn more from people who think I’m wrong than
from people who think I’m right.” - Dan Gillmor
I thought about that today as I reflected on my experiences here. I think it's true. On Saturday at the Grand Canyon several of us were looking through T-shirts in the gift shop trying to find one to bring back to Dayna. I picked a tan one with rock art characters on it, Becca picked a purple one with pink lettering, each of us sure that the other was wrong. It wasn't a big deal, just a T-shirt, right? But the disagreement forced me to think about why I made that choice, why I didn't think the purple would do. I had to go beyond my gut reaction. We ended up compromising on a navy blue shirt.
In our peer review circles, we disagreed again on how to edit each other's stories. Nobody punched anybody else; nobody raised her voice. Phrases like, "You're not supposed to..." and "Well, Steve, said..." floated around, but nobody got hurt. We debated and listened to each other. Ultimately, the writer had to make her own decision because often in writing there is no absolute right or wrong, just preference. The process, however, forced each of us to think about our choices. We had to figure our for ourselves why we would make the choice we advocated.
We may not agree with our students' choices in writing either. We may want them to change something, and they may say no. That's not a bad thing if it forces them to think about why they chose as they did.
Life would be easier if we all agreed, but I think we would just end up blissfully stupid.
Terry Sheffield
Roy High
Roy, Utah
It is difficult to coexist in challenging environments.I have learned how much flexibility helps in breaking down barriers. After all, what we experience are growing pains. It is comfortable for us to remain in our comfortable patterns of doing things. It is harder to look at life from the lenses of another person. I have grown a lot through this activity. It was a hard lesson to learn but one that is worthwhile.
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