#Pandemic Teaching

[bravenew-what]

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#amelia speaks #teachers #educhums #special education #kindergarten #first grade #second grade #pandemic teaching #feel free to share #donations not required #but forever appreciated #heavy metal #Metalhead #metalhead girl #teacherspayteachers #Amazon #buy me a coffee

[for-the-win13]

CRITICAL REALISM AND PANDEMIC TEACHING

Tentative Research Question: How did teachers creatively strategize to deliver Mathematics learning during the pandemic?

Critical Realism as a meta-theory is pertinent to generate meaningful and impartial interpretations and conclusions. It posits that the world is intransitive, stratified, works as an open system, and is emergent. It demonstrates a harmonious balance between Ontological Realism and Epistemic Relativism. A researcher who subscribes to this theory values sound methodologies and comprehensive analysis before making interpretations. Critical realist researchers understand the plurality of ideas and adhere to certain standards to develop the most logical conclusions. I intend to apply this meta-theory in my present and future research endeavors.

My present research project covers Mathematics teachers' experiences in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to determine the creative teaching strategies that Math teachers implemented despite the challenges and restrictions brought by the pandemic. This paper explains the assumptions of Critical Realism and its implications in my research project. This paper discusses how Critical Realism influenced my research decisions.

The world is intransitive, but the knowledge about the world is transitive.

Ontological Realism is a significant part of the triumvirate of Critical Realism, asserting that the world is autonomous of the knower. It explains why judgement is possible. On the other hand, Epistemic Relativism states that human knowledge is dependent on the knower. It asserts the plurality of interpretations and perspectives that underscore the need for judgment.

The assumptions of Ontological Realism and Epistemic Relativism emphasize the need to do research and commit to making rational judgments. Although the world is intransitive, the knowledge about the world is transitive. Our understanding of the world is constructed from our perceptions and perspectives. This assumption should inspire all researchers to use the most appropriate methods and the right analytical framework to acquire a more comprehensive knowledge of the world. Notably, this assumption should teach humility to any researcher. Regardless of the sophistication of the implemented research methods, all research studies will only uncover fractions of the truth.

Critical Realism is a potent framework for studying how teachers creatively strategize to deliver Math lessons during the pandemic. The idea that the world is transitive posits that knowledge about the world is bounded and necessitates the practice of judgmental rationality. With the limitations of knowing, the selection of the most suitable research methods is critical. Anchored on the assumption of intransitivity, I intend to employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods in my research project. The inclusion of qualitative methods provides an in-depth explanation of an existing phenomenon. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is a big help in practicing judgmental rationality. It will lead to more comprehensive information about the experiences of Math teachers during the pandemic.

The world is stratified into domains of empirical, actual, and real.

Critical Realism claims that the world has different but distinct domains: the empirical, the actual, and the causal (Schiller, 2016). According to Allana and Clark (2018), human perception and personal experiences define the empirical domain. In this domain, knowledge is derived from what is perceived and what generates an effect. Schiller (2016) asserts that the actual domain covers all events that occur regardless of whether they are perceived or experienced. Meanwhile, according to Allana and Clark (2018), the real domain includes the causal powers that affect events in the actual and empirical domains.

 One significant impact of this worldview is the idea that reality is not limited to human perception and personal experiences. The stratification is a substantial rationale for conducting research in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the causal domain. Within the scope of my research project, I intend to transcend the empirical and actual domains. Some studies asserted the factors that affect teaching experience during the pandemic. Akar and Erden (2021) found that distance education limits teachers in motivating students, providing adequate feedback, and facilitating communication and interaction. Fakhrunisa and Prabawanto (2021) discovered issues involving the readiness of teachers to use online applications, limitations in student access to learning resources, problems in facilitating mathematical thinking processes, and limitations in providing feedback. Although some studies covered the factors that affect the teaching experiences of Math teachers during the pandemic, these research papers did not investigate the interrelation of factors. Given this gap, I intend to examine the experiences of Math teachers during the pandemic and determine how different factors interplay and profoundly impact the decision to implement creative teaching strategies.

The world is an open system.

After writing the draft of my review of related literature for my research project, I noticed the permutation of factors that define the experiences of teachers and students in the context of distance education during the pandemic. Some research studies highlighted the benefits and opportunities of distance education (e.g. Hebebci et al., 2020; Aksan, 2021; Lavidas et al., 2022). Some research studies identified the issues and challenges (e.g. Aldon et al., 2021; Roman, 2021; Akar & Erden, 2021).

 The difference in findings indicates that the world is an open system. Multiple causes interplay and determine an event. The difference in results can be attributed to the difference in various factors. For instance, the difference in preferred learning modality of teachers and students after the pandemic may be influenced by the diversity in readiness level, available resources, quality of support, and other factors. The study of Ince et al. (2020) discovered the views of students on distance learning are determined by their access to gadgets and the availability of an Internet connection.  Students who are more active in online classes are the students with better access to gadgets and the Internet. Although the studies have similar contexts, learning modality and the global pandemic are only two of the many factors that impact teaching and learning.

There are two significant implications of the notion of an open system in my research project. First, a mixed-method approach is essential to examine different factors and their interconnection. According to Clark et al. (2008), explanatory studies necessitate a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The assumption that the world is an open system explains why qualitative methods are appropriate in examining how Math teachers creatively strategize. Experimental control is not possible in an open system. If exclusive causality is absolute, there is no need to do interviews and observations because a single statistical test would suffice. Given that multiple factors influence an event, a mixed-method approach is needed to cover the complexities of the teaching experience during the pandemic. The second implication is on the application of the results in other disciplines. The findings of my research project on teaching experiences may be recommended to other subject areas and disciplines. Since multiple variables are interconnected in an open system, my findings may contribute to studying other phenomena. The results may serve as a reference for future research studies.

The world is emergent.

It is assumed in Critical Realism that the world is emergent. The multiple factors that influence an event in an open system have distinct levels: physical, biological, psychological, social, and cultural.

In the context of pandemic teaching, the experiences during the pandemic are affected by several factors. Aldon et al. (2021) found four that define the teaching experience of Mathematics teachers: management of learning sessions, implementation of assessment, addressing student problems, and providing instructional support. These factors belong at distinct and different levels. The experiences of teachers in managing learning sessions and implementing assessments are products of the existing cultures and values. The objectives, decisions, and performance of teachers during the pandemic are influenced by their mental state and physical condition, and the well-being of the people around them.

The assumption that the world is emergent made me understand that studying teaching experiences is more than just gathering data about teachers. With this assumption, it is recommended to design research instruments in a way that covers the various aspects of teaching and the different factors that impact teaching experience. In my research project, I intend to examine how factors related to teachers, students, and the learning environment interact and impact the implementation of creative Math teaching strategies.

Summary

            The assumptions of Critical Realism had a significant influence on the decisions that I made for my research project, and I intend to continue utilizing these assumptions in my next decisions. The belief in the intransitivity of the world is a reminder of the limitations of research studies and the importance of selecting the most appropriate methods to uncover the truth about pandemic teaching. The idea of stratification motivates me to go beyond the empirical domain by examining the interrelation of factors that impact teachers during the pandemic. Furthermore, the viewpoint that the world is an open and emergent system demands a mixed-method approach to obtain more comprehensive information on how Math teachers creatively deliver math lessons during the pandemic.

REFERENCE

Allana, S. & Clark, A. (2018). Applying Meta-Theory to Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research: A Discussion of Critical Realism and Heart Failure Disease Management Interventions Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 17, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918790042

Sage. Schiller, C. J. (2016). Critical Realism in Nursing: An Emerging Approach. Nursing Philosophy, 17, 88–102

Yohannes, Y., Juandi, D., Diana, N., & Sukma, Y. (2021). Mathematics Teachers' Difficulties in Implementing Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Hunan University（Natural Sciences). 48(5), 1-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352290221_Mathematics_Teachers'_Difficulties_in_Implementing_Online_Learning_during_the_COVID-19_Pandemic

Sugilar, Rajati, J., & Achmad (2021). A Hierarchical Component Model of Students’ Difficulties of Learning Mathematics in a Distance Higher Education. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. https://doi.org/ 10.1088/1742-6596/1918/4/042053

Hebebci, M. T., Bertiz, Y., & Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of Views of Students and Teachers on Distance Education Practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science. 4(4), 267-282. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.113

Aksan, J. A. (2021). Effect of Modular Distance Learning Approach to Academic Performance in Mathematics of Students in Mindanao State University-Sulu Senior High School Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic. Open Access Indonesia Journal of Social Sciences, 4(4), 445-467. https://doi.org/10.37275/oaijss.v4i2.64

Lavidas, K., Apostolou, Z., & Papadakis, S. (2022) Challenges and Opportunities of Mathematics in Digital Times: Preschool Teachers’ Views. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12070459

Aldon, G., Cusi, A., Schacht, F. & Swidan, O. (2021). Teaching Mathematics in a Context of Lockdown: A Study Focused on Teachers’ Praxeologies. Education Sciences. 11(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020038

Roman (2021). Experiences of Teachers on Using Modular Distance Learning (MDL) in Teaching Mathematics During the COVID-19 Pandemic Southeast Asian Journal of Science and Technology. 6 (2),78-86. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357957500_Experiences_of_Teachers_on_Using_Modular_Distance_Learning_MDL_in_Teaching_Mathematics_During_the_COVID-19_Pandemic

Akar, S. S. & Erden, M. K. (2021). Distance Education Experiences of Secondary School Math Teachers During the Pandemic: A Narrative Study. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. 22(3). https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1857612

Fakhrunisa, F. &  Prabawanto, S. (2021). Online Learning in COVID-19 Pandemic: An Investigation of Mathematics Teachers’ Perception. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3439147.3439179

Ince, Y. I., Kabul, N., & Kabul, A. (2022). Opinions of High School Students about Distance Education in Pandemic Process. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age. 7(2), 192-199. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1350878.pdf

Aldon, G., Cusi, A., Schacht, F. & Swidan, O. (2021). Teaching Mathematics in a Context of Lockdown: A Study Focused on Teachers’ Praxeologies. Education Sciences. 11(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020038

#pandemic teaching #math teaching

[inter-volve]

Source

January 16th 2024

#pandemic #covid #covid pandemic #covid news #mass disabling event #news #covid 19 #covid is not over #school #teaching #covid surge #mask up #face masks #masking #student

[poebrey]

this generation of kids is so fucked and it’s so depressing to watch in real time. the amount of parents that are like “my preschooler got covid/rsv/had to be hospitalized but it’s ok because kids get sick all the time” is so……in 20 years or so when these kids are in early adulthood we’re going to have an increase in autoimmune diseases and chronic respiratory illnesses along with heart conditions and strokes due to repeated covid infections and researchers are going to be scratching their heads on the cause and ignoring that we let kids go back to schools mid-pandemic with no disease mitigation and then ignored a second respiratory disease resurgence

#it’s **alarming** that between the pandemic and rising pollution #we’re soon going to have a generation that’s less healthy than the previous #we’re failing our youth #also I say covid but before this a lot of schools have mold asbestos shit food lead water etc etc #like we are FAILING these children a lot of them are in worse environments during their school week than most adults #they don’t get a choice or a say like some of these kids are sick nonstop because they’re in dangerous unventilated buildings #but no one realizes because it’s ‘just a cold’ #I know I sound dramatic but a good chunk of my family is in teaching some of these classrooms don’t even have windows??? #meanwhile as adults we have wfh set ups and osha lawsuits and unions doing a tiny bit

[uncanny-tranny]

By implying that children are too stupid and rude to learn about the world and learn how the world works and how to interact with others, you are casting responsibility away from the people who are responsible for that child's upbringing and placing the blame on the children (who don't have the autonomy given to them to be allowed to decide what they want) who can't help what they do and do not learn, often.

If the children aren't okay, then investigate why before turning to thought-terminating clichés of, "Well, the kids are just stupid and dumb and aren't even worth the effort because they're lazy!"

#youth liberation #i was really bothered when i saw this clip where this person was saying almost verbatim that... #...'kids [these days] are too STUPID and they're teachers are scared!'... #...why is the blame placed on the kids who have no control over school curriculum and what their home life is like or if they have money... #...it's because when you place the blame on the people with no power or control you don't have the responsibility to change circumstances.. #...you essentially keep the status quo while simultaneously belittling a group of vulnerable people... #...and thus you feed into the cyclical nature of the broken education system #the kids these days AREN'T okay but it ISN'T THEIR FAULT... #...it's the fault of late-stage capitalism and poorly-funded education and a world that wasn't even built with them in mind... #...they had NO PART in the creation of the world which is hostile to their entire existence #don't mind the incorrect usage of their in the second tag i was so focused on how pissed i was #also remember how a good chunk of these kids lived through *checks notes* the fucking PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN #which was a clown show in terms of supporting kids and their parent/s #some places handled lockdown in the US better than others but holy fuck in my area at least it was a nightmare #what do you expect from parents who are now working full-time and teaching part/full-time and parenting full-time? #what support exactly are you expecting they recieved? because you'll likely find they got either a little or NONE #hilarious that i used the wrong their in a post subtweeting about education LOL #look i was focused on how PISSED i was lol cut me some slack here

[birdgirl92]

coraline concept art you are so blurry and so special to me

#coraline #the real pandemic is the death of creepy children’s movies in favor of disney-fied tales that teach family values and nothing else

[redysetdare]

Y'all listen just because you learned something in school doesn't mean everyone else did. idk how y'all got this idea in ur heads that we all learned the same shit when literal book bans are happening in schools across the united states and certain subjects are being banned from ever being talked about. (do not even get me started on the fact different countries have different curriculum too) Like you cannot say "You guys obviously just didn't pay attention in school and are stupid because we all learned this" like you are ignoring like 50 other options as to why people may not have learned this ranging from poorly funded school to disabled kid getting shoved into special ed classes which are often notorious for mistreating their disabled students. I'm begging you all to understand the nuance of why certain skills and abilities aren't as widely spread as you assume they should be.

#text #some of you are creeping a bit to close to ablism and it's getting real ucomfortable #'everyone learned media literacy in school' except in the schools where they just told you what to think. #except in the schools where they didn't want you to learn critical thinking so that they could push an agenda without you questioning it #except in schools where books or subjects that would require this skill got banned and thus it was never learned #unless the school was underfunded and couldn't afford the proper materials to teach it #unless your teacher was bad and didn't bother to properly teach you #unless your teacher and school was ablist and refused to teach you #unless your schooling was disrupted by a sudden pandemic that may of forced you into an environment that made it more difficult to learn #unless literally anything else besides 'you didn't listen and are thus stupid' because i can assure you we were listening #maybe instead of blaming a huge portion of the population of suddenly becoming stupid or not paying attention in class #maybe you could realize that this is a failure on the American school system as a whole #at some point you can't keep blaming the students for failing when it's this many students #at some point you gotta realize it's the system and blaming the individual does nothing #btw i didn't talk about other country curriculum because I'm not knowledgeable enough to know how good other school systems are #but i know more about american school systems and how much they suck and so many of these ppl complaining mean american schools anyways #but i am aware of other countries having wide variety of curriculum and how weird ppl get about that especially with usa centrism online #i just dont feel like i can give a good enough commentary on that that other non-usa ppl haven't already given 10x better than i ever could

[ectonurites]

hehehehe

#i did NOT grind the pulp enough but whatever i havent done this in a WHILE okay #(the pulp in question? comic book bags. ive saved all of the ones ive gotten since the pandemic started and thts what im using here with #the end goal of making a sketchbook out of em but also. im teaching a kids papermaking thing this week so i needed to go through the #motions again myself lmaooooo) #grandpa max is god? i go to church now

[tittyinfinity]

I don't think that kids should be exclusively homeschooled, but I also don't think that kids should be going to a building with hundreds of people 5 days a week during a pandemic. It's one of the main reasons why it keeps spreading so rapidly and won't go away. They don't take any preventative measures at schools anymore (at least not around here). You got kids? You're getting sick. Your coworker has kids? You're getting sick.

Schools are back to counting attendance. You can't even keep your kid home long enough to recover from covid before sending them back. They literally send a "truancy" (police) officer to your house if you keep them home too often.

I feel like we could be doing something better. I'm not entirely sure what the solution is. But this isn't it.

#.bdo #I tried homeschooling 3 kids at the beginning of the pandemic my ADHD is way too bad for that #this doesn't even touch on how I think the modern public school system needs to be abolished and rebuilt #the kids don't get enough breaks bullying isn't properly addressed the history they teach them is biased and/or outdated #attendance policies are ableist and classist and a fuck #PE shouldn't be something you're graded on and exercises should be given based on the individual child's abilities and needs #there should be more counselors and actual child psychologists in the building #school breakfast and lunches should always be free for every kid (thankfully they started doing that here in my town a year ago) #there should be different times of the day you can drop your kid off instead of one set starting time and one ending time #to work with different people's work and sleeping schedules #kids should not be required to be at school before 9 am but we have schools starting between 6:50am-7:20am now #my school years would have been 10000% easier if I could have started at 11am instead #kids need to be met at their level instead of forcing the same curriculum on everyone #MORE TEACHERS! More than one per classroom! Why are we making one person watch 30 kids at once! #this needs to be a whole separate post but I needed to get this rant out now

[bravenew-what]

My Classroom Wishlist.

Buy Me A Coffee Fundraiser

Hey everyone, as many of you know, I am a special education teacher. And unfortunately as many people know or understand, teachers are often left to spend hundreds of dollars of their own money every year in order to provide their students the most enriching experience possible. For my students, that’s no different. Because of their unique needs to be able to succeed, my special education classroom is built around visual and tactile learning. I want to build a positive sensory, social, and academic learning experience for them this year and while I wish I could provide everything for them, I unfortunately can’t on my own. It would mean the world to not only me but all of the students in my classroom if you would consider donating towards or sharing my Amazon list, especially as Amazon Prime day rolls around. Everything strictly goes towards the benefit of my students and my students alone. Your donation will not go unnoticed, and you’ll always have my gratitude. ❤️

#please share #sharing is just as important #I’ll be forever grateful for any help #support your local Metalhead teacher? 🥺 #amelia speaks #education #special education #amazon prime day #prime day #teacher #pandemic teaching #metal #witchblr

[alexfierrosupremacy]

the music hyperfixation returns!

#a couple of my friends off handily mentioned starting a band the other day and it's all i can think about #music is just such a thing. #i used to have music lessons everyday of the week because my taekwondo study offered free online music lessons during the pandemic #and it was such a cool way of teaching music i could talk about it forever

[the-100th-witch]

hm

rant below

I run into this problem with my family a lot.

Before I was laid off, I was on a schedule (with either school or work or both) and all the other free time i had was open for helping my family (when i wasnt out with friends or working on school etc)

It was a little more balanced and i mean i was living at home rent free so of course i'd help my family here and there when i wasn't working on my school work or whatever.

I'm unemployed and trying to get things back rolling with this stupid cbest test and to substitute teach by next year yet every fucking day im asked to baby/house/pet sit and sure when im house/pet sitting i can literally just work on my shit there. But sometimes i kinda just want to be in my room or on my own schedule to work on my studying or 5 year plan without that stress on me. Given that I've been baby/house/pet sitting for every month of this year i just wanted November to be the month i just focus on myself.

I didn't tell anyone but i don't have too, i just decline and say I cant do it.

Then i get guilt tripped or told to go to starbucks/don't come out of my room if I dont want to be bothers like ok im trying not to spend money and now i gotta be locked up in my room? How about just take no for an answer???

I just wanted 1 month to decompress and focus on me. No obligations and no expectations.

I babysat this weekend after being sick the whole last week and now im being told "oh the kids are off school next week" well? I'm gonna be busy. Fucking go hire a babysitter.

#personal #it's like fuck i know im being helped out but im not literally sitting here waiting to baby/house/pet sit for all my family #im not hurting for money so i can afford to take a month off to you know TRY NOT TO UNEMPLOYED #i hate being unemployed and i want to really get this test over with so i can start the process to sub teach #and im gonna be looking at temp work if that gets derailed again but im really hoping to just sub teach since every school is needing them #this is why i hate living back at home and im tempted to move out again even without a job i did it 2020-2022 i can do it again #but i dont want any job just to pay the bills and derail my plans again i been helping my family this whole year #i think i paid my dues for just one month to focus on nothing by myself but i guess not #this is why i need to move a state away lmao #moving an hour and 40 mins wasnt enough i gave up every other weekend to help my family i mean it was a pandemic im not too mad #but i paid my dues in full i just want to pass this test before 2023 ends so i can get started fresh and back on track to my career #ok rant over i just hold this shit in and it explodes like damn dude you can't stretch me too thin like this

[caroloftheshells]

so many things to grade in the next ~24 hours and i am SO tired from teaching as well as the makes-you-tired disease but we're going to do the bare minimum of grading and call it a day ig

#just glad it's today and not yesterday when i could barely make it over to the table to host zoom office hours #i like bare minimum grading anyway; last year all i did was give out 100s on homework #it definitely is something that our supervisor expects me & other person w my job to have 1 day turnarounds on 30-40 #written/qualitative assignments via a long rubric while we are both actively very sick #idk. worst of both worlds you are in charge of everything about the class on paper but not the materials or the grading scheme #or the lesson plans or the course structure. etc. #good thing is you get to be the ultimate grade-enterer for a core class & pass everybody #but yeah. this place is so reliant on grad labor; now that 4(?) of us are sick &still doing our jobs but slower the world is in turmoil etc #theorycomp tag #carol overreacts to life #like; breaking news: a covid surge at the beginning of the semester when maskless undergrads are moving in means ppl will get sick #also: tried getting another person in the theory teaching force to cover one of my classes last friday and my supervisor was like #'they haven't been here long enough; they're not qualified' & like. idk #not allowed to cancel our own classes bc we have to keep up with her class but there aren't enough qualified ppl to get subs so ??? #wack. truly wack situation #so called progressives/liberals when the pandemic isn't over and we aren't 'back to normal' etc

[theshadowrealmitself]

Not enough people talk about the people who were homeschooled but not because they had weirdly overprotective parents

I was homeschooled for all of highschool by my grandma, except she didn’t actually put in any effort with me, she just gave me the (extremely weird) booklets and I had to teach myself and she would get upset with me if I asked for help

So I am one of those weird homeschooled kids, but I’m not like the other homeschooled kids, I’m like…super-neglected homeschooled kids instead of super-sheltered

(there was definitely some stuff I didn’t know going into college but it wasn’t because I had adults trying to “protect” me from everything, they just didn’t care enough to teach me)

Either way I’m a very weird adult and I just wanna bring attention to the fact there are people on the other spectrum of being homeschooled, not all of us had the overprotective parents, some of us are even worse at talking to people

#no fandom #just remembering this because my social skills are shit!! #they’re terrible!!! #but when I try to explain the weird homeschooling stuff people don’t understand #I didn’t even have adults to interact with #and all my siblings had friends so they’d never be home around me #it was just me!! #by myself!! #in a room teaching myself schoolwork!!!! #for years!!!! #I Am Feral!!!! #or wild!! #or something!!! #I’m just. not socialized #and then I was actually getting better in college #then the pandemic hit and I was once again in my room #teaching myself for online classes because my professors had no idea how to teach kids online #and then at work I’m timed with everything #seriously even bathroom breaks are timed so there’s almost no time to socialize unless you break the rules #this is not a vent I’m just spreading awareness that I exist #and I think others like me exist? #and we have no social skills for the love of everything be patient with us #don’t ask about the years before being homeschooled it was like a cult you don’t wanna know

[theresa-of-liechtenstein]

i don’t know if this is a thing across the board but like speaking as someone in the latter part of undergrad… the younger set seem to be really behind in math

#the person who runs sessions in the room before me is teaching math and it’s. algebra i did when i was 12. #we’re in university though… you should have learned that in high school at the very latest? #is it pandemic effects? or have things just gone downhill in such a short time… #dunno tbh #em speaks

[cannellaeluce]

Così finisce, come tutti sanno, il più gran libro scritto da un cristiano. Sanno i cristiani che alla fine dei tempi, nella loro identità intera, ripeteranno l’incarnazione di Cristo. Mistero che non si può concettualizzare come non si può concettualizzare la quadratura del cerchio; non si può vedere come non si vedono i propri occhi. Succede però che un antico poeta di Firenze asserisca di essere salito in carne e ossa nell’alto dei cieli, e di avere visto lassù in Cristo-Dio i propri, i tuoi, i miei occhi, di essersi visto, per un attimo d’eternità, con gli occhi di Cristo-Dio, di essere stato lui, unico della propria miseranda unicità di uomo, contemporaneo di Dio nell’armoniosa unicità dell’essere, e di non poterlo né raccontare né ricordare né aver capito né… Ma racconta di esser poi tornato sulla terra, portando in solitudine la passione e l’oltraggio d’essersi riconosciuto nel solo Dio. Investito peraltro da alcuni famosi santi del compito di scrivere quell’esperienza inenarrabile, immemorabile, incomprensibile, racconta di aver preso carta e penna, e così, su due piedi, nella smania dei giorni che se ne andavano, d’essere riuscito bene o male a scriverla, a emendamento e salvazione dei nostri ceffi di poveri Cristi futuri, in una lingua futura, nel libro sterminato che comincia: Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita. Incredibile.

Vittorio Sermonti, commento a Paradiso XXXIII

#it's the first time in my life that I get to teach the comedy for the mandated three years #the day that we were supposed to study the end I got to school early I met the kids in the corridors for rec time and told them all #to be on time because we were to meet god that day and they laughed and obliged #I started the class telling them that - Dante was afraid so very afraid not to be able to tell us even an ounce of what he wanted to #tell us #and so they could only imagine how frightened *I* was #then we started; and we dived into the text for two hours; and I was emotional and they were too because that's how it works: #if love enters the classroom it moves us all #and then the two hours were about to end #and we were there with our eyes fixed in the incomprehensible and the unsayable #and #a l'alta fantasia qui mancò possa #ma già volgea il mio disio e 'l velle #sì come rota che ugualmente è mossa #l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle #and the bell rang #and they stood still #and then they clapped #to dante #to three years that started in the hungry belly of the pandemic #when I would teach them dante over google meet #to our journey from the dark woods to the stars #to us #and I clapped too #and thanked them #and then moved on and went to teach another class but I was still reeling and I still am #dante #dante alighieri #the divine comedy #la divina commedia