tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post4479547665643433071..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Don't Sweat the Petty Things ...Gus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-48981098752347168572013-09-25T05:11:53.026-06:002013-09-25T05:11:53.026-06:00Heh! Your comment about momentary panic reminded m...Heh! Your comment about momentary panic reminded me of something I once noticed about my wife. We're both absent-minded like you, but I cope using an approach like yours and she is okay with lots of "Easter-egg hunting" as I call it, and with rushing/showing up a little late. <br /><br />So we once ended up, through a rare lapse of mine, being in danger of missing a flight. I was amazed at matter-of-factly she dealt with it, not to mention the fact that we actually made the flight. I concluded (and put it to her this way): "You're better at rushing than I am."<br /><br />That episode has made me less apt (though not unable) to be annoyed with the fact that she is not the most organized person in the world.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-36974238741403291022013-09-24T09:01:59.612-06:002013-09-24T09:01:59.612-06:00‘Mundane details should be thought about periodica...‘Mundane details should be thought about periodically and dealt with procedurally and habitually so that they don't cause one to waste time and effort.’<br /><br />Exactly! I’m very absent minded and when I was younger, I used to lose/misplace a lot of stuff; wallets, glasses, watches, keys, ID cards, even my car once, etc. Therefore, I created a simple system to solve this. I check to make sure everything is in its proper place when exiting or entering my home, car, work building, going to bed etc. Wallet and comb in back pocket, keys and change in front pocket, leave my work ID card in my car, flash drive in a designated pocket of my computer case, charging corn in another, everything on the table beside me bed when I sleep, etc. When I get a new toy like a cell phone, it is easy enough to integrate it into my existing system (front left pocket). This system works well and I don’t waste time searching for stuff. The downside? Momentary panic can ensue on those rare occasions that something gets accidently put in the wrong place (i.e. Wallet in front pocket).<br /><br />‘This had the opposite of the desired effect.’<br /><br />There is another point to be made here. Five minutes of thought should have convinced any intelligent person that constantly changing syntax would not cause students to focus on concepts but the opposite. The fact that adults actually believed this, so contrary to logic and human nature is mystifying and frightening. It’s not rocket science, not even close. Of course, this is the same argument used by people who oppose phonics as the method to teach children to read with far more devastating consequences. <br />Steve Dnoreply@blogger.com