Mixed feelings

I just spent the last half an hour reading blogs and commenting. The heel of my right hand is sore because I rest it too hard on the desktop. Odd, but true. There was a real diversity to what people wrote about today. I'd have to say that my favorite writers of today were Faith and Morgan. Their free association made me thoughtful and they were interesting blogs. Victor too has been composing some great memoir entries. On the other side of things, people wrote with passion, vigor and anger about many things. Others wrote contemplatively about topics I felt compelled to debate. I suppose that's a good thing, right? That your writing should invigorate me, or less formally, piss me off enough to question whether I should maintain my teacher personality in my responses...

I wonder, at a school this size, what do students think about teachers? I remember when I was about 20 and I was at the Gay 90's with some friends, catching the show and dancing. When we walked downstairs from the drag show, I saw my high school English teacher at the bar and I fled the other direction. I didn't care so much about his sexual orientation, but I certainly wasn't interested in chatting him up at the bar. Are the teachers here your confidantes? Mentors? Instructors? Do you imagine we experience the same levels of anger and joy as you? Should I bring the concerns from this forum to the leadership?

I feel trusted- at least in this writing community- and that is an enormous thing. Why do I feel that way? Because people share with honesty and candor their emotions. Or, are you censoring?

I'm compelled to leave you with a topic brought up in one of your peers blogs that I was drawn to-- the school's vision statement. What is the purpose of a vision statement? How is that different from what is actually in place? Why do we organize a vision statement around the ideal instead of the actual? Who owns a vision for a community-- who is in charge or realizing that vision?