Director's cut — November 2004

November 1, 2004 by Tara Brabazon

Greetings to members and lurkers.

It is certainly a wild time. Novembers are always unstable. Christmas decorations punctuate the shops, but it is tragically too early to put up that tree. We anticipate great nights and days of change and opportunity through the next few weeks. Our news section this month is bulging with the wonderful accomplishments of members. It has been an exciting time watching the changes in the lives of our Collective.

Many of our members work in education. Some are students. Some are teachers. Some are librarians. Some market education. But all of us — all members of the Collective — have a commitment to learning, broadly defined.

As we move through our lives, falling in (or out of) love, scouting the supermarket, listening to music or going for a run, we carry a purpose with us. Each moment of our lives has an agenda. We carry a desire to do good work, to intervene when we see an injustice, and think with greater consciousness and direction about our own lives.

All of us are teachers, creating change and awareness amongst those we meet. Whenever we encourage others to do better — to exceed expectations — we are teachers. While many of us are under a pile a marking this November, we have the great privilege of knowing that through our words, actions and ideas, we are improving the mind and consciousness of a generation. This is the great gift of teaching and learning.

Whenever any of us encourage a fellow citizen to think about their lives with clarity and boldness, we have made a difference. This is teaching at the cutting edge, and at its best.

Every moment in our lives contains the pearl of change. We just have to open that oyster.

Be well,

T XXX

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