Ross Gay's "Inciting Joy" delves into the transformative power of joy, challenging its dismissal as frivolous. Gay explores how joy can be a radical act of resistance and belonging, particularly amidst grief and sorrow. The essays examine rituals and habits that foster joy, emphasizing its role in building solidarity and care. The book encourages readers to embrace joy as a practice, not just an emotion, and to find connection through shared experiences of sorrow. Gay's personal reflections and insightful observations make "Inciting Joy" a compelling read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of joy's significance.
In 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', Maya Angelou recounts her early life from the age of three to seventeen. The book describes her experiences growing up in the segregated South, including her time living with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, and later with her mother in St. Louis and California. Angelou delves into themes of racism, identity, and the struggles of being a Black girl in a male-dominated society. The memoir also touches on her personal struggles, such as being sexually abused at the age of eight and finding solace in literature and her own strong spirit. The book is a powerful exploration of resilience and the impact of societal oppression on individual lives.
What does living alongside a toddler reveal to us about our high school and college students? How does time in the classroom inform the way we approach learning with our pre-schoolers? On today's episode, we reflect on our experiences teaching and learning and cobble together a list of guiding principles.
Tune in to hear us talk about:
✨ Curiosity as sacred.
⏱ The cost of separating places and times of learning.
🌱 Shame vs safety in a learning environment.
❓ The power of asking "silly" questions and admitting you don't know.
☁️ Valuing "idleness" in a world that rewards gold stars.
🧶 Why it's good and important to make so many crappy things.
🥁 Continually seeking out experiences where we're not very skilled.
⚡️ The scrappy trickster energy required to view constraints as possibility.
Mentioned In Today's Episode:
"Dispatches from the Ruins" is an essay in Ross Gay's book Inciting Joy.
Here's the clip of Ira Glass talking about the gap between your good taste and what you are able to make when you start out.
As Always:
Check out Caitlin and Rebekah's Book Shop! Here you can find every book mentioned in our episodes, as well as a few additional faves.
Use this link to get a 25% discount on a PokPok subcription! And if you haven't listened yet, check out our interview with PokPok creators, Esther and Melissa.
We would love to hear from you! What were your experiences in school? What worked well and what do you wish had been different? How do you think about education and learning as an adult? And does that show up in how you parent/re-parent now?
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Scratch That: Parenting & ReParenting Off Script 
