Week #3

Week 10/17 through 10/23/11

Tuesday (10/18)   10:10 – 10:45pm The Education of Little Tree

Sunday   (10/23)   7:05 – 7:30am      The Education of Little Tree

                            9:30 – 10:05pm    The Education of Little Tree

Total minutes=95 minutes

This week was hectic (to put it lightly) in terms of finding time to read for pleasure.  I thought that I had got off to a good start early in the week.  After classroom observations all day Monday and an overnight trip to Wichita for student teacher interviews, I had little time to read outside of completing class requirements.  In fact, I was pleasently surprised that I had actually finished all my work with extra time to complete my pleasure reading.  It was a nice alternative to decompressing in front of the television, which is the normal venue.

It’s interesting that I chose to continue with the reading of The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.  The independent reading level taxes the brain much less than my normal informative reading.  I always think of myself as a slow reader, but find I can cruise through text when I commit specific time dedicated to non-required reading.

I absolutely love the imagery of the Kentucky wilderness presented in the book.  The relationship between the grandfather and Little Tree is something I often reflect on.  I hold the same respect for my grandfather as some sort of sage in regard to knowledge about the outdoors and human behavior.  Although my time with my grandfather has been much more limited, these shorter periods of leave lasting memories.  It makes me want to pursue a more simple life, even within the general population.   In many regards, I suppose I do.

My wish for my two sons is to offer them experiences that seem insignificant at the time of occurrence, but are extremely educational in retrospect.  You realize the sage grandfather understands teaching opportunities.  It is interesting how the author presents such natural everyday occurrences in the text, but in the mind of Little Tree they form his entire interpretation of life, insightful!