The Random Thoughts of Louis Schmier

God, I hate this time change. I wonder if the squirrels set back their clocks and the ants got an extra hour of sleep. Anyway, here I am, cooling off with a cup of hot freshly brewed coffee after a brisk five mile walk in the brisk pre-dawn hours. I had to burn extra calories [...]

(11) For this part, I’d like to start with a brief exchange of questions. A professor wrote to me asking, “Why are you referring to Sample’s book on leadership so often? What does leadership have to do with teaching?” Interesting question, isn’t it. Like Sample, I’m not sure how to define “leadership” any more than [...]

As I was saying: (9) Ninth, with greater frequency, I am seeing my role as a teacher is that of a mentor, that is, I assert my authority by stepping back and deferring that authority to the students. I quiet myself so that I can listen to the students. If I want, as I did [...]

I was watching the Chiefs-Raider game on Monday night football. Sometime during the third quarter, John Madden started talking about injuries, rehabilitation, and comebacks. Marveling at the return from what had looked like a career-ending injury by one of the Chiefs’ running backs, he said, “If you don’t believe in what you’re doing and the [...]

I’m back after a brisk walk in the brisk pre-dawn autumn air. So, what are my answers to Tina’s question. What are the realizations I have been coming to over the last decade? (1) First, my first obligation as a teacher is in serving the needs and interests of each student, not in serving my [...]

These cool, level streets in Valdosta are a a piece of cake! They’re a far cry from playing at being a Yeti walking the impossible near-ninety degree inclines of the San Mateo streets. I can focus more on my thoughts and get deeper into my heart here in the flatlands of Valdosta than I could [...]

It was not an easy walk this morning. I was carrying the weight of a heavy loss. Upon returning from a joyous extended weekend spoiling my grandbaby, I was shocked to learn that a devoted friend and a revered colleague of mine, Tony Grasha of the University of Cincinnati’s Psychology department, died. He had silently [...]

I just finished going through a recent report called “Hardwired To Connect.” You should read it. It’s more than interesting; it’s thought-provoking. I first heard of it in a George Will Column. The report is the result a mixture of neuroscience, developmental psychology, the psychology and sociology of religion, social theory, moral and political philosophy. [...]