Hanging out in the fog

Brandenburg Gate, January 2011
With few customers a hot coffee is
always a consolation.

This is my favourite holiday snap. I am drawn to the incongruity of the seemingly NQR (not quite right) character (it's a German historical precinct not the North Pole) with a coffee. At the Brandenburg Gate, performers, dressed as WW2 soliders, stand in prime positions and expect payment from tourists who feel the need for a photo opportunity.
This has been feedback week:
1. Monday feedback on Thesis
2. Tuesday feedback on Staff Attitudes to School Survey
3. Wednesday feedback at gym.
I feel empathy with the reindeer - will he learn the hard way that he's got it wrong? But, like the coffe-break reindeer, I also see the sense in reflecting over coffee and ... coffee at Seven Seeds, Carlton is very good.
Feedback question: So, how do you think I’m progressing?
In response to feedback here are my SMART goals:
1. writing to a timeline/structure before next meeting with support from Pam and Marnee
2. three workshops planned with support of RNL to address serious and ongoing issues
3. ways to increase my heart rate and new trainer to monitor me (Yes.. I am stiff and sore today so progress is happening.)
Claxton(2001) gives me hope as I continue my snail-like progress when he says we need, 'the ability to hang out in the fog, to tolerate confusion, to dare to wait in a state of incomprehension while the glimmerings of an idea take their time to form...: slow is often smart'.

Comments

My Thesis - what's it about?

I am always thrilled to be contacted by those who by chance find my blog. I have been blogging for three years and am hoping to complete my first draft by the end of the year. I thought it timely to re-publish what has already been published. The following is from my presentation at the University of Kassel, Germany. In 1904 Olga Ernst, a pupil teacher, wrote Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle. Although she was just sixteen years old, Ernst was one of a small group of writers in Australia who attempted to nationalise the fairytale towards the end of the nineteenth century, signalling quite clearly that they intended to affix the elves and fairies of Europe onto the Australian landscape aiming to fill a void that was keenly felt by the children of emigrants and the Australian-born children of emigrants. (Walker, 1988) The beginnings of the Australian bush fantasy genre can be linked with the desire to bring the comfortable and familiar into the new and distinctly non

Judged by the audience.

I started this blog as a way to reflect on intriguing aspects of my research. I wonder about who is reading this blog? It is nice to get emails and the occasional comment. I ponder about the regular visitor from Slovenia and am delighted that I was discovered by Heyne family members quite by accident. The most visited posts are: A PhD! What's in it for me? Sept 12,2010 Teaching in the blood Oct 19, 2010 Rosalie's Reward Oct 16, 2010 Tassie Tales Aug 15, 2010 Toxic Friendships Jun 19, 2010 Producing a poster - AARE Conference Oct 24, 2010 So... how popular are the Grimms? March 6 2011

A new audience for 'old' Australian fairy tales?

The Internet offers collaborative possibilities as well as the ease of sharing. This blog, maintained as a writing tool for five years, has shared research that may not appear in my thesis. It also explored the personal narrative of a PhD journey as well as my relationship with Ernst’s work. Interested relatives and other acquaintances interstate and overseas discovered my blog through search engines. They have added to the research data available in State and Lutheran archival records and made personal papers and photographs available. Patterson and Lindberg (1991) claim that, ‘the private papers of authors and artists are important to the cause of learning’ (218) on two levels: one to allow insight and understanding about, the creative process of the author and at another as the ‘cultural heritage’ of how an author’s work has shaped or reflected for the reader, their environment. Relatives who have contacted me through my blog have offered further insight through their anecdotes, p

Early Australian fairy tales

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