Loving the Existential Moment In Library Instruction!

1. Loving the Existential Moment In Library Instruction!

2. Currere (pronounced cure-rare-aye): from the Latin meaning “to run the course” or “to run the race” implies . . . • ACTION • MOVEMENT • The ABILITY TO MORPH • The ACCEPTANCE THAT SH*T HAPPENS • based on the work of William Pinar

3. CURRERE . . . FEW HAVE IT. But for those who dare to teeter on its precipice . . . You have to build up to it. “with experience, it seems to be possible To control the flow of the paint, to a great extent, And I don’t use the accident, because I deny The accident.” (Jackson Pollock)

4. You have to know who you are. You are interesting to students. You have to like that idea. • You have to know your stuff. • You have to know how to teach. You’re IT. • You have to really look at your students. Know their present arrests – learn their stories. • You have to know the world around you. • Make the most of that moment. Recontextualize, morph, flex, and pay attention. That’s currere.

5. The Perils of Currere-ing Your Class The FREUDIAN SLIP (oh-my-gawd) Being TOO irreverent Using the wrong generational metaphor Giving TOO MUCH INFORMATION The Substitute-Teacher Phenomenon

6. FREE ASSOCIATION . . . It’s a GOOD THING • Every class is a unique experience • You are forced to reconsider your own pedagogy • You begin to look forward to hecklers and malcontents • You challenge yourself to be smarter and quicker • You learn to morph • You are teaching from the heart & the head, not the blueprint

7. “I have no fears because painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.” “Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.” (Jackson Pollock)

8. CURRERE ! Be here now! Because no matter what you say or do in the classroom . . . YOU ARE THE LIBRARY . . . And YOUR STUDENTS CREATE THE CURRICULUM.

9. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s currere