If you think of education as trying to fill a brain with information as you would fill a cup with water, this week has been like filling a cup from a fire hydrant.
Several hundreds of gallons of information have been flung in my general direction, but of that, pitifully little has been retained. Some is not retained because it never actually reached my cup–it flew right by on either side. Other information reached my cup, but was thrown so forcefully that it splashed right out. Still other information was lost when my cup overflowed.
So the result of my intense orientation is a mish-mash of information, divorced from the context that makes it useful. Have I learned anything this week? Yes. What did I learn? I don’t know. Whatever I have learned has been pitifully small compared to what I was expected to learn.
For now I have two simple goals: 1) Be at the right place at the right time and 2) Be willing to try to learn while I’m there. No doubt my goals will become more focused as I spend a bit more time in specific places. But for now, I’ll be there and I’ll try. That’s about all I can do.