Doce cosas que aprendí de Chile, el país en que vivo

No sabía que para sentirme digno y útil como ser humano tendría que conseguirme un trabajo

No sabía que el desempleo es la raíz de la desigualdad en el país

No sabía que los emprendedores en Chile se crean entre políticos del gobierno de turno

No sabía que el acceso a empleos y la remuneración de mujeres eran verdaderos obstáculos para extender los meses del posnatal

No sabía que en un país con pleno empleo no tendría que salir a buscar trabajo sino que recibiría ofertas mejores de empleo

No sabía que tan solo escuchar los anuncios mejoraría mi calidad de vida y la de mi familia también

No sabía que re-destinando un punto de la tasa de cotización del Seguro de Desempleo (en un país con pleno empleo) beneficiaría durante toda su vida laboral a los trabajadores

No sabía que existía siquiera, distinción alguna entre obrero y empleado y que por tal clasificación los trabajadores no tuvieron acceso igualitario a beneficios médicos ni beneficios frente a riesgos laborales

No sabía que los alumnos de educación superior, por preferencia, querían trabajar mientras estudiaban, y que ambas actividades se pueden compatibilizar creando contratos especiales

No sabía que por consecuencia de políticas publicas serias y honestas enfocadas especialmente a l@s chilen@s más vulnerables y la clase media, que todos pudiéramos tener una vida más plena y más feliz

No sabía que con poner en mayúscula la "U" y la "N" de la frase "unidad nacional" se podía referir tanto a un conglomerado político formado en 1936 y, a la vez, a un feriado que después de tres años, sin dar señales de lograr su propósito, se suprimió

No sabía que prestando deliberada atención durante tan sólo seis minutos (más una hora de análisis mas menos) que pudiera descubrir tantos indicadores de mi propio ignorancia respecto un país en que he vivido durante diez años.

Gracias Presidente Piñera por ofrecerme esta instancia de aprendizaje.

Effects of coherent convictions/actions on a human brain

I recently switched to adding almond milk in my coffee in an effort to end my reliance on an industry which at best employs suspect practices with regard to the treatment of cows. As I was preparing myself a cup, I realized that the instant coffee grains no longer floated to the surface as they had the first time I prepared this combination.

Although seemingly a non event, it quickly dawned on me that along with the substitution of the type of milk in my coffee, and with little or no dedicated conscious thought on my part, I had unwittingly also changed the order in which I added each ingredient, a phenomenon that piqued my interest and led me to wonder how that modification in behavior might have emerged?

Admittedly, in my haste to jot down those fleeting impressions, and after having attended to the summonings of the cats I cohabitate with, I did forget to add sugar to the mix.  Being that I was already in my bedroom by the time I realized this, about to sit down to write the first draft of this blog entry, I decided to just go with it.

I guess my point is, if there is any new knowledge to be gleaned from this seemingly insignificant experience, is that it led me to wonder about whether some change had been made in my brain.  Some change which although triggered by having followed up on a decision I had previously made, might somehow have inexplicably (to me) led to subsequent changes which are more coherent* with a related conviction I maintain, even though I don't always live up to, regarding the destructive effects large “farms” have on our environment, the well being of the cows and bulls and the dehumanizing conditions the people who work at these mega installations subject themselves to in order that 1; more people may have access to pasteurized cow milk and 2; they may maintain, for themselves and their family some modicum of comfort and by extension contribute positively to the communities they live in.

That* I think/thought was/is a marvelous idea (worth further examination), which I am/had to write about and share on the internet, regardless of whether or not the topic might seem laughable.

In conclusion:

I ask you, my dear reader, to consider the following question:

¿What changes have you made recently that have had a similar positive reinforcing effect on your personal convictions?

and time permitting, share with me and whomever happens to come upon this page a comment or link to your own site in the section below.

Some things students learn at school

I imagine that at some point in everyone´s academic carreer we´ve been asked these types of questions:

What is Biology? or What is economics?

These questions, although they may seem reasonable when introducing new contento to students, I think they have little perceived value in the eyes of students.

It seems to me that students, by habit, already know that the teacher really isn´t looking for answers...

Students know that the question has an answer, an answer that will be given to them by the teacher at some point...

Students know, with almost complete certainty, that any answer they offer up, won´t be exactly what the theacher is going to write on the board, or put on the screen...

Students know, that if they stay quiet long enough, the teacher is going to have to give them the answer to move onto the next point, which is why many don´t even bother to try answering the question... ( a situation totally contradictory of how the real world works, where people won´t hang around to give you answers, before quickly finding someone else to solve their problems)

In that instant, students switch into "sponge mode", ready to consume any type of information without really questioning any of it...

In that instant, they are transformed from individual thinkers into some kind of automaton, which will make getting them to answer future question even that much more difficult after having established that there is a limit to which they can influence the course of their learning...

Without knowing it perhaps, the teacher has hacked away at the student´s desire to learn, which many, or many, had in abundance at the begining of the class or semester...

If first impresions really are important, then students look forward to a long and unmotivating semester, motivated only by the acquisition of the necessary grade to get over the class and forget what the hours, minutes and seconds they suffered through...

Although posing these kinds of questions is 1 way of getting students to participate, asking questions that have little relevance to their daily lives is probably not a recomendable strategy...

Maybe asking questions such as, What do you know about Biology, or Have they ever come into contact with any content relating to this topic? be it a movie, a book, an article or documentary could help in relating the subject to the students, demonstrating how the subject is directly related to their "big picture" of how the world works...

In a world characterized by life styles that are increasingly more active, noone has the time or interest in responding to questions when they know that the person asking the them already has the answer they´re looking for.