Reverend Jim, a little context please…
May 19th, 2007 by Grokker
The recent discussion and commodification of “Reverend Jim” at Faculty Academy 2007 might be better understood with a bit of context. I have to admit that I’m a bit scared that without a stable referent -or at the very least some clarification- this little joke may be misinterpreted. The reverend Jim is not to be confused with Reverend Jim Jones, the notorious lunatic who made all too many folks drink the Kool-Aid. Rather, it is in reference to a much more lovable lunatic , Jim Ignatowski, who after ingesting those “funny brownies” was never the same thereafter. The brownies in this case are the numerous sessions and overall “buzz” of Faculty Academy 2007. Who knows, music lovers out there may also make some connections with the Reverend Horton Heat as interpretation runs wild and intentionality is thrown to the wind.
Be that as it may, I think the whole “Reverend Jim” joke is a testament to the play and joy we all get out of the work we do at UMW. I’d like to take a moment and thank Barbara Ganley, Laura Blankenship, and Alan Levine for stepping into the nut house and having so much fun with it all -and raising the play and joy to yet another unthinkably amazing level. I’d also like to recognize the faculty at UMW for continuing to awe all of us each and every day we work together -most of my own groove these last few days has been fueled by the revelation that so many of the faculty grok and are implementing the “small pieces loosely joined” philosophy. Additionally, the absent presence of all the people in the ed-tech network that make this, without question, the coolest field in the world in which one could be thinking and imagining currently. Finally, I’d like to thank my colleagues at DTLT for making UMW such an inspiring and generative place to work, live, and play, despite the horrifying fact that they are currently using my uncomfortable status as fanboy to turn me into a bonafide lunatic! I’m feeling a lot of passion, joy, and general good will right now, much like I did after Northern Voice 2007, which is a very good great sign!
