Not all education happens in the classroom, or from reading textbooks. Be on the lookout for ALL the places where you can learn. If you’re really looking, you can find inspiration in the most unlikely places. Even…TWITTER.
Do you love to read? What are you reading that sparks your curiosity and brings you joy?
Kimberly Hatch Harrison (co-founder of Socratica) created this podcast to share her love of reading—a love that has the power to transform your life.
Today Kim talks about her favourite part of Aggressively Happy by Joy Marie Clarkson
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Transcript:
Welcome Everybody! To Socratica Reads. My name is Kimberly Hatch Harrison, and I’m the co-founder of Socratica. At Socratica, we’re busy creating the “Education of the Future.” We focus on math, science, and computer programming, but underlying ALL of the work we do is this basic attitude of celebrating learning. It’s a matter of acknowledging the great joy that is to be had in discovery.
Most people think about learning taking place in a traditional context: classrooms, and textbooks.
But I would argue that you have to be willing to search out knowledge and inspiration—sometimes in unlikely places.
One of the unexpected virtual places I pick up useful knowledge is…TWITTER.
Okay, yes, maybe mostly I’m just being entertained by pictures of cats, but really, I have had great success following people like scientists and writers and learning from them.
One of the people I follow on Twitter is Joy Marie Clarkson, who just published a book “Aggressively Happy.”
The title comes from a very funny online insult. Someone just couldn’t handle how positive Ms. Clarkson was. She responded by using it as her twitter description, and writing a treatise on the vital importance of finding the joy in your life. I love this response SO MUCH. I love her.
I know this is a parasocial relationship - I don’t actually know Ms. Clarkson at all, but I can’t help but feel we have a lot in common. One of my pet peeves is people who leave mean comments on our YouTube videos. What is their deal, anyway? I spend my life making gorgeous FREE high-quality educational materials. Are they trying to discourage us? My response is to block a lot of negative words, and block a lot of negative people. Ms. Clarkson went one step further, and created this book in response to the rampant negativity out there. A joyful manifesto.
I read Ms. Clarkson’s book when it came out this year, and when I finished it, I immediately turned back to the beginning and read it all over again. And here’s my favourite part:
(reads excerpt)
It turns out, Mr. Collins has a surprising strength: thankfulness. What? YES. I hope you will get your own copy of Aggressively Happy so you can read more of this wonderfully enjoyable and instructive and insightful book.
Oh!! I have to tell you about another lovely little treat that is at the end of each chapter in the book—there are recommendations of something to read, something to see, something to listen to, and a point to ponder. I love receiving and making recommendations, and this is something I’ve been doing in our monthly newsletter Socratica Dialogue, so if you’re interested in getting MY recommendations in your mailbox once a month I’ll include a link in the shownotes.
Thanks for listening.
