A Journey Through Stories: Mythology and Folklore

Brain from the Twemoji Project. Web source: Wikimedia Commons.  A New Theory of Human Intelligence This video was a TED Talk by Scott Barry Kaufman. He began his talk by challenging the audience to think more broadly about intelligence, in a way that accounts for a person's full being. Kaufman showed examples of two school children and their behavior and success, as defined by the adults in their lives (parents, teachers, etc.). What was surprising about this demonstration was that he actually talking about the same child even though the characteristics of each student were drastically different. One was described as overactive and attention deficit while the other was described as engaged and successful in a school setting. This plays into the idea of what Kaufman explains as the "Twice-Exceptional Child," which is a child who has various strengths, but also struggles with other things that might hold them back. Kaufman spoke a lot about schools making sur...

Illustration of Sir Bors by Howard Pyle. Web source: Wikimedia Commons.  The Adventure of Sir Bors Sir Bors:  -Leaving Camelot to go on a quest -Meets a holy man on a donkey and they ride together for some time.  -Is on a quest for the Holy Graal The holy man convinces Sir Bors that he should confess his sins, so they ride until they arrive at a church where they can do so. The two men consumed water and bread together. The holy man tells Sir Bors that he prays he won't eat anything else until he completes his question. Sir Bors agrees to this. The man also tells him that he will wear a scarlet colored coat until his mission is completed. Sir Bors' life went on and he had many adventures, but he always continued to live by the words of the holy man. This story ends with Bors meeting Sir Percivale, with whom he shares his life stories.  My thoughts:  I think that I would like to add more detail to Bors' journey through life in my r...

Howard Pyle illustration from the 1903 edition of  The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. Web source: Wikimedia Commons.  I decided to divert from my original reading plan for this week and focus on the King Arthur unit. The Sword Excalibur King Arthur had been fighting with the tallest Knight in an intense battle. Apparently Arthur had been faring well with the Knight, but he still would have lost if Merlin had not put a spell on him. Merlin takes the King to get healed, and then they head on their way. Arthur complains that he has no sword but Merlin tells him that he will have one soon enough. What do you know! Moments later, they see an arm coming out of the lake holding a sword. Merlin say that this is the Lady of the Lake, and she can give the sword to Arthur if he asks nicely. When Arthur asks, the Lady tells him that he can have it, but she wants a gift in return. Arthur collects the sword now and the Lady will ask for her gift when she feels li...