My best wishes for your holidays. Thanks to those who read the blogfaithfully as well as those who read it intermittently. I enjoy meeting you onmy travels and hearing about a blog post that you’ve read and appreciated. Iwork hard to make them useful—hoping to enlarge your understanding, challengeyour thinking, and offer new instructional ideas. Thanks to those of you whosend emails commenting on various entries and most especially to those of youwho post comments. The most regular commenter is my great friend and colleague,Larry Spence. He deserves a special thanks.

Larry and I had breakfast this morning. He’s just about the smartest personI know—one of those people with expansive knowledge about a whole array ofthings—Renaissance art, cooking, coaching soccer—but his passion is learningand how neuroscience research which seeks to unlock how the brain works. “Whatthey’re really finding out,” Larry tells me “is how much we don’t know aboutbrains and learning.” Larry discusses what he’s reading and how his writing isgoing. I share one of my recent article finds—which Larry has read and foundwanting. We regularly disagree, but we also give each other credit for makingpoints.

The holidays are for celebrating and there are many things worth celebratinglike good friends and colleagues, rich conversations that engage our minds, andthose who share resources, offer advice and linger with us over coffee. We allneed these times of refreshment and rejuvenation. I wish them for you thisholiday. They are gifts, perhaps even more important than the ones under thetree.

Until next year, here’s to a season that celebrates all things that bringyou joy, but most especially those people (family, friends, colleagues,students, and co-workers) who make our lives so worth living.

TeachingProfessor