thinking about bronson alcott and jesus this morning. a motley crew of sorts. alcott is always trying to emulate his savior's "unimposing guise" and attempt this kind of seemingly egalitarian pedagogy. but after sitting with my pal alcott for the better part of a year, i just don't know that i buy it. it seems to me that like jesus -- especially in the parables -- alcott always has a rigid telos in my mind. he may seem democratic in his questions, but his specific educational goal for any moment is unchanged by his students contributions. this seems one of the essential hypocrisies in contemporary student-centered classrooms. as teachers, we claim that students will run the show and we will simply guide the discussion. such guiding, however, seems much closer to directing. we let students feel some measure of control, but we're quick to redirect when they depart too radically from our plan. it's still our plan. i for one think we should have a plan, but i also think we need to be honest and forthright about it.