Grains of Sand

A Professor’s Perspective on Time, Teaching, and Transformation

Stardust and Classrooms: Discovering Meaning in Life’s Journey

Professor Bowne in one of four classrooms. His 4pm class reminds him of 605 — a classroom for 25 years.

My college freshmen in Elements of Writing interviewed each other, using ten questions they generated, about what they learned in class. About anything. They answered as Voice to Text, and then used “Monsieur Claude — AI” to format the raw text while retaining the voice and tone. But first they each asked a question for me. This will all go in their Semester Portfolio with a front cover design.

Q: What is the reason you wake up every day? — Caden

A: That’s a very good question. I wake up and think, ‘What good can I do today?’ It’s a mindset inspired by Benjamin Franklin, who would ask himself this every morning and reflect on it at night. What good did I do? For me, it’s not about being productive every second but staying aware of how I use my time.

I often picture life as an hourglass. Every grain of sand that falls brings us closer to death. There is no flipping for a do-over. Being conscious of mortality keeps me focused on making a difference. I even practice ‘dying’ in my thoughts daily — not to be morbid, but to lessen my fear of death and remind myself to live with…