User:Jm34harvey

FYI: It seems incredible that as of Monday July 29, 2024 there are  articles on the English Wikiversity to work on and discuss.

Under construction: I will identify more of my activites and elaborate their descriptions as my inclination and time permits.

My name is John Harvey. Like most people, my life has included an assortment of seemingly unrelated activities. I would like to believe that there has been some underlying theme.

Birthright Quaker
I am a birthright Quaker and active in Fayetteville Monthly Meeting in northwest Arkansas.

After getting married, one of my aunts gave us a typewritten copy of my Harvey family tree which traced my Quaker roots back ten generations. My immigrant ancester, William Harvey (1678-1754), moved to Pennsylvania in 1712 where he attended Kennett Meeting. Sometimes, my wife jokingly accuses me of marrying her under false pretences by not revealing the extent of my Quaker background.

Since my Quakerism grew from the time of my birth, my perceptions depend a great deal on what kind of Quakers my parents were. This is both an advantage and disadvantage. "Convinced Quakers", "Convicted Quakers" and "Realized Quakers" have the advantage of looking at their Quakerism through new eyes.

Computer Geek (retired)
I started programming in 1965. My native computer language was FORTRAN 2. I retired on Dec 31, 1999, just before Y2K.

Amateur Educationist
As an amateur educationist, I am spearheading the formation of a local public education foundation in Lincoln, AR, my adopted hometown.

Lincoln Public Education Foundation
The stated purpose of the foundation is to enhance the quality of education in the Lincoln Public Schools by procuring and providing the necessary funds for worthwhile programs and to recognize and reward the achievements of students, faculty, staff, parents, and others providing contributions to the school district.

Motto: Planting seeds for our children's future.

Objective: The Lincoln Public Education Foundation will provide funds that will enhance the education provided to students by Lincoln schools which will enable them to successfully meet their full potential and thrive in an ever-changing world.

Pragmaticist
In October 2006, I learned that Albert Upton, the teacher who had the most profound effect on my thinking skills, derived his teaching ideas indirectly from the pragmaticism of Charles Peirce.

Upton's book | Design for Thinking, A First Book in Semantics is based on The Meaning of Meaning by Charles Kay Ogden and I. A. Richards. Ogden was influenced by Charles Peirce through Lady Victoria Welby.

Jan 31 2007: Because my focus is on how to teach higher order thinking skills to children, I'm not sure that Pragmaticist is the right term for me. I am immersing myself in Peircean writings and expect to make this statement more definitive in the near future.