Of irii iris/irises/irides and learning styles

I *can* actually — on a reeeeallly reeeaallly good day — take in information by hearing someone else talk but usually only in a classroom situation and/or if I am also taking notes. Otherwise? Whoooooooosh! And “what was it you were saying the other night?”

iris1

Written information works a little better for me iif (that was not a typo) one of these conditions is met: 1) It has been written by someone who has a good command of English grammar and syntax and how to structure informational text 2) I am actually seeking out the answer to a particular question or two or three in which case I can glean (or not glean) what I need no matter how clumsy the writer is.

iris2

Watching demonstrations is a wee bit better than listening to someone talk. As a case in point, once when the GG was outta town and the garbage disposal went down, I actually FIXED IT via watching a video on YouTube! I felt like the Master of the Universe Queen of Frickin’ Everything that day. I wasn’t so successful at fixing the water heater when the pilot light went out and the GG was outta town. But that’s because I am afraid of pilot lights and the terrifying instructions that surround lighting them. My Mouse fixed it. “I light pilot lights at work all the time.” Duh.

iris3

The best way for me to learn is to just get in there and get my hands dirty. Except for mechanical stuff. I am generally a klutz when it comes to that unless it’s something simple I can find a YouTube video for (and am not afraid of). Logging on to websites that are plagued with poor user design? I will beat my way through anything. Including, “Luuuuuuuccccyyyyy, are you still logged in?” Please log off.

iris4

My beloved three years of high school Latin conditioned me to want to pluralize nouns like iris by removing the “is” and adding an “i”. Well, except that a bit more googling tells me that the Latin plural of “iris” is “irides”. I have forgotten so much and was thinking of pluralizing “us” (I think! “Prius Prii?” 🐽). I haven’t forgotten my teacher, Mrs. Velde, Latvian concentration camp survivor who lived 5-6 blocks down Superior Street from the shabby little bungalow I grew up in.

2 Responses to “Of irii iris/irises/irides and learning styles”

  1. Sam Says:

    In my head I call them “iri” due to similar Latin training…there, my secret’s out; however, we tend to call the Prius a Prion. We are inconsistent….

  2. Margaret Says:

    You are talking learning styles! I am NOT auditory, so lecture classes were a nightmare for me, although I did find coping mechanisms. I am very visual/kinesthetic. 🙂