(MINUTE OF MINDFULNESS)
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "We're Going To Be Friends" by The White Stripes; "Village Green Preservation Society" by The Kinks; "It Was a Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra]
It's a common phrase: "The best years of my life..." What makes one
year better than another? Assuming there is such a thing, how will you
recognize "the best years" (or moments) when they happen?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
*How to take and post notes from class)
2. MLK: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
3. Misery, hope, and ways of writing about both
4. Genre at the beginning of the 20th century: naturalism, realism, and modernism
POST:
Post your notes and observations/reflections from today's class to your blog (title: NOTES FROM TODAY'S LECTURE)
HW:
Watch it more than once. LEARN it. Comment to this post with any reactions, observations, or questions that will help you better understand it. Be ready to discuss it on Tuesday 1/21.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Thursday, January 16, 2020
january 16
JOURNAL
TOPIC: [today's tunes: "I'm Sick Y'All" by Otis Redding; "Don't Let Us
Get Sick" by Warren Zevon; "Sick City Sometimes" by Buzzcocks]
Sick. It's an awful feeling. And it seems like when we get physically sick, everyone around us has an opinion: rest up, drink fluids, see a doctor, sweat it out, take an ice bath, walk it off... How do you know what to do when you get sick?
You can also look at the word differently. There are more than a couple connotations: Dude, that's sick! I think about the roots of one synonym: disease. The denotation is, "Not at ease." How do you feel when you are not at ease, and what do you do to restore a sense of balance so that you can live your best life? (Spoiler: sitting still and/or staring at a screen probably doesn't help.)
AGENDA:
1. Journal
Sick. It's an awful feeling. And it seems like when we get physically sick, everyone around us has an opinion: rest up, drink fluids, see a doctor, sweat it out, take an ice bath, walk it off... How do you know what to do when you get sick?
You can also look at the word differently. There are more than a couple connotations: Dude, that's sick! I think about the roots of one synonym: disease. The denotation is, "Not at ease." How do you feel when you are not at ease, and what do you do to restore a sense of balance so that you can live your best life? (Spoiler: sitting still and/or staring at a screen probably doesn't help.)
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Socratic Simon Seminar: What exactly is American Literature?
3. Begin writers' conferences
4. Search online for 1 novel and 2 short stories
POSTS:
Please answer the following questions in two separate posts.
1. What is American Literature? How can you contribute to it? (title: AMERICAN LITERATURE)
2. What short stories/ novels did you find in your research? What appealed to you and why? Be sure to describe the search terms (and engines) you used and the titles/authors of the works you chose. (title: THE WORLD IS MY LIBRARY)
3. Begin writers' conferences
4. Search online for 1 novel and 2 short stories
POSTS:
Please answer the following questions in two separate posts.
1. What is American Literature? How can you contribute to it? (title: AMERICAN LITERATURE)
2. What short stories/ novels did you find in your research? What appealed to you and why? Be sure to describe the search terms (and engines) you used and the titles/authors of the works you chose. (title: THE WORLD IS MY LIBRARY)
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
meet bill the cat
This morning my dog made a sound that described exactly how I felt about the first day of school. I tried to describe this to my wife, and then I realized that a picture would be worth the right amount of words:
This is Bill the Cat (you can read his larger-than-life biography on Wikipedia HERE.) Bill was created by Berkeley Breathed for Bloom County, one of my favorite comic strips of all time. Thank you, Berkeley and Bill.
back by popular demand
Over the break I received a few requests to reinstate our "Minute of
Mindfulness" at the beginning of the period. I support the focus-- it's
good for me too!-- so we'll restart our practice on Thursday, January 16. Please be on time. If you are late to class for any reason please wait outside and get started on your journal.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
more on vaping and other ridiculously self-destructive behaviors
I've been sitting with this for 24 hours: "Should I post about what I learned at the meetings yesterday? Even though I think it's awful?"
The answer is: Yes, I should. This is how we share our thinking in an Open-Source Learning Network. So, even though I am disgusted by the topics and the fact that SMHS teachers spent hours on them in meetings about this stuff yesterday, it's important to communicate so that we're all clear. (And, as always, if you have an idea or a question about anything you read here, please feel free to comment or bring it up when we see each other in class.)
The first topic is getting to class on time. Apparently this has become some sort of campus-wide mystery. An administrator went so far as to say, "This is our problem as a community."
No, it's not.
You and I have a simple job to do. That job begins with getting to Room 619 at the same time every day, ready to learn. If I show up late (like that one day in fall when I couldn't get back from the administration hall in time for the start of a period) I get teased endlessly by a class full of students. And rightly so! It's my job to be there for you, prepared and ready to go, BEFORE the last bell rings.
That is your job too. No one else is responsible for you keeping your appointments but you.
You know me. If there is a legitimate reason or a crisis, I will understand. Life happens. But being on time is an agreement. Nobody likes or respects a person who is constantly breaking agreements. Being on time is also an important habit of mind that comes down to a personal sense of responsibility and discipline.
I trust you and I want to help you be your best self-- so, be advised, if you can't do it on your own, and your habits become a tardy, screaming cry for attention and help to get the support you need to show up on time, I will give you and your family so much attention that you'll wish you'd never been late in the first place. Better just to be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there.
The second topic relates to substance abuse. Back in September I posted this item about the health risks of vaping. What I didn't know then was that the problem (along with marijuana and alcohol, among other substances) has grown to the point where security officers and administrators have to routinely confiscate material and discipline students. I also didn't know that vaping devices routinely explode-- even when they are not in use-- and have caused injury and death to people nearby.
I'm going to keep this part short. I can empathize with anyone who is in pain, or who wants to fit in, or [whatever else might motivate someone to alter their mindset in a way that seems favorable in the moment]. However, apart from the fact that these materials are self-destructive and illegal, and so obviously not worth the risk of bringing to school and getting arrested, the fact that they can explode makes them a weapon that puts the rest of us in harm's way. I have feelings about that. I have no intention of getting hurt because someone hasn't done their research and decides to act like a sneaky, brain/lung-damaged idiot.
Substances are tricky, and so is our culture; we're going to read a novel that was written by an alcoholic who eventually killed himself by drinking too much, and we're going to read a short story by a recreational drug user who constantly wrote about getting high. So rather than act like people are perfect, let's simply agree that we all have invitations to make choices, and since your brains are developing (and you need all the neurons you have), drugs and alcohol -- or vape pens, or stupid logo sweatshirts with drawstrings you thought adults don't know about, or whatever-- have no place in the room where the rest of us are trying to live and learn.
And now back to our show. I hope you had a great break and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
The answer is: Yes, I should. This is how we share our thinking in an Open-Source Learning Network. So, even though I am disgusted by the topics and the fact that SMHS teachers spent hours on them in meetings about this stuff yesterday, it's important to communicate so that we're all clear. (And, as always, if you have an idea or a question about anything you read here, please feel free to comment or bring it up when we see each other in class.)
The first topic is getting to class on time. Apparently this has become some sort of campus-wide mystery. An administrator went so far as to say, "This is our problem as a community."
No, it's not.
You and I have a simple job to do. That job begins with getting to Room 619 at the same time every day, ready to learn. If I show up late (like that one day in fall when I couldn't get back from the administration hall in time for the start of a period) I get teased endlessly by a class full of students. And rightly so! It's my job to be there for you, prepared and ready to go, BEFORE the last bell rings.
That is your job too. No one else is responsible for you keeping your appointments but you.
You know me. If there is a legitimate reason or a crisis, I will understand. Life happens. But being on time is an agreement. Nobody likes or respects a person who is constantly breaking agreements. Being on time is also an important habit of mind that comes down to a personal sense of responsibility and discipline.
I trust you and I want to help you be your best self-- so, be advised, if you can't do it on your own, and your habits become a tardy, screaming cry for attention and help to get the support you need to show up on time, I will give you and your family so much attention that you'll wish you'd never been late in the first place. Better just to be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there.
The second topic relates to substance abuse. Back in September I posted this item about the health risks of vaping. What I didn't know then was that the problem (along with marijuana and alcohol, among other substances) has grown to the point where security officers and administrators have to routinely confiscate material and discipline students. I also didn't know that vaping devices routinely explode-- even when they are not in use-- and have caused injury and death to people nearby.
I'm going to keep this part short. I can empathize with anyone who is in pain, or who wants to fit in, or [whatever else might motivate someone to alter their mindset in a way that seems favorable in the moment]. However, apart from the fact that these materials are self-destructive and illegal, and so obviously not worth the risk of bringing to school and getting arrested, the fact that they can explode makes them a weapon that puts the rest of us in harm's way. I have feelings about that. I have no intention of getting hurt because someone hasn't done their research and decides to act like a sneaky, brain/lung-damaged idiot.
Substances are tricky, and so is our culture; we're going to read a novel that was written by an alcoholic who eventually killed himself by drinking too much, and we're going to read a short story by a recreational drug user who constantly wrote about getting high. So rather than act like people are perfect, let's simply agree that we all have invitations to make choices, and since your brains are developing (and you need all the neurons you have), drugs and alcohol -- or vape pens, or stupid logo sweatshirts with drawstrings you thought adults don't know about, or whatever-- have no place in the room where the rest of us are trying to live and learn.
And now back to our show. I hope you had a great break and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
january 15
JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Let the Day Begin" by The Call; "Where Do I Begin?" by Jill Sobule; "Begin the Begin" by R.E.M.)
Describe a thought or a feeling that you'd forgotten over break and experienced again when you walked back into this room. Now, remember that this is a new beginning, so here is the important question: How will you re/create the thoughts/feelings you WANT to have in this room this semester?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reboot/ where is your word cloud?
3. Introduction to spring semester:
- Review technical elements of literature we covered last semester
- Prepare for the final in June (!)
- Take your Big Question to the next level: Masterpiece Academy starts late April
- Win the Internet
- Speak like a pro
- Create like a genius
Research Paul Simon's album Graceland (starting with this) and come to class Thursday prepared to discuss whether this qualifies as American Literature. To do this properly, you will have to do some research and/or review your notes in order to define American Literature and make your case.
Monday, January 13, 2020
opsec on the internet
We will cover this in detail starting next week. For now, if you want to get a head start, click this link and start reading.
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