Weekends

This weekend, I went home to spend time with my family. In many ways, this is significant. There was a time when I could not be dragged kicking and screaming back to Visalia, CA. Once there, I would soon break out in hives and have trouble breathing due to the claustrophobic feeling that I would be trapped there with no way out. Now, the negative feelings towards my hometown have diminished greatly, and I will actually choose to go back there on occasion. This was one of those times. I spent it baking mostly, topping off what was a successful run of cookies, fudge, and bread pudding with complete failure. I love it when success and pride come before the sour taste of ruin. Oh well, it was only one batch of cookies (minus the butter- apparently a key ingredient). Other than that, I spent time sitting quietly with my father, who for the first time in his life is not supposed to talk due to a possible polyp on his vocal chord (this awful thing causes your vocal chords to rub against each other and become irritated, it must be surgically removed- scary!). My father, retired teacher and preacher, is not supposed to talk louder than a soft, indoor voice. It is killing him emotionally, and it bothers my mom, who is used to hearing his voice constantly. Isn't that funny, sometimes we don't miss something until it is gone? I want my father's voice back, especially his sharing of trivial stories and facts he reads in the newspaper, his updated statistics on the big businesses of the world, and his recounting of his adventures around town. Instead, he listens a lot, which is nice, but different. Six weeks, and then hopefully the nasty polyp will either a)be healed, b)need surgery- MORE silence, or c)be something else entirely- possibly cancer or permanent damage- fun! Needless to say, I'm glad I was able to enjoy this weekend. Life is short and taken for granted too often.

Soldiers and High School students- similar? different?

I just finished reading an article on Birmingham High in the SF Valley and how they are trying to help students stay in school. It started me thinking about several aspects of high school life, and how it is similar to a soldier's life. Firstly, you must be prepared, including bringing the right materials and the right attitude to school (or war). Secondly, who you are connected with influences your success- your friends will drag you down or lift you up. Thirdly, how hard you work along the way will make a difference to the outcome and to how far you go, which is also true in the military. Yet there are, of course, contrasts. I would like you to complete the following: 1) Read the article here: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-dropout9dec09,0,7516387.story?page=1&track=crosspromo&coll=la-headlines-frontpage 2) Think about what contributes to success at school, both from the student's perspective and from the school's perspective. Then, think about what contributes to success in a war. How can you categorize success from a student's standpoint, and how can you characterize success from a warrior's perspective? Jot down your thoughts on this in preparation to write. 3) Compare and contrast your school experience with the war experience we are reading about. I understand that high school is probably not as full of physical danger, but think abstractly- what are some "dangers" you and your friends have faced? How is Lincoln like a "minefield" in a war? How is it different? Consider these questions, and write a 250-word response (about 3/4 of a page) that shows thoughtfulness and points out similarities and differences. It is due by the end of the period, either posted to my blog as a comment or printed out on Microsoft Word.

Reflection on The Things They Carried- Chapters 1 and 2

If you did not get a chance to before, view the Iraq photoessay on the Time magazine website. You can find it by clicking on the link to the left, then clicking on "view full photoessay" at the end of the article. Watch the entire presentation, then record your thoughts. I'd like to hear your comparison/contrast of the Iraq war to the Vietnam war. Also, is it valid to compare the two in the first place? Finally, in your response, consider the difference in mediums- we are reading a book based on what soldiers "carried", but we can also watch a slideshow with photographs depicting similar events. What are the differences between the two representations? What are the different or similar effects of each medium? Which would you say is more powerful and why? Your response should be posted as a comment and should be a minimum of 500 words. It is due at the end of class today. Please show thoughtfulness and creativity in your responses.

Melinda remembers...

How do we know who to trust? We are witnessing Melinda's struggle with this. It seems she can trust no one. Her supposedly "best" friends have betrayed her and ditched out on her, making her a social outcast. Her parents think she is going through a "phase". Teachers/counselors/principal think she is just rebellious. Is it true that she doesn't have anyone trustworthy in her life? Or is fear ruling her decision not to tell anyone about what happened to her? What do you think? Do you find it difficult or easy to trust others? Has your trust ever been betrayed? After thinking about these questions, post a comment that addresses the issue of trust (min. 250 words).

Monday morning- P.2

Melinda had a group of friends in jr. high, now, however, she is Outcast because of what happened at the party. I remember my transition between middle school and high school. It was awkward, to say the least, because I stood out already so much physically (I was already 6 ft tall in the 8th grade). I remember playing volleyball and really liking it before starting freshman year, yet when I tried to make friends with the girls on the team, most of them were already busy with their own childhood friends. Also, my family went on a trip through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada the summer before 9th grade. I missed out on many of the "summer" activities because I was riding around the western U.S. a road trip with my folks. My first day of school was filled with social displacement until I connected with my choir friends. Suddenly, I remembered why I loved my fellow musician-dorks. They were all pretty much as socially awkward as I was! What are some of the things you see Melinda learning about friendship in the book SPEAK? What have you learned about friendship during your freshman year? How do we choose our friends and who we spend time with? Is it a choice, or is it a natural occurrence? Post your thoughts on these questions.

Monday morning- P.1

I'm trying to see how many connections I can make between classical mythology and our present culture. This weekend, it was constantly running through my head, and I came up with several "new" discoveries of connections: our idea of Fate (if you believe in it) as a force that decides the outcome to human events comes from classical mythology, the idea of true and romantic love appears in so many things- books, magazines, movies, television. Also, the idea of the hero- the man who accomplishes incredible feats is present in today's society especially in movies such as Troy, Flags of Our Fathers, Pearl Harbor, Disney cartoons, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings. These are ideas and beliefs the Greeks and Romans had about the world, but they have influenced our own ideas and beliefs, which is incredible when you really think about it. In reading the chapter about how the world got started, consider how the classical myth differs from our scientific theory-based explanations today. What does this tell us about the Greeks and Romans? What does it say about us? In at least one paragraph (250 words), comment on what you think about the two questions above. Post your comment.

Tuesday...sigh, why can't it be Friday?

This morning started out with a guy who was six inches shorter than me and tried to flirt with me in the Starbucks line. Cute, and a firefighter...maybe I need to let go of this whole heighth thing? Then, the massive copier in the basement became entangled and jammed with sheets of paper while I was copying on it this morning at 7:40am. Yes, 13 minutes before I had to complete my morning jog up to Room 804. I love my life. I finally became so frustrated I ran out of the copy room, leaving the mangled copier behing and murmuring an apology to the line of teachers backed-up behind me. Something about, "Sorry I broke the copier". I'm sure that made us all feel so much better!

Mythology Quiz- Period 1

Hello period 1. Here is your quiz on the 2nd half of chapter 1 and chapter 2 of mythology. Post your answers as a comment to this blogpost by clicking on the pencil. 1. Why is Eros often represented as blindfolded? 2. According to the book, who is Triton? 3. What is Cerberus and what does he guard? 4. What is the significance of Lethe? 5. Who was Janus and what month was named after him? 6. Summarize the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. What human emotion does this myth show the Gods could also feel? 7. How are the different characteristics of the God Dionysus (Bacchus) contrasted?

Thoughts on the author- Tim O'Brien

"Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a lifetime ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That's what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story." ~Tim O'Brien What do you think about this? How is this expressed in the first chapter of the book, The Things They Carried? Write about this for 15 minutes, and post your results as a comment. If that doesn't work, then print out your response and turn it in by the end of the period.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I ate too much...the stomachache on Saturday communicated to me how truly over-indulgent this holiday becomes. Other than that, 3 crazy days and nights filled with family- fun! It was nice to come back and enjoy my solitude, while examining and agonizing over the family foibles. Now, it's back to getting up early (at least for three weeks) and enjoying what my students have to share about their T-giving breaks!

Expo Comp Essay test on Jonathan Swift

Okay, here's the test. We have read and discussed "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. I would like you to answer the following questions: 1) What satirical techniques does Swift use to create his "proposal"? Please name at least two, use quotes to support your ideas, and describe the effect of these techniques. How do they help us to know that he is not seriously proposing that we eat babies? 2) There was some fallout after Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal." Using the internet as your research tool, describe how Swift was viewed by his countrymen after this essay was published. 3) In your opinion, using supporting examples based on your own experience and research, is satire an effective writing tool to change the world? Does it constitute subversive writing? Make sure you expand and support your answer. Think of it as a persuasive piece- you are trying to persuade me to agree with you.

Indie Reading- Characters' songs

Hey, Period 2 and 3! Lemme know what 5-7 songs would play on an Ipod that belonged to one of your characters. You can choose any character from a book you've read recently. Also, please include a short explanation with your selections.