This is only a test.
1. Take the test.
2. JOURNAL TOPIC: How did you do on the test? Why?
Friday, September 29, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
september 28
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Alive" by Pearl Jam]
What makes you feel Alive? Not just like you're functioning, not just surviving, but really, truly Alive? (My inner surfer might call this "stoked.") Describe a moment that you conquered a fear, did something that made you feel triumphant, or experienced anything else that shocked you into a feeling of being totally Alive. It can be as simple as the hot water shutting off or realizing you walked into a room for something and totally forgetting why.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Actual TIP v. Ideal TIP
3. Exam review (if necessary :)
What makes you feel Alive? Not just like you're functioning, not just surviving, but really, truly Alive? (My inner surfer might call this "stoked.") Describe a moment that you conquered a fear, did something that made you feel triumphant, or experienced anything else that shocked you into a feeling of being totally Alive. It can be as simple as the hot water shutting off or realizing you walked into a room for something and totally forgetting why.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Actual TIP v. Ideal TIP
3. Exam review (if necessary :)
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
september 27
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Time" by Pink Floyd]
Describe your understanding and experience of time. Is there ever enough? When does it go faster or slower? Do you have the sense you use it well? Why/why not?
-OR-
What are you doing here? Seriously: why are you in class today? What do you WANT?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Time: Language, Conflict & The American Way
3. Time & Your Goals
Describe your understanding and experience of time. Is there ever enough? When does it go faster or slower? Do you have the sense you use it well? Why/why not?
-OR-
What are you doing here? Seriously: why are you in class today? What do you WANT?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Time: Language, Conflict & The American Way
3. Time & Your Goals
categories of time allocation
To build on today's class, here is some more information about the categories of time allocation:
SELLING TIME
When you go to work or school, you agree to allocate a specific amount of time to activities determined by your involvement with an organization. In return, the organization to which you allocate your time agrees to compensate you with a specific amount of money.
In making this exchange, you place a dollar amount on the time you sell to your employer (or client). Selling time activities are those which generate benefits recognized in the marketplace; the currency of selling time includes money, grades, professional development, and prestige.
Working is a clear illustration of selling time. However, we engage in many "selling time" activities without even thinking about it. If an executive goes to the dentist, and picks up a business magazine because he sees an article about his company's main competitor, is he selling time? You bet.
Because an activity is defined by the benefit it provides, selling time is not limited to work. Attending school, studying, and reading trade publications are all examples of selling time. Even reading the newspaper or watching TV can be examples of selling time, if they help us make money, get grades, or advance our professional development.
GIVING TIME
This category of time use involves creating and maintaining relationships with other people. Human beings are social animals, and we depend on interaction with others for our emotional and social well-being.
Giving time refers specifically to the activities that create and enhance your personal relationships: friends, family, loved ones.
Many people believe they are giving time when they're working. However, when they are asked in confidence, many coworkers confess that they would not socialize with each other if they didn't work together.
The times when you interact with family and friends create warm feelings of affection, belonging, and love. Our need for these feelings is intense, and yet we often find it difficult to reserve time for these activities. When I was young, I wondered why my grandmother ran around with the camera at family events. Now I know she was trying to capture the feelings of those all-too-rare moments.
Advertisers understand this dynamic, and they try to convince us that our giving time needs can be met through buying things. We are bombarded with information on products that will supposedly enable us to create and sustain relationships. But there is no over-the-counter solution. As the saying goes, if you want to dance you have to pay the band. And, if you want communicative, loving, honest relationships, you have to invest time in them.
Activities that yield social benefits include conversations, writing (in any channel), or sharing memorable events. On a broader scale, you can also give time through volunteering and community participation.
SPENDING TIME
When we sell or give time, we focus our attention outward, toward the marketplace or other people. Spending time addresses our individual, internal needs. We spend time on things we love, things we do for free when no one is watching, things that make us better people.
Spending time activities may include spirituality, hobbies, talents, or passions. You can spend time through meditation, or prayer, gardening, exercise, woodworking, playing a musical instrument, scuba diving, painting, skiing, or thousands of other activities.
Spending time is as individual as the person who does the spending. When he was alive, my Uncle Charles spent many hours with his stamp collection (*he was the world's leading authority on Maltese stamps). He also composed music (that was played at Albert Hall in London) and he played the violin and piano-- when he wasn't treating patients in his dental practice. He proficient in these and other areas of his life, but it was really the stamps that brought him joy. He would spend hours poring over auction catalogs. Why? Not for the money. Not for the company. Uncle Charles collected and curated stamps simply because it fascinated him.
PASSING TIME
Passing time is a misnomer. We do not pass time. True, there are times when we choose not to do something active, but that is when time passes us.
In terms of achieving our goals, passing time helps us indirectly. We need the opportunity to rest and recover, so that we can approach our next activities with renewed energy. The value of rest is evident throughout history, as in the concept of the Sabbath.
Selling, giving, and spending time all have directed purposes. Passing time activities are designed to distract us from the concerns and pressures of the real world. Entertainment products such as TV shows and movies typically relieve us of the need to think, worry, or actually do anything. (NOTE: video games can fall into this category, but often they exercise more of our brains than we think, and so may be more accurately categorized as spending, giving, or even selling time activities.)
Goal-oriented people typically pass time only for the purposes of getting relief or recharging their batteries, perhaps at the end of the day or during the weekend. It is worth noting that people who have a keen sense of the future do not pass much time. Our awareness of the consequences of our actions, and of time's rapid progress, compels us to achieve our goals (or feel stress if we are unable to take action).
SELLING TIME
When you go to work or school, you agree to allocate a specific amount of time to activities determined by your involvement with an organization. In return, the organization to which you allocate your time agrees to compensate you with a specific amount of money.
In making this exchange, you place a dollar amount on the time you sell to your employer (or client). Selling time activities are those which generate benefits recognized in the marketplace; the currency of selling time includes money, grades, professional development, and prestige.
Working is a clear illustration of selling time. However, we engage in many "selling time" activities without even thinking about it. If an executive goes to the dentist, and picks up a business magazine because he sees an article about his company's main competitor, is he selling time? You bet.
Because an activity is defined by the benefit it provides, selling time is not limited to work. Attending school, studying, and reading trade publications are all examples of selling time. Even reading the newspaper or watching TV can be examples of selling time, if they help us make money, get grades, or advance our professional development.
GIVING TIME
This category of time use involves creating and maintaining relationships with other people. Human beings are social animals, and we depend on interaction with others for our emotional and social well-being.
Giving time refers specifically to the activities that create and enhance your personal relationships: friends, family, loved ones.
Many people believe they are giving time when they're working. However, when they are asked in confidence, many coworkers confess that they would not socialize with each other if they didn't work together.
The times when you interact with family and friends create warm feelings of affection, belonging, and love. Our need for these feelings is intense, and yet we often find it difficult to reserve time for these activities. When I was young, I wondered why my grandmother ran around with the camera at family events. Now I know she was trying to capture the feelings of those all-too-rare moments.
Advertisers understand this dynamic, and they try to convince us that our giving time needs can be met through buying things. We are bombarded with information on products that will supposedly enable us to create and sustain relationships. But there is no over-the-counter solution. As the saying goes, if you want to dance you have to pay the band. And, if you want communicative, loving, honest relationships, you have to invest time in them.
Activities that yield social benefits include conversations, writing (in any channel), or sharing memorable events. On a broader scale, you can also give time through volunteering and community participation.
SPENDING TIME
When we sell or give time, we focus our attention outward, toward the marketplace or other people. Spending time addresses our individual, internal needs. We spend time on things we love, things we do for free when no one is watching, things that make us better people.
Spending time activities may include spirituality, hobbies, talents, or passions. You can spend time through meditation, or prayer, gardening, exercise, woodworking, playing a musical instrument, scuba diving, painting, skiing, or thousands of other activities.
Spending time is as individual as the person who does the spending. When he was alive, my Uncle Charles spent many hours with his stamp collection (*he was the world's leading authority on Maltese stamps). He also composed music (that was played at Albert Hall in London) and he played the violin and piano-- when he wasn't treating patients in his dental practice. He proficient in these and other areas of his life, but it was really the stamps that brought him joy. He would spend hours poring over auction catalogs. Why? Not for the money. Not for the company. Uncle Charles collected and curated stamps simply because it fascinated him.
PASSING TIME
Passing time is a misnomer. We do not pass time. True, there are times when we choose not to do something active, but that is when time passes us.
In terms of achieving our goals, passing time helps us indirectly. We need the opportunity to rest and recover, so that we can approach our next activities with renewed energy. The value of rest is evident throughout history, as in the concept of the Sabbath.
Selling, giving, and spending time all have directed purposes. Passing time activities are designed to distract us from the concerns and pressures of the real world. Entertainment products such as TV shows and movies typically relieve us of the need to think, worry, or actually do anything. (NOTE: video games can fall into this category, but often they exercise more of our brains than we think, and so may be more accurately categorized as spending, giving, or even selling time activities.)
Goal-oriented people typically pass time only for the purposes of getting relief or recharging their batteries, perhaps at the end of the day or during the weekend. It is worth noting that people who have a keen sense of the future do not pass much time. Our awareness of the consequences of our actions, and of time's rapid progress, compels us to achieve our goals (or feel stress if we are unable to take action).
september 26
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. & "Time is on My Side" by The Rolling Stones]
Oh yeah, right-- the world was supposed to end on Saturday. What if you lived every day like it was your last? What if you learned and loved and laughed and made every second your masterpiece? What would that actually look like?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Time Investment Portfolio categories
Oh yeah, right-- the world was supposed to end on Saturday. What if you lived every day like it was your last? What if you learned and loved and laughed and made every second your masterpiece? What would that actually look like?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Time Investment Portfolio categories
Monday, September 25, 2017
september 25
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Are You Real" by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers]
Last week we talked about how we see reality and distinguish it from dreaming. As you think about characters in stories and people you know, what gives you the sense that someone is real? Why do you think the phrase "keeping it real" became popular? What does the word "real" mean when we use it to describe how people act in their communication/relationships with others?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Goals and how we use our time
3. vocab: fall list #4
Last week we talked about how we see reality and distinguish it from dreaming. As you think about characters in stories and people you know, what gives you the sense that someone is real? Why do you think the phrase "keeping it real" became popular? What does the word "real" mean when we use it to describe how people act in their communication/relationships with others?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Goals and how we use our time
3. vocab: fall list #4
Friday, September 22, 2017
if you want to know what an awesome blog looks like...
...read this one. This is why we do what we do.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
september 22
JOURNAL TOPIC:
What is it about a good story (movie, book, TV show) that gets our attention? Describe a time you got sucked in by a good story.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Essay critique
3. SMART goals
4. Next week in advance
What is it about a good story (movie, book, TV show) that gets our attention? Describe a time you got sucked in by a good story.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Essay critique
3. SMART goals
4. Next week in advance
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
september 21
JOURNAL TOPIC:
Please Note: Today's journal is designed to be written in reflection, AFTER you write your essay.
What did you do well? What part of the assignment gave you clarity and an opportunity to do your best work? What challenged you? What part of the assignment required you to stretch and figure something new out? What can you improve?
AGENDA:
Please choose one of the following prompts. Respond on your blog with a post entitled, ON THE PATH. Your response should written in the form of a well-organized essay that demonstrates your clearest thinking, best grammar and spelling etc.
Prompt 1
What is the theme of the short story "Young Goodman Brown"? Describe at least three elements (such as diction, syntax, tone, characterization) or textual samples (quotes) from the story that led you to your conclusion.
Prompt 2
What is the tone of the short story "Young Goodman Brown"? Describe at least three elements (such as diction, syntax, tone, characterization) or textual samples (quotes) from the story that led you to your conclusion.
Prompt 3
Compare "Young Goodman Brown" with the poem "Dream Within a Dream." Apart from the fact that one is a poem and one is written in prose, what else describes the similarities and differences between the two?
Prompt 4
Is Young Goodman Brown a static character or a dynamic character? What is he like at the end of the story? Did he experience something real in the woods or was it a dream? Please use at least two elements or quotes from the story to support your points.
Prompt 5
Research the authors of "Young Goodman Brown" and "Dream Within a Dream." How did their lives influence their writing? Use at least three facts you learn about their lives to make educated guesses about how they wrote.
Please Note: Today's journal is designed to be written in reflection, AFTER you write your essay.
What did you do well? What part of the assignment gave you clarity and an opportunity to do your best work? What challenged you? What part of the assignment required you to stretch and figure something new out? What can you improve?
AGENDA:
Please choose one of the following prompts. Respond on your blog with a post entitled, ON THE PATH. Your response should written in the form of a well-organized essay that demonstrates your clearest thinking, best grammar and spelling etc.
Prompt 1
What is the theme of the short story "Young Goodman Brown"? Describe at least three elements (such as diction, syntax, tone, characterization) or textual samples (quotes) from the story that led you to your conclusion.
Prompt 2
What is the tone of the short story "Young Goodman Brown"? Describe at least three elements (such as diction, syntax, tone, characterization) or textual samples (quotes) from the story that led you to your conclusion.
Prompt 3
Compare "Young Goodman Brown" with the poem "Dream Within a Dream." Apart from the fact that one is a poem and one is written in prose, what else describes the similarities and differences between the two?
Prompt 4
Is Young Goodman Brown a static character or a dynamic character? What is he like at the end of the story? Did he experience something real in the woods or was it a dream? Please use at least two elements or quotes from the story to support your points.
Prompt 5
Research the authors of "Young Goodman Brown" and "Dream Within a Dream." How did their lives influence their writing? Use at least three facts you learn about their lives to make educated guesses about how they wrote.
september 20
JOURNAL TOPIC:
Compare and contrast "Young Goodman Brown" with "Dream Within a Dream." Apart from the fact that one is a poem and one is prose, what do the two pieces have in common, and how are they different?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Essay topics
3. SMART goals
Compare and contrast "Young Goodman Brown" with "Dream Within a Dream." Apart from the fact that one is a poem and one is prose, what do the two pieces have in common, and how are they different?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Essay topics
3. SMART goals
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
september 19
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: Theme from the movie "Inception"]
Describe a nightmare or a bad dream you had. (If you haven't had one, think of a fearful daydream.) How did you know it wasn't real?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish YGB
3. "Dream Within a Dream"
4. Essay / topics
5. Big Questions / SMART goals
HW:
1. Post essay (due Friday)
2. Post SMART goal (due Friday
Describe a nightmare or a bad dream you had. (If you haven't had one, think of a fearful daydream.) How did you know it wasn't real?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish YGB
3. "Dream Within a Dream"
4. Essay / topics
5. Big Questions / SMART goals
HW:
1. Post essay (due Friday)
2. Post SMART goal (due Friday
Monday, September 18, 2017
september 18
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" & "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones]
Do we still want what we want by the time we get it? Kids want to be older, adults want to be kids. We want more independence, we want someone to take care of us. Do you know what you want? Does it feel good to get what you want? Have we just gotten really good at wanting? Give this your best thinking, to be continued in discussion tomorrow...
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown" -- ending and interpretations
3. "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe
HW:
1. Post definitions/images/sentences/whatever for vocab list #3 (title: FALL VOCAB 3)
Do we still want what we want by the time we get it? Kids want to be older, adults want to be kids. We want more independence, we want someone to take care of us. Do you know what you want? Does it feel good to get what you want? Have we just gotten really good at wanting? Give this your best thinking, to be continued in discussion tomorrow...
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown" -- ending and interpretations
3. "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe
HW:
1. Post definitions/images/sentences/whatever for vocab list #3 (title: FALL VOCAB 3)
i just had an idea
At some point I'm going to ask you what the image below has to do with T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock":
goalllllllll
"Why bother creating our own goals," a student asked me once, "when we're already told what it means to succeed in school? Aren't we just supposed to get A's?"
Being able to set and achieve goals is important in every endeavor: sports, organizations, self-improvement, emptying the dishwasher before your mother gets home. Even though they know their roles and agree on the idea of winning, for example, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski requires his players to set goals for themselves and the team each season. In Coach K's words, “Mutual commitment helps overcome the fear of failure—especially when people are part of a team sharing and achieving goals. It also sets the stage for open dialogue and honest conversation.”
When you share your goals you're sharing ideas that inform and inspire your colleagues. These goals will form the basis for your Learning Plan for the rest of the year, so please don't delay: get the job done.
Keep something else in mind. Unlike players on a basketball team, you are being allowed, encouraged, and required to change the game itself. Why not analyze a political argument by comparing it with your favorite book or movie? If you zone out and watch somebody's cat on YouTube for a while, fine. (!) And then think about how to demonstrate what you just experienced in your mind in such a way that it will help us. What's that? You'd rather build a robotic cat that writes, reads, interprets, and explains political arguments to irritating teacher types? Cool. You can do that too.
If you are still thinking of this as a high school course to be gamed, please immediately find your closest friend and ask her to roll up a newspaper and smack you on the nose with it.* (*If this doesn't work the first time, ask a friend who reads the newspaper on a computer.**) [**In this day and age, I should probably point out that this is not a literal instruction. Hands are not for hitting. Baseball bats are, but that isn't really relevant or appropriate here and now I find myself wondering how Montaigne ever righted the thinking ship once he got off on one of these tangents.] If you're one of those people who cut corners and thought we didn't notice, she will be doing you a favor. It's better that you get your act together in private before we get started, before everyone sees what you do all the time, before 70% of your course grade is determined by your learning network. Yep. That's right. You won't succeed without them.
The first month was rehearsal. This is showtime.
More on how to achieve your goals and develop your community of critique tomorrow.
vocabulary: fall list #3
coherent
belabor
eschew
acquisitive
emulate
banal
excoriation
congeal
carping
substantiate
temporize
largesse
tenable
insatiable
reconnaissance
germane
ramify
intransigent
taciturn
belabor
eschew
acquisitive
emulate
banal
excoriation
congeal
carping
substantiate
temporize
largesse
tenable
insatiable
reconnaissance
germane
ramify
intransigent
taciturn
Friday, September 15, 2017
announcements september 15
Bulletin for Friday, September 15, 2017
GENERAL
§ Minimum Day: Friday, September 15, 2017
§ Collaboration Day: Every Monday
§ Attention OTCR Students: If you have been referred to make up credits in the OTCR Program, please meet in room 235 after 7th period beginning on Tuesday, September 19th.
§ Attention sophomores, do you want to be the next class officer? If so, come to an informational meeting TODAY in room 609 – the ASB room.
§ Hey Saints! Have you turned in your LUNCH application this year? If NOT, YOU WILL BE DROPPED from the lunch program. Turn in your lunch application today or apply online for a 1 day process at family.titank12.com! See Community Liaison-Patty Lopez in room 122, next to the attendance, if you have any questions.
GENERAL
§ Minimum Day: Friday, September 15, 2017
§ Collaboration Day: Every Monday
§ Attention OTCR Students: If you have been referred to make up credits in the OTCR Program, please meet in room 235 after 7th period beginning on Tuesday, September 19th.
§ Attention sophomores, do you want to be the next class officer? If so, come to an informational meeting TODAY in room 609 – the ASB room.
§ Hey Saints! Have you turned in your LUNCH application this year? If NOT, YOU WILL BE DROPPED from the lunch program. Turn in your lunch application today or apply online for a 1 day process at family.titank12.com! See Community Liaison-Patty Lopez in room 122, next to the attendance, if you have any questions.
september 15
JOURNAL TOPIC:
What's on your mind? Write about that.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish progress report conferences
3. Finish/post YGB questions
4. Vocab quiz?
5. Preview of coming attractions
What's on your mind? Write about that.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish progress report conferences
3. Finish/post YGB questions
4. Vocab quiz?
5. Preview of coming attractions
Thursday, September 14, 2017
september 14
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Changes" by David Bowie]
Change can be exciting. Change can be hard. In Buddhism, changes are described as "little deaths" -- i.e., when things change, the way they used to be is gone. Describe a change in your life. It can be major or no big deal. It can be positive or negative. The important thing is to describe how things became different, and how you experienced the process.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Progress report conferences (continued)
3. Complete and post your answers to the YGB questions
4. Post definitions/examples for Vocab list #2 (and/or study for tomorrow's quiz?)
Change can be exciting. Change can be hard. In Buddhism, changes are described as "little deaths" -- i.e., when things change, the way they used to be is gone. Describe a change in your life. It can be major or no big deal. It can be positive or negative. The important thing is to describe how things became different, and how you experienced the process.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Progress report conferences (continued)
3. Complete and post your answers to the YGB questions
4. Post definitions/examples for Vocab list #2 (and/or study for tomorrow's quiz?)
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
september 13
JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "The End" by The Doors)
If you've read the rest of "Young Goodman Brown," summarize what happens when he goes deeper into the woods and describe his character at the end of the story. If you haven't yet read it, use your imagination and do those same two things.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Progress report conferences
3. Finish reading "Young Goodman Brown" and post the answers to the YGB questions on your blog
4. Independent work: vocab prep, hack to school script, reading/literature analysis
If you've read the rest of "Young Goodman Brown," summarize what happens when he goes deeper into the woods and describe his character at the end of the story. If you haven't yet read it, use your imagination and do those same two things.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Progress report conferences
3. Finish reading "Young Goodman Brown" and post the answers to the YGB questions on your blog
4. Independent work: vocab prep, hack to school script, reading/literature analysis
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
september 12
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "The Long & Winding Road" by The Beatles]
Today you have a choice:
1. Based on the couple paragraphs we read together yesterday, why do you think Young Goodman Brown left his house? Where is he going? What could possibly make him leave his Faith?
(*Since you have very little information from the text itself, feel free to use your imagination.)
-OR-
2. Imagine Donald Trump's hair as an evil character. Write a story in which you wake up with that hair on your head, and describe the battle of good and evil as it threatens to suck the brains right out of your head.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown"
3. Progress Report conferences and independent work (vocab, blogging, reading)
* PERIOD 3 SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTATION
Today you have a choice:
1. Based on the couple paragraphs we read together yesterday, why do you think Young Goodman Brown left his house? Where is he going? What could possibly make him leave his Faith?
(*Since you have very little information from the text itself, feel free to use your imagination.)
-OR-
2. Imagine Donald Trump's hair as an evil character. Write a story in which you wake up with that hair on your head, and describe the battle of good and evil as it threatens to suck the brains right out of your head.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown"
3. Progress Report conferences and independent work (vocab, blogging, reading)
* PERIOD 3 SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTATION
Monday, September 11, 2017
Sunday, September 10, 2017
september 11
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" by Neil Young]
Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words." What do you mean, my words? We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab #2
3. Introducing "Hack to School Night" & progress report conferences
4. Two Dogs & The Nature of Story
5. Intro/begin "Young Goodman Brown"
Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words." What do you mean, my words? We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab #2
3. Introducing "Hack to School Night" & progress report conferences
4. Two Dogs & The Nature of Story
5. Intro/begin "Young Goodman Brown"
vocabulary: fall list #2
Definitions & sentences due tomorrow (Tuesday 9/12). Please post to your blog or turn in hard copy. Quiz on Friday, 9/15-- unless you all have the words and some cool way of explaining/using them on your blogs by then.
Why bother with these? Because they are all from "Young Goodman Brown" -- knowing them will help you better understand the story.
faith
threshold
tarry
resolve
discern
martyr
mirth
catechism
pious
frenzy
Why bother with these? Because they are all from "Young Goodman Brown" -- knowing them will help you better understand the story.
faith
threshold
tarry
resolve
discern
martyr
mirth
catechism
pious
frenzy
two dogs and the nature of story
Young Goodman Brown decides to go for a walk. He thinks that the enemy is the devil. But he ventures out at sunset to meet him. He thinks his wife-- his Faith--is the force of good in his life. But he leaves her at home. He thinks he's in charge every time he chooses whether to go on or to stop.
This guy clearly doesn't have a handle on his situation.
Story isn't about action, or theme, or love, or death, or good and evil. It's about conflict. Young Goodman Brown's character is only interesting to us because of his strange circumstances and the choices he makes in dealing with them. When was the last time anyone got interested or even heard of a story about a nice person who had a nice day, went to sleep, woke up the next day early and refreshed, and did it all over again? Our lives are filled with obstacles, both real and perceived, and what makes stories compelling to us is how characters deal with the challenges they encounter. For generations English teachers the world over have categorized those conflicts: man v. himself, man v. man, man v. nature, etc. (Stunningly, we've managed to take the most interesting element of story and make it multiple-choice boring.)
Conflict is entertaining. Every "Reality TV" show ever made depends on conflict for its success. This is not an exaggeration: every single one of those shows, in every single genre, for every kind of audience, goes out of its way to manufacture conflict because that's what attracts viewers.
Marshall McLuhan was one of the most insightful commentators on media and communication in the 20th century. He's the guy who famously observed that, "The medium is the message." More importantly for us, he noted:
Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either.
We have learned a great deal so far this semester. Some of what we've learned has come from the traditional American Literature curriculum: diction, syntax, tone, mood, theme, allusion, symbol, genre, etc. Most of what we've learned has to do with our individual styles and our learning community. I've learned that some of you still think you're passive consumers of a teacher's curriculum, or worse, the entertaining conflict of "student v. school."
McLuhan also said: There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.
Those of you who still operate under the illusion that the roles of "teacher" and "student" are separate are trapped in old ways of thinking and you're missing the point of Open Source Learning. For all his talk of caring, poor Young Goodman Brown doesn't see the people in his life for who they really are as individuals. He categorizes them according to simplistic labels like "good" and "evil." As a result, he's heartbroken when their words and deeds don't fit his expectations. When he sees the conversation between the devil and Goody Cloyse, Young Goodman Brown suffers a crisis of meaning-- but why should the private life of an old lady shake his own identity and everything he believes to be true? In reality, people do both "good" and "bad" things in the world. We hope they learn from the bad and use their learning to contribute to the good. In fact, we hope that all of "them" eventually come to realize there really is no "them." There is only us. We want to be understood, and that begins with understanding ourselves. The next time you want to know who's responsible for how you're feeling, grab a mirror.
The other day I had a conversation with Jesus about history. Sometimes it's hard to connect the Founding Fathers or the Hawley-Smoot Tariff with what's happening today. But whose job is it to connect the dots? (Spoiler: it's yours.) If you want to Learn, you have to stop settling for Being Taught. I am not only giving you permission, I am demanding that you question the value of what we read and do. Whenever it's not clear, ask me: WTF is the POINT? I'll even go a step further: if what you find isn't motivating, let's talk about what else is out there, and let's do this now, because the world won't wait for you. In fact, the more you read, the more you realize that other people have felt the same way as you and are waiting for you to show up and take your place in the conversation. You also come to realize that the other 8 billion people on the planet have their own problems and they're not going to care very long if you sit on the sideline and sulk. As Stephen Crane put it:
A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
Example: those of you who read "Earth on Turtle's Back" will be rewarded next week when we have an essay exam comparing the story with "Young Goodman Brown." Since you were supposed to read it and take notes on it weeks ago, and since you're preparing for a life of independent learning, I'm not going to remind you again and I'm not going to review it in class-- unless you ask me to, in which case I'll drop everything after we finish "Young Goodman Brown" and do whatever it takes to make sure you understand the essentials. If that causes you any sort of concern or negative feeling, consider how willing I am to help you and how hard I've worked so far to prove it. Then consider this gem of Native American wisdom, from Sitting Bull:
Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good. Which one wins? Whichever I feed the most.
It's easy to feed the dog that seems like an old friend, and we are most sensitive to negative information. Change is hard. Overcoming obstacles is hard. Sometimes the fight for happiness actually feels more rewarding than actually experiencing happiness. So ask yourself whether you're really taking steps to overcome conflicts or just sitting with the same old tapes that say, "I can't," or "I'm just not good at ____," or "That teacher doesn't like me," or "[insert your favorite/s here]."
We are all under a great deal of pressure. Monday we only had 30 minutes, Friday we'll only have 30 minutes, there are 34+ people in a class, we're all constantly worried that we suck at what we do or that we're not doing enough, and after a day of standing around in the sun we're hot and tired. The obstacles are out there. We may not be able to control those obstacles (which will be an interesting question when we study Naturalism and return to "Richard Cory") but we can control how we respond to them. You have more power than you think you do, so use this course to flex your questioning muscles. Stop being a victim of your education and start putting it to work for you. Ask yourself what kind of environment you want for 50 minutes and push your colleagues (including me) to help you create it. Whether I'm in the room or not, if someone upsets the balance by clinging to their hurt, or their old stereotypes, or their need to be the center of attention, or whatever, find a way--with empathy, compassion, and critical thinking-- to bring attention to his/her choices and remind him/her that no one is putting that person in that box except him/her.
After we finish this week and I give a final exam on the first month of class, we're going straight to another story about a guy who went for a walk. Taking a walk is a small journey that begins with one step-- this is an important metaphor for the work we're doing right now. Ray Bradbury wrote "The Pedestrian" after he went for a late-night stroll and police started questioning him just because he was out. That experience and that story led Bradbury (who once asked my grandmother out when they sat next to each other at Los Angeles High School) to write Fahrenheit 451. Lots of people think that book is about censorship. Partly, but it's really about self-determination. We live in a world where it's hard to imagine that one person can make up her own mind, make her own way in the world, and in the process make a difference for others. If you feel this way, spend some time with these words from expert-on-the-subject Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
We get to walk a path that Young Goodman Brown hasn't yet discovered, a path where people aren't just "good" or "evil" or "teacher" or "student," but complex individuals trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world.
Again I realize that an author has put it best, so the last word goes to Robert Frost:
young goodman brown questions
- What do you think Hawthorne's purpose was for writing this story?
- Hawthorne states that Brown's wife is "aptly named" Faith. After reading the story, do you agree? Does Faith's name fit her personality? Does Brown have true faith in her?
- What do you think the pink ribbons signify?
- Was everything Brown witnessed real, a figment of his imagination, something conjured by evil, or a dream? Support your answer with passages from the text.
- Who do you think the old man really is? What textual clues tell you this?
- What does the staff represent? Do you think the staff leads Brown onward or is the primary motivator Brown's own conscience/mind?
- If Brown had not ventured into the forest, how would his life be different? If he'd stayed home, would Brown still have Faith? Would he still trust his wife and his fellow townspeople
Friday, September 8, 2017
break example
Hey there's a lot more to this than I want to clog up the page with, so click "Read More" and check it out
september 8
First, a quick word about symbols (this is just an intro to next week's fun).
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Symbol in My Driveway" by Jack Johnson]
Describe three symbols in your life that give people a clue as to who you really are.
AGENDA:
1. Symbols
2. Journal
*vocab quiz (that I don't want to give)*
3. Edit and post your essay to your blog (title: MY FIRST ESSAY)
4. Post anything you've missed so far
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Symbol in My Driveway" by Jack Johnson]
Describe three symbols in your life that give people a clue as to who you really are.
AGENDA:
1. Symbols
2. Journal
*vocab quiz (that I don't want to give)*
3. Edit and post your essay to your blog (title: MY FIRST ESSAY)
4. Post anything you've missed so far
Thursday, September 7, 2017
september 7
JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Try [Just a Little Bit Harder]" by Janis Joplin; "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding)
Now that you know the real meaning of essay, how did it feel to try yesterday? Speaking of trying, when does it make sense to be hard on yourself when you're trying to get something right, and when does it make sense to be gentle/kind to yourself?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Work on tying up loose ends and posting to your blog
3. Prep for vocab tomorrow
4. Writers' conferences
Now that you know the real meaning of essay, how did it feel to try yesterday? Speaking of trying, when does it make sense to be hard on yourself when you're trying to get something right, and when does it make sense to be gentle/kind to yourself?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Work on tying up loose ends and posting to your blog
3. Prep for vocab tomorrow
4. Writers' conferences
Monday, September 4, 2017
how do i post videos to my blog?
There are a variety of ways to embed videos on your blog, and-- since I
am an expert in none of them-- here are two strategies I hope will help:
1. Find a blogger in the Member Blogs who has figured it out and ask him/her how;
or
2. If you are one of those people who has succeeded, please share your method in a comment below.
1. Find a blogger in the Member Blogs who has figured it out and ask him/her how;
or
2. If you are one of those people who has succeeded, please share your method in a comment below.
september 5
JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: radio silence]
What song do you sing when there's nothing on the radio? What thoughts do you think when it's quiet and you have the chance to think about whatever you want?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Checking in / blog audit
3. The Art of the Essay
special labor day edition: the art of the essay
Tomorrow, for the very first time, you will learn exactly what an essay is. (Spoiler: it's not that 5-paragraph torture you've been doing in school.)
If you haven't already, please read "The Conscience of the Hacker". This is important. We will be referring to the essay and to your responses-- so, if you haven't yet posted a response on your blog, please do that too. Mahalo.
If you haven't already, please read "The Conscience of the Hacker". This is important. We will be referring to the essay and to your responses-- so, if you haven't yet posted a response on your blog, please do that too. Mahalo.
Friday, September 1, 2017
september 1
JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Walking in LA" by Missing Persons; "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" by Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra]
On your walk home a dog starts talking to you. As soon as someone else walks by, the dog stops. He only talks when you're alone. And he tells you a secret that can save the world. But to share it, you'll have to divulge your source, and that might make you sound crazy. What will you do?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
On your walk home a dog starts talking to you. As soon as someone else walks by, the dog stops. He only talks when you're alone. And he tells you a secret that can save the world. But to share it, you'll have to divulge your source, and that might make you sound crazy. What will you do?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
(PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR JOURNAL IN THE BOX FOR YOUR PERIOD!!!)
2. Hopefully you've made progress this week. Please write about your experience as an independent learner and post it on your blog (Title: I AM GSD). If you didn't get things done, write about that too, because I will be back on Monday and looking to rev up.
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