An archived stack of papers: September 2006
Reading Rationale
In a stack of papers called Reading.
- Sep
- 18
- 2006
In the face of only 10 of my 60 English 3 students having read chapters 3 and 4 of The Scarlet Letter, I explained a bit of logic to the kids. Maybe it will help you out.
Boring?
You know what you get when only 5 people in class have read and are prepared? You get a Super-Size portion of boring. It’s a very slim possibility to do anything interesting when so few are... read more
BookSpace
In a stack of papers called Reading.
- Sep
- 17
- 2006
I scanned around for cheap copies of The Scarlet Letter yesterday and came across some very trite and shallow reviews of the book. While those kinds of reviews hold no meaning for me, there might be a way to put them to good use.
MySpace For Books
What if there was a way for students to... read more
Political Balance In The Classroom
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Sep
- 16
- 2006
Through a fairly convoluted chain of surfing, I found an anit-war speech from Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. I know nothing about Mayor Anderson other than what I read in his speech and the fact that “he will not seek a third term as Mayor of Salt Lake City,” something I gleaned from his home... read more
Shut Up Or Settle Down
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Sep
- 15
- 2006
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I boldly proclaimed at the beginning of class today, the normal greeting that I sound out just after the bell rings. Conversation lingered, dialogues continued, jokes ran to their punch lines, laughter rang out. The usual silence didn’t settle in until much later than expected. With severe disappointment, I continued.
“First of all, good... read more
Maybe Just A Little More Time
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Sep
- 14
- 2006
When I place a difficult text in front of students, I expect them to come to class in 24 hours ready to discuss and begin the digestion process. Maybe they need more time.
As a kid, I remember the urgent bike ride home from the library over the summer. I checked out the record of ... read more
Same Is The New Different
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Sep
- 13
- 2006
My internet service provider (Earthlink) blocked sites from one specific Web hosting company (Lunarpages). It just so happens that this site, along with a few others I work on, is hosted by that one company so I couldn’t get on to this site from home for the past week. That should explain my absence.
Apart from some comments I had to delete from the classroom, the site has kept up... read more
A Diploma’s Significance
In a stack of papers called Reform.
- Sep
- 11
- 2006
What does a diploma mean? Is it such a huge accomplishment to graduate from high school? Upon graduation, does anyone really care what your GPA was or how many AP classes you took or how often you cut 6th and 7th periods? Is high school simply a gateway to college? Or should high school be about preparation for any kind of life beyond the world of education? How does a diploma fit into that scheme of... read more