An archived stack of papers: 'short-writing'

Double Bagging

In a stack of papers called Personal.

  • Feb
  • 20
  • 2007

Down at the local Costentino’s, I bought a bottle of wine, some chicken, dinner type stuff. I was supposed to get some artichokes, but they looked pretty beat up. Imagine artichokes cowering in the corner of the produce truck, beefsteak tomatoes looming over them, eggplants pushing up purple sleeves ready to throw the next round of punches.

Anyhow, most of the other ingredients I already... read more

JuCo

In a stack of papers called Personal.

  • Oct
  • 13
  • 2006

He teaches high school along with me and he also teaches a few classes at a local junior college. He has the types of conversations in his classroom that I always want to have. He’s the reason I teach “The Myth of Sisyphus,” a text that results in pushing my seniors to think a different way more than anything else I’ve tried so far. His ideas about texts continue to challenge me... 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

4 Hours

In a stack of papers called Unorganized.

  • Apr
  • 13
  • 2006

Classes let out today at 1:05 due to STAR testing. Students piled out my door as I sat down to begin. The tasks never stopped their parade across my desk.

And here I still sit, packed up except for my computer, in the early evening of a beautiful April day. The sun slowly sinks behind the hills off in the distance and reflections across campus darken. A quick glance at the clock and I realize... read more

Essays Kill

In a stack of papers called Grading.

  • Apr
  • 02
  • 2006

I just got off the phone with a friend and fellow teacher. While talking about whether or not to get breakfast together (we decided we’d do it next week instead of today; I think the hour change messed us both up a bit), she asked, “Are you going to do any school work today?”

2 sets of 2 Siddhartha quizzes. 1 set of personal narratives. 1 set of essay rewrites. Another... read more

One Size Leaves Lots Behind

In a stack of papers called Reform.

  • Mar
  • 26
  • 2006

Should diplomas reflect the education completed, requirements passed, or growth over time? Is it possible to show all three?

Special education is modified instruction. Doesn’t that imply that it’s not the same as mainstream? Shouldn’t that mean a different diploma to signify that? If the expectations aren’t the same, should the diploma be the same?

AP is modified... read more

Life After School

In a stack of papers called Reform.

  • Mar
  • 25
  • 2006

Several students will gather at Mission College today to partake in the yearly StRUT competition, demonstrating their knowledge of computers by taking an objective test (Written Test), troubleshooting 9 computers (Challenge), and tearing apart then rebuilding a computer (Build). The winners will take home one of the computers used in the Build portion of... read more

Using A Deck Of Cards

In a stack of papers called Unorganized.

  • Mar
  • 24
  • 2006

A deck of Bellagio playing cards innocently sits in a drawer of my desk, perched atop a random assortment of pens collected over the years. I used to think it was an incomplete deck I kept in the classroom since it couldn’t be used for card games at home. Last year, I counted; all 52 cards are there. It’s not because of a missing card that they hang around.

Large groups: Each suit... read more

Low College Enrollment

In a stack of papers called Unorganized.

  • Mar
  • 23
  • 2006

According to a San Jose Mercury News article, not enough high school graduates go on to the UC or CSU systems. Those two systems are the only colleges looked at, collectively called “in-state colleges.” The article, a summary of ... read more

Reaching The Apathetic

In a stack of papers called Reform.

  • Mar
  • 22
  • 2006

What is a school to do with students who elect to fail? I have a student in one of my classes who shows no interest in completing any work. Worse yet, he doesn’t really have opinions. A slightly more enthusiastic shrug of the shoulders shows his penchant for music. On Monday, the daily topic asked for an opinion on education (it relates to Siddhartha). He only manage to give me... read more