The Fish Underneath

AmStud, we are on a roll!  Good work, today, creating a common model for a QHQ.  Check out the wiki site if you want to see a good sample.  If any of you who were QHQ people, today, want to rewrite your paper and turn it in on Thursday, now that you have seen the process, I’d be happy to take them!

Remember, some main points: Open with original question (not essential question restated).  Make specific refrence to the text and use quotes, bot don’t forget to analyze.  End with a question you have based on your hopothesis.  You must submit through Turnitin.com AND turn in a hard copy to me!

Thank you, all, for being flexible with the blog stuff.  I’m learning as I go, too!  And it seems somewhat appropriate, since the best writing often comes out of total chaos, we must be on the road to some crazy good writing!

REMEMBER, for EVERYONE, Monday is a reading day.  AmStuds are reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, while the rest of y’all need to bring in a Memoir (Creative Writing) or any other non-fiction book (Senior Comp.)  It is a delicious and productive way to spend a wacky C-Day!

Feel free to blog on, writing classes!  It should be appropriate for this class, but there is lost to write about writing!!!

Good weekend!

Punxsutawney Phil hides from his shadow while PETA demands the use of a robot hog!

Even though the Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and PETA saw red, Groundhogs day is my favorite non-presant holiday of the year!  It represents the choice we all have, each and every day, to wallow in the comfort and safety of old pattern and old ideas, or to move forward, however tentatively, into the light of new experiences, new learning.  I challenge you on this first day of the semester to “Groundhog Up!” and step into that dazzling sunlight to see what might await you!  At semester, we are all given the chance to start anew.  There are no grades on the books.  There is no status to raise or to maintain.  Just endless opportunities.  What choice do you want to make?

Happy Second Semester!!!

It is the end of the semester.  For you, you might want to add the qualifier, “Finally!”  For me, there are always mixed emotions with an ending.  I am often relieved, “I can finally start over and not feel the constant edge of being behind.”  I am often grieving, “I have come to love these urchins.  I will miss them!”  I am often looking forward, “This is ending.  What have I learned?  What can I do differently next semester?  What can I improve on?”

As da Vince said so beautifully, the only reality that truly exists for individuals, is what she perceives to be true.  And my perceptions are limited.  This is where you come in.  You, each and every one of you, had an experience with this class this past semester.  I hope some of it was fun, some of it was educational, and some of it has left an impression that will last.  I’d like to hear from your perspective what these moments, lessons, events were.  I am equally interested in your perspective on what did not work, what was not beneficial, what will pass easily away with time.  With your thoughtful, honest feedback, I can gather the data from each person to create a more full picture of what happened then I could on my perceptions alone.

To that end, please take time to read over the survey that pertains to your particular class.  Read it over, mull it over, and give me your honest perceptions — the truth as it is for you.  I will look at each survey, read each comment, hold that up against what I am reading in the current literature, and what I know from my own experience of teaching, what the standards say I should be teaching and you should be mastering, and make important decisions for second semester and subsequent classes. So I thank you in advance for participating in your own education and helping me be the best teacher I can be.

AmStud Course, Instructor and Student Evaluation

Humanities/World Literature Course, Instructor and Student Evaluation

Creative Writing Course, Instructor and Student Evaluation

Finally, for all of you, it has been an honor being your teacher.  I have come to know you as bright, capable, loving human beings with fine minds and lovable qualities.  Each day I have had multiple interactions that have given me hope for our future as a community, nation, people.  Filled with joy, sorrow, hope, anger, angst, you are people I respect and love.  Each and every one of you.  So, if you are continuing on with me second semester, I’m excited to learn and grow more with you.  If you are taking a different course, one that does not include me, thank you for sharing who you are with me this past semester.  I am better for it.

Speech Season has arrived!  You have all signed up for speech slots, so please check the iCal for your exact date and time!

Some quick, nitty-gritty reminders:

1. Speeches are between 5 & 7 minutes long.  I will stop you at 7 minutes and grade what you have done.

2. You MUST hand in your typed outline (with narrative intro & conclusion), your Works Cited list and your three feedback forms BEFORE you will be allowed to speak.  (this is for me, so don’t plan on using the same outline up front — PRINT OUT A SECOND OR USE NOTECARDS!)

3. You must cite parenthetically in the body of your outline all information and ideas that are taken from someon else (just like in your essay!)

4. You may not use visual aids.

In preparation, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!

We are almost through the first semester of school, and I wanted to take a moment and reflect on how the semester has been going, particularly in light of homework.  As I have shared with you throughout the year, I have spent time researching and revising my homework policies.  Quite a lot of thought has gone in to what I assign, how I assign it, and how I assess it. I have been analyzing the grade data on homework, but there is more to the picture than just grades.  That is why I am asking you to complete the ten-question survey I have created on homework.  Please fill this out honestly, so I can glean a clear understanding on your perspective on homework.  Feel free to complete it anonymously, but if you would, a name attached to the survey would allow me to understand the responses and how to help you individually.

Thank you for helping me teach you better!

Hello, parents!  We are almost through the first semester of school, and I wanted to grab a brief window of reflection time on how the semester has been going.  I am sending a letter home with your student to get some feedback from you on the success (?) of homework this semester.  I would love for you to take a few minutes to fill out the brief (10 questions) survey on SurveyMonkey.com.  I will be analyzing the data as I plan for next semester’s classes.

Thank you for your time and for all you do for ecucation!

What is Write-O-Rama?
Write-O-Rama is a full day of more than 40 one-hour workshops offered by our creative writing teachers to anyone who wants to write. To sustain you as you write we supply you with free food and drink, two open mics and a wrap party following the last session. You will come away with new writing, make new friends, sample Hugo House classes and find fresh inspiration.

This is a sponsor-workshop, so you raise sponsor money ($45) to go.  I am only giving extra credit because of this.  I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to pay for a grade.  I will give 10 extra credit points (not bonus ponts!) for the completion of this day (that’s huge!)  And you will come out of this with amazing experience and some fabulouse writing!!!

See the Hugo House link for more details!

Okay, I stayed up way too late last night on FaceBook, and I saw a post from an old HS buddy to this interesting lecture by Rebecca Saxe, a neur scientist, on the way we think about each other.  I think it is even more interesting in light of our conversation about the Nature of Man and how we could talk about this if people have different opinions.  Anyway, I thought you might be interested in adding this to your store of things to think about:

http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_saxe_how_brains_make_moral_judgments.html

It is wonderful to meet you, if for the first time, on this site!  If I met you at Open House, or have known you before, it’s great to see you, again!  Please contact me if you have any questions about how to use this site, the wiki site, check for homework or find out how your student is doing in class.  You can access my email through this page or she Shorwood web page at: http://schools.shorelineschools.org/shorewood/

I want to thank you for trusting me to teach your student.  I believe in excellence, growth and compassion, and I consider it an honor to be working with all of you.  If you were not able to attend on Thursday night, please take a moment to read the Parent Letter I handed out, and to send me your email, phone and/or cell phone.  I want to do all I can to keep in clear and consistent contact with each of you.  This web site and on-line grades are one way, but sometimes I may want to contact you direclty, so that information would be really helpful!  If it is convenient, you can just email this information to me!

Thank you for all you do, and for you support in your student’s learning process.  This is going to be a great year!