Bobblehead

During the break, my wife and I took a trip to Las Vegas. I ventured there with a specific mission in mind: to obtain a bobblehead of myself. A friend of mine found a booth at the Mandalay Bay near the aquarium. They take a picture of the customer's face with a fancy 3-D camera (like that movie Avatar!) and another with a standard camera. After choosing an appropriate body, I paid an exorbitant amount of money that counted as my Christmas gift from my lovely bride.

And talk about an appropriate body! The beauty of my buddy's bobblehead is that his holds a saxophone and he's a music teacher that played sax all through high school and college. Unfortunately, the only body available reading a book was one that was also sitting on a toilet. There weren't any others that truly felt like they captured me, at least not in bobblehead form. But then I turned the page in the catalogue and how could I say no to that lovely specimen?

I guess I have to grow my goatee back and haircuts are out of the question at this point.

The Blame Game

Frosh
The differences between the Franco Zeffirelli version of Romeo & Juliet and Baz Luhrman's version are numerous. It's your job to have noticed them in your notes and then write a paragraph discussing those differences. When looking at the characters, notice the way they act, the way they look, and the way they talk compared to how we read it together in class using the text. Notice what the actors do, their apparent feelings and emotions as well as what is left out when tracking the action. Finally, keep track of where the characters are located, the time period and the time of day when looking at the setting.

Bonus for Frosh (10 points): In a thoughtful (5 sentences minimum sounds thoughtful to me), explain who you think is most at fault for the brawl that occurs in I.i and why you think so. Use evidence from the scene to support your answer. The deadline to answer is Thursday. Any answers submitted beyond that will be lost to the sands of time.

Seniors
Act II is incredibly dense with thematic dichotomies. In particular, you'll find plenty of evidence for the natural vs. supernatural dichotomy towards the end of the act, both figuratively in what characters say and literally in the actions they describe happening in the wake of Duncan's death. Macbeth is the picture of insanity vs. sanity, too. Act II also provides the actual murder of the king, which up to now, had been something Macbeth seemed to want to avoid...or did he? That leads us to the bonus question.

Bonus for Seniors (10 points): In a thoughtful response (6-8 sentences minimum seems pretty thoughtful) explain who you feel to be most responsible for Duncan's death and why. Is it Macbeth, Lady Macbeth or the witches? Or is it someone else entirely? The deadline to answer is Thursday. Any answers submitted beyond that will be lost to the sands of time.

Emo Equivocation

Frosh
Emo is the word of the day because that's the best way to describe one of our titular characters. Look, Romeo is a bit of a putz, but he's also a teenager, and who among us wasn't a putz at some point? And who can say they won't be one in the future? I know there will be a point in the future where it happens again, too. A person is lucky if they go through a week with a putz-free moment viewed by the general public, let alone those smaller moments wherein he or she is secretly aware of the putziness involved even if others are not.

Seniors
Equivocation is the word of the day. It's fun because Macbeth allows you to determine what the title character says is true or not or if the truth even exists. This is the ultimate English major treat because there's evidence that supports both sides, and, as long as you can support it well with evidence, you're not wrong. Everybody wins!

On cynicism & hard work

Frosh
Last Thursday and Friday we read Romeo & Juliet. Meanwhile, I'm in the process of grading the accumulated work of the semester.

Seniors
We went through some more of Act II in Macbeth. Things pick up big time in this act. Make sure you're paying attention because while some texts may discuss the ideas of the thematic dichotomies, they rarely identify them as such.

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Finally, Conan O'Brien's farewell address on the Tonight Show last Friday was pretty inspiring. I'm writing this on Monday morning, but I'll edit the post later to include video of it. In the meantime, here's a transcript of what he said.

"Every comedian dreams of hosting the Tonight Show and—for seven months—I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second [of it] ... All I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism, for the record it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

Good stuff, right? I can't say I always live by it, but it is something I extol to others in the hope of seeing more people express optimism in the face of crushing defeat.

On Biting Thumbs & Late Nights

The rain has made it hard to get to the gym to work out. With the weather the way it is, my dog stays inside all day, so I have to rush home to let him out, and he's not too keen on being alone in his cage for another two hours after I get home. Then the wife arrives back and the motivation to stay home with her grows while the motivation to go anywhere else, let alone the gym, wanes. Angela is way cooler than any of the people there anyway. At least I can say I've been eating better, so hopefully the progress lost in not going these last four days isn't too severe. I just hate to lose that momentum, but the alternative ain't half bad.

Two other things before we get started on the day's events:

1. Everybody should turn in the first outside reading update tomorrow.
2. If you're not paying attention to the recent dust-up between NBC, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, you're missing out on some of the most interesting developments in late night television in almost 20 years. The original brouhaha that developed when Johnny Carson vacated his throne as the King of Late Night is one of the first entertainment stories that actively received my attention. The fact that there are three times as many people on at late night nowadays (the aforementioned Jay and Conan, Dave Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, the largely silent Craig Ferguson and the largely unfunny Jimmy Fallon, not to mention the tag team of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert) has made this particular story even more interesting. In case you're wondering, I'm with Coco.
   

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Frosh
So how about that test, huh? Keep those terms in mind for our time reading the play.

The first and last scenes in Romeo & Juliet are the longest in the play, which is something I never really noticed before. However, diving in to Shakespeare is tough but it gets easier the more people read it. Keep up with the study guide for each act because those will be invaluable (which is better than valuable because it is priceless, you see) later on when having to write about the play or when taking a test.

Seniors
Well, the storms sure did honk up the testing time, didn't it? I hope you did well regardless.

The Royal Shakespeare Company's version of Macbeth starring Ian McKellen and Judi Dench is definitely interesting...and also sometimes laughable. BUT! It's important to understand that seeing the different interpretations of Shakespeare provides the opportunity for nuances in the story that could be there even if they are never explicitly stated. When Duncan orders the Thane of Cawdor's execution, he appears to address Ross in the text, but this particular version instead sees Duncan order Malcolm to take care of it. Malcolm's moment of hesitation allows Ross to step in and carry the burden for the Prince of Cumberland. What does this particular interpretation say about Malcolm? I'd love to see what you have to say in the comments.

On Shakespeare and Assignments

So we are a bit behind in our blog posting. Of course, this is the royal 'we,' which is really a grand effort to avoid taking responsibility in saying I and shifting the blame to a collective. But onward! There are tests on terms this Tuesday! Fascinating!

By the way, the Folger Shakespeare Library is a blog for both teachers and students about the Bard and provides some great resources. Check it out when you get the chance.

Frosh
Poetry has always been a weak spot for me, but sonnets are interesting in that they go against what I imagine is the natural convention of poetry, a form that's supposed to be free and spirited and all sorts of other hippie type words, by having so many rules and strict standards. Specifically over the last week, we covered Sonnet 73, which is a great poem to look at for its metaphorical content, as well as the prologue of Romeo & Juliet. Be prepared to really dive into metaphors and symbolism with Shakespeare because the dude loves it.

You will have a copy of the play on Monday, either one you pick up from the library or a bonus point copy you purchase for yourself.

Seniors
We finished Act I of Macbeth and I'd like to think everyone is starting to see Shakespeare in a different light. I genuinely get excited about this time of year because I like talking and I like Shakespeare and those are two great tastes that taste great together like peanut butter and chocolate. The big thematic dichotomy present, especially in the first half, is 'good vs. evil,' what with the witches and Macbeth's horrid thoughts of regicide. The latter part of the act, with the introduction of Lady Macbeth, develops the dichotomy of 'masculinity vs. femininity.'

You also received the Act Paragraphs assignment, the first of which will be due Monday, January 25 and is worth 50 points. Expect to have those due roughly three days after we finish each act. It's never clear how long an act will take to read together, which is why I can't give you hard and fast due dates for those paragraphs.

Everyone (hopefully) turned in their Aside Questions and the Shakespacket Essay. That's 85 points which I hope to have graded very soon.

I hope everyone is keeping up with the outside reading requirements. The first outside reading update is due on Thursday for both the freshpeople and the seniors.

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Finally, here's the only entertaining thing that will probably happen on American Idol this year. Enjoy.

Book 2 of 2010

This was completed on January 12 while driving to the gym.

2) I Drink for a Reason by David Cross
In an attempt to get through a few more books this year, I subscribed to Audible.com. The first book I ordered was Under the Dome by Stephen King, but that thing is a ridiculous 54 hours and I've only listened through the first file that's eight hours long by itself. That particular audiobook is daunting is what I'm saying.

And my eyes hurt.

Frosh
You learned the components of a sonnet. Then you got the opportunity to continue memorizing the lit terms for which there is a test next Tuesday.

Seniors
It's Macbeth time! And, seriously, I dig this play a heck of a lot, which might be apparent as I have a tendency to ramble on and on about it. My hope is that in my rambling, you get useful and interesting information because that's one of the cooler parts of education. Yeah, I want you to build skills and what not, but it's also awesome to find out something that you didn't know before. Right? How do you view education? I know there's more to it than that, but I'll save my answer for a later date. In the meantime, 10 point to the dudes and dudettes that give me a thoughtful answer.

Deadline to answer is tomorrow.

Book 1 of 2010

While I have absolutely no intention of reading 2,010 books in the year 2010, I am hoping to hit at least 25. As I am a notoriously slow first-time reader, I will be impressed with myself if I can do so. I also like to practice what I teach (thanks, Jim Burke), so I'm going to hold myself accountable by reposting my GoodReads reviews of books I finish here. Here's my first book read of 2010, completed on Friday, January 8.

1) The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
Moore forces the reader to keep track of a ton of characters, but the overall story is engrossing and amusing.

Gym-tastic!

It seems like all working out is a practice in self-loathing. We do so in an effort to change what we don't like because the person we see isn't the person we wish to be. If we do like what we see, working out or getting fit or staying in shape is meant to ensure that we don't become the person we used to be or the person we imagine we are at our worst. I find it fascinating that going to the gym is based on bettering one's self but the job is never complete.

These are the things a guy thinks about after watching the Jersey Shore.

Frosh
We went over the new-style outside reading update which will put a large focus on incorporating quotes. Master this skill and your future teachers will stand in awe at your level of awesomeness. After that you started to create flash cards of a list of important lit terms. We'll be working on that at length on Monday.

Seniors
Everyone read and understood the expectations for outside reading. You need to show me your book choice by Thursday. You then received the opportunity to read through and work on the Shakespacket Essay. Not everyone seized the opportunity; I hope those folks find the time to go over the information and write a cohesive essay because it's due on Friday.

Edited for a cheap joke.

Macbeth like Big Mac, not McBeth like McDonalds

Frosh
Yesterday, both classes did a great job working on the Idiot's Guide Outline assignment. Today, we discussed some of the sentences you wrote for said outline. The information students choose to include is always interesting. Not everyone managed to do distill the information in one sentence. Maybe that's something I should look at in the future. Creating complex, coherent sentences is a valuable skill to have, though, which is why I set up the assignment in that way. After going over the different sentences, we discussed Ptolemy and his view of the universe. Your assignment is to pick three questions to answer in 3 to 5 sentences for each question. That'll be due tomorrow, so make the answers as thoughtful as you can.


Seniors
Ah, terms. Sometimes they're boring, sometimes they're fun, but they always feel necessary one way or another. The terms were split over two days. Yesterday, the terms followed a discussion of where the line exists in order to accomplish your bucket list items and the items of those important to us. It's a big goal of mine for our class discussions to become more inclusive this semester because there are going to be way more of them than there were first semester. I'd like to see more of you participate than the same four people in each class. While there are a few exceptions that occasionally make themselves heard, it always seems like we have the same people answering. I'd like to challenge those of you that sit back and listen to make a conscious effort to speak up more this semester. One of the coolest things for me to see as a teacher is a student I rarely hear speak up with an insightful comment in a class discussion. Let me know if there's anything I can do to facilitate this more for you, or just choose to do it sometime (sooner rather than later, hopefully) so you can see the look on my face as I get floored.

Don't forget to grab your student IDs or to have a copy of Macbeth by Monday. Monday is the cut-off date for you to be eligible for the 40 possible bonus points.

My Bucket List

Frosh
You read through a chapter of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare and began your outline of ol' Willie's early life. Tomorrow will see you get a second day to work on completing your outline.

Seniors
Bucket lists are fun! Pay close attention to what we did today because it'll pay off later once we get into some of the larger ideas from our study of Shakespeare. As for my four things, they are as follows in no particular order:

• Write a novel
• Perform a backflip
• Get into a fight with a Canadian in Spain
• Make you guys learn something

It's an ambitious list to be sure, but I think it's relatively realistic and original, important traits for items on any to-do list.

It's Twenty Ten, not Two Thousand and Ten.

Seriously, do you want to spend the next 90 years saying "Two Thousand and..." every single time? By saying it the correct way, you look out for yourself and your progeny. It's not like anyone ever said One Thousand Ninety Nine or One Thousand Eight Hundred Sixty Four. Do yourself a favor and correct everyone who says it wrong because your children and your children's children will thank you.

In all seriousness, I know some of you are going through rough times due to the circumstances surrounding your return from break. Just know that it's important to talk it out; it doesn't have to be with me even though I'll gladly make myself available. Talking helps, and I'm sorry those of you affected have to go through this.

Frosh
We went over the past semester's grades. You retrieved your work from the past semester. Everyone discussed what comes to mind whenever William Shakespeare's name is mentioned. After tomorrow, you'll hopefully have more to say than "your 8th grade teacher" and "old."

Seniors
You took a look at the final grades, and we discussed the second semester syllabus. The contract for the second semester is due on Friday and make sure to name two things expected of you phrased in the form of goals based off what you read in the second semester overview. Finally, if you wish to attempt the first bonus point assignment, make sure you have a copy of Macbeth or a receipt for it in hand by next Monday.

"Nobody outcrazies Ophelia!"

Frosh
We went over the final. People who weren't lame turned in their product, which you will present tomorrow. Also, you got a glimpse of satire and how allusions to classic literature are still present today. Always be on the look out for literary references in the places you might least expect.

Seniors
You turned in the Pleasantville assignment. Then everyone who did one found out their grade on the culminating paper. I was mighty impressed with the quality this year as many of you really seemed to get how to look at what a text might be trying to say and were able to back that up with support. Not everyone totally demonstrated that understanding, but enough of you did compared to the students from last year that I would consider the project a success. I hope you feel the same way.

Everyone get a restful night's sleep (...he says as he types this entry at 11:30 PM...) and eat a healthy breakfast because finals begin tomorrow. Good luck!

Objectifying Learning

Like most people at their jobs, teachers often discuss the latest fads happening in the profession. Lately, many of the discussions that I've had revolve around the idea of learning objectives - explicit statements of what students should be able to do if they have learned what the instructor wants them to learn - and whether or not having them written on our white board actually helps students learn more or retain the knowledge better. As a matter of fact, a recent article put "teaching without learning objectives" as the second worst teaching mistake an instructor can make, right after getting stuck in a rut and right behind disrespecting students. Over the last few weeks, I've attempted to write learning objectives above the weekly agenda. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of it, but I really plan to give it my all starting second semester.

Believe it or not, I'm constantly trying to be a better teacher and sincerely hope that each year I teach accomplishes that goal in some small way, that I improve as an educator at least a little bit more than I did the year before. So my question to you is the following: do learning objectives written on the board help you become a better learner? Why or why not? Answer the question in a minimum of five sentences in the comments, and you will earn 10 bonus points. Make sure to identify yourself in the comments so I can give everyone the proper credit. The window for answering the question will close on Monday and the opportunity is open to both seniors and freshpeople.

Frosh
You turned in the mythology unit family tree and witnessed (through the power of reading) Odysseus take on the suitors.

Seniors
You continued to look for symbolic imagery in Pleasantville. Tomorrow is the day to turn in your Beowulf Revisited assignments.

Edit for clarification: Just to clarify for everyone, a learning objective is different from the daily agenda I write on the board. A learning objective is meant to inform the student of the intended outcome of the lesson. For example, I could write the following on the board for a poetry unit: After completing the lesson, the student will be able to describe the traditional rules and conventions of a haiku. This is different from the daily agenda, which I write to inform you what the intended order of events would be for a class period. The question, then, remains what is your opinion on the idea of me utilizing said learning objectives, which I have done very sparingly and to which I have not called much attention, in addition to writing the daily and weekly agenda on the board.

Pleasant Journeys

Frosh
You turned in the final draft of your Mything in Action paper. We read of Odysseus' return to Ithaca while you took notes. Said notes will be due on the day of the final.

Seniors
We reviewed the ideas of symbolism and imagery. You watched Pleasantville while looking for examples of symbolic imagery. Again, I am still amazed that despite earning three Academy Award nominations, hitting the ten year milestone last year, and starring several incredibly famous actors that no special edition DVD or Blu-Ray exists of this movie. A making-of documentary and some commentary would be pretty fascinating.

The grading of the culminating papers continues. I have yet to hit my groove on them, but that'll probably be on it's way back shortly.

Finals Day (for me, that is...)

Today is the last day my ULV class meets for the semester. I stayed up way too late writing my paper, which was a minimum of two pages, but I managed to write enough to almost fill up the fifth page. The focus was an interview with Charles Rose, ALHS' school psychologist, who is a heck of a guy and really opened my eyes to everything his job entails. Hint: it's tough.

Frosh
First period managed to finish off part one (as designated by our textbook) of The Odyssey while fourth period still had about a page and a half left, which they now need to read for homework. Odysseus sacrificed his men to the Scylla, avoided the Charybdis only to have the boys betray his trust for their stomachs by eating the cattle. I'm still very disappointed that this textbook doesn't include the cooked and skinned cattle rising from the dead to freak Odysseus' men out because nothing beats a zombie hamburger. Remember that all notes will be collected for points with each section getting a designated amount to be determined later. Also, the Mything in Action (say it out loud!) final draft is due tomorrow. Everyone needs to have three in-text citations and a Works Cited page.

Seniors
Everyone turned in their portfolios (hopefully) and then received a day to work on the Beowulf Revisited assignment which is due Friday and worth 100 points. Many of you asked some really good questions about how to apply your own experiences to the story. I was also impressed at how many of you are making the attempt to look at the Beowulfs and Grendels that exist in the world symbolically. These should make for some fun reading.

The First Day of the Last Week Before Finals

Frosh
You figured out how to create a hanging indentation in a Word document and will hopefully utilize that info. We then discussed the importance of actually reading the homework since I'll be collecting your notes for points. Not reading means not getting the credit. After that, we started going over Circe's warning for Odysseus. He's in for a rough trip.

Seniors
You organized your portfolios in an attempt to get the full 80 points on the assignment, which is due tomorrow. Good luck and never look a free-to-use hole punch in the proverbial mouth. And sixth period was curious about the one-legged pro wrestler named Zach Gowen. When I get home, I'll search the YouTube for some videos. He rose to prominence in the WWE in 2002 and was unceremoniously fired after the novelty of a one-legged wrestler wore off and his limitations as a one-legged wrestler came to light. Oh, wrestling, you are crazy.

Edit: I found some gems that include current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar throwing Gowen down a flight of stairs because he was an EVIL wrestler. You can view them under the cut...

Testing the Teachers

See, kids, it really pays to take notes even if some of the said notes look like complete gibberish four days after the fact. This is page one (of three) of notes I took with the ALHS school psychologist for the final in my Education Assessment course. My job now is to describe and analyze the interview as well as discuss any implications I find. Wish me luck because I'll be disappointed with anything less than an A.

Hitting the Reset button

The Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles of today aren't lacking many things, but neither have a reset button, one the player pushes that does not turn off the game but merely restarts it. Of course, those consoles save one's progress and have high-falutin' graphics that look gorgeous on an HDTV compared to the 8, 16 and 64 bits of yesterday, so I'll gladly play them over my old NES, Sega Genesis or N64 any day.

My point in bringing that up is that I once used this blog in the way I am able to use Twitter now, rendering the blog redundant. Why post the daily agenda (and, coming soon for second semester, the class objective) in another online format when one already exists? So I decided to hit the reset button.

I like writing, I like the series of tubes known as the Internet, and I like interacting with people, despite my many protests to the contrary at times. My own personal writing (and reading) endeavors have plateaued of late, mostly due to the demands of school and work. Why not, then, include my school and work demands into my writing by utilizing the blog that had become so redundant? At the very least, it will make me feel accomplished, and experience and the University of La Verne have taught me that feeling accomplished is one of the biggest motivation tools students can have.

Personally, "feeling accomplished" is my second biggest motivator; "spite" is number one.