Jazz Band

The Spring Concert is coming up on Sunday, May 5th at 2:00. I encourage everyone to attend and support our local musicians. The music will be excellent, as usual, and Mr. Schulze has a surprise or two planned for this year.  Don't miss it!

Tear Jerker

Students in English IA are about to read a very, very sad story called "The Scarlet Ibis." The main character has a little brother who is physically handicapped, much to his embarrassment, and doesn't treat him very nicely. I bet that at least one student will be brought to tears in class over this very touching story.

Caffeine and Sugar

There are two "magic bullets" in this world for a person who is exhausted and must get through the day.  Caffeine and sugar comprise, not the breakfast of champions, but the breakfast of tired ordinary people. If an extra boost is needed, add liberal amounts of chocolate.  For example, the perfect combination would be an ice-cold 20 oz. bottle of Coke and a bag of little chocolate donuts.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any weight gain or afternoon sugar crashes.

They're Finished!

English IA students finished their short stories yesterday!  Today, I'll be reading randomly selected stories aloud in class. I think it will be exciting for the students to hear each other's creative compositions.

Weather

I wish it would rain. We are suffering through such a dry period . . . if only we could get a little rain to quench and refresh us . . .  It seems like it hasn't rained in a hundred years!

Potato Chips

I love 'em! Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order.

Lay's original chips . . . even better with French Onion dip
Ruffles cheddar and sour cream
Pringles Extreme Buffalo
Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread and Sriracha.  I haven't tried the Chicken and Waffles yet.
Herr's Hot Sauce chips

I also like the corn tortilla chips served in most Mexican restaurants. At home, I like the Tostitos Scoops. Mix up a little sour cream and salsa, and I'm in heaven!  Don't forget an ice-cold Coke to wash it all down!

Appetizer

English II students are starting a new short story today, a funny one called "Appetizer." As a prelude to the reading, we did a round of Chuck The Ball and discussed which restaurants have the best appetizers. I have many personal favorites, but the top one would probably be the chips an salsa at Don Sol or El Rancherito.  I love chips!

Internet Safety

Students in dual-credit Speech are finishing up their research papers today on a variety of subtopics relating to Internet Safety. The finished papers will be made available to their target audience, members of the district faculty. Next week, the students will begin working on multimedia presentations of their research. Unlike the papers, the presentations will be targeted at students of different grades; however, the presentations will also be made available to Neoga faculty to show to their students.

Slippery Slopes

Students in English IA are taking a short break from reading short stories; instead, they'll be writing one of their own!  Furthermore, I'll be doing it, too.  The title of every story will be "Slippery Slope," which is a term that refers an error in logic, an exaggerated worst-case scenario. For this assignment, students had to first identify a current issue in their world, imagine the most ridiculous, out-of-control, worst-case scenario, and then tell the story of the character(s) they created who are living in that scenario.  The end results should be exciting!

An Old Rhyme

Rain, Rain
Go Away.
Come Again
Some Other Day!

Discussion Question

What are the negative aspects/consequences of the Technological Revolution?  We're constantly bombarded with media messages about the hottest new tech toys. This new gadget does all these things, while this other new gadget does all these other things, etc. We're told that if we don't have the latest thing, we're somehow inferior or inadequate. 

Nobody ever talks about the problems associated with these gadgets, so I've been discussing the concept with students in English IA.  They have made some valuable insights and comments, and I encourage anyone who reads this post to think about your own technology use. Are you "hooked" on some device? Does your technology live up to your expectations? What problems are you having with your various gadgets? 

Brave or Stupid?

English II students this week are reading a short story called "Through The Tunnel," in which a boy attempts something very dangerous that he sees older boys doing.  As a pre-reading activity today, we discussed things that we've attempted after seeing others do them.  It was an interesting discussion, and there was a general theme to all of the examples the students and I shared.  First, nearly every student had attempted something because someone else they knew had done or was doing it. Second, the vast majority of those who had made these attempts were hurt in the process.

At some point, we all have to learn, myself included, to ask some questions of ourselves before we make these attempts.  Am I being brave or stupid?  How can this go wrong?

I Don't Understand . . .

 . . . why some people are enthralled with lawn care. I don't care for it.  I do like the look of my yard after I've mowed and trimmed weeds, but I despise the work. Walking back and forth over every inch of my yard while pushing a mower and/or carrying a weed eater is not my idea of fun. I'd much rather do something else. For example, I could be resting in my recliner while petting my faithful beagle's round belly. Add a Cardinals game on TV and some sort of tasty snack, and that sounds like a near-perfect day to me . . . much better than mowing!

Car Repairs

1. Inconvenient
2. Frustrating
3. Expensive
4. Domino Effect--When you repair one thing, something else goes wrong

Harrison Bergeron

This is one of my all-time favorite short stories. Kurt Vonnegut mixes elements of science fiction, fantasy and comedy to make a powerful statement about government-enforced equality.  Students in English IA will be reading the story over the next two days, and I hope they find it as entertaining and powerful as I do.

It's Official!

Spring is finally here.  This announcement is based on the following indicators.

1. I no longer have to start my car early to defrost the windshield.
2. I need to mow my yard. Grrr . . . .
3. It's time to till and plant the garden.
4. Yesterday was the first bike ride.
5. Flowers are appearing.

Reflection

What is the point of reading literature? One could answer in multiple ways, but I believe the most important answer is that reading generates reflective thinking.  As readers, we can put ourselves in the position of various characters in a literary work and think about their lives, actions, thoughts, values, priorities, etc. Following that reflection, we usually pass judgment on that character, and then, hopefully, we take the next step and apply the reflection and judgment to our own lives. We can learn to be better humans from the successes and failures of the characters.

Yesterday, I assigned this very task to all students in English IA and English II. They were to pick any character from the first three short stories covered in class, reflect on the character's behavior and determine what actions/thoughts/values should be changed. I can't assign the application of that learning to their individual lives, but they can certainly choose to do so on their own. I hope they do so.

Tests

Students in English IA and English II just completed their first tests over the short stories.  Each class read three stories, completed a review sheet, and tested yesterday.  Overall, the grades were pretty good; most students got A's and B's. Next week, we'll start on a new block of three stories in both classes.

Awesome!

I bought a bag of these chips last night at Menard's, and they're excellent!  I love spicy foods, and I love potato chips. The combination of the two is one of the best inventions of the modern age.

Spring?

I wish I felt like it was Spring, but I can't say that I feel that way yet.  Last week's snow didn't help, but this morning, I still had to clear frost off of my windshield.  Surely, the warmer weather must be around the corner.  I'm ready to go outside, to ride my bike, to spruce up my yard, etc.  Come on, Spring! I'm waiting!