Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
It's hard to believe . . .
that this goes on in the 21st century. Kind of puts the current uproar over the healthcare overhaul in perspective.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Now this is funny
I showed this to my College Comp II students for a little motivation as the gear up to finish their braided essays by midnight tonight.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Mr. Matzke
While studying the Cold War this week, I am reminded of one of my favorite high school teachers, Mr. Matzke.
I often wasn’t above an average student, but in ninth grade I found myself in his American History survey class.
And I found myself loving history.
What Mr. Matzke did very well was walk us through history and show how each unit or theme fit with the next. He didn’t just teach one chapter, drop it, and move on to another. Mr. Matzke taught history as a fluid concept.
Now, in terms of teaching, he was pretty traditional. I recall entering his class room and eyeing the blackboard (it was green actually) and seeing it filled with notes.
As I said, pretty traditional. But unlike most lecture and note taking classes, Mr, Matzke always was able to punctuate the key events with humorous and interesting narratives that somehow made the information up on the board far more relevant as I copied it down. For some reason, and this is what was magical about his classes, those notes on the board - and his stories - stuck in my head on their way from the black board to my tablet.
It’s been over 20 years since I had the class, but I can still remember our discussions of the alliances that led to WWI or island hopping in WWII or the muckrakers.
Before I even knew it, I found myself totally engaged and looking forward to this class above all others.
I even remember reading the history book . . . for fun. And that never happened before.
Sometimes, I’d finish a unit and find myself going back over questions just to see what I could remember.
History came alive in Mr. Matzke’s class, and I fell in love with it.
And I became confident as a student. Mr. Matzke - as the only social studies teacher - had me as a jackass seventh and eighth grader where I just goofed around. So his expectations for me weren’t that high.
But one day while playing “beep and bop” (his legendary review game), he asked a bonus question about Upton Sinclair. And before I even knew it, I was stating, “he was a muckraker who wrote The Jungle.”
Mr. Matzke said, “Yes.” Then it hit him that I had said it. He looked back at me with this whimsical look and said, “You’re right.” Then he smiled and that was a turning point for me in my early high school years.
It was no small coincidence that I’d become a history minor after that class.
I often wasn’t above an average student, but in ninth grade I found myself in his American History survey class.
And I found myself loving history.
What Mr. Matzke did very well was walk us through history and show how each unit or theme fit with the next. He didn’t just teach one chapter, drop it, and move on to another. Mr. Matzke taught history as a fluid concept.
Now, in terms of teaching, he was pretty traditional. I recall entering his class room and eyeing the blackboard (it was green actually) and seeing it filled with notes.
As I said, pretty traditional. But unlike most lecture and note taking classes, Mr, Matzke always was able to punctuate the key events with humorous and interesting narratives that somehow made the information up on the board far more relevant as I copied it down. For some reason, and this is what was magical about his classes, those notes on the board - and his stories - stuck in my head on their way from the black board to my tablet.
It’s been over 20 years since I had the class, but I can still remember our discussions of the alliances that led to WWI or island hopping in WWII or the muckrakers.
Before I even knew it, I found myself totally engaged and looking forward to this class above all others.
I even remember reading the history book . . . for fun. And that never happened before.
Sometimes, I’d finish a unit and find myself going back over questions just to see what I could remember.
History came alive in Mr. Matzke’s class, and I fell in love with it.
And I became confident as a student. Mr. Matzke - as the only social studies teacher - had me as a jackass seventh and eighth grader where I just goofed around. So his expectations for me weren’t that high.
But one day while playing “beep and bop” (his legendary review game), he asked a bonus question about Upton Sinclair. And before I even knew it, I was stating, “he was a muckraker who wrote The Jungle.”
Mr. Matzke said, “Yes.” Then it hit him that I had said it. He looked back at me with this whimsical look and said, “You’re right.” Then he smiled and that was a turning point for me in my early high school years.
It was no small coincidence that I’d become a history minor after that class.
Great Class
Today was one of the best days at the MNHS class I’ve ever had.
Our morning started off with an examination of the last half of our Atlanta trip itinerary. It sounds like we’re going to be far busier than we were in Boston. But I’m looking forward to it. Though 10 days away from home will be very difficult. I was terribly home sick when I just went down to the cities last week for a union convention.
Next, we had a MN “history player” from the MNHS who played the part of Frederick McKinley Jones.
What is interesting about history is that regardless of where you live (and this is especially hard for high school kids to believe), it’s amazing how interesting other people are.
I’ve lived in NW MN all my life, and I’ve never even heard of the name Frederick McKinley Jones, an African American whose impact on not only NW MN, but the state as well - and the whole country and world, is unmistakable.
And he spent much of his life right in our back yard here.
Jones was born in Cincinnati, OH. At a young age, Jones loved to tinker. One of his fondest memories was of taking apart his father’s watch again and again . . . just to see how all the parts worked together. He loved to assemble and tinker and invent. However, his father took him over to a rectory in Kentucky and abandoned him there. A priest took him in and raised him, but Jones wanted a change.
Jones faced a decision. He could continue his education, for he only had six years of education up to then. Or he could strike out on his own.
He chose the latter. And it made all the difference (is that Robert Frost I hear?).
He bounced around the south working different jobs. Then he began traveling, mainly by riding the rails. It was here that he heard about Henry Hill’s son, who had a farm in - of all places - Hallock, MN, where he had - as Jones described it - a small city of his own in which he tried to perfect how to raise cattle and farm in the Red River Valley.
So in 1912 Jones headed out in hopes of become Hill’s mechanic. It took awhile, but he did just that.
However, Hill’s father died, and he sold his farm. Jones decided to stay in Hallock. He professionally raced cars in the 1920’s. But he gave that up to tinker. He was vital in developing the first radio station in Hallock. In fact, he assembled radios for his friends in town.
What Jones was really known for, though, was his love to invent and tinker. His shop, located behind the movie theater in Hallock (yes, you read that right. Hallock had a movie theater. Imagine that!) and kids loved to come in and see what he was working on.
Because he was behind the theater, he became good friends with the owner. This happened to be the time of the silent films, but soon larger theaters in bigger areas discovered a way to play phonograph that worked in conjunction with the film to provide sound and dialogue.
This, of course, was far too expensive for the small Hallock theatre. So Jones’ friend came to him for help. After some tinkering, Jones invented his own phonograph - using two disks from a farm implement.
Soon, though, the sound was put right into the actually film itself. This, however, called for a special lens to trigger the sound. Of course, this was too expensive again. And Jones went back to work.
He petitioned Bausch and Lomb for a lens built to his specification for the film machine Jones constructed. However, he was turned down.
That didn’t stop him though. Using a crystal towel holder, he invented the lens.
And it worked incredibly.
In fact, businessmen often scheduled trips through Hallock to catch a film, because it was far superior to any other theaters in the area.
Soon a manufacture of film projectors and lighting, Joseph A. Numero, heard about Jones’ reputation. He offered him a job as an engineer down in Minneapolis for Cinema Supplies, Inc.
Jones took it and flourished.
However, one day in 1934 Jones’ boss was playing golf with two other CEOs. One was running an air conditioning business. The other owned a trucking business.
The trucking owner received some bad news: a truck just broke down and an entire load of chickens had spoiled.
He was furious. He chided the air conditioning boss that he could air condition an entire theater, but he couldn’t perfect a way to keep a truck trailer cool.
Here is where Jones’ boss stepped in. Even though he was joking, he stated that he knew an engineer who could solve the problem. And - again - even though this was done in jest - to really anger the air conditioning owner - the trucking business owner took him up on it.
Soon Jones invented what would go on to become the thermal king unit for cooling trailers. This soon became its own business Thermo King.
I still remember those units running on the trucks Dad drove most of his life.
But Jones wasn’t done. World War II was looming. The federal government put out a call for all engineers to design a way to keep supplies fresh - and cool - for the troops.
Jones’ design was accepted and helped refrigerate food and even the troops themselves.
This led to a change in our food supplies. No longer did we have to eat food in season. Because of Jones’ refrigeration process, you could ship food all over the country - and the world.
But Jones wasn’t done. He soon found NASA interested in his work. And soon he was working on space suits for the first chimps sent into space. This was the pioneering work that would be used on John Glenn’s suit.
Amazing, right?
Right. And it really originated right here!
Amazing.
What I love about this is that Jones did all of this on six years of formal education. His innate curiosity, determination, and love for learning propelled him to success . . . and totally changed the world.
Thing of all the industries he impacted . . . radio and film (no real money is generated there is it?), food industry (ditto), refrigeration, and ultimately space travel.
Think of all the jobs this one man’s ideas helped invent!
It even impacted my life - and not just with the food I ate - but who knows if my dad would have found work as a trucker without those ThermoKing units?
But really, as the history player wound down his great presentation, I couldn’t help but wonder would Jones thrive today in our schools?
I have a feeling had he finished elementary school, gone on to middle school, and graduated from high school, we’d have drummed all of that curiosity, determination, and love for learning right out of him. He’d be no child left behind.
We’d have taught him core reading, writing, math, and science while keeping him from excelling in any one area.
And how often do we do this today? What kind of world are we keeping from being invented because of our education system because of national standards and ‘teacher proof curriculum’?
Now that scares the hell out of me.
Our morning started off with an examination of the last half of our Atlanta trip itinerary. It sounds like we’re going to be far busier than we were in Boston. But I’m looking forward to it. Though 10 days away from home will be very difficult. I was terribly home sick when I just went down to the cities last week for a union convention.
Next, we had a MN “history player” from the MNHS who played the part of Frederick McKinley Jones.
What is interesting about history is that regardless of where you live (and this is especially hard for high school kids to believe), it’s amazing how interesting other people are.
I’ve lived in NW MN all my life, and I’ve never even heard of the name Frederick McKinley Jones, an African American whose impact on not only NW MN, but the state as well - and the whole country and world, is unmistakable.
And he spent much of his life right in our back yard here.
Jones was born in Cincinnati, OH. At a young age, Jones loved to tinker. One of his fondest memories was of taking apart his father’s watch again and again . . . just to see how all the parts worked together. He loved to assemble and tinker and invent. However, his father took him over to a rectory in Kentucky and abandoned him there. A priest took him in and raised him, but Jones wanted a change.
Jones faced a decision. He could continue his education, for he only had six years of education up to then. Or he could strike out on his own.
He chose the latter. And it made all the difference (is that Robert Frost I hear?).
He bounced around the south working different jobs. Then he began traveling, mainly by riding the rails. It was here that he heard about Henry Hill’s son, who had a farm in - of all places - Hallock, MN, where he had - as Jones described it - a small city of his own in which he tried to perfect how to raise cattle and farm in the Red River Valley.
So in 1912 Jones headed out in hopes of become Hill’s mechanic. It took awhile, but he did just that.
However, Hill’s father died, and he sold his farm. Jones decided to stay in Hallock. He professionally raced cars in the 1920’s. But he gave that up to tinker. He was vital in developing the first radio station in Hallock. In fact, he assembled radios for his friends in town.
What Jones was really known for, though, was his love to invent and tinker. His shop, located behind the movie theater in Hallock (yes, you read that right. Hallock had a movie theater. Imagine that!) and kids loved to come in and see what he was working on.
Because he was behind the theater, he became good friends with the owner. This happened to be the time of the silent films, but soon larger theaters in bigger areas discovered a way to play phonograph that worked in conjunction with the film to provide sound and dialogue.
This, of course, was far too expensive for the small Hallock theatre. So Jones’ friend came to him for help. After some tinkering, Jones invented his own phonograph - using two disks from a farm implement.
Soon, though, the sound was put right into the actually film itself. This, however, called for a special lens to trigger the sound. Of course, this was too expensive again. And Jones went back to work.
He petitioned Bausch and Lomb for a lens built to his specification for the film machine Jones constructed. However, he was turned down.
That didn’t stop him though. Using a crystal towel holder, he invented the lens.
And it worked incredibly.
In fact, businessmen often scheduled trips through Hallock to catch a film, because it was far superior to any other theaters in the area.
Soon a manufacture of film projectors and lighting, Joseph A. Numero, heard about Jones’ reputation. He offered him a job as an engineer down in Minneapolis for Cinema Supplies, Inc.
Jones took it and flourished.
However, one day in 1934 Jones’ boss was playing golf with two other CEOs. One was running an air conditioning business. The other owned a trucking business.
The trucking owner received some bad news: a truck just broke down and an entire load of chickens had spoiled.
He was furious. He chided the air conditioning boss that he could air condition an entire theater, but he couldn’t perfect a way to keep a truck trailer cool.
Here is where Jones’ boss stepped in. Even though he was joking, he stated that he knew an engineer who could solve the problem. And - again - even though this was done in jest - to really anger the air conditioning owner - the trucking business owner took him up on it.
Soon Jones invented what would go on to become the thermal king unit for cooling trailers. This soon became its own business Thermo King.
I still remember those units running on the trucks Dad drove most of his life.
But Jones wasn’t done. World War II was looming. The federal government put out a call for all engineers to design a way to keep supplies fresh - and cool - for the troops.
Jones’ design was accepted and helped refrigerate food and even the troops themselves.
This led to a change in our food supplies. No longer did we have to eat food in season. Because of Jones’ refrigeration process, you could ship food all over the country - and the world.
But Jones wasn’t done. He soon found NASA interested in his work. And soon he was working on space suits for the first chimps sent into space. This was the pioneering work that would be used on John Glenn’s suit.
Amazing, right?
Right. And it really originated right here!
Amazing.
What I love about this is that Jones did all of this on six years of formal education. His innate curiosity, determination, and love for learning propelled him to success . . . and totally changed the world.
Thing of all the industries he impacted . . . radio and film (no real money is generated there is it?), food industry (ditto), refrigeration, and ultimately space travel.
Think of all the jobs this one man’s ideas helped invent!
It even impacted my life - and not just with the food I ate - but who knows if my dad would have found work as a trucker without those ThermoKing units?
But really, as the history player wound down his great presentation, I couldn’t help but wonder would Jones thrive today in our schools?
I have a feeling had he finished elementary school, gone on to middle school, and graduated from high school, we’d have drummed all of that curiosity, determination, and love for learning right out of him. He’d be no child left behind.
We’d have taught him core reading, writing, math, and science while keeping him from excelling in any one area.
And how often do we do this today? What kind of world are we keeping from being invented because of our education system because of national standards and ‘teacher proof curriculum’?
Now that scares the hell out of me.
Monday, March 22, 2010
How are we supposed to get any shopping done?
Kenzers was out like a light on the way to GF yesterday, so I stayed in the car while she took a nap and Kristie and KoKo did some shopping.
Kenzie soon woke up, and we headed over to the playland in the mall, where she had a blast.
In fact, Kenzie was great for the whole trip.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Power of Imagination
A colleague sent this to me yesterday.
Now this is what I'm talking about when it comes to the ability to conceive and re-imagine things . . .
Another example (I think this is the original)
Now this is what I'm talking about when it comes to the ability to conceive and re-imagine things . . .
Another example (I think this is the original)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Imagination
This - if you ask me - is what makes us human. Where would we be if we lacked imagination?
Every significant development in human history is a result of - more so than any other element - imagination.
Yet, what standards are in place to meet (let alone develop) a child's imagination.
If anything, we beat the hell out of it in school.
As one of my colleagues asked at our inservice last Friday, "What first grader doesn't want to read?"
And that's true. Watch a group of young kids rush to school, where they get to create.
Now, pull up to a high school and note the difference.
It's because usually at a high school they aren't doing things. Rather, they are having things done to them in the name of tests.
Or, try this - ask a group of first graders to raise their hands if they think of themselves as creative. I bet there won't be more than a few hands at their sides.
Try that at a high school. Again, note the difference.
Part of it certainly is growing up and out (unfortunately) of one's imagination.
Part of it, though, is how students are 'schooled' under this outdated education system designed to prepare laborers to work in factories.
But that's not the landscape of the 21st century.
Recently, I was listening to a podcast from the 2007 Annual Convention held by Americans for the Arts featuring Ken Robinson.
I found this little nugget quite revealing - Robinson cites a study done in a book by George Bland called Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future Today. The study done focusing on divergent thinking, which is the ability to see multiple solutions, alternatives, and possibilities - the counterpart to linear thinking. The test was given to a 1,500 children (specifically, kindergartners). The studied showed that a whopping 98% scored close to the 'genius' level of divergent thinking. Since it was a longitudinal study, the same children took the test five years later. This time 32% tested at the genius level. They completed the final phase of the test five years later as 13-15 year olds. Then just 10% measured at the genius level.
So what happened to the 88%?
They got educated.
This essay by one of my College Comp II writers does an excellent job of getting at the importance of imagination - and keeping it for as long as one can.
Imagination
Every significant development in human history is a result of - more so than any other element - imagination.
Yet, what standards are in place to meet (let alone develop) a child's imagination.
If anything, we beat the hell out of it in school.
As one of my colleagues asked at our inservice last Friday, "What first grader doesn't want to read?"
And that's true. Watch a group of young kids rush to school, where they get to create.
Now, pull up to a high school and note the difference.
It's because usually at a high school they aren't doing things. Rather, they are having things done to them in the name of tests.
Or, try this - ask a group of first graders to raise their hands if they think of themselves as creative. I bet there won't be more than a few hands at their sides.
Try that at a high school. Again, note the difference.
Part of it certainly is growing up and out (unfortunately) of one's imagination.
Part of it, though, is how students are 'schooled' under this outdated education system designed to prepare laborers to work in factories.
But that's not the landscape of the 21st century.
Recently, I was listening to a podcast from the 2007 Annual Convention held by Americans for the Arts featuring Ken Robinson.
I found this little nugget quite revealing - Robinson cites a study done in a book by George Bland called Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future Today. The study done focusing on divergent thinking, which is the ability to see multiple solutions, alternatives, and possibilities - the counterpart to linear thinking. The test was given to a 1,500 children (specifically, kindergartners). The studied showed that a whopping 98% scored close to the 'genius' level of divergent thinking. Since it was a longitudinal study, the same children took the test five years later. This time 32% tested at the genius level. They completed the final phase of the test five years later as 13-15 year olds. Then just 10% measured at the genius level.
So what happened to the 88%?
They got educated.
This essay by one of my College Comp II writers does an excellent job of getting at the importance of imagination - and keeping it for as long as one can.
Imagination
What the Hell?
I think that wonderful phrase pretty much summarizes this article on Texas' influence on national textbooks for history classrooms across the country.
Pretty soon they'll just edit (or revise) the whole 1960's out of textbooks altogether.
And - worst of all - is their last tenant -- as stated below
- A recommendation to include country and western music among the nation’s important cultural movements. The popular black genre of hip-hop is being dropped from the same list.
As one who thinks that outside of Johnny Cash, country and western music has set this country back at least two decades - that my friends - even more so than either Palin or Ventura running for President - marks the coming of Armageddon.
But will the new textbooks mention that good old Willie Nelson smoked pot with a security officer on top of the White House?
Pretty soon they'll just edit (or revise) the whole 1960's out of textbooks altogether.
And - worst of all - is their last tenant -- as stated below
- A recommendation to include country and western music among the nation’s important cultural movements. The popular black genre of hip-hop is being dropped from the same list.
As one who thinks that outside of Johnny Cash, country and western music has set this country back at least two decades - that my friends - even more so than either Palin or Ventura running for President - marks the coming of Armageddon.
But will the new textbooks mention that good old Willie Nelson smoked pot with a security officer on top of the White House?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
It's getting closer to the draft
Well, the Bengals have landed one major signing, Antonio Bryant. He will replace Lavereuous Coles, who the Bengals jettisoned after only one year. This isn't that big of a deal. Hopefully, he can be an upgrade over Coles, who was pretty dismal in his one season. He certainly didn't fill the void left by Tj Houshmanzadeh, which is why their passing game plummeted to the bottom third of the league.
If they seriously want to upgrade their passing attack, Bryant will help for now, but they have to think seriously about getting some young receivers in and developing them. In the late mid to late 80's they had tremendous luck with Eddie Brown and Tim McGhee. Then in the mid to late 90's they had tremendous luck with Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. Now in the mid 00's they had tremendous luck with Ochocinco and Houshmandzadeh, but time is running out on Ocho. He's still a number one receiver, but he needs help.
They tried to do this three years ago when the spent a second round pick on Jerome Simpson out of tiny Coastal Carolina, but he has been slow to develop. They invested a third round pick in Andre Caldwell out of Florida, and he has been okay. But he is not ready to be a solid contributor.
I'm hoping this year in the draft the Bengals get serious about restocking the receivers. I don't see them giving up their first round pick this year for Denver's Brandon Marshall or bringing in TO (and he really would just be a one year stop-gap).
I doubt the top receiver this year, Dez Bryant, will fall to the Bengals at 21. There's no way they'll move up for him (and with good reason - for every Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson, there are five or six - Mike Williams, Roy Williams, Troy Williamson, Charles Rogers . . .).
But maybe they can choose a couple and hit on one of them (they selected four receivers in back-to-back drafts - and, oddly enough, from just two schools as they selected a pair of receivers from each school - Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans from FSU in '00 and then Chad Johnson/Ochocinco and TJ Houshmanzadeh in '01). Of those four, really only the latter pay worked out, proving to be Pro Bowlers.
They will likely have four picks in the first three rounds, so maybe they could load up on receivers there.
I like Golden Tate out of Notre Dame. He is a blazer and a run after the catch guy (a former high school running back) who can do damage once he's caught it. But he's under six feet tall, and, as of late, the Bengals like tall receivers.
Next, I like Demaryius Thomas out of Georgie Tech. He is tall (6'3'') and would be a nice replacement for Chris Henry. But Thomas played in the triple option offense where they ran the ball 90% of the time. How will he adjust to the pro passing game? Who knows? But there were some who knocked running backs Barry Sanders and LT for the run first systems they came out, and they didn't have much trouble adjusting to the NFL.
I also like Damien Williams out of USC. If Thomas is unfamiliar with a pro passing game, Williams is adept at it as USC runs a true NFL style offense. He has the size 6'1'' and speed (4.4) that the Bengals covet. Plus, he offers some return ability. He would be a nice pick in the second or third round.
And then another possible target in the third round is from the Bengals' home town, Bearcat Mardy Gilayrd. He doesn't have the size, just under 6'0'', nor the speed, a pedestrian 4.5, but he is a playmaker. He can return kicks and punts and really do some damage when the ball is in his hands. Plus, he wants to be a Bengal. How often do you hear that?
Beyond that, though, the receiver core is fussy. We all know there is never just four receivers in a draft, but it's just impossible to tell who will pan out. For every sure fire talent such as Charles Rogers (taken second in '00 by the Lions), there is a kid who slips through the cracks (Donald Driver or Maurice Colston take by the Packers and Saints, respectively, in the final round of the draft).
And then, of course, you have to wait for the receiver to develop since very few receivers are dominant right out of the draft, unlike running backs or offensive linemen. It seems to take a receiver three or four years to develop.
So even if they hit on a receiver in this draft, who knows if Carson will be around for him in four years. I don't even want to hear the name Tim Tebow mentioned in relation to the Bengals either.
I have a sinking feeling that he might end up in Cincy. Remember, our owner shocked the world when he draft David Klinger in the 1992 draft to replace Boomer Esiason. And that was just three years removed from when Boomer led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
I'd like to think Mike Brown learned from that debacle, but one never knows . . .
If they seriously want to upgrade their passing attack, Bryant will help for now, but they have to think seriously about getting some young receivers in and developing them. In the late mid to late 80's they had tremendous luck with Eddie Brown and Tim McGhee. Then in the mid to late 90's they had tremendous luck with Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. Now in the mid 00's they had tremendous luck with Ochocinco and Houshmandzadeh, but time is running out on Ocho. He's still a number one receiver, but he needs help.
They tried to do this three years ago when the spent a second round pick on Jerome Simpson out of tiny Coastal Carolina, but he has been slow to develop. They invested a third round pick in Andre Caldwell out of Florida, and he has been okay. But he is not ready to be a solid contributor.
I'm hoping this year in the draft the Bengals get serious about restocking the receivers. I don't see them giving up their first round pick this year for Denver's Brandon Marshall or bringing in TO (and he really would just be a one year stop-gap).
I doubt the top receiver this year, Dez Bryant, will fall to the Bengals at 21. There's no way they'll move up for him (and with good reason - for every Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson, there are five or six - Mike Williams, Roy Williams, Troy Williamson, Charles Rogers . . .).
But maybe they can choose a couple and hit on one of them (they selected four receivers in back-to-back drafts - and, oddly enough, from just two schools as they selected a pair of receivers from each school - Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans from FSU in '00 and then Chad Johnson/Ochocinco and TJ Houshmanzadeh in '01). Of those four, really only the latter pay worked out, proving to be Pro Bowlers.
They will likely have four picks in the first three rounds, so maybe they could load up on receivers there.
I like Golden Tate out of Notre Dame. He is a blazer and a run after the catch guy (a former high school running back) who can do damage once he's caught it. But he's under six feet tall, and, as of late, the Bengals like tall receivers.
Next, I like Demaryius Thomas out of Georgie Tech. He is tall (6'3'') and would be a nice replacement for Chris Henry. But Thomas played in the triple option offense where they ran the ball 90% of the time. How will he adjust to the pro passing game? Who knows? But there were some who knocked running backs Barry Sanders and LT for the run first systems they came out, and they didn't have much trouble adjusting to the NFL.
I also like Damien Williams out of USC. If Thomas is unfamiliar with a pro passing game, Williams is adept at it as USC runs a true NFL style offense. He has the size 6'1'' and speed (4.4) that the Bengals covet. Plus, he offers some return ability. He would be a nice pick in the second or third round.
And then another possible target in the third round is from the Bengals' home town, Bearcat Mardy Gilayrd. He doesn't have the size, just under 6'0'', nor the speed, a pedestrian 4.5, but he is a playmaker. He can return kicks and punts and really do some damage when the ball is in his hands. Plus, he wants to be a Bengal. How often do you hear that?
Beyond that, though, the receiver core is fussy. We all know there is never just four receivers in a draft, but it's just impossible to tell who will pan out. For every sure fire talent such as Charles Rogers (taken second in '00 by the Lions), there is a kid who slips through the cracks (Donald Driver or Maurice Colston take by the Packers and Saints, respectively, in the final round of the draft).
And then, of course, you have to wait for the receiver to develop since very few receivers are dominant right out of the draft, unlike running backs or offensive linemen. It seems to take a receiver three or four years to develop.
So even if they hit on a receiver in this draft, who knows if Carson will be around for him in four years. I don't even want to hear the name Tim Tebow mentioned in relation to the Bengals either.
I have a sinking feeling that he might end up in Cincy. Remember, our owner shocked the world when he draft David Klinger in the 1992 draft to replace Boomer Esiason. And that was just three years removed from when Boomer led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
I'd like to think Mike Brown learned from that debacle, but one never knows . . .
Friday, March 12, 2010
Like it or not (I think if you've read this blog enough, you'll know where I fall), national standards are on the horizon.
I'm all in favor . . . as long as we have national standards for -- (in no particular order)
. . . student commitment to academics.
. . . parental commitment to their children.
. . . student attendance and dealing with those dreaded "zeroes."
. . . students to limit their time devoted to such things as sports and part-time jobs.
. . . administrators to effectively run schools.
. . . responsibility and maturity.
. . . school boards to get serious about paying teachers and not cutting programs.
. . . to reward teachers for their performance and commitment - not just how their students perform (what other profession rewards an employee with higher pay the farther they move from their actual job? You want to make the most money in education? Don't teach . . . be an administrator. Do we pay the top flight surgeons in the world to operate or to run hospitals?).
. . . to actually develop tests that truly measure learning and passion and interest (and not those cheap, standardized bubble tests that measure very little in terms of genuine learning).
. . . states to get serious about funding schools and not keeping hundreds of millions of dollars that the federal government sent each state for education.
. . . parents to properly raise and care for their kids.
. . . how the best and brightest should go into education (let's stop doing the - oh, anyone can teach).
. . . how teachers should not have to accept a coaching job just to get hired (as one of my colleague's observed What other profession hires an employee and then expects them to take a second job (and reward them with higher pay) that actually COMPETES with their main job?).
Please feel free to offer your own ideas for what else we need national standards before we can successfully institute national standards in math and English.
I'm all in favor . . . as long as we have national standards for -- (in no particular order)
. . . student commitment to academics.
. . . parental commitment to their children.
. . . student attendance and dealing with those dreaded "zeroes."
. . . students to limit their time devoted to such things as sports and part-time jobs.
. . . administrators to effectively run schools.
. . . responsibility and maturity.
. . . school boards to get serious about paying teachers and not cutting programs.
. . . to reward teachers for their performance and commitment - not just how their students perform (what other profession rewards an employee with higher pay the farther they move from their actual job? You want to make the most money in education? Don't teach . . . be an administrator. Do we pay the top flight surgeons in the world to operate or to run hospitals?).
. . . to actually develop tests that truly measure learning and passion and interest (and not those cheap, standardized bubble tests that measure very little in terms of genuine learning).
. . . states to get serious about funding schools and not keeping hundreds of millions of dollars that the federal government sent each state for education.
. . . parents to properly raise and care for their kids.
. . . how the best and brightest should go into education (let's stop doing the - oh, anyone can teach).
. . . how teachers should not have to accept a coaching job just to get hired (as one of my colleague's observed What other profession hires an employee and then expects them to take a second job (and reward them with higher pay) that actually COMPETES with their main job?).
Please feel free to offer your own ideas for what else we need national standards before we can successfully institute national standards in math and English.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Case Against Zero
This article was the subject of the PLC staff meeting we had Wednesday morning.
I had read the article some time ago and was intrigued by it. The premise is that teachers should not give students zeroes. It's just not mathematically logical.
Now, without revealing my horrendous math skills, I'll try to elaborate on it as simply as possible. The theory is that if you assign a grade scale such as 90 (cut off for an A), 80 (cut off for a B), 70 (cut off for a C), 60 (cut off for a D) and 59 or below is all an F, and if you give a student a 0, you are punishing them too severely.
I can see the point. Just as I can see the point in saying that you cannot count a student with an unexcused absence when they are suspended.
But just because I can see the point doesn't mean I don't think it's a total load of BS.
The message, then, would be if a student turns in an essay and it's lacking voice and style and it happens to be riddled with errors and they earn a 60 or a D-, then that's fair. But if a student totally says screw this, I'm going to skip and not bother to do it and submit it, well, I'm being too harsh on them with a 0, I'm being unfair. Would it be better to give them a 59, in essence an F+? Why should only one point separate them? Even though one student actually did the work and another didn't.
See, I think this gets at the heart of what is wrong with education and raising this generation of millennials.
We stigmatize mistakes and failure.
Sometimes the best thing that can happen is failure.
We tell EVERYONE that they're good and successful. That just ain't the case though.
Hasn't anyone seen Pixar's The Incredibles? It makes this same point: if everyone is special, then that's really the same as no one is special.
Of course, the author works for a curriculum assessment organization, so he would likely stand to profit from there being no zeroes out there.
But if I don't show up for work for a week, do I get 59% of a paycheck?
One argument for the case against zero that was brought up at our table was if a kid falls behind or is just lazy and does squat for three weeks, then they offer the standard excuse, Well, why should I try? I'll never get caught up?
That is where you tell this student, that is why we have the ALC. Go work at Walmart for a bit and then enroll at the ALC.
Now, was that so hard?
But because we are afraid to tell it like it is and we want to make everyone feel warm and cuddly and cozy, well, that just doesn't happen.
If we cannot tell a kid to man up and deal with the consequences, then why shouldn't I tell my best students, you know what, you can attend one day a week because you work so damn hard and are so brilliant. Here are your essays prompts. Write them and turn them in at the end of the semester, which, for you, will probably be in three weeks because you're just so damned gifted!
While I was reading the article, I jotted down the title of the article I wanted to write in response to "The Case Against Zero" . . . "The Case For Doing Your Fu*&^%g Work and Turning It In On Time."
I had read the article some time ago and was intrigued by it. The premise is that teachers should not give students zeroes. It's just not mathematically logical.
Now, without revealing my horrendous math skills, I'll try to elaborate on it as simply as possible. The theory is that if you assign a grade scale such as 90 (cut off for an A), 80 (cut off for a B), 70 (cut off for a C), 60 (cut off for a D) and 59 or below is all an F, and if you give a student a 0, you are punishing them too severely.
I can see the point. Just as I can see the point in saying that you cannot count a student with an unexcused absence when they are suspended.
But just because I can see the point doesn't mean I don't think it's a total load of BS.
The message, then, would be if a student turns in an essay and it's lacking voice and style and it happens to be riddled with errors and they earn a 60 or a D-, then that's fair. But if a student totally says screw this, I'm going to skip and not bother to do it and submit it, well, I'm being too harsh on them with a 0, I'm being unfair. Would it be better to give them a 59, in essence an F+? Why should only one point separate them? Even though one student actually did the work and another didn't.
See, I think this gets at the heart of what is wrong with education and raising this generation of millennials.
We stigmatize mistakes and failure.
Sometimes the best thing that can happen is failure.
We tell EVERYONE that they're good and successful. That just ain't the case though.
Hasn't anyone seen Pixar's The Incredibles? It makes this same point: if everyone is special, then that's really the same as no one is special.
Of course, the author works for a curriculum assessment organization, so he would likely stand to profit from there being no zeroes out there.
But if I don't show up for work for a week, do I get 59% of a paycheck?
One argument for the case against zero that was brought up at our table was if a kid falls behind or is just lazy and does squat for three weeks, then they offer the standard excuse, Well, why should I try? I'll never get caught up?
That is where you tell this student, that is why we have the ALC. Go work at Walmart for a bit and then enroll at the ALC.
Now, was that so hard?
But because we are afraid to tell it like it is and we want to make everyone feel warm and cuddly and cozy, well, that just doesn't happen.
If we cannot tell a kid to man up and deal with the consequences, then why shouldn't I tell my best students, you know what, you can attend one day a week because you work so damn hard and are so brilliant. Here are your essays prompts. Write them and turn them in at the end of the semester, which, for you, will probably be in three weeks because you're just so damned gifted!
While I was reading the article, I jotted down the title of the article I wanted to write in response to "The Case Against Zero" . . . "The Case For Doing Your Fu*&^%g Work and Turning It In On Time."
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Devil's Cup
That is the title of a new book I'm reading. The subtitle is even better: A History of the World According to Coffee.
It is quite interesting. And as a java lover (as the author likes to put it), I totally agree with his take on world history.
What would the world be like without coffee?
He makes the point that up until the start of the industrial revolution, which some argue was ushered in my the widespread availability of coffee, most Europeans - especially in England - drank massive amounts of alcohol because the water was often foul or contaminated.
Of course, alcohol is a depressant but coffee, with hits caffeine, is a stimulant. Thus, instead of muddling one's mind, coffee made one coherent and motivated. Just the type of mind needed for the industrial revolution.
Even more interesting than that is the history of the coffee house or cafe.
There was one in London, I believe, called Lloyd's. The owner noticed many sea captains gathering there to discuss the successes - or failures - of their fleets. Soon a kind of wagering sprung up - the owner would wager with the captains that if a ship returned safely, the captain owed the owner the profit of the ship. If the ship sank, the cafe owner had to pay for it. Thus, the first insurance was formed. You might recognize this "Lloyd's" coffee house as Lloyd's of London today.
The coffee houses also were where some of the first newspaper sprung up, the first political pamphlets, and the first ballot boxes.
There was so much activity that soon coffee houses stopped selling coffee and turned to business. Only they had to drape curtains up around various tables to section them off for privacy and efficiency. They still were based around coffee, though. We might recognize this as the traditional office cubicle today, which are still based around a large coffee percolator.
That reminds me, I need my morning fix . . .
It is quite interesting. And as a java lover (as the author likes to put it), I totally agree with his take on world history.
What would the world be like without coffee?
He makes the point that up until the start of the industrial revolution, which some argue was ushered in my the widespread availability of coffee, most Europeans - especially in England - drank massive amounts of alcohol because the water was often foul or contaminated.
Of course, alcohol is a depressant but coffee, with hits caffeine, is a stimulant. Thus, instead of muddling one's mind, coffee made one coherent and motivated. Just the type of mind needed for the industrial revolution.
Even more interesting than that is the history of the coffee house or cafe.
There was one in London, I believe, called Lloyd's. The owner noticed many sea captains gathering there to discuss the successes - or failures - of their fleets. Soon a kind of wagering sprung up - the owner would wager with the captains that if a ship returned safely, the captain owed the owner the profit of the ship. If the ship sank, the cafe owner had to pay for it. Thus, the first insurance was formed. You might recognize this "Lloyd's" coffee house as Lloyd's of London today.
The coffee houses also were where some of the first newspaper sprung up, the first political pamphlets, and the first ballot boxes.
There was so much activity that soon coffee houses stopped selling coffee and turned to business. Only they had to drape curtains up around various tables to section them off for privacy and efficiency. They still were based around coffee, though. We might recognize this as the traditional office cubicle today, which are still based around a large coffee percolator.
That reminds me, I need my morning fix . . .
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
You Can't Make This Up
My fourth block class, God bless 'em, is not overall the most motivated bunch. There are a lot of junior boys in there who just aren't riveted by literature . . . needless to say The Crucible.
I just gave them the final test.
Several finished and went to the computer lab to finish a create a quiz from Act IV.
I just popped in on them to check their progress. After shooing them off Google and games, they begrudgingly got back to work.
One boy, who looked pretty morose, said, "So is this the last big thing before the end of the quarter?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm screwed!"
Well, it's not like we didn't spend an entire block reviewing. It's not like I didn't give a review guide - in addition to review guides for each specific chapter. It's not like I didn't give them quizzes and worksheets. It's not like I gave them chances to read or do creative assignments to 'bank' some extra points to apply to this test grade.
Yet . . . what can I do when there is no effort on their part?
I just gave them the final test.
Several finished and went to the computer lab to finish a create a quiz from Act IV.
I just popped in on them to check their progress. After shooing them off Google and games, they begrudgingly got back to work.
One boy, who looked pretty morose, said, "So is this the last big thing before the end of the quarter?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm screwed!"
Well, it's not like we didn't spend an entire block reviewing. It's not like I didn't give a review guide - in addition to review guides for each specific chapter. It's not like I didn't give them quizzes and worksheets. It's not like I gave them chances to read or do creative assignments to 'bank' some extra points to apply to this test grade.
Yet . . . what can I do when there is no effort on their part?
Monday, March 08, 2010
Safer times
A colleague here likes to argue that though we have terrible acts of violence today, it still is the safest time in human history.
I tend to agree.
The Assyrians - the bad guys of the Old Testament - would make Hitler look like just an average ruler.
The Romans meted out plenty of death and destruction.
Vlad the Impaler . . . well, the name says it all with him.
Alexander the Great wiped people out left and right and look at how we remember him.
The death and destruction of the Middle Ages are unfathomable.
Even the swift and sadistic punishment of the Spanish Inquisition or Puritan New England during the Salem witch trials are a far cry from anything today.
Or maybe not.
I have to think that witnessing 500 people cut to pieces with machetes in the name of some extreme Muslim sect would fit right in with anything going on with the Assyrians or the Spanish Inquisition.
I tend to agree.
The Assyrians - the bad guys of the Old Testament - would make Hitler look like just an average ruler.
The Romans meted out plenty of death and destruction.
Vlad the Impaler . . . well, the name says it all with him.
Alexander the Great wiped people out left and right and look at how we remember him.
The death and destruction of the Middle Ages are unfathomable.
Even the swift and sadistic punishment of the Spanish Inquisition or Puritan New England during the Salem witch trials are a far cry from anything today.
Or maybe not.
I have to think that witnessing 500 people cut to pieces with machetes in the name of some extreme Muslim sect would fit right in with anything going on with the Assyrians or the Spanish Inquisition.
Scary
Crazy church people scare the hell out of me.
Is there anything more hateful than showing up at soldier's funeral with a sign that reads "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" because they think the war is God's punishment for homosexuality in America. If I lost a loved one in a war - regardless of their sexual orientation - how hard would it be to not tear these closed minded idiots to pieces?
Is there anything more hateful than showing up at soldier's funeral with a sign that reads "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" because they think the war is God's punishment for homosexuality in America. If I lost a loved one in a war - regardless of their sexual orientation - how hard would it be to not tear these closed minded idiots to pieces?
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Favorite Poems
For some reason, I've been thinking about my favorite poems. Maybe it's because Kenzie's vocab is growing exponentially or that she is starting to show a love for words or what.
But I thought I'd list my top ten favorite poems. How can you list ten favorite poems? I don't know. But I'm going to try and see where it takes me. I'll list ten, but they will be in no particular order or rank.
Out, Out --
Robert Frost. This grows in sheer power every time I read it. What a mastery of language, personification, tone, and imagery.
And the whole poem hinges on that on word sentence - "So."
There might be a little bit of hope for the young boy prior to that, but after that it's all cold and harsh. Like reality.
Anyone who has ever lived on a farm - or known a farm family - can relate to this.
We moved to our farm in 1984. That meant a long morning bus ride through the countryside. One large family we picked up had a girl who was missing a finger. Two years behind me in school was a very good friend of mine (and the center on our football team) who had had his arm torn off by an auger when he was a child.
I think of those people whenever I read Frost's poem.
"The Day Zimmer Lost Religion"
Paul Zimmer. You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the web page and the poem is on the right hand side.
I read this for a required presentation for my Oral Interpretation class in college. I argued with the professor over the meaning. The professor argued that the man, Zimmer, who also happens to be the author of the poem, loses his religion, meaning his faith in God.
I argued that he does lose his faith in religion, but he actually has his faith in Christ renewed - he just doesn't need it filtered through an orthodox religion.
Because he was the professor, I lost the argument. But I still think my interpretation holds up.
If you're Catholic, take a read. I never knew this kind of old school Catholicism where mass was still done in Latin and the private school still kind of drubbed the religion into you. But notice how the author capitalizes "He" in the last line, signifying that while he is done with the church, he is far from being done with Christ.
Woodchucks by Maxine Kumin
This poem hits like an atom bomb when you get to those last few lines. What an exploration of the darker side of human nature . . . and the thrill of murder.
Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump by David Bottoms
This goes perfectly with Kumin's poem. Human nature. That's what it's all about. And the best poems just seem to capture it so well. And then the very best club you over the head and leave you speechless. Just like this one.
The Rose Family by Robert Frost
I recited this to my wife when we were first dating. Because she is a rose. Leave it to Frost, the master of form and simplicity, to capture beauty in just 51 words. And what rhythm and meter.
dying is fine)but Death ee cummings
With a title like that, who else could it be? A former football coach introduced me to this poem. I thought of it when both my parents died. I think of this as Cummings' 'carpi diem' poem. Dying is fine because we are all dying, we just don't know when our time will run out. Thus, savor every minute. Death, though, is terrible. The afterlife. Did you obey the rules? Did you go upstairs or downstairs? Are there 99 virgins waiting? Are you reborn? Are you done and there's just nothing?
Forget all that foolishness, Cummings says, and enjoy your life . . . and quite worrying about death!
The Stump by Donal Hall
What adult still doesn't have that little kid inside themselves that can't relate to the glory and thrill of destruction? Hall uses such great images. I can see the chain saws' exhaust billowing in the air. And all those angry squirrels.
John Hall Wheelock
This poem is very short, but it illustrates its point perfectly. And what irony. This reminds me of that old sci-fi story where two scientists/inventors are visiting. One of the scientists has a son who is mentally handicapped. That scientist also happens to be perfecting the ultimate weapon of mass destruction (if memory serves me correctly). The visiting scientist warns him that he should not carry through with the invention since humans are still too volatile to handle such power. The other scientist scoffs. So when he steps out of the room and returns, he finds a gun in the hand of his son. He is shocked that the other scientist would have left such a weapon in the hands of someone who could do so much harm. And the point is driven home to the reader.
Widow's Lament by Richard Brautigan
This reminds me of my grandmother. Again, a brilliant poem that captures human nature perfectly, this time the nature of 'pride.' And all in only 13 words.
The Little Man Who Wasn't There
I had the privilege of listening to my uncle, Jim Baril, deliver this poem on the first day of a literature class at Western State in Colorado. I have never forgotten it. Part of the attraction to the poem, though, was that Jim stated his mother, my grandmother, always recited this to him when he was a child.
Jim connected it to his long standing love of Dracula, which he did his PhD on. I could have listened to Jim talk all day.
But the poem, Jim only recited the first verse, creeps me out. As a kid, who hasn't imagined the monster or stranger at the top of the stairs? Especially when you are home all alone. Then you look and he's gone, but you know he really is still there. Hence, you wish and wish that he would go away - just like that monster under the bed or just inside your closet.
The Eagle Alfred Lord Tennyson.
I remember reading this in Dr. Drake's intro to lit class. I loved the language and the imagery and the rhythm and meter. Again, I'm in awe of what poets can achieve in just a few words.
Well, that's about it for now.
I know I left some of the heavies off the list, but I still love these still the same. Hope you check a couple out.
But I thought I'd list my top ten favorite poems. How can you list ten favorite poems? I don't know. But I'm going to try and see where it takes me. I'll list ten, but they will be in no particular order or rank.
Out, Out --
Robert Frost. This grows in sheer power every time I read it. What a mastery of language, personification, tone, and imagery.
And the whole poem hinges on that on word sentence - "So."
There might be a little bit of hope for the young boy prior to that, but after that it's all cold and harsh. Like reality.
Anyone who has ever lived on a farm - or known a farm family - can relate to this.
We moved to our farm in 1984. That meant a long morning bus ride through the countryside. One large family we picked up had a girl who was missing a finger. Two years behind me in school was a very good friend of mine (and the center on our football team) who had had his arm torn off by an auger when he was a child.
I think of those people whenever I read Frost's poem.
"The Day Zimmer Lost Religion"
Paul Zimmer. You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the web page and the poem is on the right hand side.
I read this for a required presentation for my Oral Interpretation class in college. I argued with the professor over the meaning. The professor argued that the man, Zimmer, who also happens to be the author of the poem, loses his religion, meaning his faith in God.
I argued that he does lose his faith in religion, but he actually has his faith in Christ renewed - he just doesn't need it filtered through an orthodox religion.
Because he was the professor, I lost the argument. But I still think my interpretation holds up.
If you're Catholic, take a read. I never knew this kind of old school Catholicism where mass was still done in Latin and the private school still kind of drubbed the religion into you. But notice how the author capitalizes "He" in the last line, signifying that while he is done with the church, he is far from being done with Christ.
Woodchucks by Maxine Kumin
This poem hits like an atom bomb when you get to those last few lines. What an exploration of the darker side of human nature . . . and the thrill of murder.
Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump by David Bottoms
This goes perfectly with Kumin's poem. Human nature. That's what it's all about. And the best poems just seem to capture it so well. And then the very best club you over the head and leave you speechless. Just like this one.
The Rose Family by Robert Frost
I recited this to my wife when we were first dating. Because she is a rose. Leave it to Frost, the master of form and simplicity, to capture beauty in just 51 words. And what rhythm and meter.
dying is fine)but Death ee cummings
With a title like that, who else could it be? A former football coach introduced me to this poem. I thought of it when both my parents died. I think of this as Cummings' 'carpi diem' poem. Dying is fine because we are all dying, we just don't know when our time will run out. Thus, savor every minute. Death, though, is terrible. The afterlife. Did you obey the rules? Did you go upstairs or downstairs? Are there 99 virgins waiting? Are you reborn? Are you done and there's just nothing?
Forget all that foolishness, Cummings says, and enjoy your life . . . and quite worrying about death!
The Stump by Donal Hall
What adult still doesn't have that little kid inside themselves that can't relate to the glory and thrill of destruction? Hall uses such great images. I can see the chain saws' exhaust billowing in the air. And all those angry squirrels.
John Hall Wheelock
Earth
“A planet doesn’t explode of itself,” said dryly
The Martian astronomer, gazing off into the air --
“That they were able to do it is proof that highly
Intelligent beings must have been living there.”
“A planet doesn’t explode of itself,” said dryly
The Martian astronomer, gazing off into the air --
“That they were able to do it is proof that highly
Intelligent beings must have been living there.”
This poem is very short, but it illustrates its point perfectly. And what irony. This reminds me of that old sci-fi story where two scientists/inventors are visiting. One of the scientists has a son who is mentally handicapped. That scientist also happens to be perfecting the ultimate weapon of mass destruction (if memory serves me correctly). The visiting scientist warns him that he should not carry through with the invention since humans are still too volatile to handle such power. The other scientist scoffs. So when he steps out of the room and returns, he finds a gun in the hand of his son. He is shocked that the other scientist would have left such a weapon in the hands of someone who could do so much harm. And the point is driven home to the reader.
Widow's Lament by Richard Brautigan
This reminds me of my grandmother. Again, a brilliant poem that captures human nature perfectly, this time the nature of 'pride.' And all in only 13 words.
The Little Man Who Wasn't There
I had the privilege of listening to my uncle, Jim Baril, deliver this poem on the first day of a literature class at Western State in Colorado. I have never forgotten it. Part of the attraction to the poem, though, was that Jim stated his mother, my grandmother, always recited this to him when he was a child.
Jim connected it to his long standing love of Dracula, which he did his PhD on. I could have listened to Jim talk all day.
But the poem, Jim only recited the first verse, creeps me out. As a kid, who hasn't imagined the monster or stranger at the top of the stairs? Especially when you are home all alone. Then you look and he's gone, but you know he really is still there. Hence, you wish and wish that he would go away - just like that monster under the bed or just inside your closet.
The Eagle Alfred Lord Tennyson.
I remember reading this in Dr. Drake's intro to lit class. I loved the language and the imagery and the rhythm and meter. Again, I'm in awe of what poets can achieve in just a few words.
Well, that's about it for now.
I know I left some of the heavies off the list, but I still love these still the same. Hope you check a couple out.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Wave of the Future
If you have read this blog at all, you now I'm a big fan of John Merrow and his Learning Matters website.
Here is an interesting blog entry. Merrow reflects back on his first ancestor to arrive in America. He was promptly sold into indentured servitude. After seven years, he was able to earn his freedom.
Merrow equates this to how students might choose to view high school. But he also notes how several states (Minnesota is not one . . . yet) that allows students to test out of high school after their sophomore year.
Now, that is an interesting idea.
Here is an interesting blog entry. Merrow reflects back on his first ancestor to arrive in America. He was promptly sold into indentured servitude. After seven years, he was able to earn his freedom.
Merrow equates this to how students might choose to view high school. But he also notes how several states (Minnesota is not one . . . yet) that allows students to test out of high school after their sophomore year.
Now, that is an interesting idea.
Stop the Insanity
This is what is wrong with the NFL free agency system.
The Giants just made Antrel Rolle the highest paid safety in the league. Not because he is the best safety, mind you. Simply because he is the best of a very, very average crop of free agents.
I have no problem with paying star players big, big money. If Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed or Darren Sharper want that money, then no problem.
But Antrel Rolle? The guy has amassed all of 14 interceptions and four forced fumbles . . . in his career!
That's a good season and a half for the three safeties I just mentioned.
Now the real trouble starts when Polamalu, Reed, and Sharper have their contracts come up. They will have their agents tell their respective clubs, hey - Rolle is making 37 million. Our guys are worth twice that!
And salary inflation has begun.
Also, what are the odds of Rolle playing out the length of this contract? There's a reason the Cards released him: he was due too much money in the final year of his contract! How is that for irony?
Now here's the catch with free agent contracts - Rolle will earn 15 million right away as part of his signing bonus. But let's say he is due 10 million over the final two years of the contract, what are the odds of the Giants paying him that much money? Probably the same as the Cards paying him what he was due in the last year of his contract.
Hopefully, with the NFL labor contract up in the air, this kind of insanity can get fixed.
This free agent system is as crazy as the rookie contract system. Don't even get me started on that.
Thankfully, it seems that most teams are hesitant out of the gates, waiting for the big ticket free agents to get gobbled up (and, remember, those big free agent signings rarely pan out - just think of Adam Archulleta (Redsking) , Alvin Harper (Bucs), David Boston (San Diego), Scott Mitchell (Detroit), Nate Burlenson (Seahawks), Andre Rison (Cleveland), and Larry Brown and Javon Walker (Raiders). Most of you are thinking, who are these guys? And that's the point. Teams paid way too much for very average players (or players past their prime). And that list could go on for dozens more.
The list, though, of great free agent additions is very limited. The biggest few come easily to mind - Reggie White (Green Bay), Steve Hutchinson (Vikings), Drew Brees (Saints), and Deion Sanders (49ers and Cowboys). But the list of great free agent signings is dwarfed by the list of horrendous free agent signings. Buyer beware indeed!
The trick is to draft well and supplement your team with medium range free agents, not those big ticket ones.
The Giants just made Antrel Rolle the highest paid safety in the league. Not because he is the best safety, mind you. Simply because he is the best of a very, very average crop of free agents.
I have no problem with paying star players big, big money. If Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed or Darren Sharper want that money, then no problem.
But Antrel Rolle? The guy has amassed all of 14 interceptions and four forced fumbles . . . in his career!
That's a good season and a half for the three safeties I just mentioned.
Now the real trouble starts when Polamalu, Reed, and Sharper have their contracts come up. They will have their agents tell their respective clubs, hey - Rolle is making 37 million. Our guys are worth twice that!
And salary inflation has begun.
Also, what are the odds of Rolle playing out the length of this contract? There's a reason the Cards released him: he was due too much money in the final year of his contract! How is that for irony?
Now here's the catch with free agent contracts - Rolle will earn 15 million right away as part of his signing bonus. But let's say he is due 10 million over the final two years of the contract, what are the odds of the Giants paying him that much money? Probably the same as the Cards paying him what he was due in the last year of his contract.
Hopefully, with the NFL labor contract up in the air, this kind of insanity can get fixed.
This free agent system is as crazy as the rookie contract system. Don't even get me started on that.
Thankfully, it seems that most teams are hesitant out of the gates, waiting for the big ticket free agents to get gobbled up (and, remember, those big free agent signings rarely pan out - just think of Adam Archulleta (Redsking) , Alvin Harper (Bucs), David Boston (San Diego), Scott Mitchell (Detroit), Nate Burlenson (Seahawks), Andre Rison (Cleveland), and Larry Brown and Javon Walker (Raiders). Most of you are thinking, who are these guys? And that's the point. Teams paid way too much for very average players (or players past their prime). And that list could go on for dozens more.
The list, though, of great free agent additions is very limited. The biggest few come easily to mind - Reggie White (Green Bay), Steve Hutchinson (Vikings), Drew Brees (Saints), and Deion Sanders (49ers and Cowboys). But the list of great free agent signings is dwarfed by the list of horrendous free agent signings. Buyer beware indeed!
The trick is to draft well and supplement your team with medium range free agents, not those big ticket ones.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Introduction to Metallica
I had this song playing at the beginning of my College Comp II class one day. The point was not to assault them with the sheer sonic bludgeoning of Metallica. Rather it was to illustrate an important point that I wanted them to consider in an upcoming essay - the importance of beauty - or (in this song's case) - recognizing greatness.
We had been studying the Joshua Bell experiment that the Washington Post conducted a few years ago. Bell is one of the foremost musicians on earth. His value is measured in thousands of dollars - for each minute he plays.
That's how phenomenal he is as a violinist.
The Post decided to set him up outside a busy business hub. They put him in street clothes, but they allowed him to play his priceless (well, priceless for us mere mortals, for I think the value of his instrument is in the millions) violin. He played some of the most beautiful and moving music ever written by man.
The test was to see if the average person rushing to work would A) recognize Bell's greatness and B) take a moment out of their busy day to stop and soak up the beauty of his music.
It didn't happen. The sheep just rushed along, oblivious to the beauty around them.
Now, this did not surprise me. For I would have walked right by too - with my iPod plugged right into my ears. But how often do we hear news stories of parents who forgot their babies in their car seats on their way to work instead of dropping them off at daycare only to have the infant die in the car? In a society where that happens, passing by a world-class musician playing the greatest crafted music in the history of the world isn't that big of a thing.
After reading the story, students wrote and discussed the idea of beauty or greatness. We touched upon such subjects as what is beauty? How might we define it? Are there some beautiful things that we all can agree on? Or is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?
I have always maintained that if you can't recognize true beauty, you should at least be able to appreciate it. Or learn to appreciate it.
So, I played "Battery" by Metallica as a way to illustrate how I first encountered 'greatness' in music.
I understand that metal is not for everyone. But my point was to elaborate on how I was able to determine what was so great and shocking to me about it because it totally changed my worldview concerning the music I listened to.
I wanted to illustrate that this is what happens when we encounter something truly 'great' or 'beautiful.' If we don't immediately recognize it, how can we then understand or begin to relate to what is great and beautiful.
First, I think it changes you. Second, I think it gets inside of you and makes the world appear different . . . forever.
Now, this is exactly what happened when Mom bought me Master of Puppets at Pamida in Crookston in early 1986. These were the days when you couldn't sample music immediately on the internet. Furthermore, Metallica was receiving zero airtime on the radio, so I was just going off interviews and reports I read in Hit Parader and Circus.
Furthermore, I had been used to such standard "crotch rock" in the 1980s as Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Ratt, Autograph, Krokus, Ozzy, and so on.
So when Mom stopped at Hugos to get groceries, I opened the cassette and popped it into my Walk-man (again, loooooooong before the iPod was ever a glimmer in Steve Jobs' eye).
"Battery" was the lead track.
It started off normal enough with a classical style accoustic intro.
Well, this is interesting I thought.
Then a thunderous guitar broke in over the accoustic guitar. This almost had an operatic sound to it.
What is this Queen?
The drums were on part with Bonham from Led Zeppelin, pounding away.
This is great. Just what I wanted, I thought.
Then exactly at the 1:06 mark, a riff unlike anything I had ever heard in my entire life issued forth from the headphones.
I was too in shock to even think anything. The guitar was so raw and gutteral that it felt like I was at the dentist having a cavity drilled.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Exactly seven seconds later, the drums, bass, and guitars came into sync and began an all out blitzkreig on my senses.
This is the fastest damned music I have ever heard. It is most certainly not radio oriented. I mean this is so fast people wouldn't even know what to think. There's no sense of beat or catchy synthesizer or chorus. It was an all out thrashing. All I could do was try to hold on.
And then the lyrics hit with James Hetfield's choppy delivery of the short, jab-like phrases. It felt like I was one of those small punching bags boxers show off on, hitting it so fast that it becomes a blur.
And I found myself totally hating it.
There's ten bucks down the drain, I thought. It was not like I got a cassette all that often, so buying a terrible one was really a downer.
But since I had bought it, I decided to give it a few more listens.
And before I knew it, I couldn't stop listening to it.
Initially, I hated it because it was unlike anything I had ever heard before in my life. They even made Iron Maiden sound boring.
But the more I listened to it, the more the oddness wore off and the true greatness sank in.
And that's what I wanted to share with the students.
Too often we are too quick to dismiss something just because we don't instantly like it, rather than learning to appreciate it or wrestling with something to come to a better understanding.
Metallica revolutionized my love for music.
I still liked all that 'crotch rock,' but now I knew what serious music sounded like. I mean in all reality it probably took Ratt ten seconds to write "Round and Round." But there was no way, given the guitar work and tempo changes in Metallica's music, that it took them a few seconds to comprise this.
Then there were the lyrics. While Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang "The Cheerleader was a real young bleeder" in "Walk This Way" or Gene Simmons of Kiss sang "I want to rock and roll all night and party every day" or Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister sang "We're not going to take it . . . no, we ain't gonna take it," Hetfield was singing "Pain monopoly / Ritual misery / Chop your breakfast on a mirror" in "Master of Puppets" or he was singing about H.P. Lovercraft's Chuthulu mythos in "The Thing That Should Not Be" or scam artist televangelists in "Leper Messiah."
This was a thinking person's type of music.
I never listened to music the same again. All because of that one moment.
Blogging As Pedagogic Practice Across the Curriculum
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
I embedded this from slideshare via the Red River Valley Writing Project blog.
I know it's a pipe dream, but I'd like to one day teach in a system where instead of tablets, kids just keep blogs for their writing and assignments.
Dream on, right?
We'll see.
I embedded this from slideshare via the Red River Valley Writing Project blog.
I know it's a pipe dream, but I'd like to one day teach in a system where instead of tablets, kids just keep blogs for their writing and assignments.
Dream on, right?
We'll see.
Kenzie got this in the mail yesterday
Whoever sent Kenzie her first book via Amazon, thanks so much. She just loves it! As do we!
Thanks.
What a night
Kenzie was up until about 9 or so. Then Kristie had to take her upstairs and try to get her to sleep. She didn't get much of a nap during the day and was over tired.
This started things off well; however, since she has RSV, Kenzie needs a nebulizer treatment every four hours. On top of that, she needs some very strong medicine once a day, a medicine she happens to loathe. In fact, when we gave it to her yesterday (we tried mixing it with some water), she actually made herself puke it up it tasted so terribly.
We waited until she was good and out before we tried the second dose. We got it down and she seemed fine. That was until I was rinsing out the syringe. That's when I heard Kenzie screaming and Kristie calling for water.
Finally, Kristie was able to calm Kenzers and get to her to sleep.
We waited until 11 to give Kenzie a neb treatment. This went well, and I soon brought her to her crib for what I hoped would be the rest of the evening.
How wrong I was.
Kenzie's next neb treatment was at three. I made it through the whole treatment. I was just winding the extension cord out of her room, when she sat up and started crying.
I hoped she'd settle back down and fall asleep, but soon she was standing in her crib holding the bars and crying.
How could I walk away from that?
By this time it was close to 3:30, so I brought her down, changed her diaper, and gave her some water, hoping that would help her fall back asleep.
Nope. She was wide awake.
I brought up to our bed, hoping Kristie would work her magic and get Kenzie to sleep.
She really only tossed and turned until about four. Then I decided to bring her downstairs.
As soon as we got downstairs, she ran to the kitchen and stood my her highchair. The little girl wanted her breakfast. At four in the morning!
So I made her a toaster stroodle. She devoured that. So I made her a bowl of Lucky Charms (she picks out the marshmallows and eats them).
However, she was growing cranky and making a mess. That was when Grandma swooped in to the rescue. We made a bottle and she was able to rock Kenzie back to sleep.
I went back to bed to enjoy an hour or so of sleep.
Looks like lots of coffee today.
This started things off well; however, since she has RSV, Kenzie needs a nebulizer treatment every four hours. On top of that, she needs some very strong medicine once a day, a medicine she happens to loathe. In fact, when we gave it to her yesterday (we tried mixing it with some water), she actually made herself puke it up it tasted so terribly.
We waited until she was good and out before we tried the second dose. We got it down and she seemed fine. That was until I was rinsing out the syringe. That's when I heard Kenzie screaming and Kristie calling for water.
Finally, Kristie was able to calm Kenzers and get to her to sleep.
We waited until 11 to give Kenzie a neb treatment. This went well, and I soon brought her to her crib for what I hoped would be the rest of the evening.
How wrong I was.
Kenzie's next neb treatment was at three. I made it through the whole treatment. I was just winding the extension cord out of her room, when she sat up and started crying.
I hoped she'd settle back down and fall asleep, but soon she was standing in her crib holding the bars and crying.
How could I walk away from that?
By this time it was close to 3:30, so I brought her down, changed her diaper, and gave her some water, hoping that would help her fall back asleep.
Nope. She was wide awake.
I brought up to our bed, hoping Kristie would work her magic and get Kenzie to sleep.
She really only tossed and turned until about four. Then I decided to bring her downstairs.
As soon as we got downstairs, she ran to the kitchen and stood my her highchair. The little girl wanted her breakfast. At four in the morning!
So I made her a toaster stroodle. She devoured that. So I made her a bowl of Lucky Charms (she picks out the marshmallows and eats them).
However, she was growing cranky and making a mess. That was when Grandma swooped in to the rescue. We made a bottle and she was able to rock Kenzie back to sleep.
I went back to bed to enjoy an hour or so of sleep.
Looks like lots of coffee today.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
At least this mystery is laid to rest
So this is what really happened to the dinosaurs.
Several other possible theories - volcanic eruptions and disease - were interesting, but the asteroid theory just seems the most likely.
What is interesting about this is that it tends to throw a wrench into many theories regarding our planet - namely that changes take thousands or millions of years. Yet, the demise of the dinosaurs was actually swift.
And just look what the massive quack last week did to our planet's rotation and days!
2012 - here we come!
Several other possible theories - volcanic eruptions and disease - were interesting, but the asteroid theory just seems the most likely.
What is interesting about this is that it tends to throw a wrench into many theories regarding our planet - namely that changes take thousands or millions of years. Yet, the demise of the dinosaurs was actually swift.
And just look what the massive quack last week did to our planet's rotation and days!
2012 - here we come!
Is This What We've Come To
Is this really what we've sunk to?
It's hard to believe that the parties are really this divided. Yet, it certainly appears that way.
I'm reminded of an op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman at the beginning of the school year that openly questioned whether or not Americans on the left and right have just grown too far apart to ever reconcile and get anything done. Worse yet, he fretted that because the far left and far right are so irreconcilable that maybe something terrible would happen.
After reading the report on the GOP, it seems something terrible has occurred.
Will the two sides ever reconcile though?
It seems that the extremes on either side just won't listen to reason and only insist on believing what they want to. Which is why people believe in those lunatic forwards they receive or listen to Rush Limbaugh (a colleague said he was listening to Limbaugh rant on about Jesse Jackson (and some of Limbaugh's criticism was justified), but then Rush claimed that Jackson was not with King when he was assassinated . . . that is just a lie, Jackson was indeed there. But the danger is that the far right - just as the far left is guilty of this - doesn't care about facts. They only want to believe what they want to believe).
And it seems that the GOP and their strategy for the next election is just feeding right into that.
It's hard to believe that the parties are really this divided. Yet, it certainly appears that way.
I'm reminded of an op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman at the beginning of the school year that openly questioned whether or not Americans on the left and right have just grown too far apart to ever reconcile and get anything done. Worse yet, he fretted that because the far left and far right are so irreconcilable that maybe something terrible would happen.
After reading the report on the GOP, it seems something terrible has occurred.
Will the two sides ever reconcile though?
It seems that the extremes on either side just won't listen to reason and only insist on believing what they want to. Which is why people believe in those lunatic forwards they receive or listen to Rush Limbaugh (a colleague said he was listening to Limbaugh rant on about Jesse Jackson (and some of Limbaugh's criticism was justified), but then Rush claimed that Jackson was not with King when he was assassinated . . . that is just a lie, Jackson was indeed there. But the danger is that the far right - just as the far left is guilty of this - doesn't care about facts. They only want to believe what they want to believe).
And it seems that the GOP and their strategy for the next election is just feeding right into that.
Best Day of the Offseason
Midnight marks the best day of the NFL off season (next to the draft), for it is the beginning of free agency.
Even though my Bengals are never big players in free agency (too cheap and too conservative), it is always amusing to see all the insanity that goes into the first few hours of free agency.
Teams, though, have finally begun reigning themselves in.
Gone are the days when the Jaguars, Redskins, and Jets would spend millions and millions of dollars bringing in the best available free agents. A few franchises, the Raiders and Cowboys come to mind, still do this, but neither of those have been particularly effective at it.
I think you'll see teams approach free agency much more calmly than in the past. Very few teams, if any, are just one player away from the Super Bowl, so I don't think you'll see teams jump all over each other for one player.
Look at all the money the Redskins poured into Albert Haynesworth last year. How did that work out for them?
Look at the Raiders, 49ers, and Browns. All were on the cusp of getting turned around, but then they spent like mad on aging vets who clearly weren't worth the money and who clearly weren't going to be with the team longer than a year or two. Now all of those teams are heading back to the drawing board to rebuild yet again.
Now you can argue that the Cowboys have won some games, but really who has been vital to their success? All guys they either drafted (Demarcus Ware, Marion Barber, Jay Ratliff) or guys the signed as college free agents (Tony Romo and Myles Austin).
The real trick is to pick a few winners in free agency and then draft well. As much as it pains me to write this, I have to give the Vikes some credit here - free agents Steve Hutchinson and Bernard Berrian have helped the offense and Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield have boosted the defense. Throw on top of that one astute trade (Jared Allen) and a slew of good draft picks (Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Kevin Williams, and Adrian Peterson) and it's easy to see why they did so well last year.
All I'm hoping my Bengals do is dump their big free agent from last year (Laverneus Coles) and sign a descent tight end. There's talk of taking a look at Terrel Owens, but I don't see that happening. Actually, I'd love to see them bring back a kid they lost to free agency back in 2006, Kevin Walter, who has done well with the Texans.
Then I'd like to see them keep a couple of their own free agents (Bobbie Williams and Tank Johnson) and extend the contracts of their two stud corners.
After that, they can turn to the draft to help build their team (Taylor Mays in round one and that wide out from Georgia Tech in round two).
See all the fun one can have in the off season?
Even though my Bengals are never big players in free agency (too cheap and too conservative), it is always amusing to see all the insanity that goes into the first few hours of free agency.
Teams, though, have finally begun reigning themselves in.
Gone are the days when the Jaguars, Redskins, and Jets would spend millions and millions of dollars bringing in the best available free agents. A few franchises, the Raiders and Cowboys come to mind, still do this, but neither of those have been particularly effective at it.
I think you'll see teams approach free agency much more calmly than in the past. Very few teams, if any, are just one player away from the Super Bowl, so I don't think you'll see teams jump all over each other for one player.
Look at all the money the Redskins poured into Albert Haynesworth last year. How did that work out for them?
Look at the Raiders, 49ers, and Browns. All were on the cusp of getting turned around, but then they spent like mad on aging vets who clearly weren't worth the money and who clearly weren't going to be with the team longer than a year or two. Now all of those teams are heading back to the drawing board to rebuild yet again.
Now you can argue that the Cowboys have won some games, but really who has been vital to their success? All guys they either drafted (Demarcus Ware, Marion Barber, Jay Ratliff) or guys the signed as college free agents (Tony Romo and Myles Austin).
The real trick is to pick a few winners in free agency and then draft well. As much as it pains me to write this, I have to give the Vikes some credit here - free agents Steve Hutchinson and Bernard Berrian have helped the offense and Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield have boosted the defense. Throw on top of that one astute trade (Jared Allen) and a slew of good draft picks (Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Kevin Williams, and Adrian Peterson) and it's easy to see why they did so well last year.
All I'm hoping my Bengals do is dump their big free agent from last year (Laverneus Coles) and sign a descent tight end. There's talk of taking a look at Terrel Owens, but I don't see that happening. Actually, I'd love to see them bring back a kid they lost to free agency back in 2006, Kevin Walter, who has done well with the Texans.
Then I'd like to see them keep a couple of their own free agents (Bobbie Williams and Tank Johnson) and extend the contracts of their two stud corners.
After that, they can turn to the draft to help build their team (Taylor Mays in round one and that wide out from Georgia Tech in round two).
See all the fun one can have in the off season?
A Writer Teaches Writing
At the beginning of the school year, I ordered this classic from Donald Murray. I first read this my first few days of graduate school when my adviser loaned me his copy.
It was one of the first texts that really opened my eyes on how to teach writing. And, more importantly, how not to teach writing. And I realized I had not been teaching writing very well at all.
You see, I fell into the five paragraph theme format trap. I never wrote like that in college. But once I started teaching, I stumbled across a graphic from the MN BST packet that showed the “hamburger” method of writing - topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. It doesn’t take much to leap from that to introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
This was so simple to teach. And it felt like I really was teaching writing, for I could give students specific feedback on their drafts and grade each essay in about three minutes.
I promised my kids (and I still do) that I won’t make them do anything I won’t do. So when I assigned an essay, I wrote one too.
It was quite easy, in fact, to crank out a five paragraph theme. It was almost like filling in the blanks or coloring inside the lines.
But a funny thing happened. Though it made writing easy for me, I stopped writing except when I had to.
What Murray’s book made me realize was that while teaching writing as a formula may make it easy, it makes it neither good nor enjoyable.
No wonder I stopped writing. There was no joy in it. No voice. No revelation.
That’s why Murray titles his text, A Writer Teaches Writing. Real writers don’t write five paragraph themes. No one reads five paragraph themes. No one wants to read a five paragraph theme. And that’s why I grew so tired of reading those essays, even if they were easy to grade.
Now that I focus on voice and style over form, grading essays has become more arduous that ever. But that difficulty is far outweighed by the voice, style, and personality of my students’ papers.
I was thinking while I re-read the book that I'd put down some of my favorite quotes and offer my thoughts on them. And, when possible, include student examples and evidence from my teaching. Here are some of my favorite parts so far.
Meaning is not thought up and then written down. The act of writing is an act of thought . . . We do not know what we want to say before we say it; we write to know what we want to say.
And this gets right to the heart of the problem with thesis/support formulaic writing. That form requires the writer to start out with a thesis. But how do you know what you think when you haven’t written much?
Why not let a student write an exploratory essay in which you allow them to literally think through their writing . . . and leave it all in the essay. Otherwise, they have to write draft after draft determining what they think. Then when they have all of that writing done, they have to take it and chop it up and force it into the thesis/support format . . . and make it look like that was what they thought all along.
Where is the joy in the exploration and discover? That’s all left on the cutting room floor.
I had a student early on write about the death penalty. He eschewed the thesis/support form and instead wrote about why he was against the death penalty. However, in his writing and research, he saw example after example of horrible crimes. And he actually ended his essay stating that despite his thesis and all of this examples, as a result of his research, he was actually changing his mind and was now for capital punishment.
Imagine that in a thesis/support format: a conclusion that totally runs counter to what the entire paper was about! But I loved it. He actually learned something, which I found quite rare when teaching the five paragraph format.
Traditionally, emphasis is first on vocabulary, spelling, usage, mechanics, and the conventions of manuscript presentation and later on organization, style, and appeals to an audience.
I think I set a record for vocab and grammar worksheets my first three years. I mean I had a cabinet FULL of them. I had my kids circling nouns, underlining verbs, putting boxes around adjectives and drawing arrows to the nouns the adjectives modified. It was quite the show.
And I felt like I was teaching.
But then again I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
I should have had the kids actually writing. But that was too simple.
God forbid they write an essay before they can tell me which noun is modified by which adjective. But, then again, that was how I was taught writing.
Actually, I learned little about grammar, despite receiving a ton of worksheets on this in high school.
I honestly think that’s why I loved writing so much. I didn’t have the joy of writing drubbed out of me by grammar.
So when I began teaching I thought by God my students are going to learn grammar! Never mind that I excelled in college without being able to tell you that a subordinate conjunction begins an introductory adverb clause or that a compound-complex sentence contains two compound sentences and a clause.
So why was I so determined to drub the joy of writing out of my kids with grammar worksheet and grammar worksheet?
Who knows. But it was wrong.
Here’s why - I had a student named Jack. He could circle verbs, put boxes around nouns, and underline adjectives. But his writing never improved. Thankfully, he had great voice and style, but his writing never took off like I wish it would have.
The problem was that Jack could dissect a sentence but I didn’t do a very good job of getting him to apply those skills to his prose.
I should have done this in reverse. I should have taken his writing and used that to teach grammar. I should have filled my filing cabinet full of student writing that they used to learn about grammar and tossed those damn grammar worksheets in the trash.
As Murray states, Non-traditional composition teaching usually reverses the process [of teaching grammar first] and emphasizes personal content and personal voice first, working backwards from global concerns to the particulars of language and manuscript presentation.
The writer sits down intending to say one thing and hears the writing saying something more, or less, or completely different. The writing surprises, instructs, receives, questions, tells its own story, and the writer becomes the reader wondering what will happen next.
What a great way to think of the writing process. What a great way to get writers to grasp the concept of audience and how often (as Peter Elbow asserts in his essay “Closing My Eyes While I Speak”) the writers themselves are their own audience.
Plus, why do people really write? To discover what they think. To communicate. To be part of something. To argue. To learn. And sometimes, when writing you have that wonderful discovery that the writing is coming alive and going off in a totally different direction. That is far more magical than any five paragraph theme ever written.
Again, as Murray observes, The first responsibility of the writing teacher is to experience this essential surprise. You can’t teach what you don’t know.
Last night’s reading left off with my favorite topic: voice.
Voice is the quality, more than any other, that allows us to recognize exceptional potential in a beginning writer; voice is the quality, more than any other, that allows us to recognize excellent writing.
Here are two samples of writing alive with discovery and voice.
Make It Rain
College Composition II 2.19.10
It was one of the first texts that really opened my eyes on how to teach writing. And, more importantly, how not to teach writing. And I realized I had not been teaching writing very well at all.
You see, I fell into the five paragraph theme format trap. I never wrote like that in college. But once I started teaching, I stumbled across a graphic from the MN BST packet that showed the “hamburger” method of writing - topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. It doesn’t take much to leap from that to introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
This was so simple to teach. And it felt like I really was teaching writing, for I could give students specific feedback on their drafts and grade each essay in about three minutes.
I promised my kids (and I still do) that I won’t make them do anything I won’t do. So when I assigned an essay, I wrote one too.
It was quite easy, in fact, to crank out a five paragraph theme. It was almost like filling in the blanks or coloring inside the lines.
But a funny thing happened. Though it made writing easy for me, I stopped writing except when I had to.
What Murray’s book made me realize was that while teaching writing as a formula may make it easy, it makes it neither good nor enjoyable.
No wonder I stopped writing. There was no joy in it. No voice. No revelation.
That’s why Murray titles his text, A Writer Teaches Writing. Real writers don’t write five paragraph themes. No one reads five paragraph themes. No one wants to read a five paragraph theme. And that’s why I grew so tired of reading those essays, even if they were easy to grade.
Now that I focus on voice and style over form, grading essays has become more arduous that ever. But that difficulty is far outweighed by the voice, style, and personality of my students’ papers.
I was thinking while I re-read the book that I'd put down some of my favorite quotes and offer my thoughts on them. And, when possible, include student examples and evidence from my teaching. Here are some of my favorite parts so far.
Meaning is not thought up and then written down. The act of writing is an act of thought . . . We do not know what we want to say before we say it; we write to know what we want to say.
And this gets right to the heart of the problem with thesis/support formulaic writing. That form requires the writer to start out with a thesis. But how do you know what you think when you haven’t written much?
Why not let a student write an exploratory essay in which you allow them to literally think through their writing . . . and leave it all in the essay. Otherwise, they have to write draft after draft determining what they think. Then when they have all of that writing done, they have to take it and chop it up and force it into the thesis/support format . . . and make it look like that was what they thought all along.
Where is the joy in the exploration and discover? That’s all left on the cutting room floor.
I had a student early on write about the death penalty. He eschewed the thesis/support form and instead wrote about why he was against the death penalty. However, in his writing and research, he saw example after example of horrible crimes. And he actually ended his essay stating that despite his thesis and all of this examples, as a result of his research, he was actually changing his mind and was now for capital punishment.
Imagine that in a thesis/support format: a conclusion that totally runs counter to what the entire paper was about! But I loved it. He actually learned something, which I found quite rare when teaching the five paragraph format.
Traditionally, emphasis is first on vocabulary, spelling, usage, mechanics, and the conventions of manuscript presentation and later on organization, style, and appeals to an audience.
I think I set a record for vocab and grammar worksheets my first three years. I mean I had a cabinet FULL of them. I had my kids circling nouns, underlining verbs, putting boxes around adjectives and drawing arrows to the nouns the adjectives modified. It was quite the show.
And I felt like I was teaching.
But then again I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
I should have had the kids actually writing. But that was too simple.
God forbid they write an essay before they can tell me which noun is modified by which adjective. But, then again, that was how I was taught writing.
Actually, I learned little about grammar, despite receiving a ton of worksheets on this in high school.
I honestly think that’s why I loved writing so much. I didn’t have the joy of writing drubbed out of me by grammar.
So when I began teaching I thought by God my students are going to learn grammar! Never mind that I excelled in college without being able to tell you that a subordinate conjunction begins an introductory adverb clause or that a compound-complex sentence contains two compound sentences and a clause.
So why was I so determined to drub the joy of writing out of my kids with grammar worksheet and grammar worksheet?
Who knows. But it was wrong.
Here’s why - I had a student named Jack. He could circle verbs, put boxes around nouns, and underline adjectives. But his writing never improved. Thankfully, he had great voice and style, but his writing never took off like I wish it would have.
The problem was that Jack could dissect a sentence but I didn’t do a very good job of getting him to apply those skills to his prose.
I should have done this in reverse. I should have taken his writing and used that to teach grammar. I should have filled my filing cabinet full of student writing that they used to learn about grammar and tossed those damn grammar worksheets in the trash.
As Murray states, Non-traditional composition teaching usually reverses the process [of teaching grammar first] and emphasizes personal content and personal voice first, working backwards from global concerns to the particulars of language and manuscript presentation.
The writer sits down intending to say one thing and hears the writing saying something more, or less, or completely different. The writing surprises, instructs, receives, questions, tells its own story, and the writer becomes the reader wondering what will happen next.
What a great way to think of the writing process. What a great way to get writers to grasp the concept of audience and how often (as Peter Elbow asserts in his essay “Closing My Eyes While I Speak”) the writers themselves are their own audience.
Plus, why do people really write? To discover what they think. To communicate. To be part of something. To argue. To learn. And sometimes, when writing you have that wonderful discovery that the writing is coming alive and going off in a totally different direction. That is far more magical than any five paragraph theme ever written.
Again, as Murray observes, The first responsibility of the writing teacher is to experience this essential surprise. You can’t teach what you don’t know.
Last night’s reading left off with my favorite topic: voice.
Voice is the quality, more than any other, that allows us to recognize exceptional potential in a beginning writer; voice is the quality, more than any other, that allows us to recognize excellent writing.
Here are two samples of writing alive with discovery and voice.
Make It Rain
College Composition II 2.19.10
Full House
Well, Kenzie will be home with grandma Gail for the next seven days. It’s nice to have Gail back in our house again. Gail’s sister has been ill and she has not been over to see Kenzie as much as she would like.
So I am sure that Kenzers will get plenty of love and attention over the next seven days.
Kenzie will also get to see her big brother Casey in a few days as he comes home for his birthday next week. As excited as Kenzers will be to see him, that will pale in comparison to Kristie. She dearly misses her little boy, who is not so little anymore. But he is all the way down in the cities.
I think Casey is looking forward to his trip home too, for he called last week and talked to Kristie for close to two hours, and he talked to KoKo for another hour. That is unheard of for Casey. Three hours on the phone! Casey is like me, as soon as he gets on the phone, he is thinking of a way to get off. But I think he set a personal record on Saturday.
So I am sure that Kenzers will get plenty of love and attention over the next seven days.
Kenzie will also get to see her big brother Casey in a few days as he comes home for his birthday next week. As excited as Kenzers will be to see him, that will pale in comparison to Kristie. She dearly misses her little boy, who is not so little anymore. But he is all the way down in the cities.
I think Casey is looking forward to his trip home too, for he called last week and talked to Kristie for close to two hours, and he talked to KoKo for another hour. That is unheard of for Casey. Three hours on the phone! Casey is like me, as soon as he gets on the phone, he is thinking of a way to get off. But I think he set a personal record on Saturday.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
RSV
Smallworld called Kristie to let her know that a child there had just been diagnosed with RSV. She just ran Kenzers up to the clinic here, and, sure enough, our little girl has it!
That explains the persistent coughing and hacking and runny nose. Plus, it sounds like she has a bit of asthma - something my mother and grandmother battled all their lives. I had it too when I was younger, but it hasn't been an issue for years.
Poor little thing. The only bright spot is that Grandma Gail might be able to spend the next week at home with her.
That explains the persistent coughing and hacking and runny nose. Plus, it sounds like she has a bit of asthma - something my mother and grandmother battled all their lives. I had it too when I was younger, but it hasn't been an issue for years.
Poor little thing. The only bright spot is that Grandma Gail might be able to spend the next week at home with her.
Now this is an interesting response to the NFL combine
This player turned down his invite to work out at the NFL's annual meat market. In the arena of big-time college football and who will make it in the pro game, we tend to forget about players like this who perform (a three year starter) and deal with the cost (several surgeries and on set of early arthritis) all in the name of a free education.
This, I think, is the real face of college athletics.
This, I think, is the real face of college athletics.
Tough to Leave
I was all set, as usual, to get to work exactly at 7:45. I had Kenzie changed, dressed, and fed. In fact, she was so gung ho to see Kristie, who was upstairs getting ready, she scampered right out of her high chair and headed up the stairs.
Here was my chance to quickly kiss Kristie and Kenzie good bye and to tell them (and KoKo who was still in bed) that I loved them and that I'd see them after school.
In fact, I was almost at the back door at 7:25.
Then disaster struck: I needed my black shoes. You see I thought they were in the basement, but those were my brown shoes.
My black shoes were out on the front porch.
Unfortunately, when I snuck to the front of the house to get them, Kenzie was at the top of the stairs and saw me again.
Of course, she threw a fit that I was leaving.
I still had time to dash out the back door and head out, but by the time I had my stupid dress shoes on, Kenzie was storming through the dining room into the kitchen, tears streaming down her face and her arms wide open crying "Da-a-a-ddddy!"
Suddenly, 7:45 was out of the question.
I picked her up and talked to her and played with her before I had to leave her upstairs with Kristie and KoKo . . . and still crying.
Here was my chance to quickly kiss Kristie and Kenzie good bye and to tell them (and KoKo who was still in bed) that I loved them and that I'd see them after school.
In fact, I was almost at the back door at 7:25.
Then disaster struck: I needed my black shoes. You see I thought they were in the basement, but those were my brown shoes.
My black shoes were out on the front porch.
Unfortunately, when I snuck to the front of the house to get them, Kenzie was at the top of the stairs and saw me again.
Of course, she threw a fit that I was leaving.
I still had time to dash out the back door and head out, but by the time I had my stupid dress shoes on, Kenzie was storming through the dining room into the kitchen, tears streaming down her face and her arms wide open crying "Da-a-a-ddddy!"
Suddenly, 7:45 was out of the question.
I picked her up and talked to her and played with her before I had to leave her upstairs with Kristie and KoKo . . . and still crying.
Quite the time of year at TRF
Yesterday, we had a pep fest for the boys' swim team headed to state and the wrestling team as well. Our knowledge bowl team is totally dominating (just watch them on 'the playoffs' on the upcoming High School Challenge).
Now it's the boys' hockey team's turn. They face Warroad (what's new?) for the right to go to state Thursday night in EGF.
We get no time off for the swim team or wrestlers, but if the hockey team earns a trip to state, we will likely get at least one day off from school.
At least that's how it was handled four or five years ago when the hockey team last went to state. I stayed home and watched the games.
Well, I watched one period. I'm a football guy, so I'm used to two quarters, half-time, and then the final two quarters. This three period thing screwed me up. So after the first period I switched to a Discovery Channel episode on what would happen if a hurricane blew up the east coast and slammed in to New York. That show was so damn interesting that by the time I realized I should be back watching the hockey game, I switched just in time to see our former goalie choke and let in a game winner with only a few seconds left.
Maybe it will go better this time. Maybe I'll drift off and watch Life After People or Ax Men and the team will win.
Now it's the boys' hockey team's turn. They face Warroad (what's new?) for the right to go to state Thursday night in EGF.
We get no time off for the swim team or wrestlers, but if the hockey team earns a trip to state, we will likely get at least one day off from school.
At least that's how it was handled four or five years ago when the hockey team last went to state. I stayed home and watched the games.
Well, I watched one period. I'm a football guy, so I'm used to two quarters, half-time, and then the final two quarters. This three period thing screwed me up. So after the first period I switched to a Discovery Channel episode on what would happen if a hurricane blew up the east coast and slammed in to New York. That show was so damn interesting that by the time I realized I should be back watching the hockey game, I switched just in time to see our former goalie choke and let in a game winner with only a few seconds left.
Maybe it will go better this time. Maybe I'll drift off and watch Life After People or Ax Men and the team will win.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
NFL Draft
Marvin Lewis is taking some heat for calling the NLF combine "asinine."
But when you log on to ESPN and see quotes like these --
• Missouri OLB Sean Weatherspoon has been impressive thus far. After weighing in at 239 pounds and measuring 6-1⅜, he put up 34 reps on the 225-pound bench press, then posted an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.57 seconds. That comes as little surprise, though, given the above-average range we saw from him both on film and at the Senior Bowl.
• Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan stood out in a drill designed to simulate alternating between shedding stand-up blockers and fighting off cut blocks. While his punch could have been more violent he stayed low and looked smooth getting down the line.
But when you log on to ESPN and see quotes like these --
• Missouri OLB Sean Weatherspoon has been impressive thus far. After weighing in at 239 pounds and measuring 6-1⅜, he put up 34 reps on the 225-pound bench press, then posted an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.57 seconds. That comes as little surprise, though, given the above-average range we saw from him both on film and at the Senior Bowl.
• Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan stood out in a drill designed to simulate alternating between shedding stand-up blockers and fighting off cut blocks. While his punch could have been more violent he stayed low and looked smooth getting down the line.
• Tennessee DT Dan Williams showed heavy hands and above-average upper-body strength while slapping and ripping though big bags today. Like Morgan, Williams' punch could be more compact and sudden but he still had a strong performance.
• Massive Alabama DT Terrence Cody has shed some weight but still ran the slowest 40-yard dash time of his group at 5.68 seconds. In fairness, though, Cody's 40 time doesn't much matter because he will primarily be occupying blockers and eating up space in the middle of the 3-4 defense.
I mean, come on! If drafting was an exact science, there'd never be any first round blunders like David Klingers (Thank you Mike Brown), Demetrius Underwoods, Ryan Leafs, or Vernon Gholstons.
And there'd also be no late round gems like TJ houshmandzadeh (Thank you Dick LeBeau), Tom Brady, Michael Turner, and Maurice Colston.
Lewis was not only referring to that, but also to the new industry that has sprung up in the last decade where athletes drop out of school and abandon their programs and move across the country to some sport-prep expert or facility to train them specifically for the drills at the NFL combine.
And the stupid NFL falls for this dog and pony show every damned time. Instead of watching film and talking to coaches and interviewing the players and going off instinct, teams will fall in love with a player because of his 'intangibles' (how quickly he can run the shuttle drill or leap in the broad jump or bench press 225 pounds).
I think the first real 'work out warrior' that kind of started this insanity was Mike Mamula. He was a talented kid who had a decent senior year. But he absolutely blew the doors off the drills at the NFL combine.
And what happens?
The Philadelphia Eagles draft him high in the first round . . . and they have regretted ever since. He was okay, but never did he live up to his 'intangibles.'
This is the same reason that Jerry Rice fell to the 49ers in 1986. He ran a 'slow' 40 yard dash. Did anyone ever see Rice have trouble scoring or running past a defensive back? I think Rice silenced all his critics when (either in his first or second season) on MNF against the rival Rams, he had two touchdown catches of 90 plus yards.
The real foolishness of the NFL combine and all the preparation that goes into it, is that how many of these kids will ever work this hard again? They are putting it all on the line for that multi-million dollar paycheck. But will they stay motivated after that? That has to keep coaches, scouts, GMs, and owners up at night.
Remember Freddie Mitchell? He had a very good career at wide receiver for UCLA. He put up a solid combine performance. The Eagles spent a high first round pick on him, and he never did a thing in the NFL (outside of catching a really big third or fourth down pass in OT to help beat the Packers in the playoffs). One has to wonder if he got the paycheck and just coasted his way right out of the league.
So even if you don't fall prey to all the trappings of the combine, and you select the top rated player on the board, you can still get it all wrong.
Just take a look through the history of your favorite team's drafts. You'll see a ton of names that don't sound faintly familiar. And here's why: there is really no way to discern what separates a Tony Mandarich from an Anthony Munoz or an Eddie Brown from a Jerry Rice or an Adrian Peterson from a Darrin Nelson (there you go Vikings fans).
And that is why the NFL draft is so fascinating. You never know what players will pan out. And you never know what teams are going to do.
Who would have thought the Texans wouldn't have drafted Reggie Bush first overall a few years ago (they too Mario Williams instead - and were right to do so)? And the team that did draft Bush, could have no idea that in the final round of the draft, they'd get a much better - and more prolific - player - Maurice Colston, who has FAR outperformed Bush.
That is why every pick counts.
And even when you are sure your team has messed it all up, you still can be wrong.
The Titans spent a second round pick on a speedy running back named Chris Henry. Then they turned around and did the same thing the next year, although this time they spent a first round pick, on another speedy and unheralded back - Chris Johnson. The latter has made the former totally irrelevant.
Think of the 1999 draft. The Eagles fans booed when they opted for Donovan McNabb over Ricky Williams. And while Williams has had a bit of a renaissance after being out of the league and retiring and playing in Canada, there is little doubt that McNabb has been the superior performer. The Colts stunned the world when the took Edgerrin James out of Miami ahead of the Heisman Trophy winner Williams.
The Mike Ditka traded his whole damn draft to the Redskins so he could select Williams. Now this sounds like a complete steal for the Redskins, but it really wasn't. Sure, they got a great player (Champ Bailey) AND all those extra picks. But look at those picks. No household names and most - if not all - are out of the league now.
Then there was just the disasterous quarterbacks taken. First, Tim Couch. Out of the league. Third, Akili Smith. Out of the league. Eleventh, Daunte Culpepper. Back up. Twelfth, Cad McNown. Out of the league. What a disaster!
Then there was the bountiful running back draft from 2008. Look at these names - Jonathan Stewart (a Pro Bowl player for Carolina), Reshard Mendenhall (a thousand yard rusher for the Steelers this past season), Chris Johnson (the reigning NFL offensive player of the year for the Titans), Matt Forte (a big time rusher for the Bears), Ray Rice (the yards from scrimmage leader this year - and a Pro Bowl player for the Ravens), Jamaal Charles (coming off a stunning last part of the year for the Chiefs where he broke a thousand yards), and Steve Slaton (a rookie of the year performer for the Texans and a solid rusher when healthy). Now, those NFL draft experts, will notice that the first running back drafted - Darren McFadden is not on that list. He has been a bust so far. Yet, he was taken ahead of all of these others.
So in 50 days, when the first round begins Thursday night, hope springs eternal. You never know which players - as the draft unfolds throughout the next two days - will be great and which will disappear. But the great thing is that before the season begins, they all have potential!
After all, who would have thought the Saints would be world champs?
Hope is indeed eternal.
Sub notes
I found these comments from my sub yesterday :
First block - Great
Third block - Superb
Fourth block - Poor, poor Mr. Reynolds
First block - Great
Third block - Superb
Fourth block - Poor, poor Mr. Reynolds
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