A lesbian couple is outraged after her partner was asked to turn her shirt (which read "Marriage is so Gay") inside out.
Come on! What's more of an outrage, that you had to turn your shirt inside out or that you were actually at Dollywood??
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Don't Mess With a Former English Teacher
Here's another nugget from Twitter. Don't know if this is legit, but it's funny. It should put a smile on your face at least.
Glenn Beck, Go Away
Shock (schlock) jock Glenn Beck's comments on the Norway shootings outrage many.
It's time for him to just go away. People stop listening and tune him out. Please.
It's time for him to just go away. People stop listening and tune him out. Please.
Twitter has become a most interesting social network application. If that's even the correct description of it.
I signed up a while ago for a Twitter account and then never used it until last year when I thought it would be interesting to turn the Sticky-Note Book Report assignment in College Comp II into a Twitter Book Report. I began using my account and encouraged my student to create theirs. They all could via their phones, despite Twitter being blocked by our nefarious web blocker.
The students actually preferred to do the old fashioned Stick-Note Book Report rather than use Twitter. They found Twitter's 140 character limit too constricting.
Students still used it, though, to comment on assignments or ask questions.
For those who are not familiar with Twitter. Here is how it works.
It's a lot like texting in that there is a limit to how much you can tweet (I can't tell you how long it took me to get used to saying that).
So whatever I tweet goes up on my wall. Those who follow me can see it. They can also mention or contact me by typing the @ in front of my username. I have it set up so as soon as they tweet that I am notified via email, text, and twitter. Talk about instant feedback.
We can also use hashtags (the # symbol) for discussions. If I assign a story, such as "Young Goodman Brown," I can also tell students to tweet their questions or ideas about it by using the hastag #ygb. When their tweet come up, I can click on the #ygb and see all the tweets in that discussion. It's a handy way to see their commentary as it happens in real time. Where else are students allowed to do that?
I think Twitter is superior to Facebook because, right now anyway, fewer people are on Twitter. So there is less crap put up by people. I can't tell you how sick I am of looking at my FB wall and seeing song quotes, complaints, insults, and drama from my 'friends.'
I don't get a whole lot of that on Twitter.
The best feature of Twitter right now is that there are a ton of fellow educators using it. So I follow them and see what articles they are reading and what teaching strategies they are using. In fact, one of the best things about Twitter is that the teachers and administrators and writers I follow tend to include links in their Tweets. These links are to interesting articles or blogs they come across. This is an excellent way to stay caught up on my professional reading.
Twitter is also great because it is maybe the best embodiment of what Friedman called "a flat world." What I mean by that is there are no walls separating those of us on Twitter. It doesn't matter if it's little old me in NW MN Tweeting or Ochocinco out in California or Terry Dullum in GF. Now the difference is that I have a couple followers, Ochocinco has tens of thousands and Dullum has hundreds. That means their messages go out to far more people than mine. But still if I wanted I could follow Ochocinco and send him a message. Now, he might not reply, but he would get it. There is instant contact.
Two people I religiously follow on Twitter are Michelle Rhee and Diane Ravitch, both education reformers, though at total odds with one another. I just got a notification that Rhee is following me and Ravitch even replied to one of my tweets!
The days of writing letters to authors in elementary school and getting a stock response back are gone. Now, tweeting Stephen King probably isn't going to merit a response, but you'd be surprised the number of authors - both locally and nationally - on twitter.
Another advantage of Twitter is that it makes reporters out of all of us. Now, this is not always a good thing as many aren't trained in how to report or even how to write. But it is superior because you don't have to wait for the six o'clock news anymore.
Here's what I mean. I used to watch Sports Center religiously this time of year. I couldn't wait to see who the NFL free agents were and where they were signing. Of course of the 60 minutes that comprise Sports Center, maybe 3 minutes is devoted to covering NFL free agency. So I'd have to sit through a whole episode until Chris Mortenson or John Clayton came on to fill us in.
Then the internet hit and you could go right to the NFL free agency tracker on the ESPN website and stay up to date. But I still had to wait for a source to tell a writer what was going on and then I'd have to wait for the writer to post the update on the website.
That is all gone thanks to Twitter.
Just now, I'm following Chris Mortenson and Adam Schefter (both ESPN reporters) who also Tweet. As soon as they hear something (such as Carson Palmer being retired or where Reggie Bush will sign), they Tweet it. I don't have to wait for their segment on Sports Center or for it to appear on the website. And because I have the Twitter app on my BlackBerry, I get instant notification wherever I am.
But there's one more step. Sometimes, the players themselves (like Ochocinco mentioned earlier) are dedicated Tweeters and totally cut out the reporters and news agencies. They can get the stories right to the fans without the middle man. This is dangerous since the NFL Network exists as that middle man. And that is one reason Roger Goodell forbids players from Tweeting certain things at certain times (they cannot Tweet from the locker room. They have to talk to the reporters first. Nor can they Tweet from sidelines during games). Just imagine how that would change the game! You could be watching the Super Bowl and suddenly a Tweet would appear on your phone or the TV screen from Peyton Manning or Drew Brees telling you about the touchdown they just threw. Talk about immediate feedback!
So Adam Schefter just reported that the Boston College DE/OLD Mark Herlich has signed with the Giants. But as it happens Herzlich Tweets. So Schefter's report is simply "Herzlich tweets that he has signed with the Giants." Right here Herzlich is cutting out all the middle men. If I followed him on Twitter, I'd know immediately where he was going to sign. I'd know the same time as the big reporters for all the networks.
When in the history of reporting was that ever possible?
I don't even bother watching Sports Center anymore. Even checking on a website is a pain. Twitter is the way to go.
What's next? ESP perhaps?
Who knows but it's an exciting time to live and engage with others.
Of course, the possibilities for education and teaching are incredible.
Imagine following an author who tweets periodically as he writers. What a superb window into the writing process. Or imagine taking part in a twitter discussion with a student in NW MN, a student in California, a student in India and another student in China. It could happen very easily using Twitter. Just imagine the possibilities for discussions and learning that could happen.
It's a wonderful tool in my classroom too. When my College Comp II class is reading Sir Ken Robinson's "The Element," we can follow him on Twitter and they can send him questions. They can go to the links he Tweets and further expand their knowledge. We can also read his book and tweet key ideas or passages that we like. I can also tell them to search the internet and tweet links to stories that have to do with the author, any of the people featured in the book, or reviews of the book. Just look at the knowledge base we are building.
All this talk of education and technology (and football finally) has me fired up for school again. Only 41 days left until the first day!
I signed up a while ago for a Twitter account and then never used it until last year when I thought it would be interesting to turn the Sticky-Note Book Report assignment in College Comp II into a Twitter Book Report. I began using my account and encouraged my student to create theirs. They all could via their phones, despite Twitter being blocked by our nefarious web blocker.
The students actually preferred to do the old fashioned Stick-Note Book Report rather than use Twitter. They found Twitter's 140 character limit too constricting.
Students still used it, though, to comment on assignments or ask questions.
For those who are not familiar with Twitter. Here is how it works.
It's a lot like texting in that there is a limit to how much you can tweet (I can't tell you how long it took me to get used to saying that).
So whatever I tweet goes up on my wall. Those who follow me can see it. They can also mention or contact me by typing the @ in front of my username. I have it set up so as soon as they tweet that I am notified via email, text, and twitter. Talk about instant feedback.
We can also use hashtags (the # symbol) for discussions. If I assign a story, such as "Young Goodman Brown," I can also tell students to tweet their questions or ideas about it by using the hastag #ygb. When their tweet come up, I can click on the #ygb and see all the tweets in that discussion. It's a handy way to see their commentary as it happens in real time. Where else are students allowed to do that?
I think Twitter is superior to Facebook because, right now anyway, fewer people are on Twitter. So there is less crap put up by people. I can't tell you how sick I am of looking at my FB wall and seeing song quotes, complaints, insults, and drama from my 'friends.'
I don't get a whole lot of that on Twitter.
The best feature of Twitter right now is that there are a ton of fellow educators using it. So I follow them and see what articles they are reading and what teaching strategies they are using. In fact, one of the best things about Twitter is that the teachers and administrators and writers I follow tend to include links in their Tweets. These links are to interesting articles or blogs they come across. This is an excellent way to stay caught up on my professional reading.
Twitter is also great because it is maybe the best embodiment of what Friedman called "a flat world." What I mean by that is there are no walls separating those of us on Twitter. It doesn't matter if it's little old me in NW MN Tweeting or Ochocinco out in California or Terry Dullum in GF. Now the difference is that I have a couple followers, Ochocinco has tens of thousands and Dullum has hundreds. That means their messages go out to far more people than mine. But still if I wanted I could follow Ochocinco and send him a message. Now, he might not reply, but he would get it. There is instant contact.
Two people I religiously follow on Twitter are Michelle Rhee and Diane Ravitch, both education reformers, though at total odds with one another. I just got a notification that Rhee is following me and Ravitch even replied to one of my tweets!
The days of writing letters to authors in elementary school and getting a stock response back are gone. Now, tweeting Stephen King probably isn't going to merit a response, but you'd be surprised the number of authors - both locally and nationally - on twitter.
Another advantage of Twitter is that it makes reporters out of all of us. Now, this is not always a good thing as many aren't trained in how to report or even how to write. But it is superior because you don't have to wait for the six o'clock news anymore.
Here's what I mean. I used to watch Sports Center religiously this time of year. I couldn't wait to see who the NFL free agents were and where they were signing. Of course of the 60 minutes that comprise Sports Center, maybe 3 minutes is devoted to covering NFL free agency. So I'd have to sit through a whole episode until Chris Mortenson or John Clayton came on to fill us in.
Then the internet hit and you could go right to the NFL free agency tracker on the ESPN website and stay up to date. But I still had to wait for a source to tell a writer what was going on and then I'd have to wait for the writer to post the update on the website.
That is all gone thanks to Twitter.
Just now, I'm following Chris Mortenson and Adam Schefter (both ESPN reporters) who also Tweet. As soon as they hear something (such as Carson Palmer being retired or where Reggie Bush will sign), they Tweet it. I don't have to wait for their segment on Sports Center or for it to appear on the website. And because I have the Twitter app on my BlackBerry, I get instant notification wherever I am.
But there's one more step. Sometimes, the players themselves (like Ochocinco mentioned earlier) are dedicated Tweeters and totally cut out the reporters and news agencies. They can get the stories right to the fans without the middle man. This is dangerous since the NFL Network exists as that middle man. And that is one reason Roger Goodell forbids players from Tweeting certain things at certain times (they cannot Tweet from the locker room. They have to talk to the reporters first. Nor can they Tweet from sidelines during games). Just imagine how that would change the game! You could be watching the Super Bowl and suddenly a Tweet would appear on your phone or the TV screen from Peyton Manning or Drew Brees telling you about the touchdown they just threw. Talk about immediate feedback!
So Adam Schefter just reported that the Boston College DE/OLD Mark Herlich has signed with the Giants. But as it happens Herzlich Tweets. So Schefter's report is simply "Herzlich tweets that he has signed with the Giants." Right here Herzlich is cutting out all the middle men. If I followed him on Twitter, I'd know immediately where he was going to sign. I'd know the same time as the big reporters for all the networks.
When in the history of reporting was that ever possible?
I don't even bother watching Sports Center anymore. Even checking on a website is a pain. Twitter is the way to go.
What's next? ESP perhaps?
Who knows but it's an exciting time to live and engage with others.
Of course, the possibilities for education and teaching are incredible.
Imagine following an author who tweets periodically as he writers. What a superb window into the writing process. Or imagine taking part in a twitter discussion with a student in NW MN, a student in California, a student in India and another student in China. It could happen very easily using Twitter. Just imagine the possibilities for discussions and learning that could happen.
It's a wonderful tool in my classroom too. When my College Comp II class is reading Sir Ken Robinson's "The Element," we can follow him on Twitter and they can send him questions. They can go to the links he Tweets and further expand their knowledge. We can also read his book and tweet key ideas or passages that we like. I can also tell them to search the internet and tweet links to stories that have to do with the author, any of the people featured in the book, or reviews of the book. Just look at the knowledge base we are building.
All this talk of education and technology (and football finally) has me fired up for school again. Only 41 days left until the first day!
The Ghost
A few weeks ago we had our second 'strange' event in our saga with our supposed ghost.
For some reason every single one of Cash's nooks end up in his crib upstairs. So whenever you are rocking him and he finishes his bottle and just needs a little more and you reach for the nook that you thought was on the end table . . . you realize it's upstairs and by then Cash is growing frustrated because he's out of milk and you've blown your chance for him to take a nap. It happens at least once a day to me.
To prevent this, I set Cash in his bouncer and marched upstairs to grab them. There were three in his crib!
I set them on Kristie's dresser. Since I'm a total random-abstract person, instead of taking the nooks downstairs, I began doing something else. In the middle of this something else - it might have been making the bed, handing up clothes, or picking up Kenzie's room - I don't remember - Cash grew tired of his bouncer and began to scream bloody murder.
I dashed downstairs and began rocking him again. Kenzie - in the meantime - was all over. She was downstairs playing diner. She was upstairs hopping in her bed and playing with her Light Bright set. She was in the living room watching Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost. I was finally able to rock Cash to sleep - minus a nook, the majority of which were still upstairs.
Gently I carried him upstairs to his crib. That's when I was stopped cold. In his crib, in a perfect triangle, were his three nooks.
I had left them on Kristie's dresser. Yet, here they were. It was like the running water faucet incident all over again.
So I scooped them up and laid Cash down.
My rationale mind stated, Oh, Kenzie must have put them there when she was playing upstairs.
She admitted to it when I asked her. But she also admitted to letting Kozy out, vacuuming, and giving Micsha a bath.
Kenz could have done it, but the trouble with that reasonable explanation is that the crib is really Cash's play pen. It doesn't have a really firm mattress. So if Kenzie would have hopped in there and set the nooks down and hopped back out, they likely would not have been left in a perfect triangle. She could have tossed them in there, I guess, but what are the odds that they'd land in the form of a perfect triangle?
I'm still not convinced, but it makes for some interesting blogging at least.
For some reason every single one of Cash's nooks end up in his crib upstairs. So whenever you are rocking him and he finishes his bottle and just needs a little more and you reach for the nook that you thought was on the end table . . . you realize it's upstairs and by then Cash is growing frustrated because he's out of milk and you've blown your chance for him to take a nap. It happens at least once a day to me.
To prevent this, I set Cash in his bouncer and marched upstairs to grab them. There were three in his crib!
I set them on Kristie's dresser. Since I'm a total random-abstract person, instead of taking the nooks downstairs, I began doing something else. In the middle of this something else - it might have been making the bed, handing up clothes, or picking up Kenzie's room - I don't remember - Cash grew tired of his bouncer and began to scream bloody murder.
I dashed downstairs and began rocking him again. Kenzie - in the meantime - was all over. She was downstairs playing diner. She was upstairs hopping in her bed and playing with her Light Bright set. She was in the living room watching Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost. I was finally able to rock Cash to sleep - minus a nook, the majority of which were still upstairs.
Gently I carried him upstairs to his crib. That's when I was stopped cold. In his crib, in a perfect triangle, were his three nooks.
I had left them on Kristie's dresser. Yet, here they were. It was like the running water faucet incident all over again.
So I scooped them up and laid Cash down.
My rationale mind stated, Oh, Kenzie must have put them there when she was playing upstairs.
She admitted to it when I asked her. But she also admitted to letting Kozy out, vacuuming, and giving Micsha a bath.
Kenz could have done it, but the trouble with that reasonable explanation is that the crib is really Cash's play pen. It doesn't have a really firm mattress. So if Kenzie would have hopped in there and set the nooks down and hopped back out, they likely would not have been left in a perfect triangle. She could have tossed them in there, I guess, but what are the odds that they'd land in the form of a perfect triangle?
I'm still not convinced, but it makes for some interesting blogging at least.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Another infographic about digital devices and education
Just look at how technology - namely the web - has changed education. Ten years ago if you were to take a class on line, it was roundly considered a joke. Now, not so. The University of Phoenix is massively successful. Several of my colleagues have either taken on line classes or earned degrees that way and they are just as rigorous as the grad classes I took during my leave of absence.
The biggest impact for me and my post-graduate school education has been iTunes and iTunes U. Just this week I've been listening to a literary theory class from Yale. How cool is that?
Here is an infographic that looks at the Apple University and how other Apple endeavors have impacted education.
One day, will all of education look like this? Notice the design of the university is to teach people to think (okay, to think like Steve Jobs, but to think none the less). What would our current schools look like if we actually taught people to think rather than pass high stakes tests?
Research and design by Online Colleges Resource
The biggest impact for me and my post-graduate school education has been iTunes and iTunes U. Just this week I've been listening to a literary theory class from Yale. How cool is that?
Here is an infographic that looks at the Apple University and how other Apple endeavors have impacted education.
One day, will all of education look like this? Notice the design of the university is to teach people to think (okay, to think like Steve Jobs, but to think none the less). What would our current schools look like if we actually taught people to think rather than pass high stakes tests?
Research and design by Online Colleges Resource
How Digital Devices are Reshaping Education
I love infographics. Here is a great one looking at the impact of digital devices on education.
Courtesy of: Schools.com
Courtesy of: Schools.com
Good Thing Quint Wasn't On Board
Parade
Kristie, Kenzie, Cash, and I accompanied my sister, Barb, and her niece, Nikki, to the parade two nights ago.
Other than running like mad for candy and a man wearing a beard of bees, I recall little from the parades of my youth.
But since Kenz has come along we've attended one every summer. And one even in the fall.
This year we decided to catch the TRF parade. Judging by the humidity and heat (and the mosquitoes that tend to go with it), I wasn't too sure how good of an idea this was, but by six o'clock things began to cool off nicely. We found a great spot along the parade route right in the shade (about three blocks north of Subway).
We set up our chairs, unpacked the stroller, and settled in.
It wasn't long, though, before tragedy struck.
I don't know if it was how Kristie was holding Cash or if it was the pears that ate before we left, but Cash exploded in his diaper.
I heard Kristie say, "Oh, Cash . . ." and then I spotted something awful: he had actually exploded out the right side of his diaper. And onto Kristie's leg and the chair.
"Honey, there is poop on your leg!" I said.
"I know . . ." Kristie said in her thank-you-captain-obvious tone and shot me a can't-you-get-me-a-wet-wipe-from-the-bag look.
As I went for the bag, I heard my sister, who happened to be sitting right next to Kristie, remark, "Oh, let me get my camera."
Sure enough, she got several shots so that the moment was well documented.
"I tell ya. You Reynolds' sure are good in an emergency," Kristie remarked as I took Cash and handed her a wet-wipe.
Luckily, Cash didn't get too much on Kristie so that she had to go home and change.
"Well, I guess this is going to make the Christmas news letter," Kristie remarked once she was all cleaned up and Barb was reviewing the pictures on her camera. For those of you who don't know our family or have never had the pleasure of reading my sister's now infamous Christmas letters, let me explain them: Barb feels the need to inform relatives and friends of all the things that have happened in their lives in the form of a Christmas letter. While most people share the heart-warming tales and events, Barb tends to enjoy sharing the humorous and embarrassing moments (such as this entry). I have never met anyone who has not read the annual letter and laughed to the point of tears.
Now I can't wait for the holiday season this year. As long as I can manage to stay out of the letter!
Once that little disaster was fixed, we could all relax and settle in to enjoy the parade, which was great. It was not too long. The floats were spaced well. There was also a great variety of floats (could have lived without the rather sombre Tea Party float though. I also couldn't help but notice that they were not handing out any candy.).
Kenzie made a nice haul. It helped that several of my past and present students were in various floats and showered us in candy (I did get blasted with silly string and hit with water balloons though). Kenzie's highlights were a Prowler tattoo that Kaylee, a girl's hockey, player gave her and the flashlight and backpack that Cenex workers Derek and Matt gave her.
Today Barb (or Uncle Barb as Kenzie calls her. For some reason she things Uncle is Barb's first name. She has said several times this morning, "I'm going to the fair with my auntie, Uncle Barb!") and Nikki are taking Kenzie to the fair. She woke up right at 6:30. We could hear he saying how she was going to the fair and that she was so excited.
Should be a fun day.
Other than running like mad for candy and a man wearing a beard of bees, I recall little from the parades of my youth.
But since Kenz has come along we've attended one every summer. And one even in the fall.
This year we decided to catch the TRF parade. Judging by the humidity and heat (and the mosquitoes that tend to go with it), I wasn't too sure how good of an idea this was, but by six o'clock things began to cool off nicely. We found a great spot along the parade route right in the shade (about three blocks north of Subway).
We set up our chairs, unpacked the stroller, and settled in.
It wasn't long, though, before tragedy struck.
I don't know if it was how Kristie was holding Cash or if it was the pears that ate before we left, but Cash exploded in his diaper.
I heard Kristie say, "Oh, Cash . . ." and then I spotted something awful: he had actually exploded out the right side of his diaper. And onto Kristie's leg and the chair.
"Honey, there is poop on your leg!" I said.
"I know . . ." Kristie said in her thank-you-captain-obvious tone and shot me a can't-you-get-me-a-wet-wipe-from-the-bag look.
As I went for the bag, I heard my sister, who happened to be sitting right next to Kristie, remark, "Oh, let me get my camera."
Sure enough, she got several shots so that the moment was well documented.
"I tell ya. You Reynolds' sure are good in an emergency," Kristie remarked as I took Cash and handed her a wet-wipe.
Luckily, Cash didn't get too much on Kristie so that she had to go home and change.
"Well, I guess this is going to make the Christmas news letter," Kristie remarked once she was all cleaned up and Barb was reviewing the pictures on her camera. For those of you who don't know our family or have never had the pleasure of reading my sister's now infamous Christmas letters, let me explain them: Barb feels the need to inform relatives and friends of all the things that have happened in their lives in the form of a Christmas letter. While most people share the heart-warming tales and events, Barb tends to enjoy sharing the humorous and embarrassing moments (such as this entry). I have never met anyone who has not read the annual letter and laughed to the point of tears.
Now I can't wait for the holiday season this year. As long as I can manage to stay out of the letter!
Once that little disaster was fixed, we could all relax and settle in to enjoy the parade, which was great. It was not too long. The floats were spaced well. There was also a great variety of floats (could have lived without the rather sombre Tea Party float though. I also couldn't help but notice that they were not handing out any candy.).
Kenzie made a nice haul. It helped that several of my past and present students were in various floats and showered us in candy (I did get blasted with silly string and hit with water balloons though). Kenzie's highlights were a Prowler tattoo that Kaylee, a girl's hockey, player gave her and the flashlight and backpack that Cenex workers Derek and Matt gave her.
Today Barb (or Uncle Barb as Kenzie calls her. For some reason she things Uncle is Barb's first name. She has said several times this morning, "I'm going to the fair with my auntie, Uncle Barb!") and Nikki are taking Kenzie to the fair. She woke up right at 6:30. We could hear he saying how she was going to the fair and that she was so excited.
Should be a fun day.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Hope?
This summer has been refreshingly football free. Maybe I've finally lost my passion for my Bungals. After all, this is the first time in 20 years I didn't buy my beloved Lindey's Pro Football annual. The day that sucker used to come out was practically a holiday for me. I spent many hours pouring over it during my summer job as shop boy and tar baby during my time at the Red Lake County Highway Dept.
But now, I paged through it at Hugo's and thought, why bother?
The Bungals have 2 winning seasons in those 20 years. Will it really make a difference if I buy the magazine or not.
No.
But there is a tiny sliver of hope.
One of the Bungals biggest failings - and blame falls squarely on their frugal owner, Mike Brown - is that they are cheap. They never pay for big name (quality) free agents. They also mangle contracts and rarely ever re-sign their own quality free agents (this goes all the way back to 1992 when they let their all-pro guard Max Montoya take a huge pay day in Oakland. Many signal that as the straw that broke the camel's back and turned the Bengals into the Bungals).
But I just read this from ESPN
Skinny: Cincinnati is significantly under the cap, and with proposed mandatory spending, the usually reserved Bengals will be forced to be major players in free agency. The only question is will the Bengals, who have a scant front office and no general manager, make the right calls? Free-agent corner Johnathan Joseph should be back in play with more than $35 million to spend. Cincinnati also is in the market for a starting running back.
The Bungals are always significantly under the salary cap. Why should Mike Brown spend money when because of revenue sharing, he is assured a profit no matter if they win the Super Bowl or have the number one pick in the draft every year.
Oh, Brown and the Bungals website will tell you they spend money. But the Bungals don't spend money the way other teams do.
Every time free agency gets close, the writer for Bengals.com starts talking about keeping so many million back for the practice squad and extending contracts (which they rarely do) and signing draft picks (which they can never manage to do on time anyway). This is all a load of crap. After all, the website is owned by the team and the writer can't simply put down the truth - Mike Brown is a cheap ass and could care less if they win or not.
But if the league forces the Bengals to spend. Well, that could make all the difference. Now they won't have to low ball their own free agents or hope for basement bargain free agents that nobody else wants.
After all, if they could negotiate contracts like most teams do and extend them, they would still have TJ Houschmandezadah, Eric Steinbach, and Justin Smith. All are players who would greatly improve this team. Yet, they all signed much more lucrative deals elsewhere.
Still, I'm not getting my hopes up. Maybe the lock out will continue and there won't be the NFL in the fall. Just college football.
That is worth hoping for.
But now, I paged through it at Hugo's and thought, why bother?
The Bungals have 2 winning seasons in those 20 years. Will it really make a difference if I buy the magazine or not.
No.
But there is a tiny sliver of hope.
One of the Bungals biggest failings - and blame falls squarely on their frugal owner, Mike Brown - is that they are cheap. They never pay for big name (quality) free agents. They also mangle contracts and rarely ever re-sign their own quality free agents (this goes all the way back to 1992 when they let their all-pro guard Max Montoya take a huge pay day in Oakland. Many signal that as the straw that broke the camel's back and turned the Bengals into the Bungals).
But I just read this from ESPN
Skinny: Cincinnati is significantly under the cap, and with proposed mandatory spending, the usually reserved Bengals will be forced to be major players in free agency. The only question is will the Bengals, who have a scant front office and no general manager, make the right calls? Free-agent corner Johnathan Joseph should be back in play with more than $35 million to spend. Cincinnati also is in the market for a starting running back.
The Bungals are always significantly under the salary cap. Why should Mike Brown spend money when because of revenue sharing, he is assured a profit no matter if they win the Super Bowl or have the number one pick in the draft every year.
Oh, Brown and the Bungals website will tell you they spend money. But the Bungals don't spend money the way other teams do.
Every time free agency gets close, the writer for Bengals.com starts talking about keeping so many million back for the practice squad and extending contracts (which they rarely do) and signing draft picks (which they can never manage to do on time anyway). This is all a load of crap. After all, the website is owned by the team and the writer can't simply put down the truth - Mike Brown is a cheap ass and could care less if they win or not.
But if the league forces the Bengals to spend. Well, that could make all the difference. Now they won't have to low ball their own free agents or hope for basement bargain free agents that nobody else wants.
After all, if they could negotiate contracts like most teams do and extend them, they would still have TJ Houschmandezadah, Eric Steinbach, and Justin Smith. All are players who would greatly improve this team. Yet, they all signed much more lucrative deals elsewhere.
Still, I'm not getting my hopes up. Maybe the lock out will continue and there won't be the NFL in the fall. Just college football.
That is worth hoping for.
Steve Gilliland
Had the opportunity to attend an excellent presentation by Mr. Gilliland at one of our local corporations. When I was invited, I was told that he was a superb speaker. But that praise didn't do him justice. He was down to earth, hilarious, and, best of all, passionate.
He is one of those speakers who understands the importance of a great story. The power of narrative is vital to any speaker. As a teacher, I've seen dozens of speakers. The ones who fail always come in and try to act like they know you and what you're going through and then heap all kinds of data and evidence on top of you. Mr. Gilliland did none of that. Oh, he had a message. But he wrapped it neatly in anecdotes that everyone in the room could relate to.
Here are a couple of my favorites --
First,
Denny Flanagan.
He is a pilot for United Airlines. Mr. Gilliland spoke about how he was in an airport when he noticed the plane was overbooked by five or six people. The airport was hot and crowded and he thought this was going to cause a riot.
To top it all off, he saw the pilot get off the plane and grab the mic. In all of Steve's traveling, this was never a good sign.
But this time it was. The pilot began to address the passengers. He introduced his flight attendants. He told them of the weather conditions and flight time. He asked who had flown before (about half the hands went up). He said that meant half of the passengers hadn't done this before, so he asked the seasoned passengers to have a bit of patience and help out. He further explained that they would have the honor of having a young boy aboard who was travelling alone for the first time. He told them where the boy was sitting and asked for the two people sitting on either side of him to keep an eye out for him and to show some sympathy. He reminded the passengers to be kind to the first time flyers for it was the pilot's first flight so he knew exactly how they felt!
Steve said before he knew it, all the anxiety and stress was gone and people were talking and visiting like they were friends.
One person totally transformed the atmosphere.
Furthermore, when Steve boarded and sat down he saw the captain leave the cockpit and show a passenger a picture on his cell phone.
He never knew what this was, but he said it was further proof that the pilot cared. Steve admitted that he experience the best flight he'd ever that day.
As fate would have it, some years later, Steve was giving a presentation and actually had Mr. Flanagan come up to him (since Steve had referred to him in his presentation).
They talked and Steve asked him how he managed to get the energy up to do that (not to mention find the time). Mr. Flanagan said that once the pre-flight check is done most pilots just sit in the cockpit waiting. So there's plenty time to do a little extra.
He said that he checks to see if any kids are travelling. Then he gets the cell phone of the parent who is dropping the child off and the person picking the child up. That way he can let the parent know the child has boarded the plane. He can also call the person picking the child up and make sure that they are right at the gate to pick them up. That's going the extra mile.
Steven asked him also about what he had been doing with the cell phone and showing a passenger a picture.
The pilot said the he also finds out who has any pets traveling. He said it gets hot down in storage and he knows many people who treat their pets like their kids, so he goes into the belly of plane and snaps a picture of the pet. He used to give them water until one urinated and postponed the flight because they thought the hydraulics were leaking! Then he shows the picture to the passenger to reassure them that their pet is fine.
Talk about a person who loves their job and takes it seriously.
Oddly, though, Mr. Flanagan admitted to Steve that he is often ridiculed for his routine. "What difference does it make?" his detractors ask.
At that Steve smiled because he knew that it had made all the difference, so much so that it was the greatest flight he'd ever taken and it left an impression that Steve has not forgotten (and now it has made an impression with me that won't be soon forgotten either).
That's why he does it. What kind of world would this be if we all performed our jobs that way or treated our waiters or co-worked like that or even went out of our way like that for our family?
Second,
Adam, Steve's son. He called Steven to tell him that he was applying for the head football coaching position at a local school. The school had not won a game in five years and were really looking to turn things around. So much so that the school's quarterback club had raised $15,000 to offer to a legendary retired coach to lure him out of retirement.
Steve wondered whether this was the right choice since his son had only coached JV football before.
"But Dad," Adam had said, "this is what I really want to do!"
"Well, then go for it son!" Steven encouraged.
"Sure," he son asked, "but you're the speaker. Tell me what I need to say in the interview!"
"Well," his father began, "why do you want the job?"
Then Adam began to tell him that one time they had attended one of Steve's presentations in Las Vegas. While Steve thought his son just went a long to gamble, Adam told his father that he had listened intently to his speech. One thing Steve always does is have people think of their "Top Five." That is the top five people who have impacted your life. Steve shares some of his.
Well, Adam said, I made my list of people who impacted my life. You never said the list had to be about people who impacted your life in a positive way. My former football coach was number one. He made me miserable and I never met a person who did more harm to young men. He was miserable and petty and cruel. He won football games, but he was not a coach.
Adam went on to confess to his father how during his senior year, he had injured his ankle. He asked the coach if he could sit out the second half, they were up 49-0, and if his back up could log a few carries instead (his back up happened to be his best friend).
The coach said that if he was a man, he'd gut it out. If not, see the trainer and then turn his jersey in and go sit on the bus. As for his back up, he was no good and not fit enough to even wear a jersey.
Adam just hoped his friend didn't hear what the coach said.
But he did.
Adam spent that year trying to make his friend feel worthwhile and getting his ankle shot up so he could play.
Adam said after he heard his father speak in Las Vegas and he thought of the incredibly negative impact his coach had on him, Adam vowed that he wanted to make an impact in kids lives. Football was just the vehicle that would allow him to make that impact.
After he told that to his father, he was awestruck.
"Dad?" Adam asked. "Are you there? I still need to know what to say in the interview!"
His father couldn't believe it. He chuckled and said, "Adam. You walk in to that interview and you tell them exactly what you just told me."
As it turned out, the top two finalists were the renowned coach and Adam.
And they hired Adam.
To support his son, Steven attended their first game.
At half time they were down 0-19. But the atmosphere was totally different.
One parent asked if Steve was their coach's father. He said he was and the man said, "We're back!"
Steve wondered if the score board was wrong. After all, they were losing.
Another parent said, "We are back. The total atmosphere is different. We are back."
Finally, a mother pulled him aside and said, "Your son is great. We are back!"
Steve couldn't help but say, "But you're losing!"
The mother said, "But you don't understand. Your son changed everything. He wanted to know if his players say 'sir' and 'ma'am' at home. He has them show manners and respect. See number 74 out there warming up? He's the worst one of the team. He has never played football before. And he loves your son."
Steve didn't know what to say.
"Every day he struggles in practice. When they run springs, do you know what your son does?" She asked.
Again, Steve had no idea what to say.
"Your son runs beside my son and encourages him. And when he finished - last as always - at least he finished. And when he does, your son tells my son how proud he is of him."
Steve was fighting back the tears at this point.
"And that is why I'm proud that your son is our coach. And that's why we're back."
Now, that is making a difference.
And when you think about it, Adam wasn't doing much to make an impact in number 74's life. A little support and encouragement.
But how often do we do that? In any profession or activity?
He is one of those speakers who understands the importance of a great story. The power of narrative is vital to any speaker. As a teacher, I've seen dozens of speakers. The ones who fail always come in and try to act like they know you and what you're going through and then heap all kinds of data and evidence on top of you. Mr. Gilliland did none of that. Oh, he had a message. But he wrapped it neatly in anecdotes that everyone in the room could relate to.
Here are a couple of my favorites --
First,
Denny Flanagan.
He is a pilot for United Airlines. Mr. Gilliland spoke about how he was in an airport when he noticed the plane was overbooked by five or six people. The airport was hot and crowded and he thought this was going to cause a riot.
To top it all off, he saw the pilot get off the plane and grab the mic. In all of Steve's traveling, this was never a good sign.
But this time it was. The pilot began to address the passengers. He introduced his flight attendants. He told them of the weather conditions and flight time. He asked who had flown before (about half the hands went up). He said that meant half of the passengers hadn't done this before, so he asked the seasoned passengers to have a bit of patience and help out. He further explained that they would have the honor of having a young boy aboard who was travelling alone for the first time. He told them where the boy was sitting and asked for the two people sitting on either side of him to keep an eye out for him and to show some sympathy. He reminded the passengers to be kind to the first time flyers for it was the pilot's first flight so he knew exactly how they felt!
Steve said before he knew it, all the anxiety and stress was gone and people were talking and visiting like they were friends.
One person totally transformed the atmosphere.
Furthermore, when Steve boarded and sat down he saw the captain leave the cockpit and show a passenger a picture on his cell phone.
He never knew what this was, but he said it was further proof that the pilot cared. Steve admitted that he experience the best flight he'd ever that day.
As fate would have it, some years later, Steve was giving a presentation and actually had Mr. Flanagan come up to him (since Steve had referred to him in his presentation).
They talked and Steve asked him how he managed to get the energy up to do that (not to mention find the time). Mr. Flanagan said that once the pre-flight check is done most pilots just sit in the cockpit waiting. So there's plenty time to do a little extra.
He said that he checks to see if any kids are travelling. Then he gets the cell phone of the parent who is dropping the child off and the person picking the child up. That way he can let the parent know the child has boarded the plane. He can also call the person picking the child up and make sure that they are right at the gate to pick them up. That's going the extra mile.
Steven asked him also about what he had been doing with the cell phone and showing a passenger a picture.
The pilot said the he also finds out who has any pets traveling. He said it gets hot down in storage and he knows many people who treat their pets like their kids, so he goes into the belly of plane and snaps a picture of the pet. He used to give them water until one urinated and postponed the flight because they thought the hydraulics were leaking! Then he shows the picture to the passenger to reassure them that their pet is fine.
Talk about a person who loves their job and takes it seriously.
Oddly, though, Mr. Flanagan admitted to Steve that he is often ridiculed for his routine. "What difference does it make?" his detractors ask.
At that Steve smiled because he knew that it had made all the difference, so much so that it was the greatest flight he'd ever taken and it left an impression that Steve has not forgotten (and now it has made an impression with me that won't be soon forgotten either).
That's why he does it. What kind of world would this be if we all performed our jobs that way or treated our waiters or co-worked like that or even went out of our way like that for our family?
Second,
Adam, Steve's son. He called Steven to tell him that he was applying for the head football coaching position at a local school. The school had not won a game in five years and were really looking to turn things around. So much so that the school's quarterback club had raised $15,000 to offer to a legendary retired coach to lure him out of retirement.
Steve wondered whether this was the right choice since his son had only coached JV football before.
"But Dad," Adam had said, "this is what I really want to do!"
"Well, then go for it son!" Steven encouraged.
"Sure," he son asked, "but you're the speaker. Tell me what I need to say in the interview!"
"Well," his father began, "why do you want the job?"
Then Adam began to tell him that one time they had attended one of Steve's presentations in Las Vegas. While Steve thought his son just went a long to gamble, Adam told his father that he had listened intently to his speech. One thing Steve always does is have people think of their "Top Five." That is the top five people who have impacted your life. Steve shares some of his.
Well, Adam said, I made my list of people who impacted my life. You never said the list had to be about people who impacted your life in a positive way. My former football coach was number one. He made me miserable and I never met a person who did more harm to young men. He was miserable and petty and cruel. He won football games, but he was not a coach.
Adam went on to confess to his father how during his senior year, he had injured his ankle. He asked the coach if he could sit out the second half, they were up 49-0, and if his back up could log a few carries instead (his back up happened to be his best friend).
The coach said that if he was a man, he'd gut it out. If not, see the trainer and then turn his jersey in and go sit on the bus. As for his back up, he was no good and not fit enough to even wear a jersey.
Adam just hoped his friend didn't hear what the coach said.
But he did.
Adam spent that year trying to make his friend feel worthwhile and getting his ankle shot up so he could play.
Adam said after he heard his father speak in Las Vegas and he thought of the incredibly negative impact his coach had on him, Adam vowed that he wanted to make an impact in kids lives. Football was just the vehicle that would allow him to make that impact.
After he told that to his father, he was awestruck.
"Dad?" Adam asked. "Are you there? I still need to know what to say in the interview!"
His father couldn't believe it. He chuckled and said, "Adam. You walk in to that interview and you tell them exactly what you just told me."
As it turned out, the top two finalists were the renowned coach and Adam.
And they hired Adam.
To support his son, Steven attended their first game.
At half time they were down 0-19. But the atmosphere was totally different.
One parent asked if Steve was their coach's father. He said he was and the man said, "We're back!"
Steve wondered if the score board was wrong. After all, they were losing.
Another parent said, "We are back. The total atmosphere is different. We are back."
Finally, a mother pulled him aside and said, "Your son is great. We are back!"
Steve couldn't help but say, "But you're losing!"
The mother said, "But you don't understand. Your son changed everything. He wanted to know if his players say 'sir' and 'ma'am' at home. He has them show manners and respect. See number 74 out there warming up? He's the worst one of the team. He has never played football before. And he loves your son."
Steve didn't know what to say.
"Every day he struggles in practice. When they run springs, do you know what your son does?" She asked.
Again, Steve had no idea what to say.
"Your son runs beside my son and encourages him. And when he finished - last as always - at least he finished. And when he does, your son tells my son how proud he is of him."
Steve was fighting back the tears at this point.
"And that is why I'm proud that your son is our coach. And that's why we're back."
Now, that is making a difference.
And when you think about it, Adam wasn't doing much to make an impact in number 74's life. A little support and encouragement.
But how often do we do that? In any profession or activity?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Voice
LIfe is full of coincidences. Or some call it serendipity. Either way one happened this morning in my Composition class at the ALC. I'm re-reading Tom Romano's superb Crafting Authentic Voice. Just as I finish a chapter, a student turns in their first draft of their first essay (describe your favorite time of the year). It's handwritten, sloppy, and in need of revision, but just listen to this voice . . .
As I'm standing trying to decide whether the gnarled green sweater I just snatched off the rack is fashionable or looks like I stole it from a hobo, a prissy 'sales associate' present to me fiver shirt she found while 'searching the back room just for her special customer." Yeah, right! First, I just saw you grab them from over there. Two, I'm not wearing a helmet and drooling, so I'm perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes.
That is voice.
Now what does it have to do with a favorite time of year, we'll that leads in to how this students loves back to school shopping which is the last signal in the transition from summer to fall. It also embodies all the anxiousness that builds toward school starting.
It's a nugget of pure gold that could be refined and polished. I wish all of my College Comp students walked in with this kind of voice oozing from their sentences.
As I'm standing trying to decide whether the gnarled green sweater I just snatched off the rack is fashionable or looks like I stole it from a hobo, a prissy 'sales associate' present to me fiver shirt she found while 'searching the back room just for her special customer." Yeah, right! First, I just saw you grab them from over there. Two, I'm not wearing a helmet and drooling, so I'm perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes.
That is voice.
Now what does it have to do with a favorite time of year, we'll that leads in to how this students loves back to school shopping which is the last signal in the transition from summer to fall. It also embodies all the anxiousness that builds toward school starting.
It's a nugget of pure gold that could be refined and polished. I wish all of my College Comp students walked in with this kind of voice oozing from their sentences.
Literary Based Multi-Genre Research Paper
One of my favorite essays to write - and one of my students' favorites too - is the multi-genre research paper. Oh, at first they whine and moan about it. But once they get into developing the genres and putting it all together (and those are no small tasks), they begin to enjoy the work.
And these are consistently the most powerful essays I ever get to read. The subjects themselves are incredible - remembering a grandfather who has passed, a parents' divorce, a relative's alcoholism, coming out to their parents, a tribute to a sibling. It is amazing what these kids come up with.
Even when the topics aren't emotionally powerful, they are always interesting - the power of imagination, being an introvert, remember the highlights of the high school years, horses, fishing and hunting, hockey . . .
I have not read one that was not worthy. Sure, some have been less than terrific. But the potential is always there in every single one.
So I was quite excited when I came across an assignment from Tom Romano (the guru of the MGRP) devoted to literature. He does this in place of a traditional research paper.
Students pick their favorite book. And it can be almost anything - a YA title, a classic, a graphic novel, a children's book, a popular title. The point is that the kids love the book and are passionate about it.
One of the genres has to be research based with sources. So students are exposed to the research report genre. However, they then get to re-examine and gain a greater appreciation of the novel through such genres as art, letters, newspaper writing, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and so on.
When I saw this assignment, I couldn't help but think of To Kill a Mockingbird.
For my research genre I'd explore the character of Atticus and whether he really is a hero or a cliche. I know of several sources that explore this.
Another genre would be a fiction piece in which I write from Scout's point of view 20 years after the events of the novel have occurred.
Another genre would be a collection of poems written by Boo. These poems happened to be delivered to Scout after Boo passed away.
Another genre would be a film review of Infamous, which tells the tale of Truman Capote's quest to write In Cold Blood. This relates to TKM because Capote, a flamboyantly gay man, needs his childhood best friend, Harper Lee, to help him befriend the locals in Oklahoma where the murders that In Cold Blood is based on occurred. She helps him and he encourages her to keep writing and eventually publish what would come to be To Kill a Mockingbird. And Capote is actually Dill from the book.
I would also include a reflection on fatherhood and how I try to use Atticus as a role model.
And these are just off the top of my head.
As I thought about this, I realized that I had actually written a literature based MGRP years ago in grad school, though I didn't know it was a MGRP. I wrote a small research piece based on my favorite book series from my childhood "The Prydian Chronicles" by Lloyd Alexander. Then I wrote a creative non-fiction piece chronicling how the books impacted my imagination and led me on all sorts of adventures in my back yard. I had the actual first creative piece I ever wrote. It was a story about a young warrior, who was part Tyran (the main character from the Prydian series and "Conan the Barbarian). I broke each genre up and weaved them together. it was so much fun and my professor loved it.
I didn't even know what I was doing back then, but I stumbled my way upon a literature based MGRP.
Now the only question is where do I fit this in to my already crammed College Comp or College Comp II curriculum.
And these are consistently the most powerful essays I ever get to read. The subjects themselves are incredible - remembering a grandfather who has passed, a parents' divorce, a relative's alcoholism, coming out to their parents, a tribute to a sibling. It is amazing what these kids come up with.
Even when the topics aren't emotionally powerful, they are always interesting - the power of imagination, being an introvert, remember the highlights of the high school years, horses, fishing and hunting, hockey . . .
I have not read one that was not worthy. Sure, some have been less than terrific. But the potential is always there in every single one.
So I was quite excited when I came across an assignment from Tom Romano (the guru of the MGRP) devoted to literature. He does this in place of a traditional research paper.
Students pick their favorite book. And it can be almost anything - a YA title, a classic, a graphic novel, a children's book, a popular title. The point is that the kids love the book and are passionate about it.
One of the genres has to be research based with sources. So students are exposed to the research report genre. However, they then get to re-examine and gain a greater appreciation of the novel through such genres as art, letters, newspaper writing, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and so on.
When I saw this assignment, I couldn't help but think of To Kill a Mockingbird.
For my research genre I'd explore the character of Atticus and whether he really is a hero or a cliche. I know of several sources that explore this.
Another genre would be a fiction piece in which I write from Scout's point of view 20 years after the events of the novel have occurred.
Another genre would be a collection of poems written by Boo. These poems happened to be delivered to Scout after Boo passed away.
Another genre would be a film review of Infamous, which tells the tale of Truman Capote's quest to write In Cold Blood. This relates to TKM because Capote, a flamboyantly gay man, needs his childhood best friend, Harper Lee, to help him befriend the locals in Oklahoma where the murders that In Cold Blood is based on occurred. She helps him and he encourages her to keep writing and eventually publish what would come to be To Kill a Mockingbird. And Capote is actually Dill from the book.
I would also include a reflection on fatherhood and how I try to use Atticus as a role model.
And these are just off the top of my head.
As I thought about this, I realized that I had actually written a literature based MGRP years ago in grad school, though I didn't know it was a MGRP. I wrote a small research piece based on my favorite book series from my childhood "The Prydian Chronicles" by Lloyd Alexander. Then I wrote a creative non-fiction piece chronicling how the books impacted my imagination and led me on all sorts of adventures in my back yard. I had the actual first creative piece I ever wrote. It was a story about a young warrior, who was part Tyran (the main character from the Prydian series and "Conan the Barbarian). I broke each genre up and weaved them together. it was so much fun and my professor loved it.
I didn't even know what I was doing back then, but I stumbled my way upon a literature based MGRP.
Now the only question is where do I fit this in to my already crammed College Comp or College Comp II curriculum.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
"The Line"
One of my creative writing assignments is called "The Line."
I give them the title, which is "The Line" and then they have to create the story. I'm always interested in what they come up with.
The title is vague enough for them to go in any number of directions. Past versions I've seen deal with a lousy pick up line, a line of cocaine, a person at the finish line of a marathon, a man signing his life away on the dotted line, a person crossing the line between right and wrong, a number of sports stories, a man going nuts as he waits in line at Walmart, and more than a few fishing stories.
Here is one story that I had saved from a previous creative writing class. I've no idea who wrote it, but it's not half bad.
The Line
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
That is how I spend eight hours a day, five days a week, two hundred hours a month, two thousand-four hundred hours a year, or 100 days straight of boiling, cracking, zipping, tightening, and moving on. But I'm never moving anywhere.
I've been working on the assembly line for 8 years now. What was a summer job turned into a life.
How the hell did I get here? One minute I'm a junior in college with a C average in political science, the next I'm an eight year veteran here. Still, how the hell did I get here? I'll tell you, a penchant for two for one bar pours at Slims on Tuesdays.
Joe, who now has a middle management position at a company in the cities, got me started. He dated this girl named Cindy who worked there. So he dragged me down there. Well before I knew it, I was dating Cindy's friend, Michelle, and I wasn't just spending Tuesdays there but Thursdays too, Bladder Buster night. Two months later it was Mondays too for football. By the end of that regular season, I flunked my first semester. By the Super Bowl, I was considering dropping out.
Then Michelle and I broke up and I started spending five nights a week at The Keg and Cork. Thank God Michelle graduated that spring. I could go back to Slims. I think she is living in Ohio now. An anesthesiologist. I think.
I give them the title, which is "The Line" and then they have to create the story. I'm always interested in what they come up with.
The title is vague enough for them to go in any number of directions. Past versions I've seen deal with a lousy pick up line, a line of cocaine, a person at the finish line of a marathon, a man signing his life away on the dotted line, a person crossing the line between right and wrong, a number of sports stories, a man going nuts as he waits in line at Walmart, and more than a few fishing stories.
Here is one story that I had saved from a previous creative writing class. I've no idea who wrote it, but it's not half bad.
The Line
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
Bolt. Crack. Zip. Tighten the nut. Move on.
That is how I spend eight hours a day, five days a week, two hundred hours a month, two thousand-four hundred hours a year, or 100 days straight of boiling, cracking, zipping, tightening, and moving on. But I'm never moving anywhere.
I've been working on the assembly line for 8 years now. What was a summer job turned into a life.
How the hell did I get here? One minute I'm a junior in college with a C average in political science, the next I'm an eight year veteran here. Still, how the hell did I get here? I'll tell you, a penchant for two for one bar pours at Slims on Tuesdays.
Joe, who now has a middle management position at a company in the cities, got me started. He dated this girl named Cindy who worked there. So he dragged me down there. Well before I knew it, I was dating Cindy's friend, Michelle, and I wasn't just spending Tuesdays there but Thursdays too, Bladder Buster night. Two months later it was Mondays too for football. By the end of that regular season, I flunked my first semester. By the Super Bowl, I was considering dropping out.
Then Michelle and I broke up and I started spending five nights a week at The Keg and Cork. Thank God Michelle graduated that spring. I could go back to Slims. I think she is living in Ohio now. An anesthesiologist. I think.
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Bee Eater
is the name of the book on Michelle Rhee that I am currently reading. It's not by here but about her. I would love it if she were to write a book about her experiences running the Washington DC schools under former may Fenty.
When Fenty was defeated, Rhee resigned/was fired.
Still, the four years she spent reforming the worst performing school district in our country was a worthy effort.
I know that seems like heresy coming from the EA co-president, but it's true.
Here is what I like that she did -
1. She got rid of inefficiency. So much in school systems is inefficient. This might be in the form of lights being left on (or our case the air conditioner in our English lab being left in - even in the winter. Nothing like running up the heating bill rather than removing it and making sure the window is properly sealed. Or putting wax down on a floor before buffering it. Rhee cleared much of her central office out. It was notoriously incompetent. In fact, on one of her first days she was given a tour of a warehouse full of new books and school supplies. They had been sitting there for years! The system was too ineffective to actually find a way to get the supplies to the teachers who ordered them.
2. Holding principals accountable. She cleaned house with many principals who tolerated ineffective teaching and foolish practice. She was amazed at how 'conflict adverse' her principals were. Instead of taking a lousy teacher on about his poor performance, principals would just fight to have them transferred to another school. This became known as "the dance of the lemons." In what other profession would that be acceptable?
The sad thing is that this is rampant throughout our country. Something like 95% of all teachers are rated as competent. Really? Just think about your own education or that of your children. Are 95% of your or their teachers competent? I think that speaks for itself.
3. Holding teachers accountable. For whatever reason, several large urban school systems signed some really stupid contracts with their local unions. So much so that in some areas it was next to impossible to fire horrible teachers.
No one is in favor of this. Tenure was not designed for that. Tenure was designed to protect a teacher from capricious principals and school boards. It was done to not as a lifetime appointment, but as a safety measure. One of my colleagues brought up an interesting scenario when I mentioned that maybe tenure should be done away with. She said, "Okay, let's say there's an effective teacher at the top o the salary scale making $60,000. What's to keep the school board from replacing that one teacher with two first year teachers who together make less than $60,000? Two for less than the price of one."
I'd like to think a school board wouldn't do that, but I also would like to think that principals wouldn't carry agendas and hold them against teachers. But I've heard plenty of horror stories about that from older teachers who were around prior to tenure.
Rhee's solution was IMPACT, which was a system of rating teachers. I'm not familiar with it, but knowing Rhee it involves test scores and evaluations. If you throw in parent response, student input, and peer review, I think I am in favor of it.
4. Paying teachers more. Now that sounds selfish. I am very pleased with my wage. But Rhee knew that in order to get the best teachers into the worst districts, she needed to really ramp up the pay scale. She tried to do that with her 'Green and Red" track system. If you opted for the red track, you could keep tenure and get a nice raise. If you opted for the green track, though, you had to give up tenure but if your students excelled on high stakes tests you would more than double your salary. That's a very interesting offer. If your scores go up. Talk about a deal with the devil.
5. Making school reform interesting again. School reform was marginalized until Rhee was on the cover of Time magazine with a broomstick in an empty class - the metaphor was clear - "I'm cleaning out all the horrific teachers who have ruined this system." And the education landscape has been front and center ever since : Waiting for "Superman"; The Lottery, and Teached are all documentaries about failing urban school systems. And stories on education form have tripled. Just look at the power Arne Duncan was given with all his RTTT money. Where was that with NCLB?
But with Rhee being so controversial and so hasty to reform her schools, she (and mayor Fenty) made a number of enemies. Those enemies ran a strong campaign and defeated him in the next election. So will all of her changes be undone? Time will tell. But Rhee even has the high-priestess of the union, Randi Weingarten, talking that it's time for pay for performance and to rethink tenure.
So there has been some change.
But the thing that I've learned in education is that change is inevitable. I've seen outcome based education give way to the Profiles of Learning (Grad Standards) to NCLB and its emphasis on high stakes tests to RTTT and now to . . . ? The key is not change for change sake or because there's a new party in office. The key is to change to offer a better education to our young people. You cannot argue for a second that such a motive was not at the heart of every single change Rhee brought about.
When Fenty was defeated, Rhee resigned/was fired.
Still, the four years she spent reforming the worst performing school district in our country was a worthy effort.
I know that seems like heresy coming from the EA co-president, but it's true.
Here is what I like that she did -
1. She got rid of inefficiency. So much in school systems is inefficient. This might be in the form of lights being left on (or our case the air conditioner in our English lab being left in - even in the winter. Nothing like running up the heating bill rather than removing it and making sure the window is properly sealed. Or putting wax down on a floor before buffering it. Rhee cleared much of her central office out. It was notoriously incompetent. In fact, on one of her first days she was given a tour of a warehouse full of new books and school supplies. They had been sitting there for years! The system was too ineffective to actually find a way to get the supplies to the teachers who ordered them.
2. Holding principals accountable. She cleaned house with many principals who tolerated ineffective teaching and foolish practice. She was amazed at how 'conflict adverse' her principals were. Instead of taking a lousy teacher on about his poor performance, principals would just fight to have them transferred to another school. This became known as "the dance of the lemons." In what other profession would that be acceptable?
The sad thing is that this is rampant throughout our country. Something like 95% of all teachers are rated as competent. Really? Just think about your own education or that of your children. Are 95% of your or their teachers competent? I think that speaks for itself.
3. Holding teachers accountable. For whatever reason, several large urban school systems signed some really stupid contracts with their local unions. So much so that in some areas it was next to impossible to fire horrible teachers.
No one is in favor of this. Tenure was not designed for that. Tenure was designed to protect a teacher from capricious principals and school boards. It was done to not as a lifetime appointment, but as a safety measure. One of my colleagues brought up an interesting scenario when I mentioned that maybe tenure should be done away with. She said, "Okay, let's say there's an effective teacher at the top o the salary scale making $60,000. What's to keep the school board from replacing that one teacher with two first year teachers who together make less than $60,000? Two for less than the price of one."
I'd like to think a school board wouldn't do that, but I also would like to think that principals wouldn't carry agendas and hold them against teachers. But I've heard plenty of horror stories about that from older teachers who were around prior to tenure.
Rhee's solution was IMPACT, which was a system of rating teachers. I'm not familiar with it, but knowing Rhee it involves test scores and evaluations. If you throw in parent response, student input, and peer review, I think I am in favor of it.
4. Paying teachers more. Now that sounds selfish. I am very pleased with my wage. But Rhee knew that in order to get the best teachers into the worst districts, she needed to really ramp up the pay scale. She tried to do that with her 'Green and Red" track system. If you opted for the red track, you could keep tenure and get a nice raise. If you opted for the green track, though, you had to give up tenure but if your students excelled on high stakes tests you would more than double your salary. That's a very interesting offer. If your scores go up. Talk about a deal with the devil.
5. Making school reform interesting again. School reform was marginalized until Rhee was on the cover of Time magazine with a broomstick in an empty class - the metaphor was clear - "I'm cleaning out all the horrific teachers who have ruined this system." And the education landscape has been front and center ever since : Waiting for "Superman"; The Lottery, and Teached are all documentaries about failing urban school systems. And stories on education form have tripled. Just look at the power Arne Duncan was given with all his RTTT money. Where was that with NCLB?
But with Rhee being so controversial and so hasty to reform her schools, she (and mayor Fenty) made a number of enemies. Those enemies ran a strong campaign and defeated him in the next election. So will all of her changes be undone? Time will tell. But Rhee even has the high-priestess of the union, Randi Weingarten, talking that it's time for pay for performance and to rethink tenure.
So there has been some change.
But the thing that I've learned in education is that change is inevitable. I've seen outcome based education give way to the Profiles of Learning (Grad Standards) to NCLB and its emphasis on high stakes tests to RTTT and now to . . . ? The key is not change for change sake or because there's a new party in office. The key is to change to offer a better education to our young people. You cannot argue for a second that such a motive was not at the heart of every single change Rhee brought about.
Summer School
While I've taught either first or second summer session at the ALC for 8 years or so, this is the only time I've opted to do both sessions. I just hope my second session is as good as my first session.
I had total free reign for my first course, Lit I. So we basically read the best stories I could find. Now, I didn't put them through the very best that I could find. I just thought taking a bunch of kids in a very hot, stuffy classroom in June and July (and mind you these are kids who aren't thrilled necessarily to be here) through "Young Goodman Brown," "A Rose for Emly," and "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Instead, we read some of the more suspenseful and interesting selections of the best literature I could find: "The Lottery," "Doe Season," "The Chaser," "The Things They Carried," and several Will Weaver stories. All in all, it was a fun class.
Second period was science fiction. I could teach this sucker in my sleep. We read one story and watched one film per theme (the mad scientist: what is out there?; dangers of technology; and alternative histories/time travel). Again, this was a great class.
We ended the day with MCA Reading Strategies. I was a fish out of water here. Teaching kids to pass the reading test was a struggle. I didn't mind teaching the skills and strategies. Those came second nature to me. The problems came with the teaching and test prep guides. There were a couple selections - one taken totally out of context from "The Red Badge of Courage" that we couldn't make any sense of at all - and one selection about deep sea diving that was out of order and we were called to re-order it. I had no clue what the hell was going on. And I'm a fluent reader.
I think when I teach my reading strategies class this fall, I'll be better about avoiding the test prep stuff and actually focusing on how to develop reading strategies - hopefully using materials the kids will enjoy reading and not just 'have' to read.
This second session began with Composition. I've taught this class nearly every summer session. This is another one I could do in my sleep. I think it's also the class that I am best at.
Second hour is a new class - Contemporary MN authors. We started today by reading "Winterkill" by Gary Paulson. After that I think we're going to read Will Weaver's "Defect," and if there's enough time we'll finish with Mary Cassonova's "Curse of the Winter Moon."
Finally, creative writing. I also think I've taught this every single summer session. There is an added benefit to this class now - we have to work in the computer lab and right now, that is the only place we can go that has air conditioning. That should motivate them to write!
I had total free reign for my first course, Lit I. So we basically read the best stories I could find. Now, I didn't put them through the very best that I could find. I just thought taking a bunch of kids in a very hot, stuffy classroom in June and July (and mind you these are kids who aren't thrilled necessarily to be here) through "Young Goodman Brown," "A Rose for Emly," and "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Instead, we read some of the more suspenseful and interesting selections of the best literature I could find: "The Lottery," "Doe Season," "The Chaser," "The Things They Carried," and several Will Weaver stories. All in all, it was a fun class.
Second period was science fiction. I could teach this sucker in my sleep. We read one story and watched one film per theme (the mad scientist: what is out there?; dangers of technology; and alternative histories/time travel). Again, this was a great class.
We ended the day with MCA Reading Strategies. I was a fish out of water here. Teaching kids to pass the reading test was a struggle. I didn't mind teaching the skills and strategies. Those came second nature to me. The problems came with the teaching and test prep guides. There were a couple selections - one taken totally out of context from "The Red Badge of Courage" that we couldn't make any sense of at all - and one selection about deep sea diving that was out of order and we were called to re-order it. I had no clue what the hell was going on. And I'm a fluent reader.
I think when I teach my reading strategies class this fall, I'll be better about avoiding the test prep stuff and actually focusing on how to develop reading strategies - hopefully using materials the kids will enjoy reading and not just 'have' to read.
This second session began with Composition. I've taught this class nearly every summer session. This is another one I could do in my sleep. I think it's also the class that I am best at.
Second hour is a new class - Contemporary MN authors. We started today by reading "Winterkill" by Gary Paulson. After that I think we're going to read Will Weaver's "Defect," and if there's enough time we'll finish with Mary Cassonova's "Curse of the Winter Moon."
Finally, creative writing. I also think I've taught this every single summer session. There is an added benefit to this class now - we have to work in the computer lab and right now, that is the only place we can go that has air conditioning. That should motivate them to write!
Friday, July 15, 2011
small towns
Having lived in Red Lake Falls for much of my life, it has been sad to see the little town whither away. When I was in elementary school, I can recall a clothing store, two supermarkets, a laundry mat, an arcade (Who's on Main - hard to forget that one since I spent every summer day there), several cafes, a large department store (good old Eckstein's which - if I recall correctly - consumed most of what is now Park Place Mall when it was called "Peppermint Square") and so on.
Now, there are just a hand full of businesses.
When I see thriving small towns like Fertile, here is a good post on just how many stores and little shops it has, or even Fosston, I wonder what is the reason for the downturn in RLF. Maybe it was that they wanted to try and develop a swamp for housing (and name the street that runs through it "Reynolds" - thank you very much!) or what. But it's a shame. It is one of the most beautiful small towns you'll ever see. It is a great spot for people to live (the housing market is a fraction of what it is in TRF), yet there just isn't a lot there.
Now, there are just a hand full of businesses.
When I see thriving small towns like Fertile, here is a good post on just how many stores and little shops it has, or even Fosston, I wonder what is the reason for the downturn in RLF. Maybe it was that they wanted to try and develop a swamp for housing (and name the street that runs through it "Reynolds" - thank you very much!) or what. But it's a shame. It is one of the most beautiful small towns you'll ever see. It is a great spot for people to live (the housing market is a fraction of what it is in TRF), yet there just isn't a lot there.
Rogue Faculty Press
The RRVWP listserv sent out a call for submissions from Rogue Faculty Press.
I developed two essays to submit. The first one is an essay I wrote during my first week of grad school at BSU. The other is a creative non-fiction piece that developed out of another grad school essay. The funny thing about the latter piece is that I just wanted to develop one minor example in the original essay. That minor example was a little anecdote about my first day teaching Comm 10. Before I knew it, that little example developed into 8 pages. I had to work very hard to trim it to under 3,000 words (the limit for submission). I saved all 8 drafts to share with my College Comp classes to illustrate the craft of revision.
I did take some creative liberties with the last piece. The retiring teacher in there was nothing like Mrs. Cullen, whom I replaced.
The Myth of Teacher
One of Those Teachers
I developed two essays to submit. The first one is an essay I wrote during my first week of grad school at BSU. The other is a creative non-fiction piece that developed out of another grad school essay. The funny thing about the latter piece is that I just wanted to develop one minor example in the original essay. That minor example was a little anecdote about my first day teaching Comm 10. Before I knew it, that little example developed into 8 pages. I had to work very hard to trim it to under 3,000 words (the limit for submission). I saved all 8 drafts to share with my College Comp classes to illustrate the craft of revision.
I did take some creative liberties with the last piece. The retiring teacher in there was nothing like Mrs. Cullen, whom I replaced.
The Myth of Teacher
One of Those Teachers
Revisiting Kaffir Boy
The English department received a letter yesterday asking us to sit down with our superintendent, two school board members, and our principal to explain our rationale behind our selection of the controversial book Kaffir Boy.
As I understand it, one of our new school board members objects to the use of the book. So this is reason to revisit the entire issue over again? Even after the school board (several of whom are still on the board) settled in favor of using the original text and an abridged version.
I wonder if every time a new member is added, if all resolved issues will be opened and re-examined?
I learned a lot from the previous firestorm over the book. The most important lesson I learned was how to best conduct myself. Our department was under attack and I used this blog to lash out at several people. I realized, in lashing out, that I was falling victim to the same type of extreme (and at times incendiary) remarks were the same as those who I loathe (Michael Moore and Glenn Beck and Phlylis Schlafly) who do the same thing. Lesson learned.
I still, though, stand by this letter to the editor I wrote.
Letter to the Editor: Kaffir Boy
As I understand it, one of our new school board members objects to the use of the book. So this is reason to revisit the entire issue over again? Even after the school board (several of whom are still on the board) settled in favor of using the original text and an abridged version.
I wonder if every time a new member is added, if all resolved issues will be opened and re-examined?
I learned a lot from the previous firestorm over the book. The most important lesson I learned was how to best conduct myself. Our department was under attack and I used this blog to lash out at several people. I realized, in lashing out, that I was falling victim to the same type of extreme (and at times incendiary) remarks were the same as those who I loathe (Michael Moore and Glenn Beck and Phlylis Schlafly) who do the same thing. Lesson learned.
I still, though, stand by this letter to the editor I wrote.
Letter to the Editor: Kaffir Boy
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Stink Eye
My sister snapped this picture of Kenzie giving her what we affectionately refer to as "The Stink Eye." Despite Kenzie's stare, it was a blast - even if the rain put a damper on the fireworks at the end. After kick ball, finding kitties in the hay bales, running through the water, a ton of great food, looking at the sheep and cows, and playing with the little boys, Kenz was worn out.
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