Finding Myself Corrected...and Quite Grateful

I have to be really honest in this post, so bear with me...

When I first realized that we had to create a blog for this course, I was not in the least bit thrilled. I've always kept a distance from things like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, blogging and even emailing. Maybe it's the old fashioned side of me that believes if we lived without it for thousands of years, then there's no real need for it today! It was actually funny when my students found out that I have to keep a blog for this course, especially because I'm always yelling ( in a joking tone) that "the Internet is the plague!" (Although they know I'm exaggerating when I say this, they also realize that part of me means it!). As some of you may have noticed, a few of my followers are not fellow classmates, but my students who were determined to find this thing of mine, floating around cyberspace! (I still don't totally know how they found it, but they did!)

But now that we've been required to post and respond for the past several weeks, I'm finding that (a) it's not as bad as I had thought, and (b) it's actually incredibly informative. Not only have I been able to get to know my UNE classmates for the first time, through pictures, personal confessions and stories, but I've also found this a cathartic experience. I've had the opportunity to share things about myself that I normally wouldn't share in any online (or live) classroom setting, and I've also been able to gain feedback and encouragement through the response from peers. Moreover, (I can't believe I've gotten to this point) I have found and joined other people's blogs (besides our UNE ones) that pertain to some of my interests. For example, this morning I was doing a bit of online research for rug hooking sites, and one of the URL addresses that popped up was a blog. Prior to this course, I would have totally avoided such a site, but now that I know what a blog is and how are helpful and informative one can be, I went to this particular blog and found some of the greatest information on rug hooking thus far! And once on this blog, I found links and other related blogs that proved to be helpful as well. What a great community building device.

So for all my previous bashing and "poo-poo"ing of all things Internet, I stand corrected and truly grateful for an experience that has benefited me in so many ways!

Beyond Reading and Writing

I think it's probably obvious that I spend a lot of my free time either reading or writing, whether for school or pleasure. However, I do have other pastimes! From the time a was a young girl, my grandmother said I have an "old soul", as I am attracted to more "mature" (this might be a nice way of putting it!) hobbies that most people my age would never consider fun. I picked up knitting and crocheting at 7 or 8, started a really intense cottage garden at my parents' house when I was 10, began tatting (or old fashioned lace-making) when I was 13, calligraphy at 15, and "sampling" at 18.
My husband has always joked that I'm a 60-year old trapped in a 26-year old body (or whatever age I am on that particular day!). Many of these hobbies I still have, especially gardening, now that I have my own house, but I've just picked up a new one as of yesterday- rug hooking. This is not the plastic back panel that you weave little pieces of brightly colored yarn through to form a cheesy portrait of a lion or a still life scene (any girl my age or older will know what I'm talking about!). Real rug hooking is a very interesting hobby that is far more prevalent that I realized. There are local clubs and regional competitions across the nation, and there are craft stores (mostly online) that specialize in selling rug hooking equipment, supplies and patterns. My dad and I are actually in the process of drwing up plans to build me my own Puritan style hooking frame, as I don't want to have to custom order one. My husband is so funny though, as he seems to have immediate financial headaches every time I tell him that I want to start a new hobby. He always asks, "And how much is this going to cost me?" (He's definitely the practical saver between the two of us!) But the nice part of this hobby is that it can be as cheap or expensive of a hobby as you'd like...or so I'm told! I guess we'll just have to see about that.
Love picking up something new- keeps life interesting!

Poem for Week 8

I wrote this poem a few Saturdays ago; hesitated to share, but think that I would like to workshop it for the Week 8 final piece. Bit of background... While I was drinking my coffee and reading Mary Oliver's New & Selected Poems Volume 2 on a bright spring morning, I heard the familiar sound of my husband shouting at our dog to "leave it." I immediately knew what Ollie had gotten a hold of- one of my husband's dirty socks. For the past 3 years, Ollie has formed an obsessive behavior of literally digging in my husband's laundry bin for the stinkiest, dirtiest socks he can find, and then he parades them around the house. We have the worst time catching him, and he has ruined dozens of socks in just the past year. It's so bad that we've got our trainer working with him on it! (Ridiculous, I know!) Anyways, I wrote this poem in response to the match that was beginning upstairs that day, and I allude to a poem- "Jabberwocky", by Lewis Carroll- that I happened to be teaching that week. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to rip it apart so I can make improvements for Week 8! Thank you!

(Thought I'd include a video clip of Ollie as a puppy to test out a new aspect of blogging!)

Socks

"Leave it!" he scolds-

the fraudulent stern master.

My lips tighten,

cannot expose the grin creeping in.

But I'm rooting for Ollie,

"Get it!"

"Get it!"

He dares to snatch,

grippens tightly,

bounds away,

delivers it to me with a heroic

whipping of the prize,

back and forth

in his proud muzzle.

Then I remember-

he's like the boy from Carroll's piece

[What's his name?

Are we ever told?]

who bravely defeats the

Jabberwock.

So I'll cheer him

on at his domestic victory,

"Callooh! Callay!"

And remind our own homely

monster- scruffed chin,

twisted pajama man- that

one

day

our brave, curious boy

will cease

to be

obnoxious by stealing socks

from loaded laundry bins.

And on the sterile, white, hard

table, one day,

we'll grip his white paws, smooth

the thinning, grey hairs about his mouth and

wish for bander-snatching days.

And then we'll both gird him

with the courage required

for his next feat

into the tovey woods,

so unknown to us.

As the year winds down...

At the end of the year, I always try to take some time to get a bit of feedback from my classes on their reaction to the course. Instead of having my AP kids do this in an informal, open discussion or through a course evaluation form, I decided to ask them what they would post as a hypothetical blog in regards to this class. I told them, "Give me the good, the bad and the ugly!" (Either my students are still fishing for good grades, or they are genuinely great kids who have a heart for learning, as you'll see in some of their posts below.)
So many teachers, like myself, wonder if what they are doing is actually effective, actually worth it. And although I have many moments when I'm discouraged by students who refuse to learn or put up a fight, I must remember that many of them do get it. So this post is really to encourage every teacher who has those moments of questioning; don't forget that many lives are being impacted by our work!

"The best part of AP is our intense discussions. We all bring our desks together and grapple with the content of each literary work...I felt very prepared for the AP exam. I was very confident after completing the multiple choice."-JT

"Although not an easy class, this AP class has challenged me in many ways. Books such as, Brave New World, Crime and Punishment, and Macbeth have opened my eyes to new and complex literature and have allowed me to analyze major characters and themes. I have been encourage to take on 'more difficult' works of literature and to dissect the worldviews and opinions of the author." -LM

"Some subjects come alive through the medium of a teacher and when the teacher thoroughly enjoys the subject it becomes a joy to learn. Although I do not always love the subject or literary work, I always come aways with a sense of appreciation." -ME

"The best thing about AP has to be the breakfast every Thursday morning!" -MM

""Poetry even proved to be interesting as we investigated a poem both individually and then as a class. A sense of self-satisfaction came with that, as well as the same passion felt by the teacher." -HM

"AP English has helped me become a better reader and writer. I have enjoyed our group discussions and hearing everyone's views...I have learned so many things that will apply to the rest of my life." -KP

"AP English- hardest class ever, but totally worth every second of hard work...Everyone's opinion was heard and everyone had a different take. AP English is a fantastic class that teachers us about people and world views and keeps us hungry to learn more." -AM

Mini-Lesson

1. Connection

· Consider the following question: What does a spouse owe their husband or wife? …Loyalty? Respect? Faithfulness? Financial support? Comfort? Quality time? Being a good parent? Etc.

· Where do you get your ideas on this: from contemporary music, TV, movies, books? The people around you: your own parents, grandparents, etc.?

· Is your response to this question in alignment with what you see around you or are your ideas the opposite of what you see/experience?

2. Teach (Explicitly telling & showing an example or inquiry)

1) As a class we will reread a section of The Painted Veil, where Charlie comments that he doesn’t owe his wonderful wife and mother of his children anything, not even his loyalty. Kitty is disgusted by his response, but is still seduced into a second affair with him anyhow.

2) Have students write a brief reflection essay for next class discussion (turned into a blog post afterward) in which they establish the characters’ views on marriage, comment on what Maugham’s view (the author’s) might be, and then agree or disagree with the prior and define their own opinion, using at least two points of defense for their viewpoints.

3. Active Engagement

1) After brief reflection essay is written, students will have a brief discussion of what this passage says about each character’s idea of marriage and how they are to treat their spouses. Also discuss what Maugham might be conveying in terms of his own view of marriage.

4. Link

Throughout reading The Painted Veil, students have been continuously studying the mindset of modern men and women of the 1920’s and also been analyzing the author’s worldview. This topic of marriage and relationships is a major theme that will be further explored and defined in the writing of this essay/blog post.

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5. Writing & Conferencing

After the brief class discussion, students will be required to post their reflection essays onto the class’ blog and spend a about a week responding to (critiquing and questioning) each others’ pieces & view points on the topic. With this feedback and sights from their classmates, students will write a formal critical essay that they will submit for a grade.

6. Sharing

Once essays have been written, students will reflect (in informal class discussion and possibly blog posts, as well) on the writing task and what it forced them to think about, what they realized maybe for the first time, and also their own intentions for their future marriages/relationships. We may even take it a step further and discuss how it connects to other works we’ve read in regards to this topic (i.e. The Great Gatsby).

Proud Moment

Over the weekend, one of my AP students was honored at a reception and poetry reading as he won first place in the high school division of the National Pen Women Poetry Award in our region. His poem is so moving, probably because it's so autobiographical and relevent for many graduating seniors. But I was so proud to be able to be part of the audience and witness this amazing achievent in his life. By the way, he wants to become an English teacher!

Packing Childhood

I knew not until I left, how difficult it would be

To live apart, out on my own.

The only thing that remains is (memories)

A tousled, musty orange, forlorn

Blanket hung upon my bedpost and fallen to the floor.

It shivered slightly in the breeze from the open door,

Waving, beckoning me back to childhood (wear it as a cape,

Build a fort, forget your chores, create a magic trick).

I take it and, folding, clutch it tight.

(The receiving Christmas, the first tear, stitch, and mend)

Still feeling her warm embrace, the scent of jasmine and sage,

(The smile upon her face during the summer dates)

With these, I am not alone.

I inhale, and am home.

The Painted Veil

Now that my AP students have taken their AP exam, they have the opportunity to decide what we do with the remainder of the school year. While they are still expected to functuion at a college level, they get to determine how we spend the last few weeks of school together, I'm so excited by their motivation to learn, as they decided to read a novel and then anayze the movie version. They chose The Painted Veil by W. S. Maugham which I had never read before but have seen the film of. They definitely chose the perfect book to movie comparision, as the book and film are miles apart in terms of the character developement and the outcome of the novel. I'm now sitting, waiting in anticipation for them to finish the book this week and begin veiwing the film next week. I anticipate some very good discussion and movie reviews as a result!