So Much Stuff!!!

Welcome back to the daily grind.  Ahhhhhhh!

Read this article and have it read, marked and understood by Wednesday in class.  Be wary of printing.  It's quite long.

Also, I shared so much SAS today...book recommendations, articles, sites, etc.  Find a classmate and ask for notes if you were absent or not able to wake up your mind in class.

And MWF...pairs will be assigned by Thursday or Friday.  If you were absent and would like to participate, let me know.

I am tired.

My throat hurts.

Thank you, M. for the cough drops.

xoxo

Happy Break

Y'all, enjoy your time away from school.  I won't be posting much I don't think - a bit of a break for me as well.  I'll definitely share some SAS at some point but please get offline and get outside.  Grateful for each of you and what you have taught me thus far.

xoxo

Cultural Legacy and Planes

You guys rocked the discussion today particularly periods 4 & 6.  Thank you for that.  And thank you to GH and EB for the chat and for AC and LL for playing varsity level critical thinking.

I cannot wait for SAS tomorrow.  I have so much to share I can't choose.  Sophie's Choice, y'all.

I'll see you in class.

xoxo

Charlie Todd

What trips me out the most is how different all of my classes are - it's bizarre and fun and strange.  But one thing that was the same today was the shared experience (ha) of the TED Talk.  Thank you for watching it with me and I hope you got something from it.

Tomorrow, we will be having an Outliers class discussion.  I WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICES.  So have at least 3 quality questions ready for the discussing.  What are your thoughts about Gladwell's theory?  What is your history and how does it impact your life?  And wow - what about your history's impact on your interactions with others?

Friday is SAS and then, blissful vacation to follow.  Yay!!

xoxo

p.s. - Looking at my calendar, I realized a couple important deadlines...

**Outliers needs to be ALL read by Thursday, December 3rd.
**End of the 6 weeks is Friday, December 4th. 
**Create Something Project due in class on Wednesday, December 16th.

A Catch Up Class

I hope you found the class time useful.  I certainly observed a lot as I worked.  Anyhoo, tomorrow, TED Talk Wednesday??? so come with your Chimamanda Adiche notes from last week.  You'll leave them with me so have them an an entrance slip of sorts.

Thursday is Outliers, chapter 7.  I just finished rereading and annotating.  My goodness.  Who We Are + Where We're From = a whole lot...Have 3 questions ready for class on Thursday.

Friday, our final SAS before break.  Rooting for the voices we never or rarely hear.  Help encourage others to present....

I'll see y'all tomorrow.

xoxo

"Put yourself in the way of beauty." ~ Cheryl Strayed

Tuesday

If you didn't finish the online assessment from today, please be prepared to finish it in class tomorrow.

District Literacy Assessment: 

1. Go to: this link
2. Login with your district username and password, the same one you use to login to the netbooks. 
3. You should see Pending Assessments on the right.
4. Choose Literacy Interim Assessment -Grade 11. 
5. Read the directions carefully as you work through the assessment. 
6. Write your journals when you finish.

If you did finish the test, you will use your class time to catch up on your Daily Journals (you should be writing #58 today/tonight).  If you're all caught up on journals, then you should read and annotate Outliers Chapter 7 "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes".  All done with that, too? Then work on your SAS for Friday, TED Talk notes, and/or work for other classes.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be watching our 10th TED Talk, Thursday is Outliers and Friday is SAS.

For Thursday, come to class with at least 3 quality questions you have about the chapter.  We will start the discussion with the questions so come to the party with some chips, man.  

Shout out to period 2 for their patience.  Love y'all.  (You'll have to take your test tomorrow.) 

And thank you to all the classes for participating in the online test.  No fun, I know.  And a special shout out to AS for teaching me something valuable today.  Yay for learning.

xoxo

Testing Day

District Literacy Assessment: 

1. Go to: this link
2. Login with your district username and password, the same one you use to login to the netbooks. 
3. You should see Pending Assessments on the right.
4. Choose Literacy Interim Assessment -Grade 11. 
5. Read the directions carefully as you work through the assessment. 
6. Write your journals when you finish.

SAS Roundup

Friday night was spent with my youngest sleeping in my bed and coughing in my face.  Therefore, I have been feeling a little icky this weekend.  But in an effort to still feed your brain, here are a few highlights from Friday's SAS.

You're Not Special - a commencement speech that ties in nicely with the Time  article we just read.

The Future is Ours - a sweet nugget for you

Kid President - you can never go wrong with this kid

Stuff You Should Know podcasts

Tall Poppy Syndrome

Have a great rest of your Sunday.

xoxo

My Brain Wants to Rest

I'll post a SAS Roundup later. I'm tired. Truth. And Netflix with my girls sounds just right.

Xoxo

Outliers Discussion & SAS Tomorrow

So many thoughts swirling about in my head.  At the forefront, Cheryl Strayed and Shonda Rhimes.  Strayed's quote that I read today is so spot on but it is important to remember that we don't know each other's stories do we?  That blows my mind.

Why are some quiet?
Some loud?
Some wanting to be seen?
Some not so much?

Why are some class discussions spot on and others need a little bit of work?

Sigh.

We're all just doing the best that we can with what we've been given.

Check out the link to my SAS about Shonda Rhimes' new book Year of Yes.  It would make a cool gift for you or for someone else.

Be prepared for SAS tomorrow.

A greeting.
The information and its relevance.
A closing with "thank you" at the end so we can clap.

And keep your presentations to 3-5 minutes so we can hear from a wide variety of people on various topics.

Period 7 - if you have discussion suggestions, please email me.  Thanks.

xoxo

In Praise of the Ordinary Child/TED Talk Tuesday/Random Thoughts

**Updated:  Hope the new TED link works.  Let me know.  xoxo

The Matthew Effect is beginning to spread...can you feel it?  sense it?  I can and it's both inspiring and a bummer.  Those who dared greatly from the beginning are seen more than those who didn't.  Those who fostered a relationship with their teacher are beginning to enjoy the fruits of that labor.  Those who were ready for AP Language are beginning to take flight and as Vonnegut would say, so it goes.

So it goes.

Thank you to those of you who had your Adler text marked up and thank you to those of you who are consistently writing quality journals that feed my mind and reveal bits of your personality.  You are a joy.

Now to business, today's TED Talk is a doozy and it's quite appropriate that you have to watch it on your own because it's a bit longer than most.  Chimamanda Adiche - remember her?  She delivered a great TED Talk at TEDx Euston and it's about why we should all be feminists.  I am asking you to watch it, take quality notes (like the example I passed out a while back) and come to class next Monday with them (the quality notes).

As for the Time article (posted and linked yesterday), make sure you read and mark it up, draw a Rhetorical Triangle in the margins somewhere and email me by midnight your responses/reactions to Kluger's claim/assertion.  EMAIL me, please.  No google document.

And for those interested, a very cool video that connects quite nicely with the Time article.  Thanks SU.

Thursday in class you are expected to arrive with Chapter 6 Harlan. Kentucky marked up as Adler would expect.  Be ready to discuss the contents of the chapter as well as any outside research you conducted because of your hunger and curiosity to be an informed citizen of planet Earth.

Friday is SAS.  Friendly reminder:  Start your presentation with a greeting, make valuable connections to the material you're presenting (answering the So What? question on our minds...So What?  Who cares that the Sky Roof is a thing?) and be sure to end your presentation with a "Thank you" not an "oh, um, so yeah".

xoxo

"You can't ride to the fair unless you get on the pony." ~ Cheryl Strayed

How to Mark a Text

60 Minutes video I hope it works!!!!  Let me know what you think in comments.

And the text we used in class is linked in Saturday's blog post.  Please read and ANNOTATE it like you know what you're doing.

Finally, in case you want a head start, we will be reading this article in class tomorrow so come prepared!

WRITE YOUR JOURNALS.

xoxo

#swisscheese

Saturday Night or Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining or Daily Journal 48

I know most of you won't see this but for those of you who listen and know that the bloggity blog is where it's at...

A sweet video that EB shared. I showed it to period 7 but for 2, 3, 4, check it out.

On another note, if you would also like to be more prepared for class on Monday, I am linking the document we will be using.  Feel free to read it and bring your own copy to class.  The lesson could very well save you thousands of dollars as you journey toward college.

Next week, the schedule is going to be a bit wonky in that I am simply posting the TED Talk and we will be learning how to read Monday and Tuesday and demonstrating newfound reading ability (with Outliers) on Thursday.  SAS will still be on Friday.

xoxo

Friday Friday!

Not much to say. Life is beautiful.
Haters will hate. I give nary a flip.
Lovers will love. I give that my full gaze.
I'll post more this weekend. Lots to teach you.
Shout out to MR, DB, and LS for helping others in period 4.
And mad love to PT in 7th and CJ in 2nd.
I'm amazed by PR and CN, RM and EB in 6th.
And pd 3, J, S, M. Sigh.
I keep falling...in...love.

Xoxo

Daily Journal #46

I find it difficult to look some people in the eyes because I see things I don't want to see.

My mom says it's the bruja in me and I think I get it from my grandmother.  I grew up in a household where the curandera would rub your body with a cold egg while chanting and whispering to scare away the evil spirits, where you would swallow a spoonful of sugar when te asustaste, where you had to touch something you admired so you wouldn't give someone el mal ojo.

Needless to say, I'm a bit trippy.

But these weird things have always just happened to me.  I knew before anyone else that my cousin was ill because when he walked in the room I saw sickness.  I knew what my first daughter was going to look like because I dreamed her face months before I met her.  I knew that my then boyfriend was going to be my husband when I held his hand.

I believe deeply in many things but none more than my gut and my intuition.  

But it isn't something I advertise.

Because sometimes I see things I don't want to see and once you ring the bell you can't unring it.

So I keep most of what I see inside - inside in these little pockets of space carved from heartbreak and stretchmarks.  I tuck them away and pretend they're not there but sometimes - if I'm not careful - they spill out and I can barely stand to be around anybody.

Forgive me if I look away.

SAS Tomorrow

No words to articulate what happened today in class. From being in church to being in silence. Life I guess. Tomorrow it's SAS time. I'm excited. And all next week it's Gladwell. Long live learning.

Xoxo

To My MP

Also known as Daily Journal #45

You are a magnificent soul, and a friend to boot.  I admire the way you carry yourself, conduct your business, walk through your days, drive down that mountain.  I just straight up adore you and not because you're perfect but because you get it.  You know in your heart and soul that stopping at the grocery to buy me almond milk will make my day.  You know in your heart and soul that there's a difference between the truth and a story truth.  You know in your heart and soul the value of a sunrise, a sunset, a homecooked meal, using your voice, cuddling a cat, knowing the world.

I've never met anyone like you and I doubt I ever will.  You see the best in people, you know how to speak well, and you can damn well wear a pair of cowboy boots like the best of them.

When you stop by in the morning and I get a hug or when you slither over during lunch to ask for an eraser, my heart just explodes and I feel all "lit from within" as a wise woman once said.

I had a student a few years ago who really is a dear friend, and we came to realize that the dvd in our lives had just skipped causing me to be almost 2 decades older than her.  But we clicked and we laughed and we had inside jokes and we ate Thai food and we rolled our eyes together at the people who had no idea...yet.

You remind me of her, MP, and I wonder why the dvd skipped again and why I'm 39 and you're not.  But then again some of the most mystical mysteries are the ones that remain unsolved.  I'm just grateful that I know you and that I can call you my friend.

In a world as dark as this one, I can use all the light I can get.

6 Degrees of Index Cards

Reminder:  Outliers Chapter 5 "The Three Lessons of Joe Flom" TOMORROW.  Be prepared to discuss/write/challenge tomorrow.

I hope I explained what I wanted well enough that it makes sense.  If not, email me or talk to me about it.  Essentially you are making connections between the 6 different pieces of information covered.  A picture below to help.

The writing prompt is essentially this:  What are the connections between the various pieces of information from the past several weeks?

Index Card 1:  TED Talk including rhetor, title, date, theme/message and quote
Index Card 2:  Outliers including title, chapter, quote and connection to #1
Index Card 3:  Another TED Talk including rhetor, title, date, theme/message, quote, and connection to #2
Index Card 4:  Blog Post including title, information, theme, quote and connection to #3
Index Card 5:  SAS (yours or a classmates) including title, information, theme, quote and connection to #4
Index Card 6: Your own Cultural Knowledge/Memory including title, information, theme, quote and connection to #5

Turn your index cards into a 2 page handwritten paper.  Due Friday with index cards stapled to the front.

Have a happy night,
xoxo

For the Adele Lovers Out There

Instead of my journal, here's some food for thought.  I would present this as SAS but I figure those of you looking to learn will find your way here.

Enjoy. And be sure to share your thoughts.

All hail Adele!

xoxo

Are you Living a Creative Life?

Elizabeth Gilbert, well, I don't know what to say.  She's my cup of tea and a gift in many ways.  However you received her TED Talk is your business of course, but consider the blog title at the very least.  We are meant to make things.  It's how the world works.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  There is a big assignment due on Wednesday, December 16th.  You have from now until then to CREATE SOMETHING.  That's it.  In the title is the assignment.  In the assignment is the title.  Create something.  

You will be expected to present your creation in class either on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday but all work is due on Wednesday.  I will determine presentation spots and announce them ahead of time.

And while I welcome questions, what can I say other than you need to create something.  That means a tangible object - a noun.

Tomorrow we were supposed to work with logos, ethos and pathos but just look it up on google and write definitions.  We're doing something else instead so make sure you bring your class notes, TED Talk notes, SAS journals, etc.  Spread the word especially to friends without reliable internet access.

xoxo

Potato Chips and PB & J Sandwiches - Daily Journal #43

I stood in my kitchen earlier, spreading peanut butter onto the naked side of a slice of bread.  As I dipped my knife into the jar, my mind wandered to the past as it is prone to do.  I drowned out the sounds of my lovely home - my girls eating in the living room at the "restaurant" their daddy set up, the dogs across the street barking, the sweet innocence of Daniel Tiger on Netflix.  I focused instead on the sounds of my knife spreading peanut butter and I sent love - absolute love - into the sandwich I was making.  With each stroke I wished away her pain, her fear, her darkness.  With each stroke, I willed away her hurt.

I cut the sandwich into four little squares, just like I do for my girls, because she is one of my girls.  And that's my fundamental flaw, you see, falling in love wholeheartedly with people who aren't my birth children.

The universe gave me two blood daughters.  Two little firecrackers who are sassy and witty, capable and creative.  But the universe played a funny trick on me too.  She gave me dozens of chosen daughters.

One of them used to go to the grocery store on her bike to stock up on food for her family.
Another had her life in her car and parked it in front of my house.
Another made me laugh as we shared soup at a Jewish Deli.
And yet another drove across town and read books to my kid.

One ate Olive Garden in my kitchen.
Another made me almost choke on Thai food because we were laughing so hard.
Another rolled her eyes with me in class and wrote me poetry on demand.
And yet another texted me at just the right time to remind me how much I matter.

One stood up in class and called out a racist classmate.
Another walked in such a way that I could hear her coming.
Another didn't speak to me for an entire year in class and then became one of my "homies".
And yet another just sat in a desk and observed and had me "wonder wonder wonder" what she saw.

I never really wanted to be a mom.  Too much sacrifice, worry and heartache.  But then in a twist of fate, I became a mom at 22 in my first classroom.

So, yeah, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I cut into 4 squares because that's what a mom does when one of her girls needs lunch.  And in that brown bag lunch is my love and my undying belief that all any of us needs is to be seen.

Joshua Bell

Context and perception, people.  Here's the Washington Post article if you're interested.

TED Talk tomorrow.

xoxo

p.s. - I may be checking TED Talk notes...maybe.  Depends.