So, Today was not a great day. The article I had prepared was nixed, the fixes I made were nixed and then I started my other job. Now teaching isn't terrible, on the OK days, and today was one of them, but it is stressful and murder on your throat. Add the drizzly yet muggy weather, the utter lack of sleep from the night before and the idea of seeing my contentious family tomorrow and you get, yes- a not great day.
Which makes Cameron Moore's Thanksgiving article a real treat. Cameron's piece, Thanks for Nothing , really hit home with me.
I'm not going to give you the details and ruin the article for you, but once you've read it you'll understand.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Story Behind the Article
If any of you are reading my new eGO article, "Nothing Personal, But..." you might find that it's a bit more intense than the usual, a bit maudlin maybe.
Well, what happened is this; I had a departmental meeting tonight and I basically got told off for not following all the procedures and schedules that the school had provided. Now it doesn't matter that each time I deviated I asked my Dept. Head, who always approved them, because he was the one telling me off. His excuse was that he misunderstood me and that the sort of things I was doing were so out there that he obviously couldn't have thought I meant that because he wouldn't have let me do that for a second.
Get the picture? I could go on all night about this but the point is in my article. I sat down on the train and thought it out. What he was asking me to do wasn't really a bad idea and it would help the school out. Why should I be the maverick out of spite? The fact is, the way the school wants stuff done could turn out to be better for my students (I doubt it, but stranger things have happened!). Even if it's not better for them, I realized, it wouldn't actually be worse, so why not do it?
The only reason I had was my personal embarrassment and shame. I realized that both those emotions were actually fueled by my pride and, voila! An article is born!
PS: I'm especially proud of the image I chose for the article. What do you think?
Well, what happened is this; I had a departmental meeting tonight and I basically got told off for not following all the procedures and schedules that the school had provided. Now it doesn't matter that each time I deviated I asked my Dept. Head, who always approved them, because he was the one telling me off. His excuse was that he misunderstood me and that the sort of things I was doing were so out there that he obviously couldn't have thought I meant that because he wouldn't have let me do that for a second.
Get the picture? I could go on all night about this but the point is in my article. I sat down on the train and thought it out. What he was asking me to do wasn't really a bad idea and it would help the school out. Why should I be the maverick out of spite? The fact is, the way the school wants stuff done could turn out to be better for my students (I doubt it, but stranger things have happened!). Even if it's not better for them, I realized, it wouldn't actually be worse, so why not do it?
The only reason I had was my personal embarrassment and shame. I realized that both those emotions were actually fueled by my pride and, voila! An article is born!
PS: I'm especially proud of the image I chose for the article. What do you think?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
this Quintessence of Dust
For some reason, I can't help thinking in Hamlet quotes while I'm teaching it. There's just something about that Bard that moves me.
While not the central focus of my piece over at eGO.com, I do mention teaching it and I do use a line from this same speech in the title: "In Apprehension, How Like a God?"
The quote comes from a little bit of Free Verse Hamlet throws out at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and it goes like this:
"What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in
Reason? how infinite in faculty? in forme and mouing
how expresse and admirable? in Action, how like an Angel?
in apprehension, how like a God? the beauty of the
world, the Parragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is
this Quintessence of Dust? Man delights not me; no,
nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seeme
to say so"
(No spelling comments, please, this is how the piece appears in the First Folio)
Who agrees with Hamlet?
Class?
While not the central focus of my piece over at eGO.com, I do mention teaching it and I do use a line from this same speech in the title: "In Apprehension, How Like a God?"
The quote comes from a little bit of Free Verse Hamlet throws out at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and it goes like this:
"What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in
Reason? how infinite in faculty? in forme and mouing
how expresse and admirable? in Action, how like an Angel?
in apprehension, how like a God? the beauty of the
world, the Parragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is
this Quintessence of Dust? Man delights not me; no,
nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seeme
to say so"
(No spelling comments, please, this is how the piece appears in the First Folio)
Who agrees with Hamlet?
Class?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ever get the feeling Cameron Moore is Talking Directly to YOU?
It's like everytime I get one of these articles he writes (balloon boy notwithstanding), I feel like he has been spying on me, or reading my mind from across the country.
HOW DOES HE DO IT?
My theory is this: Unlike myself, Cameron writes about general truths about life, he writes about what we do and what we think, on a whole. I stick to more personal whining and complaining.
And that's why he's a better writer than I am.
(Well, that and his spelling.)
Check out his latest:Honesty
HOW DOES HE DO IT?
My theory is this: Unlike myself, Cameron writes about general truths about life, he writes about what we do and what we think, on a whole. I stick to more personal whining and complaining.
And that's why he's a better writer than I am.
(Well, that and his spelling.)
Check out his latest:Honesty
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Glee
OK, so... I know this show is super popular and anyone who read Cameron Moore's article knows that there are those at eGO.com who love it but I don't really understand how it is soooooo accepted in the high school world. Why is it that super-"tough" students I have and very popular "hip" girls are talking about how much they love it and how wonderful it is? Don't they realize that the show is anti- them? Or maybe not "Anti" but certainly not aimed in their direction.
Or am I wrong?
Explain.
Or am I wrong?
Explain.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lazy
Sorry I've been so lax here on the blog. I am trying to juggle a lot of balls right now and I find myself putting this as a low-priority one.
Which is ridiculous. This blog is a more informal aspect of eGO.com and should be the place I can really let go, spark discussion and get ideas for articles. It's a resource, not a task but I find myself forgetting that or lying to myself so that I have "less" to do. In all honesty, though, I am making my job harder- I could be sending out feelers for ideas or just sparking an interesting discussion that could help me deal with the other writing I have to do.
So... Anyone have any topic or idea they would like to see me tackle over on the eGO.com site? Any discussion they'd like to get feedback from others on? Hit me!
Which is ridiculous. This blog is a more informal aspect of eGO.com and should be the place I can really let go, spark discussion and get ideas for articles. It's a resource, not a task but I find myself forgetting that or lying to myself so that I have "less" to do. In all honesty, though, I am making my job harder- I could be sending out feelers for ideas or just sparking an interesting discussion that could help me deal with the other writing I have to do.
So... Anyone have any topic or idea they would like to see me tackle over on the eGO.com site? Any discussion they'd like to get feedback from others on? Hit me!
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