Train - When I Look to the Sky
[Verse 1]
When it rains it pours and opens doors
And floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry
And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love
That have to say goodbye
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
[Verse 2]
And every word I didn't say that caught up in some busy day
And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before
And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss
And pick you up in all of this when I sail away
[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave
[Verse 3]
Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plane overhead
Instead it just feels like it is impossible to fly
But with you I can spread my wings
to see me over everything that life may send me
When I am hoping it won't pass me by
And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me
there you are to show me
Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?9...
Wear Sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas
the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand
the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years
youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how
much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
Youre not as fat as you imagine.
Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people who
are reckless with yours.
Floss
Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes youre behind
the race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing
this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your life
the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds know still dont.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.
Maybe youll marry, maybe you wont, maybe youll have children,
maybe you wont, maybe youll divorce at 40, maybe youll dance the funky chicken
on your 75th wedding anniversary.
What ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
its the greatest instrument youll ever own..
Danceeven if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you dont follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when theyll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and
the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were
young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their
elders.
Respect your elders.
Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Dont mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling
it for more than its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen...
Rascal Flatts - My Wish
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
Strategies I've learned:
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text
One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.
Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.
I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.
Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text
One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.
Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.
I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.
Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.
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