A couple of notable essays have appeared recently about focusing on teaching writing, as opposed to literature. Here are a few money quotes, starting with the original piece in Salon: It’s hard to blame anyone for not wanting to teach writing, which, while it might not involve manual labor or public floggings, is hard, grueling work. Often [...]
Archive for May, 2011
On Teaching Writing Vs. Teaching Literature
Posted in Education, tagged composition, editing, English, reading, revision, teaching, writing, writing process on May 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Utterly and Completely Shameless Plug for a New Project
Posted in Random on May 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »
With one of my first posts here, I linked to a mysterious blog named “mormonocalypse”. A blog with no posts, that I registered only so that I could become a guest editor here at Gently Hew Stone as I previously had never used WordPress. Well, for those that have waited for something to be posted [...]
How Do You Like the Theme to Garry’s Show?
Posted in Humor, tagged Garry Shandling, music, television on May 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Maybe because it’s Friday, maybe because it’s the start of a big three-day weekend, but I have to balance out the chipper post about Mozart with this one. Remember the surreal 1980′s sensation, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show? Man, I loved that as a kid. Even though Jerry Seinfeld’s show would become far more popular, Shandling’s was [...]
Parenting 101
Posted in Education, Politics and Society, tagged counseling, cultural criticism, parenting, parents, personal responsibility, school on May 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
During the year I spent working as a school counselor, I wanted to put a sign on the door of my office that said, “Parents: you are not doing your children a favor by excusing them from the natural consequences of their choices.” That sign would have cut my work load–and stress–in half. I’ve been [...]
Recommended Listening: Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade, Mvt. 8
Posted in Arts, tagged allegro, classical music, Haffner, Mozart, music, rondo, Serenade 7 on May 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Several years ago, I picked up a CD called Mozart for the Morning Commute, which as its subtitle claims, really is “a lively bit of traveling music.” Each piece selected for this anthology is marked “allegro” or “rondo,” meaning that they’re all pretty catchy, having quick tempos and repeating, almost pop-like themes. Though this disc seems [...]
The Educational Rapture
Posted in Education, Humor, Politics and Society, tagged activism, budgets, economy, Nevada, satire on May 24, 2011 | 2 Comments »
From the Holy Book of Teacheriah, an Epistle to the Unionians, chapter 5, verses 5-10: 5 And in that great and last day, there shall be a famine of public-sector budgets in the land, and the houses of learning shall be in mighty want; 6 And there shall arise many great heroes, like unto the [...]
Political Action: A Plea for Education
Posted in Education, Politics and Society on May 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I have to admit, this is an emotional rather than logical plea, but it is my way of yelling into the void to see if someone will listen. This is part of a campaign spearheaded by my friend Mark Jimenez and the group Nevadans for Funding Education. I’m extremely curious as to what its reception [...]
The Secret, Hidden, True Origin of the Book of Mormon
Posted in Humor, Religion, tagged anagrams, Book of Mormon on May 22, 2011 | 1 Comment »
An anagram is a word or phrase composed of rearranged letters from another word or phrase. I noticed this week that Book of Mormon is an anagram for Book From Moon. Yes. I knew it all along. That explains everything. Anagrams don’t lie, people.
Stupid Rapture!: On Mocking the Beliefs of Others
Posted in Humor, Religion on May 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Do you have your post up on facebook yet mocking R-day? I do. I wrote it last night. I have to admit, I stole it from another staff member and modified it, but I do think it’s rather clever: Lesson plan for Monday (written on board): Mr. Hendricks was raptured. All students who were not [...]
School District Employee Writing FAIL
Posted in Education, Politics and Society, tagged CCSD, writing on May 18, 2011 | 5 Comments »
So, since it seems yours truly won’t be picked up for a regular summer school job this year, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks planning what else to do. I emailed the substitute teaching department of my school district to inquire about subbing opportunities for summer school. I fully expected to get a reply [...]
Reviewed: “Weird Al” Yankovic’s New Children’s Book
Posted in Humor, Language and Literature, tagged "Weird Al" Yankovic, book reviews, children's literature, When I Grow Up on May 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Celebrities writing books for children has already become a worn-out trend among our cultural elites, like rehab, or adopting kids from Africa. However, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s just-released first book, When I Grow Up, succeeds despite any such baggage. Yankovic takes his signature zany humor–heavy on food jokes, non sequitur, and pop culture parody–and turns it into [...]
Centers For Disease Control = Future Zombie Chow
Posted in Humor, tagged Centers for Disease Control, zombies on May 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
On the plus side, at least the federal government is finally taking the threat of an imminent zombie invasion seriously. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America’s last line of defense in a public health emergency, posted advice on their blog about preparing for the fearsome outbreak, not of some flesh-eating bacteria, but [...]
A Video Introduction
Posted in Education, Humor on May 17, 2011 | 2 Comments »
As an educator, it’s sometimes difficult to get those young go-getters to be excited about your subject. If you are an elective teacher, if you don’t recruit, it means being stuck with huge sections of first year students that never really wanted your class to begin with. Our school had the unique idea to create [...]
Lisa Simpson on the State of Affairs in Washington
Posted in Humor, Politics and Society on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve all felt this way, haven’t we? That tinge of pride during the national anthem, the sweet savor of apple pie, the feel of an UZI before a Saturday morning shooting outing with friends. In my opinion, few speeches so encapsulate that type of pride in our great country than this one, delivered by Lisa [...]
Good News / Bad News
Posted in Humor, tagged economy, home sales, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun on May 11, 2011 | 5 Comments »
Yesterday, a local Realtor group released numbers about home sales here, but the two big local newspapers reported on it very differently. It’s more than a matter of vague interpretation: one said that numbers went up, the other said that numbers went down. It’s not that either was wrong: the optimistic headline in the Review-Journal [...]
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