I Bet This is What He’s Thinkin’

I’ve got a student JUST like this…

credit to Chalkboard Manifesto

Grammar Wednesday

The “Better Late Than Never” edition.
I’m CRAZY busy this week; Mr. Chili is away, so I’m single parenting and, of course, I had signed up for a workshop this week (before I knew he would be gone), I’m getting crappy sleep lately, and I think I might be coming down with something.  If any of [...]

The Ad Lesson

I had a GREAT class the other day, and I wanted to share the experience with you in the hopes that you might be able to steal something good from it for your own classroom.
I have never been able to teach a class without including a heavy dose of critical thinking in the mix.  Really, [...]

Analysis and Applicability

Last week, I invited a colleague of mine, a vibrant, energetic, and incredibly academically vigorous man, to come and speak to my classes about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into his presentations about the Holocaust.  Tom, the outreach coordinator for the center for Holocaust studies where I did my summer fellowship this year, travels the [...]

Grammar Wednesday

Another “Commonly Confused Words” edition!
My students are really cute.  They try so hard, but the often fall just short of the mark, Goddess love them.  Here are some words that my students still aren’t quite sure about, and this post will form the backbone of a lesson I’ll give next week as my classes work [...]

Ten Things Tuesday

I read “The Things They Carried” with my lit students yesterday (well, with the ones who showed up, anyway) and was reminded of how visceral and present that story can be.  O’Brien is deft and effective in his storytelling, and I was moved, yet again, by this multi-layered, thought-provoking war story.
O’Brien tells his story though [...]

I Love Clever Word Play

Grammar Wednesday

Today’s post isn’t going to be so much about actual GRAMMAR, per se – I’ve got nothing in particular that I want to investigate this week (though I AM still pondering why it is that most of my students love to begin their sentences with “by,” “with,” or “being.”  Can anyone shed some light on [...]

THIS, I Don’t Mind

I went to the English office at Local U yesterday to find a notice in my mail box.  According to the flier:

“Experience has shown that progress reports, sent to both students and their advisors, have proven to be very important in determining students’ chances of success in their academic programs.”
While I understand the concept, I [...]

Don’t Get Yer Hopes Up, Kid

I went and found the director of the freshman writing program this afternoon.
Dr. C is a wonderful though enigmatic man.  He has a Ph.D. in Old English Literature and has been a fixture at Local U. for as long as I’ve been acquainted with the place (and that’s going on 20 years now).  He LOOKS [...]