Education
The Day Monsieur Said Non
In 11th grade, I needed three stellar recommendations that I could send off with my college applications. I felt confident that I would receive solid letters from two of my former English teachers, but then I was kinda stuck. I decided to ask my French teacher. He said no….
The Day Flannery O'Connor Screwed Me
Someone really smart once said, “Kids seldom misquote; in fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.” That person might actually have been sitting in my classroom the day I taught Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” to a bunch of 11th graders….
L'il Miss Attitude
Every year, I study my new class rosters and practice saying the names aloud so I don’t sound like a total dork on the first day. One year, I was feeling pretty good until I came to one particular name. I didn’t know what to do with it. And I certainly didn’t expect the interaction that followed….
The Day I Got It All Wrong
When I teach, I come to class prepared. In fact, I sometimes come to class with a Plan A, Plan B and an Emergency Back-Up Plan. I think this stems from the days when I didn’t exactly know what I was doing….
Roots & Wings
Way back in December, a brochure made its way into my house advertising a summer kids’ camp at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Monkey read it hungrily and announced that he really wanted to take a computer programming class….
Duplicates Disease
A little while ago I received my roster for my fall Comp-101 writing class. I scored a great building. But my roster is not to be believed! Check this out!…
Spot Check
I’m kicking off Wednesday #TWITS: a fancy-schmancy acronym for Teachers Whom I Think Scored / Teachers Whom I think Sucked. It only took me six bajillion hours to think up that one. So here is my middle school memory about one very specific moment. Obviously, I have changed the teacher’s name….
A Commencement Speech by Alec Jacobson
Recently, my super cool, crazy smart nephew was selected by his peers to deliver the commencement speech at his high school graduation which took place this past Sunday, June 25, 2011….
Much Disagreement About Agreement
About a week ago, everyone in my neighborhood received this green postcard from the newly opened Huntington Learning Center. Very eye-catching. Truth be told, normal people probably tossed it right into the recycle bin. But because I read anything and everything of/or related to education, I flipped over the card. And I proceeded to do a little dance. Because I knew I had a blog….
In Praise of the Pencil
A few weeks back, Monkey came home in a tizzy. “I’m out of pencils again,” he announced. Nonplussed, I told him there were under three weeks of school left and that I was pretty sure he could make-do with his nubs until June 20. He started at me with contempt. “Are you serious?” he questioned. “I have exams! I need pencils! Ticonderogas. Now!”…