8/15
Back to blogging again. Only two days in to a new semester. So much to do, so much to think about. Already changing lessons as the day goes on and I see how things involve. Tomorrow we do read around of poems, and hopefully a chance to get to know more of my students’ names, something I really need to get on. AP students did a great job of really thinking about Nighthawks today. The best part of teaching, sometimes, is listening to that critical analysis, maybe because it seems like the most authentic learning, and there’s a part of me that just wants to jump in and offer my own opinions. The room is coming along. It’s time to get some student work up. By the way, so glad to be teaching AP again after a year off.
7/30
How hard it is to keep up a blog or get started on planning with summer break coming to an end. We now have two weeks till school opens. I am thinking about teaching Pride and Prejudice. Today I finished Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. A little bit of a slow start, but the second half really took off. This is special book, and I’m still grappling with what I enjoyed so much. I think it’s an examination of all the secrets we keep from one another and all the ways are perceptions and what we want for others is counter to, almost, reality. Anyway, thought about How To Read Like a Professor and how the book uses water as a baptismal. Highly recommend the books and I’m thinking of using it with my AP class. Tonight, I sawn the movie Talk To Me. Not really a horror person. The story wasn’t much, but it was still enjoyable. That’s what I ask for most in a movie, it holds my attention for 2-3 hours.
7/24/23
Three weeks to go as I enter year 28, and still so much to think about. I’m thinking about teaching Pride and Prejudice for the first time, and wondering whether students will be into it. AP by the Sea was a huge help this summer. I know how crazy this sounds, but I feel like I’m way behind in planning right now. I have a goal tonight of writing my AP syllabus. I’ll keep you informed.
7/6/24
Back to blogging pretty much a year later. But I’m at it again. Trying this again. Greetings, for the ones’ who might read this. It’s two days before AP results come out. Nervous. Aggregate scores appear to be high this year, and I hope mine are too. Otherwise, here we are. New year. I’m still biking. Been doing a few hours at the gym of cycling and hoping to get more time in on the beach. Reading. More to come. But I’m gack. Let’s hope I’m back here tomorrow. Drove my son to an amazing collectible festival today and bought a Tom Seaver card. All in all a good day. Currently reading Karla and The Sun. Summer is passing. How fast? 31 days till we return and I enter year 29!!
7/10/24
I think it’s about a month till I go back. The challenge during the breaks is it takes me half the break to figure out where my place is in the is world beyond teaching. I’m in that place now, but it took a while. On Monday, I went to LACMA. I have no idea why it’s been so long for me and a museum. But I was ready on Monday. I don’t remember the last time I was moved by works of art in a museum, but it happened. It’s all where you’re head is at a specific time. And on Monday I was reminded not of how much beauty there is in the world, but how much passion there is to try to understand our world, and how the artists give us a reason to be so grateful to be alive on a specfic day, during a specific moment, and all that corny stuff. And then, and then, I finished Karla and The Sun today. I’ll write down a review of it, but I am still recovering from a masterpiece. We are such incredible creatures, lucky to be alive and figure out this world. There you go: books, paintings, me just writing my thoughts. Exploring art, is there nothing greater. Tomorrow, more of my type of a spiritual life–taking my bike down to Huntington Beach.
July 17, 2024. Well, one of those times where I’ve lost my way, and I’m not really sure where today went. Tomorrow is a new start. Tomorrow, a time for journaling, organizing. Today, just a lost day, and somewho summer is ending and it isn’t. Really interested in budgeting, orgnizing my week, organizing my teaching practice, organizing my time. So we begin again tomorrow.
July 27, 2024. Back at the blog. Busy day of cleaning the car and house chores, and somehow all those plans for reading, etc, go by the wayside. I am interested where this blog can go. For not I’m not sure. But I will leave it with this. The other day I rode my bike from Ventura to OJai and I loved it. I think it’s my new favorite ride:
August 1
Time to post again. Man, do I wish I can get in an every day habit. A lot going on. Too much. Here we go. The semester begins in a little over a week. Going into school year 29. So much to do before. It’s been a good break. Lot’s of biking. Reading, but not enough. Today, I just began Transcendental Meditiation see if I can keep it up. Recovering from a bad bike injury over the weekend. Still, tomorrow I’ll be back out there biking with a friend through Griffith Park. Last night I was at the Hollywood bowl and saw the Outlaws Concert, Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. Some shows on my mind in the next few months, if tickets are available. The rule is it has be about 50 bucks or lower–want to see Pearl Jam, Green Day and Billy Joel. And then, if only, one more Springsteen show. Last night at the Bowl:
8/5/24
Here we go. Today was the first day back. We met for a training as English teachers and then had breakout sessions on Zoom. Lots of problems for everyone getting online, as server went down. We are a week away. Got the room ready today, mostly. So much to do. So much to think about. So, so much planning to do. And it’s gotta to happen over the next 6 days. Busy, busy time coming up figuring this all out. I really want this semester to be one where I’m ahead as far as possible on planning and truly figure out a real schedule for grading. It feels like most of the time I’m reacting to work that I get behind on, so I don’t want that anymore. Speaking of living a life, I want to make sure I make this week meaningful, too, before going back. We have an out of town trip planned. I need to get one more bike ride in. Tomorrow, one more day of training and I’m back in schedule going to gym before work, hopefully. In the meantime, all I did was go in and have a few meetings today and I was beat when I got home. Let’s start the whirlwind.
8/8/24
Going in tomorrow to work on room and lesson planning. So much to. do. If only I could say after 28 years I know exactly where I’m going. Reinventing the wheel may be fun, but iut’s a lot more. work. Today went to a few downtown museums–The Broad and MOCA. There’s so much beauty all around us and the Broad reminded me of that. I think The Broad is now one of the my favorite museums. It reminds of MOMA in New York, but has contemporary art that is much more accessibe to someone like me, who does not have a trained eye. The museum was. a pure please. But it’s all starting now. Need to get one more bike ride in before I go back. So much I am truly looking forward to going back to also. Schools are magical places, especially before semesters or at 6am on a school day, when no is around. There’s so much hope in the air it’s overwhelming and it gives me hope for the day, hope for everyone on the campus. Anyway, here we go. I do need to order some books, or at least try Donors Choose for books that my students really keep asking for for independent reading. I am a big proponent of independent reading and will be talking about what I do, with what I believe is success. For now, the books I believe I need the most are the works of Coe Booth. By the way, I have a library system that finally works for me, and I’ll try to discuss it here. In the meantime the room is almost ready and here’s my bookshelves waiting for students.
