1. Teaching's still going pretty well. I don't like grading papers at all, since it's hard to gauge how much of high school papers I should correct and how much I should let slide since they're high schoolers. But I got a very positive evaluation from a visiting administrator, who was impressed that I actually … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Grammar, and Historical Tangents
Friday Flotsam
Friday Flotsam: No History this Time
1. Had a break from schooling this week, tried to use it to get a clearer idea of how to proceed. Sort of worked; I still feel disorganized and like little is getting done, but I have a bit of a better idea of what I'm doing. 2. It occurs to me that the main … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: No History this Time
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Political History
1. We're still reading Thomas Paine in my American Government course (I'm going to be looking ahead this weekend, but I may have to go off-script because there doesn't seem much else being discussed in the coming weeks), along with his chosen opponent, Rev. Charles Inglis (later the first Anglican Bishop in the New World). … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Political History
Friday Flotsam: School and ‘One Piece’
1. At school I've more or less defaulted to lecturing, as trying to get the kids to engage hasn't been too profitable for most of the classes. Though oddly enough, turning to lecturing interspersed with questions has gotten a lot more interaction going, so perhaps it works out. 2. I ended up correcting the history … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: School and ‘One Piece’
Friday Flotsam: Mostly School and Language Matters
1. School still going okay. Started getting into the weeds of the Revolution with my Government class; they were surprised to learn of some of my clarifications (i.e. that the amount of taxes weren't the issue, but rather the question of jurisdiction). Actually, the idea that the British government had a case at all seemed … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly School and Language Matters
Friday Flotsam: Corniness and ‘Shadows on the Rock’
1. Thinking of 50s-era educational shorts this week made me wonder: they're usually described as 'cheesy' or 'corny'. What does this mean? What constitutes corn? The heirs of Webster define it as "mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental". Fair enough, but what is the positive contrary? Up-to-date, sophisticated, and rational, I suppose. Though that … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Corniness and ‘Shadows on the Rock’
Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
1. Made it through my second week of teaching. I'm still finding it extremely draining, and it's a struggle to get the kids to start discussing stuff in most of the classes (my one 12th grade class is the best in that regard, but alas is the shortest one). But it's something, and I've at … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
Friday Flotsam: First Week Teaching, ‘The System’, and I Get a Review!
1. Had my first week teaching (only two days a week, thank goodness), and it went pretty well! I'm fortunate that these generally seem to be good, well-behaved kids, even the 7/8 graders, and I'm doing my best to keep them engaged and getting them thinking (teenagers get some odd ideas). So far the main … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: First Week Teaching, ‘The System’, and I Get a Review!
Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
1. The purpose of government is to promote the common good. The great danger of any Republic is the loss of the sense of commonality between different parts of the populace. This, of course, can happen under any form of government, but it is a particular danger for Republics, because elected governments incentivize animosity and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
1. A rather discouraging week; I had a few very productive days, but also a number of flops and didn't get as much done as I'd intended. 2. On Wednesday I spent about an hour working on a post, only to have WordPress's autosave function freeze and lose the whole thing just as I was … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
Serpent's Den 