Now listening to: The Who's "Who Are You?"
This is actually learning community related. Denise and I chose our title for the learning community class we'll do next semester. Our current one isn't truly indicative of what the class is, so we've changed to "Who Are You?" as the beginning of the title. The subtitle is yet to be determined, but the main title led us to talk about the song, so I played it, got it stuck in my head (not a bad thing) and then am now re-playing it as I blog.
First Seminar
I am so happy today was a seminar day. I had an awful discussion with someone yesterday about how much work I feel like I am doing, so it was nice to have a day where students really put forth good effort and truly appeared to learn something good.
The seminar that I observed had just 8 students in it because two were absent. It went really well. Technically, I am supposed to just sit back and watch them discuss without interferring with my "teacherly" presence. I've always found this hard to do. It wasn't as difficult today because the students were having a good discussion on their own and did not need me. In earlier times when I have "interfered" I realize that they needed to learn that they did not need me. At the same time, I think students should be able to look to the teacher for some guidance as needed. I guess this could get into a semantic discussion of when it is really needed; that's a tough call to make.
Anyway, I did decide to interrupt at one point. I feel like I ought to slap my hand and say, "bad, bad Nicole, don't interrupt students' discussion." The students were talking about something that had a point, but the point was getting further and further distanced from the text. The point that was being made is actually something we're going to discuss at length in later seminars, so it was good to see that students wanted to go there, but for the time being, I felt it prudent to redirect them to the text and the topic for today. I also felt the need to do this during seminar debriefing later in the day. I feel like some students see this as a teacher interruption while others are grateful for the redirection. Again, a tough call to make.
Also on the topic of interruptions-- this one does actually call for a "bad, bad Nicole" moment. I participated in discussion near the end of the seminar because I just wanted to so badly. It was an intrusion. Again, students didn't seem to mind. It is just so hard to stay out of it. This is something I will need to get used to. Denise was good; she admitted to wanting to talk several times but not doing it, so students could all have their say. I have this problem in general conversation with just about everybody. I so badly want to say what I want to say that I sometimes do it despite there being no real need for me to put my two cents in right then.
Teacher-conversations
I have noticed conversations among people who teach are really strange in their dynamics. Most of the time a more assertive teacher personality will dominate the conversation for a long chunk of time, at the end of which, the other teacher will kind of say, "Yeah, well, and put forth an opinion." Some of the times the opinion relates, but most often it responds to something that was said about half-way through the "conversation." What's really funny is to watch two strong-willed teachers talk to one another. It's not a real conversation. Instead, it is one person expounding his views for 2 minutes and then the next person expounding her views for 2 minutes and then when it goes back to the original person, he picks up where he left off and then so on and so forth. There's a real lack of connection of ideas. What's sad is it's these people who are leading discussions in class. I tend to think of it as the Oprah phenomenon. Ever notice how Oprah feels she is so much more interesting than her guests that she always feels the need to pipe up with her view of things or her experiences? I mean, she has a point; her name is the one on the show....but I rarely watch because I keep thinking, "Sheesh. Let the man or woman talk!" It is moments like these when I really feel I ought to slap my hand and say "bad, bad Nicole" because I know it's hipocritical of me to say that of Oprah when I do it in my classroom or in conversation. But I also remind myself that I'm not paid millions of dollars. It now becomes obvious that I even interrupt myself in order to get my other perspective in.
Before I have yet another conversation with myself here, I'll wrap it up. Suffice it to say...Seminar-- good. I look forward to doing them throughout the semester. I will attempt to sit further away from the students for the next one. Maybe that will help eliminate interruptions. I did enjoy what the students were saying about the text and am really pleased with their group dynamics. It makes me curious to read their papers.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Fishbowls and ampitheatres
Learning Community:
We had a "fishbowl" yesterday. Half of the students sat in an inner circle and discussed an assigned reading while the other half sat outside and observed the brouhaha (I love that word; melee could've worked too). We did one at 8 a.m. and then the students swapped places for another one at 10:00. Dianna came to observe the 8 a.m. one (and mentioned it in her blog, cool!). It went really, really well. The 10:00 one was a little rougher because it was about a short story, but still Denise and I were really pleased with what the students discussed. The general concept of seminars takes some warming up to, so it was good to see the students so willing to jump right in and give it a try. Our true seminars begin tomorrow.
It's so funny. All of the Learning Community teachers keep bumping into each other in the halls and it's like we're all in on some secret the way we look at each other and raise our eyebrows-- like, "How's it going? Have you seminared yet?" We feel like the cool teachers because we're having fun with our classes. Ok, I'm struggling a bit with the term "cool teachers" because it doesn't imply what I want it to, but any explanation I would give here would come off like trying to explain why a joke is funny, and it just wouldn't work.
102 on-line
Well, the 102 on-line class is off and running. I have the worst trouble with the first two weeks of the on-line courses. Students who are not used to WebCT need some time to process how to use it and just plain ole get signed into the course. Then, I asked them to get started using blogs too and start getting to know one another for groups and gave them their first assignment sheet for the Google Project #1. It's alot to deal with all at once. I think we have success though: I have not been bombarded with questions, but the questions that have been asked have been thoughtful. This means they are not overwhelmed with confusion by how I have things set up and are not afraid to ask questions when they have them. This really truly is the mark of a successful first week for an on-line course.
102 traditional
I like the group of students in the 102 class at 2:00. I think I just enjoy 2:00 classes period. (With the exception of the ADHD "wish I had duct tape" 2:00 class from Fall 2006. If any of you are reading this post, you know what I'm talking about!) Anyway, I'm teaching in two different classrooms for this class. On Tuesdays, we're in the computer lab-- I'm used to it. The summer 102 class was in the exact same room. On Thursdays though, we're in 1200. This room is usually used for music classes. It's a mini-ampitheatre, so the students are all in those chairs that have the flip-up tiny desks and they all look down to me. There's also a huge projection screen behind me. I knew all of this when I signed up for the class. What I didn't know was that the music people use Macs! I've never used a Mac before. I didn't even know where to start. There's nothing on the screen initially. Apparently, there's a secret navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. Luckily, I am not averse to asking my students for help with technology. Unfortunately, this Mac in particular only has Safari (never heard of it) which is not up and running with Google Documents yet, so my failsafe Plan B mode of getting to important documents is not failsafe after all...but wait, the lovely Helpdesk people have installed Mozilla Firefox now, so life is good.
The funniest thing about the ampitheatre room, though, is it has a piano in it. This is really childish and immature of me, but I can't help but think of a scene from a movie I really haven't even seen: The Fabulous Baker Boys. Anyway, all I remember is Michelle Pfeiffer singing from atop the piano. I didn't do that. (A. I don't look like Michelle Pfeiffer, B. I do not sing in public. Ever.) I did, however, play chopsticks-- the students dared me to. This just returns to what I was saying about 2:00 students. 2:00 students offer me licorice and dare me to play chopsticks. 8:00 students don't do that. 8:00 students are rule followers because they are still waking up or are type A students.
We had a "fishbowl" yesterday. Half of the students sat in an inner circle and discussed an assigned reading while the other half sat outside and observed the brouhaha (I love that word; melee could've worked too). We did one at 8 a.m. and then the students swapped places for another one at 10:00. Dianna came to observe the 8 a.m. one (and mentioned it in her blog, cool!). It went really, really well. The 10:00 one was a little rougher because it was about a short story, but still Denise and I were really pleased with what the students discussed. The general concept of seminars takes some warming up to, so it was good to see the students so willing to jump right in and give it a try. Our true seminars begin tomorrow.
It's so funny. All of the Learning Community teachers keep bumping into each other in the halls and it's like we're all in on some secret the way we look at each other and raise our eyebrows-- like, "How's it going? Have you seminared yet?" We feel like the cool teachers because we're having fun with our classes. Ok, I'm struggling a bit with the term "cool teachers" because it doesn't imply what I want it to, but any explanation I would give here would come off like trying to explain why a joke is funny, and it just wouldn't work.
102 on-line
Well, the 102 on-line class is off and running. I have the worst trouble with the first two weeks of the on-line courses. Students who are not used to WebCT need some time to process how to use it and just plain ole get signed into the course. Then, I asked them to get started using blogs too and start getting to know one another for groups and gave them their first assignment sheet for the Google Project #1. It's alot to deal with all at once. I think we have success though: I have not been bombarded with questions, but the questions that have been asked have been thoughtful. This means they are not overwhelmed with confusion by how I have things set up and are not afraid to ask questions when they have them. This really truly is the mark of a successful first week for an on-line course.
102 traditional
I like the group of students in the 102 class at 2:00. I think I just enjoy 2:00 classes period. (With the exception of the ADHD "wish I had duct tape" 2:00 class from Fall 2006. If any of you are reading this post, you know what I'm talking about!) Anyway, I'm teaching in two different classrooms for this class. On Tuesdays, we're in the computer lab-- I'm used to it. The summer 102 class was in the exact same room. On Thursdays though, we're in 1200. This room is usually used for music classes. It's a mini-ampitheatre, so the students are all in those chairs that have the flip-up tiny desks and they all look down to me. There's also a huge projection screen behind me. I knew all of this when I signed up for the class. What I didn't know was that the music people use Macs! I've never used a Mac before. I didn't even know where to start. There's nothing on the screen initially. Apparently, there's a secret navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. Luckily, I am not averse to asking my students for help with technology. Unfortunately, this Mac in particular only has Safari (never heard of it) which is not up and running with Google Documents yet, so my failsafe Plan B mode of getting to important documents is not failsafe after all...but wait, the lovely Helpdesk people have installed Mozilla Firefox now, so life is good.
The funniest thing about the ampitheatre room, though, is it has a piano in it. This is really childish and immature of me, but I can't help but think of a scene from a movie I really haven't even seen: The Fabulous Baker Boys. Anyway, all I remember is Michelle Pfeiffer singing from atop the piano. I didn't do that. (A. I don't look like Michelle Pfeiffer, B. I do not sing in public. Ever.) I did, however, play chopsticks-- the students dared me to. This just returns to what I was saying about 2:00 students. 2:00 students offer me licorice and dare me to play chopsticks. 8:00 students don't do that. 8:00 students are rule followers because they are still waking up or are type A students.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Harry Potter 5: the movie
I know, I know...more Harry Potter??? yes, more Harry Potter.
My son asked if he could have a date with his babysitter (he doesn't understand the whole concept-- he just wanted to spend time playing with Carly), so my husband and I obliged by going on a date to (finally) see the fifth Harry Potter movie.
I must say my enjoyment of the movies would vastly improve if they were able to bring the first Dumbledore actor back from the dead. As this is impossible, would it be too much to ask that the current actor not wear pajamas and a bizarre beard tassle with a flat nightcap??? Kevin and I spent a portion of the movie bellyaching about how wrong Dumbledore's portrayal was. Another portion of the movie was spent watching the girls in the row next to us. They had not read the books and were gasping and shrieking at any appearance of Voldemort (who is just not very scary to me compared to my mental image when I read the book).
While writing this, it has occured to me that most of my HP thoughts are directly impacted by the first HP movie. I love the Dumbledore in that movie. The Voldemort that comes out of Quirrell's head is also how I picture Voldemort most of the time. Creepy. Flat-faced. Red-eyed. Somehow when an actual man is playing him all I can think is, "Wow. Being bald and pale really makes Ralph Fiennes' ears stick out. I can't believe this is the man who looks so good in The Avengers. Is it just me or does Harry look unbelievably short when next to Ron and Hermione?" See, these are not thoughts that occur to me when I read the book. Ah, but you don't want to read a post on how the movie never lives up to my mental image of the book, do you?
Long story short on the movie: cool fight scene at the end, Luna was fantastic!, Fred and George's moment could've been bigger, I miss Quiddich and Ron's big moment, Umbridge stole every scene she was in (some could've been shortened or eliminated to make room for some non-villainous character). All in all it was okay.
Oh, I just remembered something important to me about book 5. My favorite moment in the whole darn book (and it's a pretty long book) is when Dumbledore does his disappearing act from his office and Phineas Nigellus says something like, "Say what you will about Dumbledore, the man's got style" in his highly sarcastic Snapish voice (as I hear it anyway). This wonderful moment was ruined by having Kingsley Shacklebolt say it instead...a Kingsley who was horribly mis-cast. I've always pictured Kingsley to look like Samuel L. Jackson as Windoo from Star Wars. He's supposed to be cool, not remind me of my World Lit prof (Dr. Kashama).
My son asked if he could have a date with his babysitter (he doesn't understand the whole concept-- he just wanted to spend time playing with Carly), so my husband and I obliged by going on a date to (finally) see the fifth Harry Potter movie.
I must say my enjoyment of the movies would vastly improve if they were able to bring the first Dumbledore actor back from the dead. As this is impossible, would it be too much to ask that the current actor not wear pajamas and a bizarre beard tassle with a flat nightcap??? Kevin and I spent a portion of the movie bellyaching about how wrong Dumbledore's portrayal was. Another portion of the movie was spent watching the girls in the row next to us. They had not read the books and were gasping and shrieking at any appearance of Voldemort (who is just not very scary to me compared to my mental image when I read the book).
While writing this, it has occured to me that most of my HP thoughts are directly impacted by the first HP movie. I love the Dumbledore in that movie. The Voldemort that comes out of Quirrell's head is also how I picture Voldemort most of the time. Creepy. Flat-faced. Red-eyed. Somehow when an actual man is playing him all I can think is, "Wow. Being bald and pale really makes Ralph Fiennes' ears stick out. I can't believe this is the man who looks so good in The Avengers. Is it just me or does Harry look unbelievably short when next to Ron and Hermione?" See, these are not thoughts that occur to me when I read the book. Ah, but you don't want to read a post on how the movie never lives up to my mental image of the book, do you?
Long story short on the movie: cool fight scene at the end, Luna was fantastic!, Fred and George's moment could've been bigger, I miss Quiddich and Ron's big moment, Umbridge stole every scene she was in (some could've been shortened or eliminated to make room for some non-villainous character). All in all it was okay.
Oh, I just remembered something important to me about book 5. My favorite moment in the whole darn book (and it's a pretty long book) is when Dumbledore does his disappearing act from his office and Phineas Nigellus says something like, "Say what you will about Dumbledore, the man's got style" in his highly sarcastic Snapish voice (as I hear it anyway). This wonderful moment was ruined by having Kingsley Shacklebolt say it instead...a Kingsley who was horribly mis-cast. I've always pictured Kingsley to look like Samuel L. Jackson as Windoo from Star Wars. He's supposed to be cool, not remind me of my World Lit prof (Dr. Kashama).
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Quote for the Day
I added a new quote to my quote wall in my office and thought I should share it with everyone.
from the episode "Humbug" from the show The X-Files (which I was once addicted to):
Mulder has just asked the manager of his hotel (in a circus town) who happens to be, um, height challenged?, whether or not he has ever worked in a circus.
MULDER: I'm sorry, I meant no offense.
NUTT: Well, then why should I take offense? Just because it's human nature to make instantaneous judgements of others based solely upon their physical appearances? Why, I've done the same thing to you, for example. I've taken in your All-American features, your dour demeanor, your unimaginative necktie design and concluded that you work for the government. An F. B. I. agent. But do you see the tragedy here? I have mistakenly reduced you to a stereotype. A caricature. Instead of regarding you as a specific, unique individual.
MULDER: But I am an F. B. I. agent.
from the episode "Humbug" from the show The X-Files (which I was once addicted to):
Mulder has just asked the manager of his hotel (in a circus town) who happens to be, um, height challenged?, whether or not he has ever worked in a circus.
MULDER: I'm sorry, I meant no offense.
NUTT: Well, then why should I take offense? Just because it's human nature to make instantaneous judgements of others based solely upon their physical appearances? Why, I've done the same thing to you, for example. I've taken in your All-American features, your dour demeanor, your unimaginative necktie design and concluded that you work for the government. An F. B. I. agent. But do you see the tragedy here? I have mistakenly reduced you to a stereotype. A caricature. Instead of regarding you as a specific, unique individual.
MULDER: But I am an F. B. I. agent.
First week of class
I cannot believe it is only Wednesday. It is only Wednesday, right? It feels like it should be the second week of class already. I have been so busy that it really feels like more than just 2 1/2 days have gone by.
Learning community: The first two classes of the Learning Community course have gone well. It's exciting to see students getting to know each other already. The only problem is apparently one student didn't realize the courses were linked and she has not come to the first two 8 a.m. classes, but we hope to get that resolved today. It's invigorating to be able to feed off the literature course and have students use it to link their writing thoughts to, but it is also draining because everything takes more planning. Everything that I used to do on my own I now also discuss with Denise. This is good because this kind of partnership means we get double the great ideas and the students benefit from the connection of the courses, but it also means that I am doing more work or more communication than I did before and I'm also thinking about one more class (even though I'm not teaching it, it's in the back of my mind there someplace).
On-line 102 course: It's hard to tell how any on-line course is going just by looking at the first week. To be quite honest, I'm not even sure if everyone has gotten into the class yet. I don't think I'll be able to know that until I put a grade in the gradebook. I haven't gotten used to WebCT6 yet. At any rate, the students who have done the self-registration and gotten as far as the discussion board seem excited and they all seem well-disciplined for the most part. That seems to be the one quality that really separates on-line students from more traditional students: the on-line ones seem to be so adept at balancing multiple commitments. Many of them work and have families and take multiple classes, and what's more, they seem to be good at it. The other thing I've noticed is so far there are no guys in the class that I am aware of. There are a couple of male names on my roster for the course, but so far only females have posted to the discussion board. We'll see what it looks like by the end of the week.
Traditional 102 class: Wow, by the end of the day yesterday, I really felt like I had run a marathon. I kind of had (well, for me anyway). I dropped off the printing for this class at 1:00 at the printshop, which is in the basement. Then I went up to the second floor English area to eat lunch because the print shop said it would take a while and there are no tables on the first floor at this end of the building. I chatted with Denise and Tess while eating and then had an idea (long story, won't go over it here). I ended up chasing that idea a little bit and then remembered I had to finish my lunch and get my printing still. This was at 1:45. I then went down to the basement for the printing, remembered I didn't have my roster, went up to the second floor to tell a student I was here and would be back to the classroom by 2:00 and hauled my butt all the way down to the 2000 area to my office to get the roster and books and a bottle of water. I hit the restroom on the way and managed to get back to the classroom before the other teacher had left. My students were all hovering in the halls waiting for the other teacher to stop talking. It was 5 til 2:00, so I just said, "We can all go in." It was a good thing too, as Chad (the other teacher) had a class at 2:00 that he had to get to and my arrival made it easier for him to wrap up conversation and get out of there. This long story is all to say that I was tired. But oddly hyper. Somehow knowing it is the last class of a long day infuses me with energy I didn't think I had. Also, I figure everyone else is tired too so I make a greater effort to be energetic so they don't drift off. But I think they all ended up thinking I was strange...which is okay. Two of them have had me in class before and already know I can be strange sometimes. : )
The 005 classes: For the first time ever, I decided to have students set the policies for the class. I've been thinking about doing this ever since taking the class on Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which is all about how Freire used intrinsic motivation to teach illiterate adults in Brazil how to read so they could get the ability to vote and impact their futures more. All the research on learner-centered teaching says that students who are given choices are more invested in the class and learn more authentically than the traditional spoon-feeding kind of way of teaching. What I know from experience and what the research doesn't spell out as clearly is sometimes it goes smoothly and sometimes it does not. Even Freire says that sometimes students are resistant to this because they would rather stay with what is comfortable. Anyway, the 8 a.m. class was into it at first and really seemed to appreciate the fact that they were being included in the decision making process. Then I think it started to drag on a little because there was too much to decide. The 11:00 class had a couple of good participaters and then a whole bunch of quiet people. There was a good discussion about what constitutes success in a class (is is mere attendance or doing the work, can you succeed without attending, etc). I think we were all saying very similar things but in different enough ways that it looked like we were disagreeing with each other, when in fact, we were just sharing different perspectives of the same thing. The 8 a.m. class ended up with actual rules that need to be adhered to while the 11 a.m. class ended up with one rule that is meant to cover all behavioral aspects of the course.
8:00: 4 absences, 4 tardies allowed with penalties after the 4 tardies have been used. Late work policy of half credit on anything late.
11:00: must maintain a 75% in the class. If the student slips below, there's a probationary period before I have the ability to drop them at my discretion. Daily grades will be taken, so attendance isn't mandatory, but it will be hard to maintain a good grade without being in class regularly.
I just figured out why I'm so tired. I have been doing more work than usual this beginning of the semester. I usually just go to class, read through the syllabus and call it a day on the first days. This getting to know you and determining rules stuff takes so much more time and effort. We'll see how it goes as the semester goes on. But for now, I could really use a nap. Of course, I can't take one because I do have a bunch of work to get to still : (
Learning community: The first two classes of the Learning Community course have gone well. It's exciting to see students getting to know each other already. The only problem is apparently one student didn't realize the courses were linked and she has not come to the first two 8 a.m. classes, but we hope to get that resolved today. It's invigorating to be able to feed off the literature course and have students use it to link their writing thoughts to, but it is also draining because everything takes more planning. Everything that I used to do on my own I now also discuss with Denise. This is good because this kind of partnership means we get double the great ideas and the students benefit from the connection of the courses, but it also means that I am doing more work or more communication than I did before and I'm also thinking about one more class (even though I'm not teaching it, it's in the back of my mind there someplace).
On-line 102 course: It's hard to tell how any on-line course is going just by looking at the first week. To be quite honest, I'm not even sure if everyone has gotten into the class yet. I don't think I'll be able to know that until I put a grade in the gradebook. I haven't gotten used to WebCT6 yet. At any rate, the students who have done the self-registration and gotten as far as the discussion board seem excited and they all seem well-disciplined for the most part. That seems to be the one quality that really separates on-line students from more traditional students: the on-line ones seem to be so adept at balancing multiple commitments. Many of them work and have families and take multiple classes, and what's more, they seem to be good at it. The other thing I've noticed is so far there are no guys in the class that I am aware of. There are a couple of male names on my roster for the course, but so far only females have posted to the discussion board. We'll see what it looks like by the end of the week.
Traditional 102 class: Wow, by the end of the day yesterday, I really felt like I had run a marathon. I kind of had (well, for me anyway). I dropped off the printing for this class at 1:00 at the printshop, which is in the basement. Then I went up to the second floor English area to eat lunch because the print shop said it would take a while and there are no tables on the first floor at this end of the building. I chatted with Denise and Tess while eating and then had an idea (long story, won't go over it here). I ended up chasing that idea a little bit and then remembered I had to finish my lunch and get my printing still. This was at 1:45. I then went down to the basement for the printing, remembered I didn't have my roster, went up to the second floor to tell a student I was here and would be back to the classroom by 2:00 and hauled my butt all the way down to the 2000 area to my office to get the roster and books and a bottle of water. I hit the restroom on the way and managed to get back to the classroom before the other teacher had left. My students were all hovering in the halls waiting for the other teacher to stop talking. It was 5 til 2:00, so I just said, "We can all go in." It was a good thing too, as Chad (the other teacher) had a class at 2:00 that he had to get to and my arrival made it easier for him to wrap up conversation and get out of there. This long story is all to say that I was tired. But oddly hyper. Somehow knowing it is the last class of a long day infuses me with energy I didn't think I had. Also, I figure everyone else is tired too so I make a greater effort to be energetic so they don't drift off. But I think they all ended up thinking I was strange...which is okay. Two of them have had me in class before and already know I can be strange sometimes. : )
The 005 classes: For the first time ever, I decided to have students set the policies for the class. I've been thinking about doing this ever since taking the class on Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which is all about how Freire used intrinsic motivation to teach illiterate adults in Brazil how to read so they could get the ability to vote and impact their futures more. All the research on learner-centered teaching says that students who are given choices are more invested in the class and learn more authentically than the traditional spoon-feeding kind of way of teaching. What I know from experience and what the research doesn't spell out as clearly is sometimes it goes smoothly and sometimes it does not. Even Freire says that sometimes students are resistant to this because they would rather stay with what is comfortable. Anyway, the 8 a.m. class was into it at first and really seemed to appreciate the fact that they were being included in the decision making process. Then I think it started to drag on a little because there was too much to decide. The 11:00 class had a couple of good participaters and then a whole bunch of quiet people. There was a good discussion about what constitutes success in a class (is is mere attendance or doing the work, can you succeed without attending, etc). I think we were all saying very similar things but in different enough ways that it looked like we were disagreeing with each other, when in fact, we were just sharing different perspectives of the same thing. The 8 a.m. class ended up with actual rules that need to be adhered to while the 11 a.m. class ended up with one rule that is meant to cover all behavioral aspects of the course.
8:00: 4 absences, 4 tardies allowed with penalties after the 4 tardies have been used. Late work policy of half credit on anything late.
11:00: must maintain a 75% in the class. If the student slips below, there's a probationary period before I have the ability to drop them at my discretion. Daily grades will be taken, so attendance isn't mandatory, but it will be hard to maintain a good grade without being in class regularly.
I just figured out why I'm so tired. I have been doing more work than usual this beginning of the semester. I usually just go to class, read through the syllabus and call it a day on the first days. This getting to know you and determining rules stuff takes so much more time and effort. We'll see how it goes as the semester goes on. But for now, I could really use a nap. Of course, I can't take one because I do have a bunch of work to get to still : (
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Harry Potter Book 7 Post
Kevin and I finally finished the Harry Potter series. I am going to post my thoughts on it below in a manner that will be hidden unless you highlight the text box. I want to allow anyone who has not read the books to be able to enjoy the books' unfoldings as much as I have.
To read what I have written, well, you could try flicking your wrist and saying, "Revelio," but as I have explained to my husband as he has tried "Scourgify" on our kitchen, you are probably not a witch or a wizard with a wand and, psst, Harry Potter isn't real...but anyhow, the text is just the same color as the background, so selecting it should be all you have to do to read it.
I was wrong about some things and absolutely right about the Lord of the Rings link. In fact, I didn't realize how right I would be. The whole horcrux against the skin making Ron, Hermione and Harry cranky was enough to have my husband and I saying, "my precious." It was also too ring-like when it seemed to possess Ron there for a moment.
Things that please me about the seventh book:
--the structure of it. It still maintains the time structure of the originals despite the fact that Harry is not at Hogwarts. Christmas break falls right in the middle of the book, and, as in the earlier books, something significant happens right in the middle and the end builds quickly with much happening all at once at the very end.
--Harry felt like an old friend. It was nice to see how much he had matured in this book, and yet because of the earlier books, this maturation was completely believable and even expected. He didn't have the wonder of earlier books nor the whininess of book 5 or the obstinance of book 6. He was "just plain Harry" again in mood, though definitely not just plain Harry in terms of readiness to complete his quest.
--I dig the whole Lord of the Rings vibe. The three of them were definitely on a quest pursued by vile things and unaware of what would pop up around any corner. They also knew they were heading to a necessary but evil showdown and were trying to remain under the radar as long as possible. Their loneliness and worry about friends and family members was very poignant too.
--I love the Gringotts part. It kept me guessing the whole time. I thought for sure that one of the Gryffindors would end up with the sword before leaving the vault though. The dragon was brilliant (or mad, as Kevin keeps reminding me)! I also thought the dragon would conveniently place them on the mountainside where they would meet up with Hagrid and Grawp.
-- I love that I could come up with all kinds of plausible possibilities for the plot and that some of them came true and others didn't. This is one of the signs of good writing to me: these characters are real enough to me that I can see what kinds of things they would do but also the plot workings are deep enough that they are not entirely predictable.
--the characters important to me all had their own parts to play in this book:
Neville- This is probably the most important. Neville, the boy who could have been The Boy Who Lived, had to have his own part in it. I love that he continued the DA and that it was he who slayed the snake with the sword. It was particularly touching to me that Gran was finally very proud of him with good reason. No bumbling crazylegs moments in this book for Neville. Just bravery and valiance.
Dobby and the house-elves- In order to do Hermione proud, the house-elves had to do their part. Kreacher certainly proved useful, though in keeping with character, he was doing it for Master Regulus. I thought the Death Eaters would get ahold of him and read the note in the locket, but it's good that that did not happen. Dobby, oh sweet Dobby. I have to admit that at first I was annoyed by Dobby in the way that Jar Jar Binks annoys. Perhaps it is meant to be this way as Harry himself is annoyed by him initially. After all, it is Dobby who gets Harry in a heap of trouble in book 2...but by the time Dobby is picking up hats left by Hermione, well, I guess he kind of grew on me. His death had me wishing someone would avenge him by finally getting rid of Bellatrix.
She who killed Bellatrix Lestrange- I had initially hoped that Neville would off Bellatrix in order to avenge his parents' torture by her, but Neville just would not have the wrath to do it properly. Then, Tonks seemed a likely choice to avenge Sirius' death and because Bellatrix had it in for her since Tonks' werewolf marriage. But, the best and most unexpected of all, Mrs. Weasley, had the pleasure. Nothing was more believable to me than Molly Weasely protecting her youngest and only daughter. The Weasleys had long known Molly's power and dangerous fury when provoked; it was great for the evil side to taste it too.
Hagrid- I had rather hoped that Hagrid would have had a larger role to play in this (no pun intended). I did, however, find it fitting that he carried Harry in the end. The protection of Aragog's progeny was rather unreal to me, but I see that it had the plot-point of getting Hagrid into the forest in order to watch Harry and Voldemort's showdown. I guess he was partially right about the spiders, though, considering they did not immediately kill and eat him, though they may have been arguing about who would get to do it...but I digress. Hagrid carrying Harry was perfect because it is reminiscent of other moments: Hagrid was the one to carry Harry from the wreckage of his house to safe delivery at his uncle's house and Hagrid also carried Dumbledore's dead body. He is and has always been the Hogwarts' caretaker and that was certainly embodied in one of his last acts in the series.
Dumbledore- Though he did not reappear in the manner I expected him to, in a way he did. The backlash against Dumbledore was completely believable as that happens so often with other powerful figures or celebrities after their deaths. The whole thing with Ariana, Aberforth and Grindelwald was interesting. I had thought that Ariana was a werewolf, but was of course incorrect. The mystery surrounding Ariana made it so I didn't give Aberforth a second thought, though I did suspect him of being the thief, which leads me to the next thing I love...
--Everything regarding the minor mysteries of the plot was incredibly well-connected. This last book really was a "tying together" of loose-ends while it also brought up interesting new subplots and realized the old ones in such believable and not completely predictable ways. As I read, I kept thinking, "I can't believe Rowling's pulling this off, and so well too!"
Things I was not so pleased with:
--The Ministry of Magic part: first of all, it makes Ron look like a real doof. Really, the whole part illuminates each character's shortcomings: Ron doesn't know as much or think quickly under pressure, Hermione (who does both of those things very well) is very nervous and must always have a plan and have things go according to plan, Harry is too hotheaded and impulsive for his own good sometimes. These qualities end up working out for each of them in the end of this section (Ron was transformed into someone who was a doof, so he was actually in character, Hermione's nervousness made it so she was swept away to be with Umbridge all day, and Harry's rash behavior spurred them into action and got them the locket in the end. I do admit that this part worked out in the end, but I just didn't like it very much...not that I have to like every moment of every book; some parts are not supposed to be enjoyed in the lah-di-dah life-is-good kind of way.
--Fred and George: I realized long ago that these somewhat favorite characters of mine were unfortunately expendable. That George got his ear blasted off early in should have been an indication to me that they would not both survive. This may sound really strange, but I can't help but think if Rowling killed off one, then she should have killed off both. The worst part of it all to me is not that Fred is dead but that George has to go on living without him. That, and he's stuck with Percy as poor consolation. In the words of Fred, or was it George?, "Stupid prat."
--Bathilda Bagshot: A snake (a snake possessed by Voldemort no less) is inhabiting Bagshot's dead body that is, by the way, decaying and has been for some time and Harry doesn't suspect anything???? I mean, I know she was called "batty" by people, but come on! there's a difference between just plain ole batty and then cold and non-responsive albeit oddly still walking and also stinking to high heavens! And Hermione lets him go upstairs with him alone!?!
--The epilogue: I understand the book needs to be wrapped up with some indication of what happens to Harry in the future, but it was all just a little too hokey for me. Okay, I could see Harry and Ginny ending up together and Ron and Hermione too, and yes, Harry and Ginny would probably name their kids after people who were significant in their lives, but...it was just too 1950's to me. Too ideal. Too picture perfect. As I said in my earlier post about the seventh book, I expected some kind of strife at the end. Harry is a good guy and loved and all that, but he is now not just The Boy Who Lived but now The Guy Who Saved the World from the Worst Evil in the World (somehow not as catchy). Surely, life is not easy and peachy keen for this new Harry. Surely people stare more than ever and ask for his autograph. Surely he would at least live amongst Muggles where he could possibly live a somewhat normal life.
Okay, this could not possibly sum up everything I feel about the whole darn book and all seven books for that matter, but it is a start.
To read what I have written, well, you could try flicking your wrist and saying, "Revelio," but as I have explained to my husband as he has tried "Scourgify" on our kitchen, you are probably not a witch or a wizard with a wand and, psst, Harry Potter isn't real...but anyhow, the text is just the same color as the background, so selecting it should be all you have to do to read it.
I was wrong about some things and absolutely right about the Lord of the Rings link. In fact, I didn't realize how right I would be. The whole horcrux against the skin making Ron, Hermione and Harry cranky was enough to have my husband and I saying, "my precious." It was also too ring-like when it seemed to possess Ron there for a moment.
Things that please me about the seventh book:
--the structure of it. It still maintains the time structure of the originals despite the fact that Harry is not at Hogwarts. Christmas break falls right in the middle of the book, and, as in the earlier books, something significant happens right in the middle and the end builds quickly with much happening all at once at the very end.
--Harry felt like an old friend. It was nice to see how much he had matured in this book, and yet because of the earlier books, this maturation was completely believable and even expected. He didn't have the wonder of earlier books nor the whininess of book 5 or the obstinance of book 6. He was "just plain Harry" again in mood, though definitely not just plain Harry in terms of readiness to complete his quest.
--I dig the whole Lord of the Rings vibe. The three of them were definitely on a quest pursued by vile things and unaware of what would pop up around any corner. They also knew they were heading to a necessary but evil showdown and were trying to remain under the radar as long as possible. Their loneliness and worry about friends and family members was very poignant too.
--I love the Gringotts part. It kept me guessing the whole time. I thought for sure that one of the Gryffindors would end up with the sword before leaving the vault though. The dragon was brilliant (or mad, as Kevin keeps reminding me)! I also thought the dragon would conveniently place them on the mountainside where they would meet up with Hagrid and Grawp.
-- I love that I could come up with all kinds of plausible possibilities for the plot and that some of them came true and others didn't. This is one of the signs of good writing to me: these characters are real enough to me that I can see what kinds of things they would do but also the plot workings are deep enough that they are not entirely predictable.
--the characters important to me all had their own parts to play in this book:
Neville- This is probably the most important. Neville, the boy who could have been The Boy Who Lived, had to have his own part in it. I love that he continued the DA and that it was he who slayed the snake with the sword. It was particularly touching to me that Gran was finally very proud of him with good reason. No bumbling crazylegs moments in this book for Neville. Just bravery and valiance.
Dobby and the house-elves- In order to do Hermione proud, the house-elves had to do their part. Kreacher certainly proved useful, though in keeping with character, he was doing it for Master Regulus. I thought the Death Eaters would get ahold of him and read the note in the locket, but it's good that that did not happen. Dobby, oh sweet Dobby. I have to admit that at first I was annoyed by Dobby in the way that Jar Jar Binks annoys. Perhaps it is meant to be this way as Harry himself is annoyed by him initially. After all, it is Dobby who gets Harry in a heap of trouble in book 2...but by the time Dobby is picking up hats left by Hermione, well, I guess he kind of grew on me. His death had me wishing someone would avenge him by finally getting rid of Bellatrix.
She who killed Bellatrix Lestrange- I had initially hoped that Neville would off Bellatrix in order to avenge his parents' torture by her, but Neville just would not have the wrath to do it properly. Then, Tonks seemed a likely choice to avenge Sirius' death and because Bellatrix had it in for her since Tonks' werewolf marriage. But, the best and most unexpected of all, Mrs. Weasley, had the pleasure. Nothing was more believable to me than Molly Weasely protecting her youngest and only daughter. The Weasleys had long known Molly's power and dangerous fury when provoked; it was great for the evil side to taste it too.
Hagrid- I had rather hoped that Hagrid would have had a larger role to play in this (no pun intended). I did, however, find it fitting that he carried Harry in the end. The protection of Aragog's progeny was rather unreal to me, but I see that it had the plot-point of getting Hagrid into the forest in order to watch Harry and Voldemort's showdown. I guess he was partially right about the spiders, though, considering they did not immediately kill and eat him, though they may have been arguing about who would get to do it...but I digress. Hagrid carrying Harry was perfect because it is reminiscent of other moments: Hagrid was the one to carry Harry from the wreckage of his house to safe delivery at his uncle's house and Hagrid also carried Dumbledore's dead body. He is and has always been the Hogwarts' caretaker and that was certainly embodied in one of his last acts in the series.
Dumbledore- Though he did not reappear in the manner I expected him to, in a way he did. The backlash against Dumbledore was completely believable as that happens so often with other powerful figures or celebrities after their deaths. The whole thing with Ariana, Aberforth and Grindelwald was interesting. I had thought that Ariana was a werewolf, but was of course incorrect. The mystery surrounding Ariana made it so I didn't give Aberforth a second thought, though I did suspect him of being the thief, which leads me to the next thing I love...
--Everything regarding the minor mysteries of the plot was incredibly well-connected. This last book really was a "tying together" of loose-ends while it also brought up interesting new subplots and realized the old ones in such believable and not completely predictable ways. As I read, I kept thinking, "I can't believe Rowling's pulling this off, and so well too!"
Things I was not so pleased with:
--The Ministry of Magic part: first of all, it makes Ron look like a real doof. Really, the whole part illuminates each character's shortcomings: Ron doesn't know as much or think quickly under pressure, Hermione (who does both of those things very well) is very nervous and must always have a plan and have things go according to plan, Harry is too hotheaded and impulsive for his own good sometimes. These qualities end up working out for each of them in the end of this section (Ron was transformed into someone who was a doof, so he was actually in character, Hermione's nervousness made it so she was swept away to be with Umbridge all day, and Harry's rash behavior spurred them into action and got them the locket in the end. I do admit that this part worked out in the end, but I just didn't like it very much...not that I have to like every moment of every book; some parts are not supposed to be enjoyed in the lah-di-dah life-is-good kind of way.
--Fred and George: I realized long ago that these somewhat favorite characters of mine were unfortunately expendable. That George got his ear blasted off early in should have been an indication to me that they would not both survive. This may sound really strange, but I can't help but think if Rowling killed off one, then she should have killed off both. The worst part of it all to me is not that Fred is dead but that George has to go on living without him. That, and he's stuck with Percy as poor consolation. In the words of Fred, or was it George?, "Stupid prat."
--Bathilda Bagshot: A snake (a snake possessed by Voldemort no less) is inhabiting Bagshot's dead body that is, by the way, decaying and has been for some time and Harry doesn't suspect anything???? I mean, I know she was called "batty" by people, but come on! there's a difference between just plain ole batty and then cold and non-responsive albeit oddly still walking and also stinking to high heavens! And Hermione lets him go upstairs with him alone!?!
--The epilogue: I understand the book needs to be wrapped up with some indication of what happens to Harry in the future, but it was all just a little too hokey for me. Okay, I could see Harry and Ginny ending up together and Ron and Hermione too, and yes, Harry and Ginny would probably name their kids after people who were significant in their lives, but...it was just too 1950's to me. Too ideal. Too picture perfect. As I said in my earlier post about the seventh book, I expected some kind of strife at the end. Harry is a good guy and loved and all that, but he is now not just The Boy Who Lived but now The Guy Who Saved the World from the Worst Evil in the World (somehow not as catchy). Surely, life is not easy and peachy keen for this new Harry. Surely people stare more than ever and ask for his autograph. Surely he would at least live amongst Muggles where he could possibly live a somewhat normal life.
Okay, this could not possibly sum up everything I feel about the whole darn book and all seven books for that matter, but it is a start.
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