Jamie's blog was about the process of revising her poem, which is also what my latest blog was about. Reading it, I discovered that she had a slightly different view of revising than I did. She said how valuable the revisions were for her and explained her thought process while revising.
"I agree that you sometimes have to be willing to let go of your original poem to make it better. For this poem, I think I didn't do a very good job of that and that is why my revisions aren't the greatest. For my next revision, I will have to try harder to take risks and sometimes even get rid of things that I think are good to make room for things that are great. I'm sure that these skills come with practice, so the fact that you had a lot of practice with excessive revising in junior high has probably helped you be a good reviser in high school. Hopefully, I will get to the point where I am willing to take risks and make drastic changes to improve my poem soon."
Emily's blog made a connection between King Lear and something she's very passionate about (the Bible). She talked about the similarities between King Lear and the story of the Lost Son. Though I hadn't read this story, I thought it was an interesting and valid connection.
"I liked your connection with the bible. I can see the many similarities between King Lear and the lost son story. I think a big difference that's important to note is whose fault the situation is. In King Lear, Cordelia, while she is being very stupid and short-sighted, is not really doing anything wrong. Rather, Lear is being childish and unreasonable. In the Lost Son, it is the other way around. I think the important similarity, though, and probably the main reason that this is a good connection is that both families reconcile and are reunited at the end of the story."
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Metacognition: Revising Poems
I hate revising.
The revision process is, by far, my least favorite part of writing a poem. An analogy I would use is walking my dog. I'm enjoying myself, walking along, enjoying the fresh air. Then, my dog starts to go #2 and I know there's an unpleasant task in the immediate future. That's what revising is: picking up the poop in my poem. While I know it's necessary, it's always a pain, and sometimes if I forgot to bring poop bags, I just fake it. In this poem, I felt really good while I was writing it. I suffered very little writer's block, and I was able to make it a stream-of-consciousness type of thing while still picking each word carefully and making it flow.
When I got the first feedback from Mr. Allen, most of it made sense and, after the revisions, I noticed a small improvement in the poem. Even though I struggled through the revision process, I could see the positive results. However, when I got the second feedback, I had a very hard time keeping the feel and essence of my original poem while still applying as many of the suggestions as I could. I don't know why, but amid all the "more imagery" and "more specific", I had lost my original poem. I guess that's okay if the original wasn't that great, but I thought it was one of the best poems I've ever written. That's not saying much, but for me, it was a very good poem. After my final revisions, I looked back at the previous draft and realized that I liked it better than the new one. When I wrote the first poem, I was following my instincts and setting down actual feelings. In the third draft, it was Thesaurus Time.
I realize that this poem degradation is mostly my own fault, but I still think it would be a better idea (at least for me) to keep revision to a minimum, at least for poems. I understand that essays need to be revised several times to be the best they can be, but I think that it's a whole different story with poems. Next time, I hope that I can do a better job of revising, but I think the problem could be avoided entirely if there was simply less revision.
The revision process is, by far, my least favorite part of writing a poem. An analogy I would use is walking my dog. I'm enjoying myself, walking along, enjoying the fresh air. Then, my dog starts to go #2 and I know there's an unpleasant task in the immediate future. That's what revising is: picking up the poop in my poem. While I know it's necessary, it's always a pain, and sometimes if I forgot to bring poop bags, I just fake it. In this poem, I felt really good while I was writing it. I suffered very little writer's block, and I was able to make it a stream-of-consciousness type of thing while still picking each word carefully and making it flow.
When I got the first feedback from Mr. Allen, most of it made sense and, after the revisions, I noticed a small improvement in the poem. Even though I struggled through the revision process, I could see the positive results. However, when I got the second feedback, I had a very hard time keeping the feel and essence of my original poem while still applying as many of the suggestions as I could. I don't know why, but amid all the "more imagery" and "more specific", I had lost my original poem. I guess that's okay if the original wasn't that great, but I thought it was one of the best poems I've ever written. That's not saying much, but for me, it was a very good poem. After my final revisions, I looked back at the previous draft and realized that I liked it better than the new one. When I wrote the first poem, I was following my instincts and setting down actual feelings. In the third draft, it was Thesaurus Time.
I realize that this poem degradation is mostly my own fault, but I still think it would be a better idea (at least for me) to keep revision to a minimum, at least for poems. I understand that essays need to be revised several times to be the best they can be, but I think that it's a whole different story with poems. Next time, I hope that I can do a better job of revising, but I think the problem could be avoided entirely if there was simply less revision.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Best of Week: Sex with Sparknotes
I think that most teachers underestimate the power of humor. Just a couple of jokes here and there can turn a mind-numbing lecture into a lively discussion. Mr. Allen demonstrated the power of laughter with his sparknotes joke, which made the whole class crack up. That day was really stressful for me what with all the pruebas and noticias going on and having to worry about social studies and english tests the following Monday and Tuesday. Just that little bit of humor brightened my day a little bit and relieved some of the stress. I definitely think that teachers should be more willing to joke around with their students. Not only would that make class more enjoyable, but it would also make the students like the teacher more, which is always a good thing.
Not only would more humor be a positive thing in the classroom, but it would help to relieve anxiety in any situation. For example, a couple of years ago my dad turned 50 and had to go in for a prostate exam, which involves, among other things, the doctor sticking his finger up your butt. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled about it and was a little nervous. When he got into the examining room, the doctor told him a joke (in the interest of keeping this post PG-rated, I probably shouldn't repeat it), which my dad said made him feel a lot more relaxed.
In conclusion, though it seems kind of silly, my Best of the Week wasn't an insightful King Lear insight or a really good comment pertaining to Artful Sentences. Rather, it was a brief moment of laughter, an occurrence that doesn't happen nearly enough during the school day.
Not only would more humor be a positive thing in the classroom, but it would help to relieve anxiety in any situation. For example, a couple of years ago my dad turned 50 and had to go in for a prostate exam, which involves, among other things, the doctor sticking his finger up your butt. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled about it and was a little nervous. When he got into the examining room, the doctor told him a joke (in the interest of keeping this post PG-rated, I probably shouldn't repeat it), which my dad said made him feel a lot more relaxed.
In conclusion, though it seems kind of silly, my Best of the Week wasn't an insightful King Lear insight or a really good comment pertaining to Artful Sentences. Rather, it was a brief moment of laughter, an occurrence that doesn't happen nearly enough during the school day.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Connection: King Lear and My Dad
Before you get the wrong idea about the connection I'm going to make, you should know that I'm not referring to my dad in real life. Rather, I am referring to the similarities between Lear and the character he's playing in a show that he's doing right now. The play is called "Drinking Alone" and it's about a dysfunctional family that's getting together for the first time in five years. It's mainly a comedy, but there are some very serious moments that made me think of King Lear.
In the play, my dad is the father, Ivan, who is estranged from his kids. When he comes to visit them, they kind of ignore him and, though his son Joe lets Ivan stay in his house, it is very grudgingly and he's not very nice to him. Throughout the play Ivan struggles as he realizes how much his kids hate him and, as the story progresses, the audience realizes that he has been largely misunderstood and that, while he is a jerk, he doesn't really deserve the harsh treatment he has gotten from his kids. This relates to King Lear because the audience/reader has mixed emotions about the character. On one hand, they were mean, unreasonable, and foolish toward the beginning of the story, so the scorn from their sons/daughters is not entirely undeserved. On the other hand, though, you really feel for them and hope that they are able to reconcile with their family. In "Drinking Alone", the reconciliation does eventually come at the end of the story. Somehow, I doubt it will be that neat and tidy in King Lear.
In the play, my dad is the father, Ivan, who is estranged from his kids. When he comes to visit them, they kind of ignore him and, though his son Joe lets Ivan stay in his house, it is very grudgingly and he's not very nice to him. Throughout the play Ivan struggles as he realizes how much his kids hate him and, as the story progresses, the audience realizes that he has been largely misunderstood and that, while he is a jerk, he doesn't really deserve the harsh treatment he has gotten from his kids. This relates to King Lear because the audience/reader has mixed emotions about the character. On one hand, they were mean, unreasonable, and foolish toward the beginning of the story, so the scorn from their sons/daughters is not entirely undeserved. On the other hand, though, you really feel for them and hope that they are able to reconcile with their family. In "Drinking Alone", the reconciliation does eventually come at the end of the story. Somehow, I doubt it will be that neat and tidy in King Lear.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
TED Presentations
When I found out that we were doing the TED project again this year, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I thought that it was a cool idea last year when we did it, and enjoyed watching the TED videos. On the other hand, I knew that some significant changes would have to be made to motivate some of the juniors and seniors to actually work on the project.
When the project started, I was a little nervous because it seemed like only one or two people were working on the project. After the day that we got to meet with our group face-to-face (an important addition from last year), I felt like we were able to get everything figured out and figure out who was doing what. As time went on, I figured out that I had a really good group. No one was too domineering (like that girl in Margot's group) and no one completely slacked off (like a lot of other groups' juniors and seniors). Whereas last year I was having to nag people to work and sometimes just doing their parts for them, this year everyone worked together and did their fair share of the work. This was relaxing for me because I knew exactly how much work I had left to do and I didn't have to stress about possibly having to take on other people's tasks in addition to mine. Plus, the final product was better because more people contributed and instead of one or two people's ideas, we had eight people's ideas.
All in all, I think this year's TED project was way better than last year's. Though there were still some flaws that could be corrected if we were to do it again next year (i.e. certain teachers actually giving us less homework and not just adding "work on TED" to our regular work load), it was by and large a good project to do. I would definitely be open to doing it again next year.
When the project started, I was a little nervous because it seemed like only one or two people were working on the project. After the day that we got to meet with our group face-to-face (an important addition from last year), I felt like we were able to get everything figured out and figure out who was doing what. As time went on, I figured out that I had a really good group. No one was too domineering (like that girl in Margot's group) and no one completely slacked off (like a lot of other groups' juniors and seniors). Whereas last year I was having to nag people to work and sometimes just doing their parts for them, this year everyone worked together and did their fair share of the work. This was relaxing for me because I knew exactly how much work I had left to do and I didn't have to stress about possibly having to take on other people's tasks in addition to mine. Plus, the final product was better because more people contributed and instead of one or two people's ideas, we had eight people's ideas.
All in all, I think this year's TED project was way better than last year's. Though there were still some flaws that could be corrected if we were to do it again next year (i.e. certain teachers actually giving us less homework and not just adding "work on TED" to our regular work load), it was by and large a good project to do. I would definitely be open to doing it again next year.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Captured Thought: Length of Classes
As I was struggling to stay awake during health class last week, a thought occurred to me: Why must all of our classes be the same length? Does anyone other than my health teacher actually believe that health class is as beneficial as academic classes like math, english, or science? Honestly, most of the stuff we learn in health is either redundant (I've been learning about the effects of alcohol since 6th grade) or common sense (who'd have guessed that being fat isn't the greatest for your well-being?). I'm not bashing health class, but I do think that it would be more effective and efficient to have it be about half as long as my other classes, if not shorter. That way, I would have more time to learn things that could be useful later in life, and I wouldn't have to spend as much time learning things that are, let's just say less useful. In health, for example, my teacher struggles to find enough material to fill an hour and a half, or at least that's what it seems like. In some other classes, like math and social studies, we are constantly running out of time to learn all of the material. Though I'm not crazy about the idea of having to sit through more of these two classes, I think it would actually make them better. The main reason that I don't really like math is because it constantly feels like my teacher runs out of time to teach us the material, which often leaves me hopelessly confused. If we shaved some time off of less important classes like health, it would give these teachers more time to teach, and I think it would be a good thing for everyone involved.
Monday, October 20, 2008
360 Degrees: Football
Since the high school football is just getting to the critical moments (next week we play Niles North for conference), football's been on my mind a lot lately. To me, it is probably my favorite sport and a big part of who I am. By no means is it the only thing that's important to me, though.
I think for other people that play football, it can play a different role in their lives. Some people really don't care at all and, to them, it's not that important. They're just out there to have fun. Others are really intense and football is pretty much what they're all about. These guys tend to be the best players, but not always.
For people that don't play football, I think there are a lot of stereotypes that they believe that aren't necessarily true. The obvious one is that football players are stupid or bullies. Obviously this isn't completely false, but I'd say about three quarters of football players have brains large enough to formulate words and about half are intelligent or at least average. Everyone knows that football is physically demanding, but a lot of people underestimate the mental aspect. Each week on defense we get four or five page long scouting reports to memorize and we have to change our alignment/style of play. For example, Deerfield (we beat them last week 33-14) had 9 different formations and about 10 plays that they ran out of each formation (that's 90 plays, for any football players reading this). What's more, they frequently shifted between formations seconds before the snap, and we had to react and change our responsibilities before the snap. Obviously, we did a fairly good job because we held them to just 14 points. The worst part, though, is that this week we have to completely forget everything we drilled into our heads last week and memorize an entirely new scouting report. Add that to the myriad of our own offensive plays to remember, and you can get a sense of the brainpower it takes to excel in this sport.
All I'm saying is that football is no better or worse than any other sport. Actually, I think it is better than any other sport. That's why I play. However, I realize that to a lot of people that play other sports, all the attention lavished on the football team is a little offensive, and I think that some of the people that come to football games every Friday should come to a volleyball game or swim meet or even a cross country meet once in a while. They'll probably be pleasantly surprised. Who knows? They might enjoy it even more than a football game. But I doubt it.
I think for other people that play football, it can play a different role in their lives. Some people really don't care at all and, to them, it's not that important. They're just out there to have fun. Others are really intense and football is pretty much what they're all about. These guys tend to be the best players, but not always.
For people that don't play football, I think there are a lot of stereotypes that they believe that aren't necessarily true. The obvious one is that football players are stupid or bullies. Obviously this isn't completely false, but I'd say about three quarters of football players have brains large enough to formulate words and about half are intelligent or at least average. Everyone knows that football is physically demanding, but a lot of people underestimate the mental aspect. Each week on defense we get four or five page long scouting reports to memorize and we have to change our alignment/style of play. For example, Deerfield (we beat them last week 33-14) had 9 different formations and about 10 plays that they ran out of each formation (that's 90 plays, for any football players reading this). What's more, they frequently shifted between formations seconds before the snap, and we had to react and change our responsibilities before the snap. Obviously, we did a fairly good job because we held them to just 14 points. The worst part, though, is that this week we have to completely forget everything we drilled into our heads last week and memorize an entirely new scouting report. Add that to the myriad of our own offensive plays to remember, and you can get a sense of the brainpower it takes to excel in this sport.
All I'm saying is that football is no better or worse than any other sport. Actually, I think it is better than any other sport. That's why I play. However, I realize that to a lot of people that play other sports, all the attention lavished on the football team is a little offensive, and I think that some of the people that come to football games every Friday should come to a volleyball game or swim meet or even a cross country meet once in a while. They'll probably be pleasantly surprised. Who knows? They might enjoy it even more than a football game. But I doubt it.
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