for the win(ter break)

"Why should I do this? He's not even gonna be our teacher next year!" Yeah. And I'm not getting paid to post this on Christmas Eve. Sometimes we do stuff just because it's a good idea. 

Before you read the idea below, here's a conversation between an Imaginary Student (IM) and me.  Obviously, the IM is a stereotype, and clearly nothing like the happy, energized, diligent, ferocious, successful thinkers in our class.  Still.  Read on.

Me: Please complete the following exercise by midnight on New Year's Eve.  It's better than making all those resolutions you're not going to keep, it will give you a new way to visualize ideas, and it will even help you brainstorm for when you start writing your Personal Statement for college applications.

IM: (Nodding, says out loud) "Sure. Will do." (Thinks: No way.  It's my break.  I want to chill.  Maybe watch Netflix.  Play Fortnite.  Stare at a wall. Pretty much anything except schoolwork.)

Me: I'm listening to what you're thinking, and I'm hearing a need for rest.  Am I getting that right?

IM: (Shocked.) Yeah.

Me: What exactly are you taking a break from?

IM: It's just all this work, you know, doing the journals every day, doing the blog, math, science, history... yeah.

Me: You know I love it when people end sentences that way.

IM: Um... yeah.

Me: Seriously, I'm curious: What does it do for you to take a break?  Does it make you feel better?  Do you use the time to meditate, or set a goal or an intention to come back strong?  Are you feeling a need to take a break from all that work because it feels like it's never enough?  Like, somehow, you're never enough?

IM: I'ma [sic] tell you the truth.  All this work sucks and I don't like getting judged.  Teachers just think bad [sic] of me.

Me: Well, I don't, but I definitely hear you.  What if you could get some feedback about your best self?  What if the only comments you got over break were about your strengths and your victories?

IM: (Shrugs.)

Me: Really?  I thought you wanted to feel like a success for a change.

IM: That's true.  I do.

Me: And getting positive feedback from people is a part of that?

IM: Yeah.

Me: So if I can guarantee that's what you'll get, and I guarantee that you'll feel better once you do this, are you in?

IM: I don't see how you can guarantee me anything, but whatever. Yeah. Sure. Fine. If you can guarantee me all that, I'm in.

Me: Alright. It's a lock. Here's what you do.
 
1. Email at least 10 people you know.  (Note: It's important to do this in writing.  You can do this in Spanish, English, or whatever language your correspondents prefer.)

In case you need a suggestion for how to word your email:

Hi ____,
I’m doing a writing project and I’d like to ask your help.  Can you think of a time when I was at my best? If you can remember, can you please write me a quick story about it and describe a couple things about me that you think of as strengths or good qualities? Just a few sentences will do, I really appreciate it!
Thanks and Happy Holidays,

Also: if you are connecting with someone who doesn’t use email, feel free to text and then retype their answer into the document you use for your word cloud.  You can also talk with a person and write / type what they say.


2. Ask them to describe a time you were successful and/or did something wonderful.

3. Copy and paste each response into a single word document.  (If the emails are in more than one language, you can use an online translator like use Google translate or https://www.spanishdict.com/ to create a document with all the words in one language.  If you want, you can even do one version in English & one in Spanish.)

4. Copy the entire text from the document (all the email responses together) onto your clipboard.

5. Go to https://www.wordclouds.com/ and create a word cloud. When you get to the website, click on Wizard-- it will tell you exactly what to do.  Basically, you're going to paste the document into the window on their website and it will generate something that looks like this:

 (For this one I copied/pasted the entire story of "The Pedestrian")

(For this one I copied/pasted this blog post.)

6. As you can see, the word cloud creates a visual representation of which words appear most frequently in the text.  "Mead" is big because it shows up most often.  You may see some interesting patterns about you when you do this.  Once you have created your word cloud, take a screen shot of it.

7. Create a post for your blog in which you:

• Describe what you did (steps 1-6)
• Describe the top 3-5 strengths that your tribe reflected to you
• Embed the word web

***PLEASE MAKE SURE TO POST THIS ON YOUR BLOG THIS YEAR -- NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT, DECEMBER 31, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.  MAHALO.***

if you need some inspiration over break

There is no getting around it: life is sometimes hard. But there are success stories. Happy endings. You can read about one here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/he-went-from-homeless-musician-to-ceo-of-a-1-billion-company

fahrenheit 451: the movie

Now you can watch whenever & wherever you like!

december 18

Today is the last day of our pandemic semester, and - for me, at least - this moment is all about gratitude. Thank you for taking this ride with me since August. Be well. Love each other through the holidays and enjoy your break with your families (and maybe some friends, at a distance :). Please make sure to post this week's 3 journal entries by 5:00 p.m. today.  I usually post the message below in June, at the end of the school year, but since I'll be leading the Open-Source Learning Academy in January, and many of you will have a new teacher in Spring, now seems like a good time. Choose your own topic to write about in your journal today. (AND KEEP IT UP! You don't need anyone's permission to write in your journal, or keep a blog, or give yourself a minute of mindfulness.)

I wish you all the best and I hope you stay in touch. -dp

__________________________________________

What a year.

As often as I say it, I still feel like I don't say it often enough:

Thank you.

Thank you for your effort, your insight, your willingness to risk and make mistakes and change your minds;

Thank you for your trust, for your sense of humor, and for your curiosity;

Thank you for your time, your attention, and your resilience in the face of adversity; and

Most of all

Thank you for taking this learning trip with me, pandemic or not.

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all, and I wish you every success in the future. Stay mindful.

I'll leave you with these words from Henry David Thoreau:


 
We are adjourned. Have a great (winter break, and) summer (when you get there).

update: spring semester

The school district has just announced that we will continue distance learning until at least March 1st. 

As I mentioned on Zoom yesterday and today, I will be leading the SMJUHSD Open-Source Learning Academy beginning in January. This blog will remain online, your blogs are yours forever, and you will still be able to reach me via email and my Zoom calendar. However, I will no longer be teaching the English 3 course. Your teacher will be Ms. Guiremand, and the course will likely migrate to Canvas for the spring semester.

I wish everyone a healthy break and Happy Holidays - please feel free to stay in touch.

Best, Dr. Preston

december 17

For your MOM: There is no past, except in your memory. There is no future, except in your imagination. Give your memory and your imagination a break and focus on what's real. Right Now.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "Milkcow Blues Boogie" by Elvis Presley]

A few years ago, a student of mine named Mario gave a brilliant presentation on vegetarianism. In Mario's words: "Cow's milk is great-- if you want to grow tumors. Why are we drinking someone else's milk? The only milk we need is from our mothers when we're infants. If you're going to drink cow's milk, why not rat's milk? Why not gorilla milk? That would make the most sense; we share 98% of our DNA in common." Gorilla milk. Never thought of that. And I'd love to see someone try and milk a gorilla. What are your thoughts on this?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:

*Announcement
1. Journal / please remember to post your three for the week tomorrow (Friday) afternoon by 5:00P
2. Fahrenheit 451: The Movie
3. Please post any remaining work on your blog

INVITATION:

The first few scenes of the movie depict settings, characters, and events that we read together in the book. How does what you see compare with what we read? Is it similar to what you pictured in your mind? Different? How? (title: THE MOVIE AND THE BOOK)

 

 

december 16

For your MOM: This is our last meeting. Soak it in.

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Back Door Man" by The Doors]
When you leave your house you lock your door.  How do you keep your phone or your computer secure?  How do you keep other people from stealing your data or your identity?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Post your work, see you tomorrow (Thursday, 12/17)

december 15

For your MOM: Imagine yourself waking up on January 1, 2021. It's a New Year. A fresh beginning. How will you live your live to achieve the goals you imagine? Now: how can you do this TODAY? [Or, think about nothing and just breathe.]

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune, in honor of my daughter - and my spirit animal, who's not exactly a dinosaur but is AWESOME... "Godzilla" from 2019 movie soundtrack, by Bear McCreary featuring Serj Tankian]
We know that dinosaurs and other sentient species lived on Earth a long time ago and then became extinct. Can you imagine a time when humans are extinct? What might cause this, and what might take our place? Describe in detail.

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Post any remaining work & publish to your blog

this week's zooms

Hi All, I look forward to Finals Week every semester. The two-hour period gives us the chance to really sink in and spend time with each other without having to rush.

When I was in graduate school at UCLA, one of my professors hosted his class as a social gathering. About 15 of us students met in an upstairs study lounge with comfortable furniture, and we brought food that we made from home to share. Sometimes, the professor would even bring a bottle of wine (we were all over 21), not to party, but to teach us everything from the biochemistry and manufacturing processes to the labeling and pricing (it was a business management course).

Everything, including the food and drink we consume, tells a story. Think about this in terms of indirect characterization: if the protagonist checks her phone, bursts into tears, and pulls out every pint of ice cream she has in the freezer, the author doesn't need to write, "He broke up with her." We get it.

Food also tells a story in the classroom. Many teachers don't allow it, which I understand, because many students are slobs and I don't like being surrounded by food waste or the bugs who feast on it. But what about the student who doesn't have time for breakfast, and comes to class hungry? How can we have a reasonable conversation about equality when some students are literally starving? And why, in the middle of California's ranches and farms that provide food for the whole nation, can't our students get fresh meat, produce, and orange juice?

Adults sometimes use words like "agency" and "empowerment" to describe how you might become more active in leading your lives. I think this starts with the basics, like trust and managing your own bodily functions. I hear people talk about how they miss meeting on campus, but I don't hear anyone saying, "You know, I really miss not being allowed to go to the bathroom when my bladder is so full that I feel like I might piss myself if there's a line by the time I finally get to the dirty bathroom."

Which brings me to the subject of classroom parties. I hate 'em. Who wants to go to a party that people have to attend under penalty of law? Who wants to go to a party where people are told they HAVE to bring something, and they HAVE to look like they're enjoying themselves, and they STILL have to ask permission to go to the bathroom?

Yuck. Plus you can't play music, and it still looks like a classroom. I'd rather celebrate Christmas at an airport.

However, I still remember that UCLA class as one of the best learning experiences I ever had, because of the atmosphere that the professor created. All of us made food, all of us felt like members of a gourmet club, and all of us created memories that helped us master ideas and succeed in business and in life.

So, years ago, when I was at Righetti High School, I started hosting "Cake Wednesdays" and end-of-semester "Fully Catered Learning Experiences." Wednesdays weren't just about cake - they were about taking one day during the week for (at least) one student to make and bring food for us to share, and for us to have a class period where we could think, talk, and work on those areas of our lives that needed our attention.

The Fully-Catered Learning Experiences became epic. Legendary. The stories I could tell. Multi-generational family recipes for tamales, fudge, ceviche, lasagna. The student who "baked in anger" and made the most amazing cookies any of us ever had. The student who made cookies for the first time - and then a second, third, and fourth because he wanted us to taste a better version. Teachers and students from other classes requested plates, and we still had massive amounts of leftovers. The students who hijacked a BBQ from the Ag department. The students who smuggled a BBQ onto campus and fed all of us, maintenance, and security before almost getting us all busted when administrators and police arrived.

It was pure joy, and every plate came with a story. And we can't do it this year, and I miss it.

 

However, we have an opportunity to do something different. 

Today and tomorrow we will watch the movie version of Les Misérables - and your family is invited. Please bring whoever you like to the movie, and make your favorite snacks and dishes to enjoy while you watch. Be ready to introduce your guests, and tell us what you made to eat/drink and why. 

I look forward to seeing you!

december 14

For your MOM: Sit down. Close your eyes. Breathe. Feel... fantastic. Send others a wish to feel that way too.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "I Feel Pretty" by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, from the musical West Side Story, which is an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. English literature and remix culture. So there.]

This morning my wife gave me a haircut - I haven't been to a barber since the pandemic started - and I feel like a million bucks. What do you do to make yourself feel better? Work out? An extra long shower? Makeup? A special outfit? Please explain.

-OR- 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:

1. Journal
2. Check in
3. Wrap up (including a preview of this week's zoom meetings)

december 11

For your MOM: What's on your mind? Answer that question. Then forget the answer, and the question, and everything else except for the fact that you are breathing.

JOURNAL TOPICS: [today's tune/ NOTE: It would be too easy to play "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley, but I'm not in the mood for country, so I went another direction - "Right Now" by Van Halen.]

We remember big life events like weddings, births, and deaths, and we remember cultural events like holidays, but do we remember the little moments in our lives? Describe a moment from your life that you remember clearly, but that others may not remember or even know about. What makes this stand out in your mind? 

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Publish your work for the week on your blog by 5:00

december 10

For your MOM: With your eyes closed, imagine that you're staring at yourself in a mirror. And you look fantastic.

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Early in the Morning" by The Gap Band; "Early Morning Wakeup Call" by The Hives]
What is the meaning of the saying, "The early bird gets the worm"?  Why do you think people think this is an important concept?  What if they're wrong?  What if the early bird shows up and the worm turns out to be bait, and the early bird is eaten by the cat, who happens to be a friend of the late bird, who is still sleeping in the nest and doesn't even like breakfast?  Huh?  What about that?

-OR-

Choose your own.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Make sure you're on pace to finish the week and semester strong:

• Finish your final reflection essay and publish on your blog by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) 
• Publish your three journal entries on your blog by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday)

december 9

For your MOM: Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "My Shot" (from the musical Hamilton) by Lin Manuel Miranda]
If you could interview one person (living, dead, or in the future), who would it be? Why? What would you ask?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Please remember to post your 3 journal entries and your reflection essay on your blog by 5:00 on Friday 12/11 (that's the day after tomorrow :)

december 8

For your MOM: What if everything right now - about your living and learning situation, about our country, even about the pandemic - were perfect?

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem]
George Bernard Shaw was a famous author who wrote more than sixty plays and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his writing.  He was known for having a pretty sharp wit, and at some point he decided to take teachers down a peg by saying, "Those who can't do, teach." Shaw was dead wrong about me - I teach writing, and my latest book is coming out in February - but there are many different types of teachers out there, so I have two questions for you today:

1. If you could pick one teacher to do the work s/he assigns, who would it be?  Why?

2. What do you think is easier-- doing something well or teaching someone else to do it?  Why?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:

1. Journal
2. Work on your reflection essay

PLEASE REMEMBER:

1. Write in your journal every day this week, so that you can pick and post your three favorite entries on your blog by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
2. Write your reflection essay, so that you can proofread it and post it on your blog by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

 

december 7

For your MOM: [. . .]

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "War" by Edwin Starr]
In the background of Fahrenheit 451, there is a war looming.  I mention this because today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.  Before 9/11, Pearl Harbor was the deadliest attack on United States soil. Sadly, there are many examples of this sort of destruction throughout history.  Why do you think people resort to this type of violence?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Review & plan your final reflection essay

Welcome to Week 16!

 Hi All,
Welcome to the penultimate week of the Fall 2020 Semester. Please join our Zoom calls, remember to post your journals by Friday and post your reflection essay on your blog by 5:00 P.M. this Friday, December 11. It's time to be a champion and do your best to achieve the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the semester. I'm here to help, so email or schedule a Zoom if you need support. Hard as it is to believe, we're almost done!
Onward,
Dr. Preston

final reflection essay

Rather than a final project or formal exam, I am asking that each of you publish one last post on your blog for the semester in which you reflect on what you've learned in this course. 

REMINDER: your learning includes what we studied together, but it also includes what you have experienced throughout the semester, whether that has to do with a class, or learning from home, or (?).

Here is a suggested title and an outline for you to follow. As always, you are free to build on this and include anything else you think is important.  I look forward to reading your thoughts.

(Title: FINAL REFLECTION FOR AMERICAN LITERATURE 2020-2021)

Suggested opening sentence: "This semester was unlike any other..."

1. From the beginning, what made our course different than any other course you have ever taken?
2. As you look back on our experience together, what did you find most meaningful?
3. As you consider the work you've done, what are you most proud of?
4. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently, or better?
5. As you look forward, what did you learn in this course that will help you for the future?
6. There is one English-y requirement. In your essay, please mention three texts that you've read this semester AND three literary techniques that made those texts effective - if you need some suggestions, consult the list of what we've covered on our Terms page).

PLEASE NOTE: 

Due to the end-of-semester time crunch, this is due to be published on your blog no later than Friday, December 11 at 5:00 P.M.

december 4

For your MOM: Give yourself a mental hug.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Hatred (A Duet)" by The Kinks]
Think of someone for whom you feel nothing but enmity. Now imagine that tomorrow morning you wake up to discover that you and this person are two heads on the same body. Describe your day.

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Wrap up work for the week
3. About your Reflection Essay (we will discuss on Zoom - post coming later Friday afternoon]

about the coronavirus and campus life

During a Zoom meeting this morning, a student asked me if I think it will be safe to return to campus in January.

I believe in giving honest answers to honest questions.

In this case, I'm sad to say that the answer is no. I do not think it will be safe to return to campus in January.

This week the coronavirus is causing more infections and deaths than ever before.

To put these numbers in perspective, consider the number of students enrolled in our school. According to the California Department of Education profile, total enrollment at Santa Maria High School is 2720.

Imagine that for a moment. Everyone dead. In one day.

I understand that people want to be able to open schools and return to campus. However, without the money to properly update classrooms and ventilation systems, and without the willpower to maintain the rules that would have to come with a "new normal" (can you imagine all student keeping their hands off each other for even a full day?), I don't see it happening anytime soon. I don't want my own children returning to school right now either.

I hope that we can all manage to control the virus in the coming months. Right now, as a society, we're blowing it, so please focus on what you can control. Stay healthy. Maintain social distance. Stay home if you can. Wear a mask. 

During World War II, English Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said, "These are the times that try men's souls." So it is with us today. Many people feel tired, bored, broke, hungry, and justifiably frustrated or even angry at leaders who are not leading us through this. 

And the virus doesn't care. If we make mistakes that expose us or our loved ones, the virus will eat us. Plain and simple. 

So, as you go about the business of living today, please remember: this is bigger than politics or school. This is about staying alive to tell your story. Let me be the first to wish you a joyous reunion celebration with all of your family, friends, and neighbors -- when it's safe.

december 3

For your MOM: Think of something. Then think of nothing. Keep doing that second thing for sixty seconds. If a thought comes up - they can be pesky - swipe it off the screen of your mind, or watch it blow away in the breeze, or float downstream...

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tune: "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder]
We describe characters all the time.  Whenever we relate a story about something that happened with other people to a person who wasn't there, we portray the other people as characters in that story.  Sometimes we describe them directly ("he's six feet tall" or "she was really angry"), and sometimes we describe them indirectly, in terms of what they said, or did, or how others reply to them.  It's one thing to write, "Robert had an insatiable appetite" and it's another to write, "Sally watched Robert eat-- and eat, and eat, and eat, until she thought she herself might actually throw up."  Think of something that happened to you over the weekend in the presence of other people.  Write a paragraph about it.  Then, choose one character and analyze your own work: did you describe this person directly or indirectly?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Checking in and catching up: F451, literature analysis, and your questions
3. My show and tell
4. Preview: what you'll need for your final reflection essay

december 2

For your MOM: Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine yourself as a strong, calm, energetic hero.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters; "Heroes" by David Bowie]

Heroes are essential to humanity. (Just yesterday we read a chapter in Les Mis that used the idea!) Every culture throughout history has chronicled heroic exploits. Today the hero's role is viewed as more important than ever; heroes inspire us to think differently, act differently, and ultimately become better, even slightly heroic versions of ourselves. Even though everyone gets the general idea of a hero, the specific people we admire are as individual as we are. They may have impressive personalities, intellects or physical attributes; they may be ordinary people who do extraordinary things; they may be public or private. They may even be our friends and relatives.

Write a letter to someone you consider to be a hero. Affirm this person's role in your life.  Explain to this person why his/her influence is uncanny, and how this makes you see him/her as a hero.  Tell this person how s/he has moved or inspired you.

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Catch-up work & discussion

december 1

For your MOM: In this moment, how completely self-absorbed can you be? Can you focus completely on your own self for 60 seconds?

JOURNAL TOPIC:

What influences you more, your relationship with yourself or your relationship with others?  Why?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Catch up on any missing work: F451 essay, literature analysis, etc. etc.