The Right to Your Opinion

It's such a simple way to end an argument: "Well, I'm entitled to my opinion."

Not according to logic. As author Jamie Whyte points out, one person's entitlement creates another's obligation. Think about it: if you are entitled to cross the street safely, I am obligated to not run you over in my car. But what if you're wrong in your thinking? What if we're in London, about to cross the street, and you look the wrong way and think the coast is clear? Am I obligated to watch you step off the curb and get crushed? Comprehension questions will accompany the vocabulary quiz Friday, August 19.


The Right to Your Opinion -

August 17

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: Mozart's Symphony #25 in G Minor]

There is a story about Thomas Edison in which one of his assistants said something like, "We've tried this a thousand ways and it doesn't work! We've accomplished nothing!" Edison reportedly replied, "Nonsense. We've learned a thousand ways it doesn't work." What's the moral of the story, and what is your perspective on the idea?

AGENDA:
1. Journal/ collect hard copies of latin phrase from students who didn't comment to the blog (with explanation of why not)
2. Reading quiz: Poisonwood Bible
3. Textbook check-out from library (if you don't have your ID, get a copy of your program from the business office)
4. Vocabulary #1

HW:
1. Define/study vocabulary [quiz Friday 8/19]
2. Read "The Right to Your Opinion" [questions may accompany vocab on Friday's quiz]
3. Poetry assignment [due Monday 8/22]

Vocabulary: Fall List #1

Be ready to define/conjugate/contextualize these words by Friday, Aug. 19:

adumbrate
apotheosis
ascetic
bauble
beguile
burgeon
complement
contumacious
curmudgeon
didactic
disingenuous
exculpate
faux pas
fulminate
fustian
hauteur
inhibit
jeremiad
opportunist
unconscionable

Poetry: Assignment #1

This commercial below was recently produced by Levi's (and then pulled from the airwaves in the UK due to the image of the young person staring down riot police), and it raises questions. Here are the ones you are required to answer by Monday, August 22 (please post your responses to #1-4 here on the blog, after you get instructions how in class-- #5 will, natch, be a live performance):

1. What poem does this commercial borrow from (without credit), and who wrote the poem?
2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic?
3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not?
4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail.
5. MEMORIZE the poem and be prepared to recite it on demand.

Week 1

Is anyone besides me excited about the first day of school? I'm teaching a new class, I've got a bagful of new ideas, and I can't wait. Reading this blog, however, is like a scene from one of those old westerns where the sheriff slowly walks down the empty main street and mutters, "It's quiet. Too quiet."

On Tuesday we'll begin a conversation about how to make this blog (and other e-tools) work for you, so that we can contribute, exchange ideas and work together in new ways. In the meantime, the following tips will help prepare you for the first week IRL:

1. Get to class as early as you can. We'll need every second.
2. Bring a spiral notebook or comp book in addition to your binder (returning students will recognize this as the infamous journal).
3. Bring your summer reading notes and be prepared to turn them in. I will return them Wednesday so that you can use them on the in-class essay. (Oh, by the way: we're having an in-class essay on Wednesday).
4. Make sure you're in the right class. I don't mean according to your program, I mean according to your own heart and mind. This course demands intellectual courage and intestinal fortitude, and AP is not for everyone. Be honest with yourself.
5. The following posts (which you'll probably see before this if you're not checking the blog every hour) will provide vocabulary and poetry assignments for Week 1. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, August 19, and you must have the poem memorized by Monday, August 22.

Hope you had a great summer. I look forward to exchanging ideas about the reading, and embarking together on a memorable journey. See you Tuesday.

On Habits of Mind: Montaigne #4

NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

As you reflect on your own habits of thinking, read the following passage about Montaigne's view of the topic and ask yourself: do your habits of mind help you achieve your goals, or do they get in your way?


montaigne4 habits of mind -

On Reading: Montaigne #3

It's amazing to me how personal and unique the experience of reading really is. Reading can be a concert, a nuclear explosion, a torrid love affair, a journey to exotic locales (including outer/inner space), or even Marvin Gaye singing the Star Spangled Banner at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. But mostly, reading is an imagined conversation. A short text is like passing someone in a hallway and getting a snippet of information ("Hey, how ya doin'?" "Fine.") or entertainment ("Dude, you wouldn't believe what happened last night!"). A longer text can feel like a relationship; when I finish a really good book I feel a little wistful saying goodbye to characters who have managed to take on lives of their own and become "people" in my imagination. Experiencing all this without leaving my couch still surprises me with all sorts of thoughts and feelings I wouldn't have if I didn't read.

How do you feel about reading? [*Besides disliking school assignments. I think we can agree that none of us like being made to do anything-- I'm asking about the reading you've sought out on your own. And if you haven't, it's time to start. Email me at dpreston.learning@gmail.com if you need help getting started.] How have your reading experiences (or lack of reading experiences) influenced the way you think and feel about reading? As you read Montaigne's ideas, think about how we can choose texts and design reading experiences this year that will make you a happier and more effective reader. I look forward to your comments.

montaigne3 reading