One of my favorite characters

Ok...double posting today! Today is my 'late day' on campus, and I am enjoying the recliner and piddling around with my laptop.

Nick Carroway...the narrator of The Great Gatsby. I like him. He is not only the narrator but a character in the story. Nick is Daisy's cousin, which is why he is involved in the story itself. He is also Jay Gatsby' neighbor, a former college acquaintance of Tom (Daisy's husband), and eventually the beau of Jordan (even though they are not really in the same 'league' which dooms the relationship from the start).

Nick is 'there' at the three parties which begin the novel. He is 'there' during the first meeting between Daisy and Jay after the years of separation. He is 'there' during the final dinner after which the confrontation occurs in the Plaza Hotel. He is 'there' to pick up the pieces after Jay's murder. He is the one who learns the truth behind Myrtle's death. And through him, we learn about the intricacies of the relationships: Tom and Daisy, Daisy and Jay, Tom and Myrtle, Myrtle and George. We learn from him about the American Dream and how it can be shattered so easily--and sometimes misguided. Everything we learn about the characters and their stories we learn because Nick was 'there.'

But also there are many things that we don't know. Because everything is told from Nick's perspective, there are many missed moments for us as readers because...well, because Nick misses them. The actual first time Jay and Daisy realized that they were together again, the first time their eyes met after years of being apart, we missed because Nick was fiddling about with a wet umbrella on the porch. We missed it. How intense did the renewed relationship become between Jay and Daisy? We don't know; we can only guess because Nick wasn't invited to the mansion during all of their clandestine meetings. We only know about the circumstances surrounding Jay's murder because Nick pieced it together from snippets of conversations before and after the fact. It reminds me of the flashbacks on the television shows like CSI that my husband seems to watch endlessly.

Nick never judges, well, rarely does he pass judgment. He presents the scenarios yet does not editorialize the events. We know Tom is sleazy because Nick went to the apartment with him when Tom and Myrtle entertained. Jay and Daisy's "meeting" was in his house and he willingly allowed Jay to arrange the flowers and the food. He was a participant even though he knew it was wrong. He didn't step in and try to advise Daisy NOT to commit adultery or to think of her child. He presents; we conclude.

Some feel like Nick is wimpy, that he should stand up for his beliefs (which he eventually does because he leaves the rottenness of Long Island and returns to his home in the Midwest), that he should have spoken up earlier and done something to prevent Myrtle's death, Jay's death, and George's death. But that wasn't his role. His role was to be there, on Long Island, connecting us to the stories of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby.

Speaking of the classics

I have been thinking about what my former student Ruth wrote about finally reading Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and Night (see former blog post). One thing I am looking forward in a couple of weeks is reading more for me rather than grading endless argument papers. Of course spending time with my little grandson and working on wedding preparations will take up much of those three weeks 'off' between the spring and summer semesters, but I fully expect to enjoy some sunroom time, settled into the wicker chair with my Nook in my hands and a frosted glass of iced tea or lemonade on the table beside me.

I haven't had much of a chance to enjoy my Nook this semester, but I do know that I have received several free books, mainly classics. As I have scrolled through the 'shopping' area, I have seen that many of the titles (classics again) are free or very inexpensive, such as under $5, many under $3. My husband was going through some boxes in our spare room (nice term for the 'junk room' where everything we don't need at the moment ends up) and found the books I pulled from my classroom closet when I hurriedly packed up my 'stuff' from 33 years of teaching high school. In those boxes? Many of the classics I had taught, read in the past, or shared with my students who needed a book to read during 'free reading time.'

I hate to admit that I have never read Lord of the Flies. I would love to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird--I used to teach that to freshmen years ago. I loved A Farewell to Arms. Gatsby has always been my favorite Fitzgerald novel, but I need to return to some of his other titles. And The Grapes of Wrath? What a great novel! Finding time to read it again would be wonderful.

If are looking for me this summer, I will be playing with my grandson, working on my Mother of the Bride duties, or enjoying my sunroom, my Nook, and the Classics.

Episodic Narratives

Something we talked about tonight in Pronto, or rather that I mentioned in Pronto, was short stories that are actually taken from chapters of novels. The first time I read The Joy Luck Club was after I had taught a short story about the piano lessons, which came from the "Two Kinds" chapter about Jing-Mei Woo. I decided I needed to read the novel so I would know more about the culture, about Amy Tan, and about the background of the novel to share with my students. After that a short story appeared in the junior AmLit book about Waverly and the chess tournaments. "The Rules of the Game" was included nearly verbatim from what appears in the novel.

The point is....this novel is a perfect example of episodic narrative. One chapter, one story, can be lifted from the novel and read without needing to read previous or subsequent chapters in the book. My junior students could enjoy reading these two short stories without knowing any more about The Joy Luck Club than what I shared with them in the introduction and motivation portion of my lesson plans. However, now that I have re-read the novel for this course, I see how all the pieces fit together and how one adds to the understanding of another.

Reading just one 'episode' of a novel may be a tempting taste for some students, but the entire meal should be savored by taking time to read the novel. The reader will not be disappointed!

The Presence of Poetry

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” - Emily Dickinson

There was very sad news in the community over the weekend. A student where I used to teach died as a result of an overdose. That is sad in itself, but adding to the grief is the fact that this is the second son the parents have lost due to drugs. I did not know the student nor did I know the brother who died two years ago. But I know the students and the family's friends in the community are suffering greatly due to this loss.

I visited the Facebook page created in his memory and found the above quote posted from yet another one of my former students. She posted a narrative following the quote which was very appropriate for the situation. What struck me once again, not taking away from the grieving in this tragic situation, is that some of the literature that I taught to my students have stuck with them.

Emily Dickinson's poetry was difficult to teach. Some of the students just don't like poetry (I am sure that is not a surprising statement about high school students) or if they do, they don't like to admit it. But I really tried to show Emily's sensitivity in her writing and I tried to relate her words to their situations today. Granted *I* was the one who talked the most during the discussions, but often I would place the students in small groups with the idea of summarizing her thoughts into 'advice for now' type of passages. What they came up with was usually very good and full of insight into their lives.

When Cassie posted the quote, I had to smile. She knew Riley Hosptial for Children very well when she was young--she was a frequent patient there. She knows what it is like to 'hope' and how important it is to remember that it 'never stops at all.'

Once again, a passage of literature relating to real life.

The Classics

One of my former students (who also babysat our daughters, so that tells you how long ago Ruth was in my high school classes) commented on Facebook that she finally read The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Scarlet Letter--novels she had seemed to miss during her high school years. I commented in return that she must have meant "re-read" those titles because those were three of the novels that I can practically recite from memory since I taught them year after year. She did admit to remembering the story of Hester Prynne. How many of you have read those three? We did read The Scarlet Letter in ENGL 222, but I didn't include the other two because I thought most of you would have read them in high school classes.

Are high school teachers now opting to include newer titles instead of reading what we now consider the classics? Can the attention of the students not be captured with a story of a guy trying to get back his girlfriend of his youth, convincing her to have an affair with him and then being murdered by a guy set up by the lover of that guy's wife who was killed in a hit-and-run accident?

The perfect novel for a class of boys who had just returned from vocational classes was Of Mice and Men. Easy vocabulary, riveting story--and they could read the dialogue in parts and act out some of the scenes. The best test scores they ever received were on that novel--they enjoyed reading it and remembered the plot, the characters, the conflicts, the details of Lennie crushing Curley's hand and then breaking the neck of Curley's Wife.

If you haven't read any of those three, I challenge you to do so over the summer. Take the book with you to the beach. Keep it in the car with you so you can read while waiting for your child to come out of school, or in the doctor's office, or in a traffic jam, or when you have some time over lunch. Get into one of the classics. You will be glad you did.

"The best laid plans of mice and men...."

The events of Thursday morning brought this line to mind. I love teaching the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and I love teaching Brit Lit as well, but I digress. I mentioned previously about the presentation for the 21st Century Scholars for Thursday morning. I had enlisted the help of an ENGL 112 (and former ENGL 111) student who is also majoring in Education. By the time I left my office on Wednesday evening, the handout was printed (not copied yet) and I had several packets finished for the activity that I had planned for learning how to argue effectively in an argument paper. Since I couldn't find my markers which must have been misplaced in the move from the old building to the new campus, I stopped at CVS to pick up a pack to use that morning. I stopped. I bought the markers. The car stopped too! Permanently. Well, hopefully not 'permanently' but enough to prevent me from arriving at the campus in time for the presentation.

Long story short...

Two trips to and from Logansport for my husband (once following the tow truck).

One Jeep Compass with a transmission problem.

One presentation done by my ENGL 112 student who had called me on my cell phone with a "Are you REALLY not coming for the presentation? REALLY?????" followed by an "Ok..I think I can handle it."

And a pack of markers that I really have no other use for.

I had a good plan;other things got in the way so I couldn't see it to fruition. But---I do have a wonderful husband who got off the tractor and rescued me and my broken Jeep. It was a great experience for Scott as an education major to face a group of sophomores and pull off a 30 minute lesson in argument papers.

Maybe the 'best laid plans' went astray but were not a disaster (until we hear from the service dept at Brauns about the Jeep).

Talking to the Scholars...

I am posting a day ahead of schedule. It is really Wednesday night. Tomorrow a group of 21st Century Scholars are visiting the Logansport campus and I have been asked to do 'something fun in English' with them for 25 minutes.

Come on! It has to be 'something fun' and can only last 25 minutes. I am not sure that can be done. I tossed around several ideas, such as my own version of the GRAMO or BARDO games that I used as my Friday Fill Ins (when I was just tired of trying to teach the juniors on a football Friday). Too much work to create my own BINGO cards and too little time to do that. Scratch that idea. Then I thought of a fill in the blank activity that they could do about courses and other things connected to English classes. Naw...not a good idea.

How about a quick paragraph using the senses? Smell oregano. Eat a grape. Touch wet spaghetti. Ok...already, too much work in too little time to prepare, and not enough time to do the activity justice.

So, once again in the middle of the night, I came up with what I am actually using. First a quick talk about the importance of getting the most out of their English classes while they are in high school so they don't have to take Basic Skills classes. Then a run down of the courses we offer and the degrees available in Liberal Arts. Handout. Done.

Next groups of 4 to create the basics for an argument paper--same principles that I use in ENGL 112. I have six packets ready to go with topics and View #1, View #2, and View #3 so they can work with those and then share.

I even have a helper! Scott stopped by this evening to ask a question about his paper due next week---and I drafted him! Extra credit points will be coming his way. He even volunteered to tell them how important it is to NOT have to take the Basic Skills classes. All right!!!

It has been a few years since I have taught sophomores. In fact, my last year at West Central I did have one sophomore class during the first two terms, but Sarah taught them most of the semester.

It's only 25 minutes. I can do it! And I hope some of them will be in my classes in a few years, starting their degrees.

Flowers

The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks. ~Tennessee Williams

As my husband and I were working outside on Monday around noon, I made my way to the flower bed in the backyard around the outhouse. Yes, an outhouse. It was here on the farm when we purchased that land in 1975 and we have never removed it. My husband uses it for storage--rakes, shovels, all of those stand up gardening and yard tools. Years ago we replaced the overgrown vegetation around it with a more orderly flower garden. Well, not so much flowers but plants. Most of the green stuff there is of the hosta variety, with a few other plants thrown in---poppies, some rampant creeping things that smell when I remove them (actually they stink when pulled from the ground).

Last year I planted a bleeding heart there and had forgotten about it. Back to the 'made my way to the flower bed in the backyard around the outhouse.' My attention was captured by some bursts of red and white---the bleeding hearts had bloomed! What a surprise! Really, I had completely forgotten about that new plant. It is alive and well, and BLOOMING, by the outhouse.

I am always amazed at flowers that seem to pop up in unlikely places. Violets on rocks, as Tennessee Williams mentioned, little white flowers scattered around a pole, daffodils that poke their heads through the snow. Mother Nature has a mind of her own.

Thoreau on Facebook

Our life is frittered away by detail. . . Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million, count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail." - Thoreau

I became "friends" with a former student from my high school classes just recently. She was the salutatorian after FOUR valedictorians---quite a competitive group for a class of fewer than 70 people. I had lost touch with her, but through the wonders of Facebook, we have reconnected. I was especially pleased to see the quote today as her status. As my juniors read Walden, and I seriously doubt that many of them actually did, I would point out to them my favorite passages, for the reason I just stated---I seriously doubt that many of them actually read anything by Thoreau or Emerson, for that matter.

Even though I stressed that passage and encouraged them, as juniors in high school, to simplify their lives, I knew that simplicity would be the one word that didn't define the lives of any of them, especially those in the college-bound track.

Why don't we simplify? We try, with microwaves, computers, debit cards, Nooks/Kindles, Blackberries, and now iPads. In the long run though, do these devises actually simplify our lives or just make them even more complicated?

Granted I can call my husband from my cell phone if and when I ever need assistance due to car problems on my 35 minute drive from Logansport to our house. Yes, I can defrost something quickly in the microwave upon my return home. It is much easier to communicate with students through Ivy Tech email and I save so much paper by posting the assignment sheets on Blackboard. But how much time do I spend posting assignments in the Pods for American Lit? What happened to the midterms from ENGL 222 last fall when they disappeared into the black hole of Blackboard? Do I really need access to the Internet through my cell phone, at any time, any place (as long as I have a signal!)?

Thanks, Dynelle, for reminding me of this passage. Every so often I need to be prodded to remember that simplifying my life should be my focus more often than not.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Today my youngest daughter celebrated her 26th birthday, which in itself amazes me since it seems like just a few years ago that she was born.

My husband and I arrived at her house before she did. We had carried in the birthday brownies (a tradition in our house), the gift, and the salads to add to the dinner menu (our son-in-law was grilling tonight).

Soon we were joined by our older daughter. She was carrying her book with her, and after greeting us, she settled into a chair to read. Of course I chastised her a bit, since I think reading while others that one doesn't see that often, especially one's parents, are in the same room is just rude. But she reminded me that I taught her always to carry a book with her---just in case. She didn't expect us to be at Hilary's house as early as we were, and she knew Hilary wouldn't be home yet, so she had planned to get in some reading time.

I don't remember ever 'teaching' her to carry a book with her, but I guess since I always grabbed a book before we went ANYWHERE while she was growing up, I was teaching by example. Then too she IS the librarian at Clinton Prairie High School and books are part of her position. She is always reading something new to possibly add to the shelves for the students. She too totes books with her when she comes to our house, had a book in each room of her new house, and always mentions what she is reading in our conversations.

Maybe I shouldn't have given her a hard time after she arrived, but I would have liked some conversation with her rather than competing with the pages. For the record, she closed the book, put it with her purse, and sat and talked to me--until her nephew arrived with his mother. Not even the best book could have competed with him! As I said, like mother, like daughter.

Thank you, Professor Byrd!

Robert Frost. One of my favorite poets. I always loved teaching his poetry to my high school students because there were so many messages for them to be found--if they would just look! "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"--take time to enjoy the moments in your life instead of counting the days to graduation. That was a good one to teach in mid-semester when the talk turned to 'how many days of school do we have left' or 'guess how many days till we graduate?? I can hardly wait to get out of here.'

But the one I always stressed was "The Road Not Taken." Teaching in a small rural school and seeing two generations of students pass through my classroom doors emphsized that many felt they were 'stuck' in the small towns and doomed to a life of never leaving Pulaski County, that the opportunities to move, to continue their educations, to pursue a dream were for others, not for them. That is why the poem was so important in my curriculum. There are choices, there are decisions, and often the best choice is the one that others DON'T take.

So where is this leading? Last night at the Awards and Recognition Program at the Logansport campus, Julie Byrd selected a poem to read in the closing remarks that she felt appropriate for the newly announced Instructor of the Year and that reflected the choices of many of us in the room---"The Road Not Taken." What was so special about this selection and her reading of it is that SHE was one of my former students at West Central; she was in 8th grade which was my second year of teaching (we tell everyone I was only 12 at the time--don't start doing the math!). I don't remember if I taught Frost to them, but Julie is the personification of that poem. She chose the 'road not taken' in many aspects of her life--personally and professionally. Not only was the poem appropriate for her, it also defines many of the Ivy Tech students. Many are returning to school for one reason or another. Many are juggling families, work, and studying. It would be so easy to take the well-traveled road and stay on the well-worn path. Instead they choose the 'road less traveled,' hitting a few bumps, getting stuck in some ruts, and needing help to keep on moving toward the destination, a degree. And when I think about it, I did the same. From the moment I signed my first contract at West Central (long story) to leaving when I did for my new family at Ivy Tech, from the projects I created for my students and all of the adventures we shared together (camping trips, field trips, treks to the Outdoor Lab, 'building' a restaurant, Gatsby parties, and on and on) to creating Pods and Blogs for my online AmLit students, I travel that 'road less traveled.' And I love it!

Thank you, Julie, for selecting such a wonderful poem to share last night. It was perfect--in so many ways.

Lilacs

As I have walked from the Compass to the house the last few days, or have just been outside wandering around, checking out the clean up work needed from the winter's wrath on the flower beds, the scent of lilacs from the many bushes we have around our house has been drifting through the air (what a long sentence!).

Lilacs must be blooming earlier than usual this spring. During my West Central days, I would cut lilacs to place in a vase on my desk during the early days of May. Why do I remember the time? Because they always bloomed around my birthday, and that was a gift to myself--lilacs on my desk, scenting the room. My students were hit with the smell as soon as they walked in the classroom, and sometimes it drifted to the hall and those passing by would catch a whiff and comment "Oh..Mrs. Siemens has been bringing in her lilacs again! Must be spring for sure!"

The connection to literature? I always think of Whitman's poem "When Lilacs Last in Dooryard Bloom'd" during this time of year as well. What a powerful poem, and such a great tribute to one of our most well-known Presidents. Maybe that was part of the intent of the poem---to tie together a remembrance of the death of President Lincoln and the effect on our country to an annual occurrence. Maybe it was to show the cycle of life--birth, death, rebirth. Every lilac bloom that was placed in the vase on my desk had a short life. The flowers would be so fragrant and beautiful, in all their glory, for a day or so. The next morning I would walk in to find limp stems and dried up blossoms littering my desk. Into the trash they went to be replaced with a new bouquet. Such is life---vibrant and fragrant, then suddenly, tossed aside to be replaced. Sounds too pessimistic to me. I would rather think of enjoying the moments, looking forward to new life, and knowing that next spring, around my birthday, there will be more lilacs.

The Last Pod

Whew! I just finished putting the last Pod on Blackboard. Each creation has been so much work, but I think it has all been worth it. After the problems I encountered in ENGL 222 last semester, and with creating my own online course being new to me, I knew that something had to change. After brainstorming with Daughter the Librarian, we came up with the Pod idea. I think it was successful..and I stress the "I think."

The idea was to give my students some freedom to select the authors and works they would enjoy and at the same time to give them a broad overview of American authors since 1865. Some students enjoy writing papers, others like discussion boards, and a few like to read and answer content questions as they go. Pronto sessions are fun and promote great discussion but finding a time that fits into everyone's schedules, in different regions, and from different time zones, is just hard. How can I require students to participate when they may be working or have other obligations during the pronto time? So the Pod idea seemed to be a great solution. Students can pick and choose authors/titles, work at their own pace, and participate in the activities that work best for them---as long as they meet the deadlines and accummulate the points needed. Using two-week and three-week time frames worked well too for some of the larger sections.

The problem for me was finding the time to put everything together. Often I had the ideas or the files or the handouts from previous classes, but everything had to be re-formatted for Blackboard. Plus the selections had be carefully chosen to include a variety of styles, ethnic groups, a blend of cultures, and genres. It was w.o.r.k. to create 8 pods of activities for the students. Two pods were for the midterm and semester projects, which were a little easier to create.

Now that The Joy Luck Club pod has made its appearance, I feel a weight lifted. The next time I teach ENGL 223 online, I will be ready. But knowing me, the Pods will not stay the same. There will be changes. Some selections will be deleted since very few people chose them to read. Others that I just didn't have time to work with will be added. I just learned that individual novels will not be on our textbook list as additional books, so adjustments will need to be made. No more Red Badge or Joy Luck Club for this semester or Scarlet Letter for ENGL 222.

The Last Pod...the end of the semester. Wow. So much work, but hasn't it been fun?

Finding reading time....

As a child I read all of the time. I was more of a stay-in-the-house-and-read kind of girl rather than a go-outside-and-play child. Losing myself in a book was great fun for me. Finishing a book was both a great sense of accomplishment along with the feeling of disappointment that the story had ended. I always imagined how the plot continued to develop after that last page. I missed the characters.

Today I read often. However, squeezing in time for pleasure reading is difficult. Somehow reading (and grading) argument essays in their various stages doesn't rank up there with the enjoyment of a new best-seller. I still consider the reading I do for my lit classes enjoyable, but I read with a different eye when the selection is something I am teaching or discussing intelligently! I miss the 'reading just because I want to' activity.

Enter "The Nook." My husband (with the help of the Christmas Elf aka Daughter #2) surprised me with The Nook for a Christmas gift. Of course it was back-ordered, and it finally arrived in mid-January. After fixing a couple of glitches for registration, I have happily enjoyed I, Alex Cross (my first purchase) and several other selections. The Nook is easy to transport, takes up little space, and is surprisingly easy to use. I love it!

Still...the time to read. Even though my intent is to read for pleasure a little each day, it doesn't always happen. Too much grading, too many other little things to do, too much travel time between home and campus or to see our daughters and new little grandson. Priorties, you know! However, I carry a book with me everywhere I go, in the hopes that there will be some moments to read, even if it is in the car while my husband is driving, while I am waiting for the Carside to Go meal from Applebees, or sitting in the doctor's office or waiting room.

I am a reader. I will read. And I am really really looking forward to May 8 when the grading is done for a while. My Nook and I will be best friends!

The only author I ever "met"......

A few years ago my daughter, the teacher/librarian at Clinton Prairie High School near Frankfort, asked me to join her at Purdue for a lecture by Amy Tan. Was I excited? You bet I was! I had never seen an author before, in person, and I had taught several of her stories in my high school classes. WOW! In preparation I visited the Waldens bookstore at the Logansport Mall and purchased her latest novel so she could sign it for me. I could hardly wait.

Megan and I found a set close to the front of the Elliott Hall of Music, which is a HUGE auditorium. It was by no means full to capacity, but there were several others in attendance, mainly female guests. Some were coeds who whipped out notebooks so we surmised that their attendance was part of a class assignment. Others were part of a literary group, or various book clubs, entered as a group, and sat as a group. You know what I mean.

When Ms. Tan walked onto the stage, I was amazed. She appeared to be shorter than I expected, she was carrying a large tote bag which she placed on the floor next to the podium, and she was wearing a caftan type garment over pants, high heeled shoes, and various necklaces and bracelets.

As she spoke, she leaned against one side of the podium, very casual in her demeanor and in her speech. She gave the impression that we were all friends and she had just stopped by to chat.

She talked about her life, her mother, her education, her heritage. She shared a story of the first time she saw her book title and her name on one of those black and yellow pamphlet type books---you know what I mean (Cliffs Notes) in a bookstore prior to a speaking engagement. After pinching herself to be sure she was still alive ("for only the dead authors are the ones whose works are condensed by Mr. Cliff"), she tucked a copy in her purse to read later in her hotel room. She discovered many interpretations of her book that she didn't know existed! And she learned some things about herself and the reasons she wrote the book also (that she hadn't know previously!).

The evening ended too soon. Megan and I were hanging on every word. The 90 minutes or so that she shared her experiences flew by. At the end she reached down to her tote bag and pulled out.....a little dog! He had been in the bag during her entire presentation, not a sound (at least none that we could hear). We found out later that he always accompanies her to her speaking engagements, snuggles into the tote, and then makes an appearance at the end.

Amy Tan has always been a favorite author, and I enjoy her more now that I have listened to her in person. Reading The Joy Luck Club in the lit class was a natural choice. Hopefully the ladies will enjoy it, and Kevin can at least make his way through without giving up! It IS a book more for female than male readers. Sorry, Kevin!

The beauty of nature...

Spring is my favorite time of year. Really, it is. My sister always said it was because my birthday is in May, but really it is because the drabness of winter is gone and the earth comes alive once again! I love the green grass, the tulips and daffodils, the robins chirping each morning, and the warmth of the sunshine on my face. I love the smell of new-mown grass and the scent of lilacs. I like the sounds of the outdoors through the open windows. Sitting in our new sunroom brings more contact with the outdoors as I find myself distracted by watching and listening to the activities outside the many windows instead of grading online assignments on my laptop.

It is no wonder, then, that two of my favorite American authors are Emerson and Thoreau. It is not a surprise that I pushed for a Nature unit when planning the GT curriculum. One of my favorite activites for the GT class was the annual camping trip to McCormick's Creek State Park where we 'communed with nature' for one fall weekend. A winter trip to the Dunes was a 'one time only' event for one class, but it was invigorating to stand on the shores with the crisp wind from Lake Michigan showing its force. Trips to the outdoor lab with my regular English 11 classes were favorite activities--and the writing the students produced always had a freedom and sensitivity that their other attempts did not.

Ah, yes...spring has arrived. I want to clean out my flower beds, plant pansies, and retrieve my garden art from the storage area. Can I use that as an excuse for not grading Pod assignments? Hmmm...better not! But I can sit in the sunroom while I grade!

The assignment is on!

I am excited about the final project for this class. I foresee that all of the students will be actively blogging their thoughts, perspectives, opinions, knowledge about American literature here! What fun those entries will be to read, not only for me, but for everyone else in the class. My only regret is that we didn't start the blogging earlier in the semester. As I said before, "life" sometimes gets in the way of plans, which often happens with me. When my dad died on New Year's Eve morning, I was devastated, and it has taken a lot of praying and talking to others to get me through the grief process. My oldest daughter is getting married on June 19, and while much of the planning had been done early, there are all of the small things that are essential to do..now. Guess what I will be doing in my three weeks 'off' in May? Then we have the new little grandson. My youngest daughter and her husband had been on the list for possible adoption through the Foster Care to Adopion program since October, and we knew that they would suddenly receive a call about a child. However, receiving a call about a possibility and then three weeks later, having the child be with them required lots of planning and work to ready the nursery, have clothes and other needed supplies, and just prepare. Life changed for all of us that day that Landon arrived in our family. Teaching an overload this semester has keep me busy with grading and planning (never again will I do this!). So..the blog project was pushed to the back burner more than once.

But, here it is now. Ready for action! Our first blog on the list is a good one. What will the creative minds in our class come up with for their contributions? I can hardly wait to see!

When I knew I was a reader.....

Isn't it funny how some memories stick with you through the years?

The place--the little brown house on Rt. 62 between Westville and Damascus. The living room.

The time---evening, because the news was on. Huntley and Brinkley, I think (I know--most of you don't even REMEMBER those guys.)

The activity---looking at the newspaper. I watched my parents read the newspaper every day. Dad was home from work, dinner was finished, and he was sitting in the chair, watching the news and reading the paper. I picked up a section, just to 'be like Dad' and flipped through some of the pages. I picked out a word here, and a word there, and soon, more and more words appeared on the pages. I was so excited that I could actually read!

No recall on the age, but I know I hadn't started going to school yet. There was no such thing as pre-school then, so everything I learned was at home from my stay-at-home Mom and my grandmother who lived a few miles away.

From that moment on, I have been a reader. My favorite Christmas gifts were, and still are, books. I remember Little Women appearing under the Christmas tree. Heidi. Swiss Family Robinson. Then the Nancy Drew series. WOW! I loved them all. When my girls were little, they received books every year for Christmas and birthdays. My nephew always receives a book or two from Aunt Beth. Now I am buying books for my grandson--and my oldest daughter (who is a librarian--go figure!) asked everyone to bring a book for Landon as a gift at his baby shower a few weeks ago. Hilary is so excited to have a nice collection for her new little son.

I am a reader. I have always been a reader. I love to read. My best Christmas gift this past year was my Nook. Love it, love it, love it.... And it all started when I picked up that newspaper years ago.

Task #1

Create your own blog!

It's easy to do. Just go to www.blogger.com and start. If I can do it, you can too! Remember that the focus of your blog is literature, so select a name that relates. This will be the final project for ENGL 223 this spring, so let's have fun and make this a great communication tool for everyone. If you need help, contact me or Lori for assistance (Hope that is fine with you, Lori!) Also you can click on the Create New Blog at the top right of the screen and start there. Send a note to me with your blog address and I will add you to the list on the right side of my front page.

I am looking forward to reading and sharing thoughts as we move through this last month of the semester.

First steps!

After chatting tonight in Pronto, we decided to give this a try as the semester project. I have a feeling that the only regret I will have is that I didn't start this sooner. Wouldn't it have been fun to be blogging all semester? Sometimes 'life' gets in the way of the 'best laid plans' ala Robert Burns, but we are here now, with a month to go in the semester, and we will give it our best shot.

The plan? The ideal would be for each student to start her (or his, Kevin and Tyler) own blog. Then that blog could be added to the list that all can access through this blog site. We can read each other's and post comments on each other's blogs. Literary discussions, here we come!

Let's Get Started.....

This is actually Try #2 on starting a class blog. My idea was to blog for our end-of-semester project. Sounds like fun, right? I love my personal blog, and I enjoy reading other blogs as well. This would be a chance for everyone to participate and share ideas about the literature we read this semester.

I am not sure how successful this idea will be, but it is worth a shot. Come along on this new adventure. You know me...always trying something new to keep my students involved and loving the learning process.