Enjoying the Nook....

Seems like every time I try to read, someone (namely my husband) interrupts me! For instance, we were driving from our house to Lafayette yesterday (an hour's drive) and we had chatted for a bit, then he turned up the radio. Good clue for me to pull out the Nook. So I did. I picked up where I left off in The Help, and after he interruped me for the fourth time, I put the Nook back in my bag.

Then he said, "Oh, were you reading? I'll just not talk then." Which of course he SAYS he will do, then never does! Conversing with my husband is important, and we do talk a lot (maybe more than other couples do), but I really did want to 'get into' this book.

Yesterday afternoon, however, we were at my daughter's house. We had fixed dinner for all of us, and we were waiting for Hilary and Landon to come home from work/babysitter. Blaine had a call out (he is a firefighter/EMT) so he would be home later. Quiet house. Gary was reading the paper. I pulled out the Nook, once again. Later I got in some reading time before falling asleep. This book is really good. I am captured. I love it! One of these days I will find the time to just sit back in the wicker chair in the sunroom, glass of iced tea on the table, reading my Nook. I can't wait.

Of course, sunshine is needed to REALLY enjoy the sunroom. One of these days.......

Back to reading.....

So....back to the matters at hand....reading.

One of the books I tried to download the other day at Barnes and Noble was This Time Together by Carol Burnett. Some of you are too young to even remember her variety show, but for those of the older crowd, you probably remember her tugs on her ear at the end, Harvey Korman and Tim Conway, and the skits with Vicki Lawrence. My reading habits have changed lately, and I am exploring more of the non-fiction books, including biographies and autobiographies. I am excited to start on this one, but as I said, I "tried" to download it. Our credit card number changed due to our bank switching carriers. My account is tied to the old number, so the charge was denied since that number no longer exists for us. Changing the number was easy; getting the Nook people to realize that has been hard. I have selecting so many numbers and talked to no one that I finally gave up. Maybe I will try again today!


I am still trying to get past the first few pages of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I have heard nothing but good reviews for this novel, so I am anxious to really get into it. Unfortunately people (like my husband, our daughters, and our grandson) have interrupted me (not that I am complaining, of course).

Now that the semester is officially over (after graduation) and I officially have some 'time off' I plan to migrate to the sunroom and just read. I'll keep you posted on the progress!

What are you reading this summer? Share! I am always looking for new titles.

Graduation 2010

During my first year at Ivy Tech, my office partner, Gretchen Jordan, told me how she felt about the graduation ceremony. I had, of course, participated in two graduation ceremonies---once from my high school and one from Indiana State with my BS degree. I opted not to walk for my MS from Purdue, a decision I have regretted often. My oldest daughter led the procession with a perfect 4.0 when she received her degree from ISU, and both my youngest daughter and my son-in-law have their associate degrees from Ivy Tech, Lafayette region. My oldest daughter decided not to walk this spring when she received her Master's degree from Indiana Wesleyan.

I, like Gretchen, have come to love graduation. There is a feeling of the 'academic' during a graduation ceremony. I always feel such pride when I don my cap and gown, then add the stole with the white velvet for Liberal Arts under my chin and the Purdue black and gold down the back of my stole. When I look around at my colleagues, I see the professionals that we are, that we sometimes miss in the day-to-day activities on the campuses.

The other sense of pride comes from watching the graduates file in, sit in the rows in front of us as faculty, then walk across the stage after their names are announced, full of excitement, happiness, and accomplishment. This year, after four years with Ivy Tech, I heard many of my students' names called, and I felt a sense of accomplishment with them as they accepted their diplomas.

Tonight was a little different, though, than the other four years. This year the student speaker was one of mine. Tonya was selected as the recipient of the highest award given in our region, the Chancellor's Award. As a result, she was also the one to give the 'charge' to the graduates and to lead them in turning their tassels. I know that I am not the only professor she had in her long journey toward her degree; however, I am probably one of the few she had for two classes, and probably the only one she had ALL YEAR this, her final year of Ivy Tech. Last week at the Honors Program was the first time Tonya and I actually met face to face. However, I felt like I have known her for a long time--and I had, since she had been in both ENGL 222 and ENGL 223 this year. I am so proud of her. She has accomplished so much. She is an excellent student and one that will continue to grow and learn as she pursues another degree somewhere, maybe Chicago.

Congratulations to Tonya on her graduation tonight. Congratulations to Lori, who is still floating around from her graduation last week. Keep in touch with us here on the blogs or through email. What an accomplishment for both of you!

Nook Time at B and N

Monday was a 'me day' but it went by too fast and I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to do. Yes, two trips to Hobby Lobby, one with each daughter. Lunch at McAlisters with Hilary. Trip to Target with Hilary which is always fun. Shopping for Megan's 2nd bridal shower. Finally Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours until Megan was out of school and ready to shop for curtain fabric.

Megan was always the reader of my two daughters (and she is the English teacher/librarian--go figure), but Hilary, the non-reader, is the one who had the parttime job at Barnes and Noble and now spends her 'paperwork time' at a table near the Cafe. She was already into her paperwork for the students she supervises as a Job Coach for special needs juniors and seniors when I arrived at B and N.

Scanning my 'in store' options was a treat, in every sense of the word. I found a coupon for a free Seven Layer Bar from the Cafe, which I promptly redeemed, and purchased a small drink--Taso Shaken Iced Tea and Lemonade (made with passion fruit tea). Both I shared with Hilary (fewer calories on the bar that way) and we decided that the tea needed a packet of sweet n low to take some of the bite away---then it was delicious!

I discovered that I can read several books free while I am in the store. That equates to sitting in a library and reading some of the books while there. Of course checking out the same book is 'free' too, but not quite the same. Too, I would have to spend much more time at B and N to take advantage of that particular opportunity and it is too far for me to drive (one hour each way) to do that on a regular basis. However, good option to keep in mind if I have time to kill in Lafayette sometime.

Another advantage for me was to be able to physically browse the shelves, checking out favorite authors, best sellers, new fiction, new non-fiction, biographies, and just pick up the actual book, read the back, flip through the contents, read a few passages, and then check it out on my Nook for purchase (usually much less expensive that buying the hard copy). I am not quite into the browsing on the Nook yet...I need to have the book in my hand to see it and read a little. I have been known to stand in Target with my pen and pad of paper, going through the books there and writing down titles also. Embarrassing for my daughters? Yes. Doesn't bother my husband though! I like browsing in B and N much better...more selections!

A downfall with the Nook---some titles are not available. One book that I really wanted to read was not available on the Nook. I found it on the bargain table and it was under $5, so I did buy it, but I was hoping it would be one of those 99 cents bargains on the Nook. Not to be.

So...I bought three books while I was in B and N, started reading one I had purchased earlier, enjoyed half of a Seven Layer Bar and half of a cup of Taso Shakend Iced Tea/Lemonade, and fulfilled part of my dream for the "Me Day" on Monday.

The phone call from Megan pulled me from my spot near the Cafe. The second trip to Hobby Lobby, then dinner with Hilary, Blaine, and Landon at Pepe's, then an overnight stay with them so I could spend time with Landon before Megan's bridal shower the next afternoon at Clinton Prairie. Not a bad way to celebrate the end of the semester and get started on my Nook reading for the summer.

Spending time with my Nook....

Time for a little reading for just me! Favorite store? Barnes and Noble. I know--many people would not choose the same, but I love just browsing, sitting and reading, drinking some hot caramel apple cider (more in the fall and winter--but today IS rather chilly), and relaxing. I enjoy the atmosphere. People watching is great---so many people, all ages, all sizes, very diverse, all looking for something to read which makes me smile.

So my Nook and I will be spending some time and B and N today. I have had my Nook with me just twice in the store. Once I couldn't access anything and once the Nookguy fixed the problem, my daughter and I left. Something about meeting my other daughter at David's Bridal took precedence, I think. The second time I had a similar problem, but once it was fixed, Gary was nice enough to wander around in HIS favorite area (movies) while I checked out the in-store offers and downloaded a free book. Today will be my chance to browse, relax, read, people watch, and enjoy a cup of something in one of my favorite places. I can't wait!

Watch for updates on Nook reading from the sunroom...future installments on the way!

Melt my heart....

What a day yesterday! I chatted with Lori last night on Pronto and we counted the pluses for the day. Sharing them here:

Lori graduated with honors from Ivy Tech Community College -South Bend campus. Woo Hoo!! She also received a scholarship to IUSB to continue her work on her Bachelor's Degree.

Tonya received the Outstanding Student in Liberal Arts Award from the Kokomo region - my region, by the way.

The Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Student in the Kokomo region was also TONYA! Woo Hoo~!!!

I have been using the phrase "melts my heart" so much lately. Yesterday was one of those "melts my heart" days. Congratulations to Lori! Congratulation to Tonya!

Keep me posted on your lives 'after ENGL 223.' The blogs will be here. Pronto is always on when I am working on the computer (or playing around on it too!). I will be waiting for more of the 'melt my heart' moments!

Thank you for exploring American literature with me. I loved every moment. Have a wonderful summer...and Happy Reading!

Everything is literature.....

Yes, I know. It is nearly 5:00 a.m. and I am posting on the Blog. I was so tired last night so I went to bed at 10. For some reason I was wide awake at 4:30 and instead of tossing and turning and ultimately disturbing my husband, I decided to read the blogs.

Kayla posted about researching. We read all the time, more than we realize. One of the things I always stressed to my students (in my past life) was how important reading was to each of them. Of course I was dealing with teenagers who thought English class was boring and unimportant and anything learned was useless. So we read. We read stories in the text (no pictures). We watched movie versions of short stories and novels to show that the 'good stuff' had to come from somewhere. We acted out the plays in the text so they would be more involved in the reading process. We wrote outside after reading Walden. We read the newspaper. We searched for messages on billboards. We read ads. We watched a game show with the sound off and read the closed captioning instead. Reading is everywhere.

Just before summer break a junior class was talking about their classes for their senior years. Novels class was a senior elective--a fun class, field trips to libraries, to the movie theatre to see Dances with Wolves and A River Runs through It (those trips were a LONG time ago). One student commented that she had better things to do with her time---while we were wasting our time reading, she would be enjoying life.

I was happy that I didn't have to say a thing--the rest of the class jumped on her about how she read every day, whether she realized it or not, that reading was important just to daily living, and that so much could be learned/experienced/gained from reading anything and everything. They surprised me then by listing all the things they could read and what they could learn: recipes (new ingredients, new cooking methods, new food --Kevin would like that, right!), directions when traveling (new places to see, new places to go), weather maps and statements (it was tornado season in the northern Indiana flatlands), and on and on. It did my heart good!

While some may disagree that everything is 'literature' (and I would have to concur to some extent), the words appear on the page, the eyes read, the mind processes, and new information is added to the bank of knowledge. Food for the mind!

Kate and Great Grandma Eva

Kate Chopin has long been a favorite author. I think I shared before that my first exposure to her writing came when I was a junior at Mt. Vernon High School (yes, Kayla and Kevin--the Mt. Vernon west of Evansville) and Mrs. Kuhn had us read several of her short stories. I loved her writing and the fact that she was 'breaking ground' on a movement of women writers.

A few years later she was a featured author on the syllabus for the Women in Literature course that was one of my electives at Indiana State. That was the first time I read The Awakening. That novel fed my eagerness to read more of her works. Since that time I have taught several of her short stories to juniors ("A Pair of Silk Stockings" and "The Story of an Hour") and have shared The Awakening with some of the more mature seniors in my Novels classes as reading for extra projects.

I was thrilled to see more of Kate's short stories appear in the Norton. "The Story of an Hour" was also included in the text for ENGL 111 and I used it with my lesson on literary terms which led to the required essay test in the curriculum.

Why do I like her work? Maybe it is because my great-grandmother lived during that time period. I am fairly certain that Great Grandma Eva Cattell did not exercise her freedom of speech and take a stand against Great Grandpa Howard. However, I remember Great Grandma Eva well. She died when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, so I did spend hours of time at her house, helping her with flowers, and cooking, and entertaining, and looking at the children's books she had stashed under the couch. Great Grandma was a devout Quaker, but I can imagine her being happy with some new-found freedom. From what I hear, my great-grandfather was a very strict man. Maybe she would have enjoyed buying a pair of silk stockings from the counter at The Boston Store in downtown Alliance. Maybe she would have sat at the counter at Murphys and enjoyed a lunch by herself. Maybe she would have sat in the streetcar on the way back to Beloit, wishing it would go on forever.

A brighter outlook

I have to admit I was feeling rather frustrated when I wrote the earlier post today. Grrrr.....too many students with sloppy work, whining about how hard the class is, complaining about how demanding I am, and it was getting to me.

Now, however, I am sitting in my sunroom, watching the sun dance across the yard, the wind rustling through the green leaves on the many trees around our house, and the cats sprinting across the yard after something only they can sense is there because I don't see anything! What a way to brighten my day, lighten the load, soften the edge.

After I finished the grades for one ENGL 112 class, I decided to pull up the excel files of your Pod #10 rubrics and catch up on reading your Blogs. WOW! All I need to do is check out the posts and the responses. I made it through the responses on mine and read everything in Tonya's and thoroughly enjoyed everything. Just what I needed. As Angela posted earlier in hers, this is just like journaling, only with a focus. I love it! I hope that we can continue communicating, or at least reading each other's blogs, long after the semester ends.

But now...back to the argument papers. Sigh...

Hmmm..what topic today?

My mind has been so muddled these past few days with grading argument essays from my four sections of ENGL 112. I have realized how much I enjoyed this particular class---reading, discussion, lack of 'fussing.' If you fussed, I didn't hear it, so that was great!

Emerson talked so much about Self-Reliance, being true to oneself, accepting responsibility for one's actions. This is something that has been popping through my mind frequently the last few days. One's education is the responsibility of---guess who? The student! I was always responsibile for my own homework, asked for help if I didn't understand something (chemistry--if not for my lab partner Mike Martin, I wouldn't have passed it), and accepted my grades. When I went to Indiana State for my undergrad and then to Purdue for my Master's degree, I was in charge--it was up to me. My grades reflected my efforts, the quality of my work, and the amount of time I decided to donate to the cause. My 'rush to study 10 minutes before the test' showed in a low grade. I never would have blamed my instructors/teachers/professors for my low grades. I would never have blamed ISU or Purdue for my lack of completion of my degree. The requirements are there; I had to work to meet them.

What has changed? Why is it that students feel like they can submit sub-average work, not meet requirements, and still receive high marks for inferior work? Why is it the fault of the instructor? Why is it the ridiculous rules or guidelines set forth by the institution? Why is it always the fault of someone else?

What would Emerson say today about the idea of self-reliance?

What's in a name?

I know, I know. William Shakespeare belongs in Brit Lit, not American, but a line from one of his plays (Romeo and Juliet) fits my train of thought lately.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Those of us who have children know the importance of selecting a perfect name for the newborn babe that enters our lives. A friend from church lamented after the birth of her latest grandchild that he had no name. His parents had to look at him, get to know him, and then name him. They had waited two weeks after the birth of their first child to name her! I understand that to some extent, because some of the names of former students just don't fit them in any way...like the petite cheerleader whose name was Mildred. A family name, but not one that fit her personality at all. She did go by Milly some, but still....

I guess it is all in what you are used to also. Our minister's wife is E. Anne. Her first name is really Elizabeth (one that I think is a beautiful name, by the way), but she has always been known by E. Anne. At first it seemed odd to call her that; now it is natural. That is just her name.

What is my point? Our names are our identity in many cases. While I know Tamara, Maria, Tyler, and Angela since they are or have been on the Logansport campus with me, and I have seen pictures of Kevin, Lori, Kayla, and Tonya, I would not know Tina or Teresa or Dawn if they walked into my office. I am not really sure I will recognize Tonya until she walks across the stage on May 13. How many people do you know just by their names? Is your imagined picture of that person accurate?

Which now brings me to another point. Hilary, my daughter the new mother, has been asking me repeatedly what I want to be called. Grandma? Grandma Beth? Nana? Grammy? Memaw (ugh!)? I always said to Landon "It's Grandma, Landon!" or "Grandma's here, Landon" or "Can you smile at Grandma?" Will that be me? Or will I be something different to that sweet little guy?

Our neighbor always called her little grandson "Sweetie" and when he started to talk, he called her "Sweetie" right back. He stills calls her that, and he is 10 now.

"Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language." -Dale Carnegie, "How to Win Friends and Influence People"


What's in a name? Everything, right now! Will it be Grandma? Nana? Whatever it will be, I am sure when Landon says it, it will be the 'sweetest and most important sound.' Any suggestions?

Pods

I just finished grading The Joy Luck Club Pod before my husband and I had dinner. I tend to lose myself in reading the submissions each week. Sometimes I think I have just enough time to skim through and get the main ideas of the posts, but I always find myself reading everything word for word--which should be comforting to the students. Yes, I do. I read everything! I can't force myself NOT to. Of course some of you may be thinking "Why wouldn't she read everything? Isn't that what she is SUPPOSED to do?" Which it is. And I do. But I have heard some instructors say that they just skim--they don't have time to read everything verbatim. Well, neither do I, but I do. I would miss out on some great ideas and discussions, plus new insights, if I didn't read anything.

Pods have been interesting. Sometimes each student will pick the same assignment; sometimes an assignment has no takers. I never know, and I commented to a friend that the next time I teach this, I may replace some of the unpopular assignments with others that may seem more interesting. How wrong that would be! Just because very few people read the chapter from The Red Pony a few pods ago doesn't mean that in another semester five or six students may really enjoy Steinbeck and want to read it. What I do want to do, however, is add to the mix. There are so many other stories, poems, and plays in the anthology that we did not have time for, or that I did not have a chance to develop. The next time, I will add more titles to the menu.

Also in the next two semesters there are no novels on the 'reading list' from the state curriculum committee. That means that I won't be able to officially teach The Scarlet Letter, The Red Badge of Courage, or The Joy Luck Club next year. I am not very happy about that, because I feel that the novel is such an important genre, but we will still have Huckleberry Finn in the anthology--I hope. The edition for that is changing as well. And once again, we are being restrited in our choices.

On to Pod #10, the final section of our semester's adventure through American literature. What fun it has been!

A favorite novel

Teaching is always a challenge, but teaching Engligh takes so much planning and a toll on the creativity. Maybe that is why my creativity is always so low! Very few people walk into an English class at any level, excited about it. It is one of those 'required so it must be bad' type of high school classes. Teaching juniors, all of them, for over 25 years made my life very challenging. At the point they walked through my door, they were a. tired of school and just wanted out b. hated English and everything to do with it with a passion (due to earlier experiences) c. siblings (or even worse CHILDREN) of former students who knew coming in what was expected and didn't want to do it or d. ready to do whatever I asked them to because they wanted good grades. That last group was easy. The other three were the challenges.

When I needed a novel to teach the boys who returned from the morning vocational classes and went right into my room after lunch, I came up with teaching Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Is it about mice? Well, not really, although Lennie does like to pet dead ones in his pocket. Is it about men? Yes, migrant farm workers on a ranch in California. Does it relate to life? Of course! But that is another issue.

Criteria for a novel for junior boys who don't want to be in English class at all: short (check), easy to read (check), good plot (which means someone dying usually - check), and a good way to keep the focus (check).

John Steinbeck wrote many novels ranging from The Grapes of Wrath (not exactly short) to The Red Pony (used in 8th grade English classes and one section of it we read in 223) to East of Eden (the movie version starring James Dean is a must-see) to Of Mice and Men, and I am omitting several from this list. His style in OM+M is one that fits the criteria needed for the juniors. It was short. It was easy to read. The vocabulary was very simple. The plot had just enough conflict to keep them interested. The symbolism was easy to understand (of course I always had to point that out). Plus..the novel included some great dialogue, which translates to fun in the classroom.

When I first introduced the novel I would assign parts and told them the parts were theirs until they died--the characters that is! That always intrigued them. I also acted like I was really pondering who would read which part (like I didn't already have it planned). Let's see...a short little guy who is always looking for a fight, thinks he has power, wants to be in charge even though he isn't---Curly...hmmm (looking around the room)...How about Frank? You could do that role! And the room would erupt with laughter and comments aimed at Frank.

At the end of each class I would assign some of the 'narrative' for them to read, ask them to answer the study questions, and be ready to roll when they walked in the door the next day. Most of the time they would walk in and start moving the desks so we would have plenty of room to 'act out' the scenes before I could even ask them to. Sometimes a student would stop me in the hall, look around, and quietly tell me how much he liked the next chapter and couldn't believe that Lennie had actually crushed Curley's hand. Of course it was told to me quietly, no one else around---can't be seen talking to Mrs. Siemens about a book, can you? Reputation to consider here.

Oh the intensity! The dream--would they pull it off? Why didn't Curley's Wife just stay away from them? What would The Boss do when he found out about the crushed hand? Would Lennie ever get a puppy? How could they hide the dead body and still keep Lennie safe?

When the last page was turned, when the novel ended, there was always a sense of disappointment and sadness in the room. The students left with shoulders sagging and spirits spent. They were disappointed the story of Lennie and George was over.

The test? The best grades ever! They knew that book. The only ones who didn't pass with flying colors were the habitual absentees who didn't bother to read anything that was missed, and who really didn't care anyway. But the rest of them? They loved it. Even today a former student will mention how much he enjoyed reading that book about those two guys who were on the farm and the one guy kept killing everything he touched.

Yes, Of Mice and Men is a favorite novel. I like Steinbeck's style. I like the story and the characters, the conflicts and the symbolism. But what I really like is that Steinbeck was able to capture the attention of many junior English students at West Central and give the experience of reading one of my favorite novels!