During the first day of class, there wasn't much to do - I introduced myself, you broadly introduced yourselves, and I gave you your first homework assignment. 

I just wonder how many of you didn't believe I'd give you a quiz...

Lesson #1:  When teachers give you homework, it's not just for kicks or to make your life miserable.  I, genuinely, only give homework when I need you to review something for the continuation of the course.  I know you guys can read, so no need to insult anyone's intelligence by giving you some looooong boring lecture.  But, today, we talked about the concept of text and what that means to us.  Text surrounds us, and exists in so many forms because we are literate, interpretive, analytical beings.  All humans are!  We have that wonderful capability of higher complex thought that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.  All that higher order thinking often gives us a headache, especially when we're out of practice. 

So, let's see if practicing that higher order thinking on a daily basis contributes to our ability to understand other readings we have throughout the course. Our 'text' today was "Las Dos Fridas", an oft-discussed masterwork by surrealist painter Frida Kahlo.  We noticed so many details in this picture, but here's where it seemed like we focused our energy:
1.  The dresses:  The dresses are so stark in comparison, from color to elaboration and formality.  Certainly some symbolism lies between the stark, pure white (though tampered by blood) versus the earthy tones of the greens, blues, oranges and browns of its counterpart.
2.  The women themselves:  In most classes today, it was noticed that one of the women was demonstrably more masculine than the other.  We looked at body language, possible facial hair (minus those ridiculous eyebrows), posture, etc.  Why would one woman be compared as more masculine than the other?  Is there any significance there?  And they look SO similar...
3.  The simplistic setting/background:  The setting of the picture itself is rather stark; it seems like there is not much but a floor/outside surface, a stormy (symbolic?) background, and a bench where the women were seated.  Why would the background be so simple?  Is it so we focus all of our energy on picking out details from the women... or does that background beckon a second look?  Why a bench?  Why not two chairs? 
4.  The hearts:  We know that hearts are symbolic in themselves.  We have seen hearts commercialized into a cartoon version of themselves for the purposes of romance, teenage crushes, Valentine's Day, anniversaries...  We know hearts are a representation of emotion.  The emotion between these women is palpable, as they are connected at the heart, but they also seem to be opposite hearts.  We talked about the health of the hearts, the ways they are connected, the way the hearts are exposed...  Here's a word of advice:  don't ignore the hearts.  They might give you more information about these women than you know (and no, they are not lovers/in a relationship).

You might have found other symbols that are more relevant than what's above, and that's fine.  Your main objective of tonight's assignment is to create meaning out of this picture.  Create symbols from what you noticed within the picture.  Give us Kahlo's story.  I'm interested to hear your interpretations of this piece.  Remember, two paragraphs, 7-9 sentences per.

You can click here or here for more information about Kahlo and her artwork.

Now, for the answers to the quiz questions today...

1.  You must write in blue or black ink (or pencil) because I have poor vision, and it is very hard to read.  My eyes are whacked...  Thank you in advance for your consideration.

2.  My three big house rules are:  1) WORK HARD, 2) RESPECT EVERYTHING, 3) RESPECT EVERYONE.

3.  If you turn in your essay at 3:01 on the day it is due, you get a 15 point deduction*.

4.  If you turn in a daily assignment late, I cannot give you credit.  So, turn it in!

5.  If you have a zero, you can complete an alternative assignment during tutorials.  You can recover some points to help boost your grade.

6.  Phones CANNOT be used as e-readers in class.  Tablets are fine, as long as you can annotate and turn the Wi-Fi receiver off.

7.  My tutorials are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday after school.  All other sessions must be by appointment.

8.  The penalties for plagiarism are: 
    a.  a zero for the assignment
    b.  A parent/teacher conference
    c.  A disciplinary report (Cheating is a Level II Offense, according to FBISD's Handbook)

9.  The books we will read this year are The Odyssey, Animal Farm, Romeo and Juliet, and Animal Farm.

10.  It takes me, on average, 2-3 weeks to grade essays.  Patience is appreciated.

*This is actually an error.  The penalty is 10 points if an essay is late.  However, you still need to make strides to turn it in on time.
**I'm not taking this quiz for a grade, but man oh man, I hope you non-studious people learned the lesson.  When I say to do it, I'm not kidding.  :-)

See you tomorrow,
Ms. Bellon

By the way, I did this whilst grading this afternoon.  I hope I don't regret it...

Yeah...it's a crossword puzzle.  Because of the powers that be, I don't get to give you the super-hard, comprehensive, entirely skills-based test I wanted you to have.  Instead, I have created a test on TKAM that should be fairly easy to negotiate.  All periods, except period 6, will have ample time to review this with me.  I will have a few paper copies tomorrow (for slackers!), but please print a copy and bring it to class tomorrow. 

AND...HOUSEKEEPING DUTIES!  EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

On the review day prior to your final, you will be working with your portfolios and readying them for transfer to English II.  I have all of your archived essays ready to go for next week, but I need you to add the feedback from TurnItIn.com so you can have a complete folder. 

THIS IS FOR A GRADE.  This is for the purposes of being organized and having lots of good stuff to show to your grandchildren when you're old and gray.  You receive your portfolios upon graduation, and you need to archive all of your writing until that happens in three years.  Here's what I need...

1.  Go to TurnItIn.com
2.  Print out your essays, with grades, for every essay you have turned in this year.  There should be an option to print out commentary and rubric grades.  Print it.
3.  Staple them all together and bring them to class ON THE DAY OF YOUR FINAL.
4.  Bring your lit term journals.  THEY WILL NOT BE CHECKED FOR CONTENT; I just need to archive them so they go to the next level.  Bring this to class, with your TurnItIn.com documentation ON THE DAY OF YOUR FINAL.
5.  TurnItIn.com sheets + Lit Term Journal = 100 in gradebook for a daily grade.
6.  Print out your review for the spring semester exam.
7.  Be ready for possible Jeopardy reviews prior to the final.  I have to review for an hour, so there's no reason why anyone is failing this already incredibly easy test.
8.  Brace yourself for this:  As of noon on Thursday, your summer vacation begins, but don't forget to go buy your pool reading (aka Lord of the Flies and How To Read Literature Like A Professor).  I'll set up Barnes and Noble meet-up days so you can come get help on occasion.  (no, please, no...don't all rush at once...)
9.  If you want to help me pack up my room for YES hours next week, let me know when you are available.  I will take volunteers on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and possibly Thursday.  Large crowds incur possibility of snacks and drinks.  Remember=teacher salary...you ain't gettin' sushi.
10.  PS:  So impressed with your TKAM capstone projects.  You guys NAILED it.  Very happy teacher on this end of the internet line.

ALRIGHT!  Let's finish this semester and go dive in the pool!

Toodles,
Ms. B

Above are today's notes regarding the close of To Kill A Mockingbird, as well as the definition and application of the bildungsroman.  We learned in class that a piece of literature classified as a bildungsroman is any story in which we witness the maturation of the protagonist, especially in a psychological, emotional, or moral sense.  The obvious choice to assign as a protagonist is Scout, as she is the novel's narrator; however, I believe it would be foolish to deny Jem and Atticus equal billing.  Scout's evolution is easy to track - we know she matures throughout the book by what she notices (and, ultimately, doesn't notice) in other people.  We also see Jem's maturity coinciding with his pubescent stride into manhood, as well as Atticus' evolution as a parent. 

The problem with identifying TKAM as a bildungsroman does not lie in identifying the characters, as well as the manners in which they mature; the problem lies in the conflict.  We see Scout at war with so many forces surrounding her and her curious nature that actually challenge what she knows about the world at large.  We could psychoanalyze her and say that she has a perpetual question which piques her curiosity (i.e. "Why did Momma have to die?") and that she hasn't let go of questioning since.  We can also say that she is simply a precocious 6 (7...8...9...) year old who makes simple sense of the world and wonders why nobody else can just do the same.  The reason why the trial of Tom Robinson bothers her so much is because, for her, the problem is concrete - the evidence exonerates him, therefore there is no case.  The people of Maycomb do not agree, and therefore, conflict ensues.  Same with acting like a girl, or wearing overalls versus dresses, or listening to her Aunt Alexandra versus Atticus, or understanding why Jem is so moody.  Scout has a lot of conflict going on around her, but it doesn't affect her until she has questions about that trouble. 

So, we have an archetypal curious child who does not see the world the way many others sees it, yet has a very clear 'black-and-white' concept of what she believes the world should be.  Part of the reason why Scout is read this way is because Scout is telling this story in retrospect - as soon as Jem breaks his arm at the end of the book, a signal goes off for the reader...a little deja vu, if you will.  We know Scout can reflect on her world in this way because she has learned from her experience, and shed her innocence in the process.  It was easy for her to see the world in black and white because there wasn't much to hang around and complicate it.  But, as soon as other truths come in to fulfill her curiosity, they immediately disrupt and clash with what she understands about the world, losing even more innocence. 

Ah, what a wonderful book.  It reveals the human condition of growing up, learning about all those nasty truths that our parents shield from us, and what it is like to finally face them, put all the information together, and realize that the world is not a nice place...that it is nasty, abusive, and full of lies that we sometimes tell ourselves.  And yet, we also see that we are grateful for sunshine, for random acts of kindness, for human decency.  We wonder how the beautiful and the ugly can coincide and exist in unity when they seem to clash so violently against each other.  This, my students, is called growth.  Flowers grow out of dirt.  Beautiful can always emerge from the ugly.  It is contradiction and confusion, but it is the truth of human reality.

Enough waxing poetic for me.  Post if you have questions about today's discussion. 

-Ms. B

...I am IN LOVE with the conversations you all are having!  I hope you guys are reading everything else, because I am pulling discussion points for tomorrow DIRECTLY FROM YOUR POSTS!  You guys are hitting everything I want to touch on!

To keep it going - you have an extension until tomorrow afternoon to keep posting.  Keep talking!  This is exciting stuff!  You are getting the book so clearly at this point...let's me know that together, we've been doing something right in class this year.  Good job, kiddos.  Encourage those who have not commented to do so, and do it soon!  Even if there is something a friend may not understand, reading the posts is great for clarification. 

...And to the person who posted Bieber lyrics to the Period 6 post...I really don't like what you did there.  Not so classy...and definitely violates Rule #1.  Boo.

Today, we discussed the services our organizations will provide, per our project.  This is one of our major discussion days, looking at how the mission statement actually reveals which services our organizations will provide.

We started with AIDS Foundation Houston, which provides the opportunity for at-risk communities to test for HIV, as well as educates the Houston community to avoid HIV infection.  The mission statement carried these ideas under a blanket statement - these services were never directly stated.  However, after reading the mission statement again, it becomes obvious that these services would be part of the organization.

We, then, looked at the mission of the American Red Cross.  After reading the finer points of the mission statement, we could tie services we know the Red Cross provides to the mission of the organization.  We know the Red Cross provides lifeguard training, CPR and First Aid classes, shelter, food, and water for disaster stricken areas, and counseling for soldiers returning home from active battle areas.  The specifics of these services are not listed in the mission statement; they are inferred.  This is why it is so important to look at the mission statement for guidance.  We can look at the mission statement and infer our services based off of the mission statement parameters, especially the business of the work. 

I have an example of how detailed your services list should be.  Study the example using DiscoverU as a template.  You can still see me after school if you need any assistance.  You can dream big with this, but remember that realism will set in with your financial boundaries you will set.  Prioritize your list into needs and wants...and focus on the needs. 

The powerpoint is provided above as a reference. 

Have fun with it, and see your services list next Friday.
--Ms. B

In order to keep up with the remaining sections of To Kill A Mockingbird, we will begin online discussions, starting today.

Your responsibilities are to keep up with the strands below this post.  I will post three strands over the course of this week.  For each discussion question, your job is to respond with ONE original post and at least TWO comments on others' original posts throughout the week.  I will start grading the responses next Monday.  I will also respond to the posts that you all create. 

(One Original Post + Two Responsive Posts) x 3 discussion questions = 100 in the gradebook.  If I press you on your responses, feel free to defend yourself, but do so respectfully.

THE GROUND RULES:
1.  Try to be thoughtful in your responses. 
2.  Use text evidence.  Paraphrasing is okay.
3.  No rude, vulgar, or derogatory commentary. 
4.  Stick to your own class posts.
5.  Encourage discussion.  Feel free to ask more questions of your classmates.

In order to keep up with the remaining sections of To Kill A Mockingbird, we will begin online discussions, starting today.

Your responsibilities are to keep up with the strands below this post.  I will post three strands over the course of this week.  For each discussion question, your job is to respond with ONE original post and at least TWO comments on others' original posts throughout the week.  I will start grading the responses next Monday.  I will also respond to the posts that you all create. 

(One Original Post + Two Responsive Posts) x 3 discussion questions = 100 in the gradebook.  If I press you on your responses, feel free to defend yourself, but do so respectfully.

THE GROUND RULES:
1.  Try to be thoughtful in your responses. 
2.  Use text evidence.  Paraphrasing is okay.
3.  No rude, vulgar, or derogatory commentary. 
4.  Stick to your own class posts.
5.  Encourage discussion.  Feel free to ask more questions of your classmates.

In order to keep up with the remaining sections of To Kill A Mockingbird, we will begin online discussions, starting today.

Your responsibilities are to keep up with the strands below this post.  I will post three strands over the course of this week.  For each discussion question, your job is to respond with ONE original post and at least TWO comments on others' original posts throughout the week.  I will start grading the responses next Monday.  I will also respond to the posts that you all create. 

(One Original Post + Two Responsive Posts) x 3 discussion questions = 100 in the gradebook.  If I press you on your responses, feel free to defend yourself, but do so respectfully.

THE GROUND RULES:
1.  Try to be thoughtful in your responses. 
2.  Use text evidence.  Paraphrasing is okay.
3.  No rude, vulgar, or derogatory commentary. 
4.  Stick to your own class posts.
5.  Encourage discussion.  Feel free to ask more questions of your classmates.

In order to keep up with the remaining sections of To Kill A Mockingbird, we will begin online discussions, starting today.

Your responsibilities are to keep up with the strands below this post.  I will post three strands over the course of this week.  For each discussion question, your job is to respond with ONE original post and at least TWO comments on others' original posts throughout the week.  I will start grading the responses next Monday.  I will also respond to the posts that you all create. 

(One Original Post + Two Responsive Posts) x 3 discussion questions = 100 in the gradebook.  If I press you on your responses, feel free to defend yourself, but do so respectfully.

THE GROUND RULES:
1.  Try to be thoughtful in your responses. 
2.  Use text evidence.  Paraphrasing is okay.
3.  No rude, vulgar, or derogatory commentary. 
4.  Stick to your own class posts.
5.  Encourage discussion.  Feel free to ask more questions of your classmates.