A Thousand Pages?

Nope, just Acres.

If you have read up to page 250 (or are nearly there) you may disregard the next sentence.

For those of you that have not read that far, you need to make some serious progress this weekend.

Here's what the upcoming week holds:

We will be finishing King Lear on Wednesday and will begin discussing both works over Wednesday and Thursday's classes. The test over Lear will be Friday.

You are expected to have finished A Thousand Acres by Thursday, March 24. The reading logs are due on Friday before the test.

If there are questions, let me know.

Happy reading!

-MCC

Baby Einstein?

So that lady is not too bright.

Hey maybe she should sue the creators of Blues Clues because last night when she attempted to "skadoo" into her kid's picture she just ended up with a fat lip and a confused child. I mean were they physically strapping the children to tables and carving their brains out (that would be more than slightly creepy)? If they didn't then, honey, you've still got years to go before your child starts showing any signs of failure to get with the Ivy League league let alone acceptance into the schools. I wonder did she get into one of her prodigy schools? If not, she needs to sit down.

And whats happening to the kid? Did it find the cure for cancer while its mother was raping preschools of their money?

Ridiculous

This article, and the girl's mother, is absolutely crazy. First of all, who pays $19K a year to send their kid to PRESCHOOL? Rich people these days... But seriously, the girl is 4 years old and quite honestly should not have pressure on her to do well in school quite yet. It is preschool after all. I have never heard of any preschoolers working on test prep to get into an ELEMENTARY school. Seriously, I do not know how schools can test a child's intelligence at that young of an age anyway because they have had virtually no schooling other than what they learn at home. If the preschool was telling the mom that they could prepare her daughters for standardized tests, I do agree that was a scam. But honestly, when the school promised "age-appropriate curriculum" what did the mom think that was? Calculus and quantum physics? While learning shapes and colors may be a little basic for a four year old (I may be wrong, can't really remember what was "basic" when I was four :D ), it is preschool for crying out loud, where kids ARE dumped together regardless of their age (and ok what 2 year old goes to preschool?! Jeesh...) and where kids ARE taught basic knowledge so they have a good foundation for later on. The girl has her whole life to get into an Ivy League school, so this mother should realize that her daughter is just fine educationally and just drop the lawsuit (and the way-too-expensive school too...). I may not be a mom, but I do know this: the girl's mother should enjoy just spending time with her young child. That is really the most important thing to worry about when your child is four. She should steer her child to do well academically and can put her into a good school later on if she wants, but should also let her daughter have a choice. What if she doesn't want to go to an Ivy League school? Plain and simple, the daughter does not know what she wants at the age of four, so the mom needs to back off on the pressure she puts on her child and on the ridiculous lawsuit she is filing.

A little early for panic...

Ok, this lady is officially freaking out over something that is not that important. First off, her daughter is four and focusing on making friends, not eighteen and trying to apply to colleges. I understand how early education can be important, but too much pressure is being put on the child. Also, wait more than three weeks before yanking your child out of school and blaming them when you haven't even given them a chance. Perhaps the school hasn't been doing a good job teaching the children but with a pricetag of $19K per year for nursery school, I'm sure it's top notch. On a side note, some parents won't even pay that for their kids to go to college, let alone preschool!!! If you have that much money, you should be able to be appeased. I strongly dislike that people think that everything should be perfect in a not perfect world. Okay, I'm done ranting :)

Wow

Personally, I find this lady is a bit out of sorts. Her daughters only four. There's some essential things she still needs to learn obviously before she goes through a curriculum. Maybe she should have waited more than 3 weeks before she pulled her kid out. Or maybe it's just possible that her kid isn't ivy league material. Has she ever thought of that?! *annoyed fuming because people can spend that kind of money and just waste it*

Blame Schools

I don't believe that it's the school's fault. I agree with Chelsea that maybe the school was neglecting to teach the child certain things. However, it is also up to the parents to help teach their child too and make the child interested and excited about learning. It cannot be put up to the school entirely to put a thrill into learning because it should start at home with the child. Then it should continue with the good school.

Blame Schools?! What?!

I absolutely disagree with blaming schools for students not being prepared for college. Sure, there are some situations where schools neglect certain needs.

Other than that, though, I think parents should keep an eye on progress. It's easy to see early on if students are going to be ready, in my opinion. There are only so many things that schools can do. If a student refuses to learn or doesn't want to learn, there's a boundary that schools often can't break, no matter what.

Is School to Blame?

There's been a lot in the news lately about the teaching profession. Some feel that teachers are overpaid for their "part-time jobs" and that the perks teachers receive should be eliminated because workers in the private sector don't receive the same health, dental, and vision coverage. For those of you considering a career in education, this will be a topic of discussion in your classes in college next year.

You don't hear a lot about schools being blamed for not preparing students for the college; usually the blame is doled out on teachers. Click on the title of this post for an article about a mom in Manhattan suing the school her daughter attends because it's not doing an adequate job of preparing her for college.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. No, it's not related to King Lear or A Thousand Acres, but it's still discussion worthy. And while there is NEVER enough time in our daily class for discussion, it's always nice to get a little blog-chatter going.

Happy reading!

-MCC

Plagiarism and Politics

Click on the title of this post for an op-ed piece from the New York Times about politicians (and other grown-ups who should know better) and plagiarism. When adults do it, they don't just fail the assignment on the assignment. Check it out... 

Registering for the AP Exam

AP warriors-

A friendly reminder from your local AP English teacher that the registration fee for the Thursday, May 5 AP English Literature and Composition exam is due Wednesday, March 16th, to Ms. Cuthbert.

A check for $87 should be made payable to Lakeshore High School. Giving your check to Ms. Cuthbert automatically registers you for the exam. There are no additional forms you need to complete.

If you have questions about the day of the exam, please contact Melinda Grashius or Kim Klotz in the guidance office at Lakeshore High School at (269) 428-1579.

If you have questions or concerns about taking the exam and would like to discuss it with me further, please email me. You are not required to take the exam, but I certainly don't want anyone to feel that they shouldn't take it.


Click on the title of this post and you'll be directed to the link for AP credit policy search window. Type in the name of the prospective college or university you may be attending next fall (or transferring to later) and you will see what scores are accepted for credit on the AP Lit exam. Remember, there may be different scores for different AP exams.

It's the weekend. Hopefully you have some extra time to ask Mom or Dad for a check. Put it in an envelope, tuck it in your copy of King Lear or A Thousand Acres so you remember to bring it to school.

Happy reading!

-MCC

Autobiographical Statement

You'll be getting your autobiographical statements back from Wiz tomorrow. I have asked several of you to revise and re-submit your statement for Friday. There were some grammatical and diction problems that I brought to your attention for correction, and I want to see BOTH your rough draft (the one I corrected) and your revised final draft on Friday.

Some of you were NOT asked to re-submit for Friday, however, I found some kind of grammatical or diction issue in all of the statements I read. Please be sure to make the necessary corrections for your senior portfolio.

Once you have revised your statements, would you mind emailing a copy to me? I'm always looking for GOOD examples to show future senior English classes, and the ones I received this year were excellent!

Happy March!! Didn't I tell you this month would bring good things? The sun is shining, you didn't have to come to school today, it's Lena's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENA!), and all is right with the world!!

Stop by tomorrow afternoon if you have any questions. Don't forget - if you missed class on Monday, you need to see me tomorrow or Thursday to make up the Shakespeare video and notes.

Carry on, warriors.

-MCC

This week 28 February - 4 March

So long February, don't let the door hit you on the way out!

I don't know about you, but March always puts me in a better mood. Spring is on its way, the holiest of high holidays, St. Patrick's Day, arrives in the third week of the month, and we're that much closer to longer, warmer days when we spring forward for daylight savings time. What could be better??

Well, for starters...Reading Shakespeare!!

Here's an overview of the week with some reminders for those who will be gone on Monday for choir festival and Science Olympiad.

Monday - You'll be viewing an A&E biography on William Shakespeare and taking notes on a video guide. I'm collecting this as an assignment, so if you are leaving for Science Olympiad, I expect you to come in after school to make up the viewing. This can be done Wednesday or Thursday. Please make arrangements to do so and let me know when you will be staying after.

Choir doesn't leave until 9, so the choir members should be able to see all of the video and get the notes.

Alex and Julio - be sure to grab your copies of King Lear and handouts from the absent folder.

Tuesday - Enjoy your day off!!
If you didn't show me your resume at the end of class Friday, I'd like to give it a once-over before the end of the week. A few errors were spotted in the ones I did see and I'd like to make sure you are making those corrections for the final copy for your senior portfolio. If you haven't finished your resume, Tuesday would be a good day to do that.

Also - don't put off A Thousand Acres. I'm finalizing a reading schedule that shows the progression of the play and the novel so you can see how far you should be while we read the play. It would be of GREAT BENEFIT if you read up to page 19 of Acres by Wednesday because that is roughly where the action of King Lear  begins to parallel the novel.

Don't forget that you are expected to complete a reading log for A Thousand Acres (no vocabulary list). Feel free to offer insights on the character, tone, themes, plot, etc., as well as make connections between the novel and the play. It's important that you work to recognize the similar themes and make distinctions about how Acres adapts those themes for a modern setting.

Wednesday and Thursday - Mr. Wismer is subbing for me in his room, so please report to Wiz's room on both days for class. He will have the lesson plan, Act I reading list, and Act I discussion questions for you. You should roughly be able to cover Act I, scenes i-iv (probably not all of scene iv, but part of it).

Do your best to answer the discussion questions as you read the play. We'll go over the more difficult questions together on Friday.

If someone has signed up for a part, but is absent that day, could one of you please fill in? There were several parts that were not spoken for in class on Friday. Alex and Julio, be sure you sign up to read during one of the days. If everyone has read and there are still parts available, it's fine if you double up. And remember...no read=no participation points.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are absent either Wednesday or Thursday, be sure to make up the reading for Lear on your own. Communicate with your classmates about how far they read so you know where you need to be for the next class.

Friday - We will go over discussion questions, discuss the opening scenes of Act I, and finish the background lecture I started on Friday.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

-MCC

Shakespeare

URGHH!!! I'm a day late but it's better than nothing!

I believe Shakespeare deserves all the credit he has received over the years. When first studying his work I was skeptical due to his time period and writing style. Fortunately, I ended up loving his work and actually enjoyed studying it also. The say his writing flows is unbelievable and he is very talented.

I believe if he tried starting his popularity in today's society it would be different. Since everyone has access to the Internet and a proper education, there are many different personalities that have a say in what is "good" or "bad" literature. During his time not many people had the opportunity to learn like we do now. If he was to get started in today's society he would have many more critics. It seems like many people jump to conclusions and like to complain about things so they would try to shut down his style before even giving him a fair chance. Many times today people do not like diversity so his older style would have a difficult time becoming well-known.

However, for the people who do take the time to read his work and give it a chance, they would discover his talent and beautiful work quickly. I believe that from that point on people would learn that he is a very talented man who deserves recognition. As for contemporary authors who could stand beside Shakespeare, I am not sure. Many times I wonder if some of the talented dramatists and poets of today would be more popular if they lived many years ago when people weren't so critical and not everyone had the opportunity to have a good education.

-Lisa :)

Shakespeare

I believe that Shakespeare is every bit deserving of the fame he has. He has written many stories, many of which are interesting. Some of them may be over hyped, but most of them are for the right reasons.

I do not think another Shakespeare will happen. The world is not focused enough on musical plays and literature. There may be another person equally as famous, but it will be for a different reason.

For the third question, I think that there may be many authors just as good as Shakespeare, but they are unrecognized. The world today does not value these things as much anymore, as I said in the last question. Many great works will appear, but they will never be placed alongside Shakespeare.

Shakespear today

I personally don't believe that he would've had as great as impact today as he did in his time. I think he's a good writer and definitely would've had a name. I don't think he was as good as all of the hype, just that compared to writers of his time and the drought of good workers in literature, he seemed like the best thing. Not to understate him because the guy can write, just that I personally don't think he deserved to be followed around by disciples with palms in their hands. I think that, nowadays, there are a lot of writers. A good majority of those writers actually are good, but only a handful are really noteworthy. However, those that are noteworthy are excellent!

Krysta