I'm sure none of us planned on spending spring break with hats and gloves on to protect us from these sub-freezing temperatures! For those of you who were lucky to get out of town and find a sunny beach somewhere, stop gloating! I thought I might mention some of what I've been doing since we've been away from school:
I've been reading a really interesting book called The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. It talks about different people who become great at what they do, from Brazilian soccer players to Shakespeare, to the Z-boys in California. They become great through deep practice, focusing on a skill over and over and over again. It's not just trial and error, it turns out. It's a substance that forms in our brains called myelin, which acts as an insulator for our neurons. It helps them to fire faster and more frequently.
This also explains why, when we don't practice something, our skills diminish. I don't know though, I kind of like to let some of that myelin melt away when we're not in school. Isn't that what breaks are for? ;)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Alice Article on Victorian Web
Seniors, go to http://www.victorianweb.org/ to find loads of interesting articles about the Victorian Period.
Click on "Authors" and then "Lewis Carroll." Click on "Social History."
Read a short article of interest to you. We'll use your article in class tomorrow!
AP Students - comment below on your article and how it connects to your reading of Alice's Adventures...
Click on "Authors" and then "Lewis Carroll." Click on "Social History."
Read a short article of interest to you. We'll use your article in class tomorrow!
AP Students - comment below on your article and how it connects to your reading of Alice's Adventures...
Friday, March 4, 2011
Welcome, Class of 2011!
Hello students and friends! I've decided to move my online headquarters to this blog to make it easier for my students to find me and to provide an online forum that my students will be able to use on a regular basis.
The title of this blog is "Green Eggs and Ham with Pull I Am" for several reasons. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss has always been one of my favorite books. In it, the main character does not want to try those green eggs and ham, no matter how many different ways Sam I Am tries to dish them up. He will not eat them with a fox, he will not eat them in a box... You know how it goes. And what happens at the end of the book? The main character finally takes a risk and tries the meal before him, and what happens? He likes it! This book teaches us such a great life lesson. I think we're all resistant to change. The unfamiliar is scary and sometimes even intimidating, but if we are willing to take a risk and try new things we are often surprised to find out that new things can be wonderful!
I've been teaching English for while now, and I love literature and writing with a passion! However, often the students who enter my classroom aren't always the world's biggest fans of my subject. Never fear: I'm persistent (some call it stubborn), and like Sam I Am, I'm willing to try almost anything to get my students to try challenging reading and writing. I call this "Creative Persistence." I think it's a great way to live life! Don't ever let the unknown discourage you. You never know how much you might love that novel, poem, play, or composition... that is, you won't know until you try it!
Of course, it's just a fun coincidence that my new last name is Pulliam = Pull I Am. In my classroom, we'll try green eggs and ham all year. =)
Believe it or not, seniors, you have just a few more months before you graduate from high school and begin the new chapter of your lives! Check back frequently to keep up with me!
The title of this blog is "Green Eggs and Ham with Pull I Am" for several reasons. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss has always been one of my favorite books. In it, the main character does not want to try those green eggs and ham, no matter how many different ways Sam I Am tries to dish them up. He will not eat them with a fox, he will not eat them in a box... You know how it goes. And what happens at the end of the book? The main character finally takes a risk and tries the meal before him, and what happens? He likes it! This book teaches us such a great life lesson. I think we're all resistant to change. The unfamiliar is scary and sometimes even intimidating, but if we are willing to take a risk and try new things we are often surprised to find out that new things can be wonderful!
I've been teaching English for while now, and I love literature and writing with a passion! However, often the students who enter my classroom aren't always the world's biggest fans of my subject. Never fear: I'm persistent (some call it stubborn), and like Sam I Am, I'm willing to try almost anything to get my students to try challenging reading and writing. I call this "Creative Persistence." I think it's a great way to live life! Don't ever let the unknown discourage you. You never know how much you might love that novel, poem, play, or composition... that is, you won't know until you try it!
Of course, it's just a fun coincidence that my new last name is Pulliam = Pull I Am. In my classroom, we'll try green eggs and ham all year. =)
Believe it or not, seniors, you have just a few more months before you graduate from high school and begin the new chapter of your lives! Check back frequently to keep up with me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)