Becoming an English Educator

I thought my weekend was going to be relaxing and I might get a few things done that desperately need to be done such as washing my clothes and cleaning the toilets. I know what you are thinking; that doesn’t sound very relaxing. Well, I am in a Master’s Program that was designed as a legal torture method to weed out all but the most over the top overachievers in the literary world. I am being molded into an English Educator. At this point, if this were visual, I would insert a cloud parting and bright sunshine bursting through to indicate the miraculous nature of it all, but since I have only words,I think I will just say “What have I gotten myself into?”

I have, living in my home, exactly the type of student I will encounter when I am a certifiable English Educator. Unmotivated, self-absorbed, and always right. If I had realized what an idiot I was, I would have gone back to school a long time ago so that I could figure it all out. Anyway…back to my weekend (because we all know that it’s all about me. HA!), I started working on a Video Clip assignment for my tech class, andcertifiable truly was important, and lumbered off to bed. Here I sit, waiting for everyone else to finish getting ready for church, and believe me that is a first. This isn’t even mandatory and yet, here I sit. Should I be worried? Is it normal to enjoy torture this much? I don’t know, but I am having obsessive fun in the name of becoming a certifiable English Educator.

Coca Cola Commercial Project / High School English

This commercial has so many possibilities for use in the classroom. I’m working on a lesson plan to go with it. What I have so far is below.

Persuasion Analysis Info /Prerequisite Knowledge for Project

Project Rationale / Overview / Background / Standards

Student Material – 2 Pages / Coca Cola Commercial Project

Student Material / 1 page / My Response to the Coca Cola Commercial
Teacher Instructions – 2 pages / Coca Cola Commercial Project

Can You Be Persuaded Mini-Poster

A Bit of Humor

Have you ever had a day like this?

Sometimes we all feel like something is just a little off, but hopefully we don’t experience it to the extreme that these guys do.

Burnt Ribs

Well… I thought this blog was supposed to reflect my educational endeavors, but from the result of my fellow student’s blogs it seems I did not take the freedom given to me. I shall begin to correct that right now and write something profound from the heart. I would like to keep the whole “teaching for the light” theme, because after all, I am a teacher and could use any help I get. Today I realized that I do not enjoy mixing politics and education classes. In a literature class, everyone expects to step into a rocky lake without shoes on, but in a straight education class, it took me by surprise. If the professor had not said she welcomed disagreement, I would have felt like a hot kettle with no hole. It’s not the difference of opinion that bothers me; it’s the statement of opinion as fact. I thoroughly enjoy intelligent discussion about almost anything with almost anybody, but it makes me cringe to hear a professor state his opinion as fact. Graduate school…welcome to the frying pan. Crap! I bet my ribs are burning…yep…I forgot them and they are now worthy of a sharp knife. My husband just walked in and saw them on the kitchen counter. He gave me that look that indicates I could possibly be the dumbest person on earth. Doesn’t he know that I can’t worry about burnt ribs when I am writing profound works of art? Oh well, I better go start cutting away what I ruined and reveal the truth that ribs, unlike minds, are still just right after being completely fried.

I finally began to see…

Could it be that the illumination of our soul is the beginning of real light? I believe so. This blog will search for ways to turn on the light of a student’s mind and soul so that Alex can create and think. Hopefully, it will be a catalyst for inquiry and a tool for Alex to find inspiration and clarity.

Alex is a student. He or she sits in a classroom every day hoping to be stimulated by the teacher. Somehow, the worksheet in front of him does not accomplish this, neither did the chapter she was assigned last night. What will it take to make Alex excited about learning and creating? Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible! Together, I hope that we can share ideas and comments that will be an inspiration for every student who sits expectantly waiting. So, who wants to go first?