WHY I WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN VIOLENT PROTEST

I went for a long run this morning. While I was stopped for a water break, someone came up to me and asked if I’d lost a house key. I told her it wasn’t mine, thanked her for the attempt, and that was it.

She didn’t seem concerned or worried about approaching me. Why would she? I am pretty much the epitome of a Nice White Lady. I’m a schoolteacher. I have long, mousy-brown hair that I often pull into a bun. I wear glasses. The only way I could personally appear to be less threatening is if I was small. (I’m just a smidge over six feet.)

What Does It Mean to Be Special?

Did ‘Fox and Friends’ Call Fred Rogers an ‘Evil, Evil Man’?

Okay, so first of all, yes, they did, and yes, it’s so incredibly wrong and horrid and shameful. Let’s get THAT out of the way first.

However, in addition, I have a fair number of thoughts on the opposing mindsets shown. Buckle up, friends; I have some general idea of where I’m headed but I’m not sure how I’m getting there, so this may be a long, meandering ride.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

The end of the school year usually means a lot of hustle and bustle early in the day as teachers scurry to turn in keys and badges, count and store textbooks, finalize grades and contact students/parents about summer school if needed, return materials to the library, and of course, document everything.

Album Challenge, #9

Someone I know is doing one of those challenge thingies and nominated me. It’s “albums that influenced your musical taste.” And since he’s ignoring the “rules,” so am I.

Album 9, Jagged Little Pill, is absolutely iconic, and with it, Alanis Morissette became the voice of Generation X. The lyrics are forthright but still imaginative and clever. She discusses many of the mundane, relatable pressures of burgeoning adulthood. At the same time, though, her metaphors are whimsical (though not to the point of being ridiculous) and her descriptive detail is vivid and incisive. That balance gives the work a wry tone that is definitive for our generation.

While there were female vocalists in the ‘80s and early ‘90s who pushed away from the typical style expected to achieve success (like Tina Turner or Joan Jett), Alanis Morissette’s broad, nasally vocals went in a different direction. The full voice of her singing style complemented the openness in her lyrics, and as a result, the album comes across as heartfelt and relatable.

Oh, and I’m supposed to nominate someone else to do it, so today that’s my husband, of course. You don’t have to, but if you do, please give me a mention so I get a notification and see what you pick 🙂

World Literature

I have the opportunity to develop a World Literature course for English II. It’s definitely something I feel there’s a need for, because the literature we typically have access to in our curriculum is heavily Anglocentric. To some degree, that makes sense, because, well, we’re studying English.

On the other hand, as Rudine Sims Bishop points out, different texts serve different purposes.

Album Challenge, #10

Someone I know is doing one of those challenge thingies and nominated me. It’s “albums that influenced your musical taste.” And since he’s ignoring the “rules,” so am I.

Album 10 is the music from the reality/game show ‘The Sing-Off,” specifically season three. That was where they really hit their stride. There were a lot of good groups, and while we had our favorites, we really weren’t sure who was going to win.

I’ve started listening to Pandora’s 2010s stations since everything shut down in order to attempt to expand my pop music awareness. Season 3 aired in 2011, so from time to time I’ll hear a song that I’m more familiar with as the a cappella remix!

I will probably forget to do this daily, but whatever.