Poetry should stay simple.

Back in 6th grade, when the only problem in life was what to do at recess or who to play tetherball with, poetry was fun and simple. I remember going to the library and checking out a Shel Silverstein book full of poetry, packed with laughter and funny images. I would read the books cover to cover, memorizing a couple of my favorites (Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too being one of them). I took for granted those times of simple poetry. Little ol' 6th grade me had no idea what was coming. We are now required to analyze, break down, and somehow understand poems written in Olde English. And these poems don't typically evoke laughter, either. They're usually about an unfortunate event in someone's life, written in a very confusing way. Frankly, the poems we read in school now do not bring any pleasure to me and, I'm quite certain, everyone else.

So think back to the tetherball playing, Dr. Suess and Shel Silverstein reading days. You'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't miss them.



This is Quartknee Brown, signing off until next time.

It's Almost Christmas!!!

 

I am not quite sure what to write about so I’ll just start with something that is very exciting for everyone. The Holidays! I think everyone should go all out for this year’s holidays, I mean by starting to celebrate a month in advance for Christmas, and buying lots of gifts, and making a bunch of Christmas cookies. So far we’ve been decorating the Writing Center room and we’re having a Secret Santa before December even starts, which is really awesome. What made me think to write about this is because I’ve been thinking about what made us so excited for winter when we were little and it’s that we started preparing for the holidays super early. I feel like last year’s Christmas just came and went, at least for me it did. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it was really short. That’s why this year needs to be different. I am going to watch all the really goofy movies, like Frosty the Snowman and listen to the seasonal music on 93.3 even if they did start the day after Halloween. Another reason this topic is in my mind, is that my grandma always has this tradition of insanely decorating her house and I just visited her. Although her house is not that big, she has enough fake snow, candy canes, and Christmas Trees to decorate the North Pole. It takes me forever to look around; I think she even decorates the closets. With that said, I think every one should enjoy this month. The holidays only come once a year, so we should not just let it keep passing by.

~Emily Schulte~

Why Students Should be Allowed to Cite Wikipedia as a Source by Betsy Woods

The term “sea change” can be used to describe a great shift in thinking.  I like it better than the over-used term “paradigm shift” because it comes from Shakespeare’s The Tempest (at least according to Wikipedia's entry).  As a high school English teacher, I may have just offended some of my colleagues here and at other schools.  I have a feeling there are quite a few in our field who are put off by referring to both Shakespeare and Wikipedia in the same sentence.  But ignoring the importance and relevance of Wikipedia is akin to ignoring a revolution that is no longer knocking at the door, but is in your living room, sitting on your sofa, drinking your Diet Coke.  There’s a word that describes the teacher who with a firm edict declares that no student be permitted to use Wikipedia as a source:  hypocrite.  Everyone uses Wikipedia.  Really. Whether it is to quickly look up who uttered the famous quote about climbing Mt. Everest “Because it’s there” (not Sir Edmund Hillary, by the way) or to double-check the spelling of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, teachers use Wikipedia, so why shouldn’t students?  

The all-too-easy counter argument is that any fool can edit Wikipedia and therefore Wikipedia is not credible. The simplicity of this argument, however, belies its sincerity.  Just because the way we collect and disseminate information is changing, is no reason to dismiss the whole of the information out of hand. Evaluating the credibility of sources is one of the most important skills our students need for the 21^st Century, and the hard truth is it’s not a black and white issue.  In fact, evaluating sources is time consuming and difficult—for students and for teachers.  Perhaps it is this difficulty that causes some teachers to outlaw Wikipedia.  But the old days of combing through yellowed literary journals and the (mercifully brief) era of manipulating microfiche transparencies on a machine in the back corner of the library have come to an end.  Information is now easy to find—and in the wonderful way of inverse equations—harder to winnow.  

Ranting and Raving with Alexander Fish

My fellow Americans/foreign people, I am  writing this blog to enlighten you all about things that annoy/frustrate/generally tick me off. Heading up the list is everyone's favorite demographic group: ignorant people or, as I like to call them, the flotsam of civilization. Chiefmost among these annoying simpletons are those that seem to devote their time to clogging up every major roadway within a 20 mile radius of my intended destination. When will people understand that the far left lane of a highway is for PASSING only? Don't just chill out there having a tea party going 55 mph. This usually brings about one of my favorite situations involving awkwardness: the uncomfortable eye contact as you pass an ignoramus on the highway. I'm always tempted to roll down the window and give these buffoons a piece of my mind, but then I remember that in driving school they say that every stupid person on the highway is equipped with a shotgun or twenty. If you question their intelligence, surely you will be shot. Tough luck folks. Best to just hold your tongue and go about your business. Of course, that doesn't prevent you from ranting about it in an obscure blog somewhere down the line. And voila. this is that blog.

See you next time,

Alexander Fish

General Musings with Kellie and Kai

 

So, I suppose I’ll start. Hi and welcome to this blog post.  My name is Kellie.  I’m the cool one of the pair of us if you couldn’t tell.  Because, well, I’m just that amazing and everything.  I’m also the one that is actually in the Writing Center that’s supposed to be working on this assignment.

Greetings, Americans. I am Kai, Kellie’s beloved pen pal.  Oh, and I’m British, so, yeah I win.

That’s very debatable.  I mean, who won the Revolutionary War?  But let’s not get into a historical argument about the awesomeness that is America.

I’m ignoring that.  And you are not allowed to ‘correct’ my British spellings. Such as colour.

You’re killing me here!  Must restrain my inner Grammar Nazi.

Yes. Yes you do indeed need to restrain your inner Grammar Nazi. For I am British, I am of England, and therefore WE INVENTED THE LANGUAGE!!

WE MADE IT BETTER!!!

Ignoring that too.  Right. General musings. What shall we muse over?

I’m not sure.  They said we could talk about whatever we wanted.  We need something interesting to muse over.

Yes. Something so incredibly sophisticated and muse-able that it shall be legendary in your class.

Oh right. Because I definitely need to be legendary in a class of about five people.

I sense great sarcasm in your tone..

That’s a very interesting notion Kai.  How is one able to detect sarcasm in the printed word?

And like that, I give us a subject! Well, this subject actually causes so many problems in relationships. It has actually caused people to break up and fall out of love because they can’t actually be sure of how their partner/friend is saying something. If there was a way to, like, write in a sarcastic font or something, it would make things so much better.

Don’t you think that’s a little bit silly?  I mean, if you love someone enough, you should be able to detect their voice inflection based on their diction.

That is very true...you have me there.

I do agree though.  If there was a “sarcastic font” we could use in this growing age of technology, perhaps there would be less animosity in the world, because we would actually know when someone is being serious.  Do you think that the sarcasm issue is more prevalent in the younger people/teens?  Or can the older generation be more bitterly sarcastic?

I think it is more present in younger ages, such as our generation. However, it is very much occurring in conversations of the older generations! My mother and my sister are always going at each other’s throats because my sister thinks that the answer ‘k’ is a way of showing that my mother is irritated, whereas my mother just uses it because it is the quickest response, and she wants to get things done.

I have a problem with the use of “K” though as a single letter response.  I mean, it almost seems unfair.  People take the time to type out something important, or maybe not always so important, but either way, they have a connection to what is being written, and the recipient just almost carelessly gives a short, quick response, then goes on their merry way.  I mean, it doesn’t take much time at all to even write “okay” in comparison to “K”.  I know that this is a growing problem as more and more people get irritated with such a dismissive message, and frankly, I can see where they’re coming from.  It almost makes you feel like the other person doesn’t really care what you had to say and was just trying to get you some kind of answer, because that’s what you wanted.

Exactly! And ‘text-speak’ is a huge problem in today’s society among younger ages. I mean, come on people. “I wud like the job coz im well gud @ talkin wid peeps” is hardly going to get you a job! I’m not sure how your text-speak is across the pond, but here it’s just horrendous!  And if it stayed within text messages, it wouldn’t be as big a problem, but it has infected young people’s language in all forms. I have read some dreadful pieces written by children in the school I go to, and they actually have some very good content and relevant points, but when represented by this vulgar text-speak, they just sound ridiculously foolish and...without using swear words, down-right idiotic.

Sadly, the same problem persists over here.  Thankfully, I have not seen it quite as prevalent in papers written by high school students, although there are some tragic cases in which that is false, however, even on social media websites this use of “texting language” remain.  It’s a shame that kids don’t realize that colleges actually look at the Facebook pages and Twitters of the prospective students they are considering accepting into their schools.  Once these admissions people see the things some of these kids post, whether it be their language, their content and behavior, or the pictures, there is no way that that college would accept them.  Sadly, this really has infected our generation like you said.  It makes me fear for the younger generation, the ones growing up with iPhones and Tablets.  I mean, we at least know how to appreciate a desktop computer and know to not whine when we can’t download a certain app.  Or, at least I would hope so.

Yes! My god, it is just so SO incredibly annoying what some people put on their pages on social networking sites. And if universities and colleges look at them (which I didn’t know they did....I’ll just be going on my Facebook page a second..), it would be a crying shame for someone not to get into their univerity of choice and ruin their future because of careless language and grammar! And for heaven’s sake, do NOT get me started on the pictures posted. Girls flaunting their assets all over the web is neither attractive nor appropriate for their ages. And as you’ve said, fearing for the younger generations to come. Well, over here, it’s too late for that. There are 9 year olds going round in Daisy Dukes and mini skirts and high-heels, faces plastered with make-up, head of false hair extensions. Some would blame celebrities for being bad role models, and I do partially. But even then, most of their language isn’t infected with the text-speak virus! At least they can speak properly, and justify themselves in proper English (or their respective language).

Just a somewhat unrelated note, I am extremely curious as to what British slang-ish stuff sounds like.  Because here it is repulsive.  But touching on your point about the young girls behaving like they’re twenty-one: sadly, I do not think the blame is all on them, or celebrities for that matter.  I mean, for them to be able to acquire the skimpy clothes and large quantities of makeup and/or hair colorations, their parents have to be involved.  What nine year old has a job?  They couldn’t pay for this stuff by themselves!  It’s the parents who are at fault for allowing their kids to run around looking and acting the way they do!  Times have changed, and certainly not for the better.  The objectification of women in society’s eyes has taken such a tight grip on our younger generation that today’s women feel as if they are imperfect, or could never be loved if they don’t flaunt themselves and act in such inappropriate manners.

You are so right there. I have been disgusted by the parents of children at my school. At parents evening (Brief note for the Americans, that’s basically their form of our parent-teacher conferences), children of all ages are with their seemingly ageless parents, who should be 40, but are dressing and acting as though they’re 17.  It is just....there are no words to describe.  There are several girls in my art class, and they are completely spoilt, have no concept of manners or proper grammar, and you think “oh wow, their parents must be so ashamed.”  Then you see their parents, and you think “Oh, no okay. Now, NOW I see where they got it all from.”. And these parents will openly blame everyone but themselves when their children are sleeping around town, getting drunk and who knows what else! I mean, I have lived more than others of my age, but hey, you’ve read my writing here. Am I unedumacated? (lol, sorry. OH LOOK! Text speak has even infected me!  See, it’s so easy for it to just drop in to your everyday language!! I apologise for my improper vocabulary there. But so far, reading this, I would appear to be a well-behaved young man, am I right? (Please tell me I’m right...!) I am able to go out partying and living my life as a young adult does without having to talk in abbreviations and wrongly placed inflections and other such mannerism developed through text-speak and disgusting parenting!!  Okay wow, I have rambled since the dinosaurs. Your turn. Sorry!

It’s quite alright.  You make several good points during your rambling.  It’s just sad.  Isn’t it?  The way things have deteriorated under this guise of “progress”.  I feel like intellectually, our society is moving backwards.  But I don’t think that it’s the same all over.  I mean, in Asia and the Middle East there are countries who, despite being looked down upon by Americans, are making great technological and educational strives while also maintaining the important values of society.  But do we get to hear about it?  No.  Because they’re “different” from us.  They don’t practice what we do, and that automatically makes them wrong.  So we never get to learn about these great people.  Instead, we remain holed up in our own little backwards world where everyone acts an age they shouldn’t and vocabulary isn’t increasing, it’s decreasing at an astonishing rate.  It reminds me of the novel, 1984 by George Orwell.  Their society thrived on using as little writing as possible, and made it a daily goal to shorten the world’s vocabulary.  Is that dystopian future what we’re destined to fall into?

I’ve seen the stage production of 1984, and it was awesome! It’s a massive dystopia, and what’s scary about it is that you can totally see it happening in the next few years, maybe a decade. But there are so many people out there trying to show us what is happening to the world, and people recognise it, but just let it wash over them. I could go into passive audiences and the Hypodermic Needle theory, but that would a) carry on for several pages of me ranting and raving, and b) get controversial.  Luckily, over here, we aren’t closed off to other cultures as you’ve just said the US is. However, we look to your country and see a successful continent. Foolish, albeit, but successful. And yes, oh lord yes. Asia is so incredible. They are THE perfect blend of the old and new. I went to a ‘Tokyo Day’ in London a few years ago, and their slogan was ‘So old. So new. So Tokyo.’ And it’s true! They respect their traditions and elders, and are so close with their roots, yet they are possibly the most technologically developed country on Earth!  We could all learn a lesson from them. Well, I’ll try to round this off, since the time difference is a small problem here. It’s 23:37 here, and I have a few other things I need to do. I’ve enjoyed this so much! It’s great to have intellectual conversation with someone under the age of 21 for once!  Well, from the lil UK to the big US, good luck with your future generations. It seems to me that some know what they’re doing. At least Kellie does!

Thank you for that Kai, and thank you for your input.  It just goes to show you that there really are some sad similarities between our countries.  Things are bad all over.  But clearly there are people like us out there that recognize the problem.  Maybe the more people realize that things are growing worse and worse, the more of a chance we have to escape the downward spiral our society is slowing falling into. One can only hope that things will get better.  We just need to stay positive!  Well, thank you for reading, and this is Kellie, from the second period Writing Center signing out!

Hello Milford High School!

While brainstorming different ideas for this blog, I discovered something really interesting. At the Miami Township Public Library many authors will be there throughout May, July and August to talk about a book they have written! I thought this was something different not many people have experienced. Therefore, if you are interested, I attached a link with the dates and times the authors will be visiting the library. Hopefully we can get a decent amount of students from Milford making an appearance.

http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/spotlight/authorseries.html

Kaiti Wulker
Writing Center P. 1

Honestly and Unabashedly Straightforward

*The following is my own personal response to an assignment I give called the Relationship to Literature Paper. I adapted it from Mrs. Ernst, who taught here a few years ago. I give it to my Honors English 10 Class at the end of the year. Students must write about a piece of literature that has impacted them, and so I decided to write one, too. I'd encourage you all to do the same!

-Ms. Rheinheimer, MHS Writing Center Guest Blogger

Honestly and Unabashedly Straightforward

Whenever anyone finds out that I’m an English teacher, oftentimes, one of his or her first questions is, “Who is your favorite author?” And closely following that question is, “What’s your favorite book?” And every time, I sigh, thinking, I hate superlative questions. However, I always reply, Ernest Hemingway and The Sun Also Rises. Reflecting on this instant reply, I think, Why is he my favorite author and why is that my favorite book? Great questions.

If I were to describe myself in five words, they would be: logical, organized, planner, sensitive, and enthusiastic. More than anything, I appreciate unabashed honesty, straight-forward answers, and decisiveness. Based on my personality, Hemingway’s style and work completely captivate me. He writes using simple words and images, yet those images carry so much weight and possess infinite depth. Do not be deceived by simplicity, my friends—it is often in the simple where we identify with and feel most deeply the most complex aspects of our humanity.

The first time I read Hemingway was my junior year of high school in Ms. Woods’ Honors English Class. I still have the booklet with that ß  picture of Hemingway on the front that contained some his short stories, including “Hills Like White Elephants,” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and  “Big Two-Hearted River.” As an adolescent, Hemingway’s stories drew me in because of the way he could paint a simple picture of a simple place, yet convey such profound human emotion. As a member of the Lost Generation, Hemingway’s unabashed and straightforward style was refreshing and true, revealing truths about humanity through writing. I felt for his characters in a real way and was disturbed as well, because I found myself resonating with the universal, human fears of loneliness, the needs of fellowship and community, and what happens when we have too much or too little of either of those things.

            I read The Sun Also Rises at the end of my junior year and again in preparation for the AP Literature test. The most distinct aspects of the novel are the setting—San Sebastian, Spain—and the characters—Lady Brett Ashley and Jake Barnes— trapped in the world of the Lost Generation. While it has bull-fighting, partying, traveling with a group of friends, and beautiful landscapes, the story continually comes back to the unabashed, honest feelings of disappointed and unrequited love, finding and losing a sense of identity, and questioning how anyone truly comes to understand who or how they really are.

            After finishing the novel, I am always left with a sense of instability

and uncertainty about what I should take away, but I think that’s just it—continuous questioning of self, trying to figure out who we unabashedly and honestly are. And that answer is never straightforward.  I believe that the namesake from Ecclesiastes sums it up:

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever…The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to the place where he arose…The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits…All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

I keep on through the ebb and flow of life, trying to more fully understand my humanity within its everyday and ordinary bounds as a 24-year-old English teacher.

            I love Hemingway so much because through his simplicity of language and imagery, he reveals truth about the human condition in an honest way. I love the stories because within them, I find truth—about myself, about my life, about the world around me, about my purpose in life and the Creator who has set me on this path. It’s not always pleasant—at times, life is full of gut-wrenching pain and loneliness. And if I am truly straightforward and unabashedly honest, regardless of how much I want to do away with the pain or how I want my life to be painted as beautiful landscapes and full of exciting bullfights, it just isn’t like that. There’s nothing sparkly or monumental about my life, really. But nonetheless, it’s so rich and full of opportunities to experience what it is to truly live—pain and all.

            I find so much joy in people—in my students; my colleagues; my parents and sister; my dearest friends from past experiences who know where I’ve been; and my current friends who are sharing in this adventure called life. I love that my weekends here in Cincinnati are filled high school football games and band contests, grilling on porches, going on weekend excursions and watching movies with friends. I love that I’ve gone to twenty weddings in two years and was the first to hold my best friend’s newborn baby. I love seeing the same people and the same families at church every Sunday and watching the little kids start their journeys of self-discovery. I love that I’ve traveled the United States to spend sweet time with friends and family—to Colorado, Minneapolis, Tennesee, California, and to Detroit, Boston, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago—and that I even had the opportunity to travel to Portugal and Australia. Not sparkly, but pretty awesome.

            My time will inevitably end on this Earth, and I, too, will passeth away. Sometimes, life is unsettling. But by loving and caring for others at the forefront, I believe I’m on the right track to living a fulfilling and blessed life. So, here’s to you, Ernest—through the mundane experiences of your characters, I have come to see the joy and wonder in my own.