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... a journey through the world of senior-year English at Bridgeton (NJ) High School and, in particular, the A7 classroom of D. L. Price and his students
Friday, May 07, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Well it appears there will be no person-to-person information about our change to High Schools That Work this month.
The administration has decided not to hold a meeting English teachers had requested for Monday. Instead, the proposal will be unveiled at a June 9 afternoon inservice for all BHS teachers.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed our examination of Don Quixote.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Completed our in-class reading of Act I of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1932 William Faulkner reluctantly arrived in
Hollywood to begin work as a screenwriter, a labor that would
last, on and off, for twenty years. Faulkner had already
published The Sound and the Fury, and although far from a
popular success he was regarded as one of America's most talented
young writers; on the other hand, a local store had just refused
his $3 check.
WRAP IT UP
"Monday, Monday," by the Mommas and the Papas, hit the top of the charts on this date in 1966. This was the first musical quartet to include two men and two women. Almost all previous groups that topped the charts were single-sex groups, like the Supremes and the Chiffons, or the Beatles and the Beach Boys. A few male groups sported a token woman singer (like Ruby and the Romantics), but the Mommas and the Poppas were the first group to feature fully balanced co-ed vocals.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Well it appears there will be no person-to-person information about our change to High Schools That Work this month.
The administration has decided not to hold a meeting English teachers had requested for Monday. Instead, the proposal will be unveiled at a June 9 afternoon inservice for all BHS teachers.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed our examination of Don Quixote.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Completed our in-class reading of Act I of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1932 William Faulkner reluctantly arrived in
Hollywood to begin work as a screenwriter, a labor that would
last, on and off, for twenty years. Faulkner had already
published The Sound and the Fury, and although far from a
popular success he was regarded as one of America's most talented
young writers; on the other hand, a local store had just refused
his $3 check.
WRAP IT UP
"Monday, Monday," by the Mommas and the Papas, hit the top of the charts on this date in 1966. This was the first musical quartet to include two men and two women. Almost all previous groups that topped the charts were single-sex groups, like the Supremes and the Chiffons, or the Beatles and the Beach Boys. A few male groups sported a token woman singer (like Ruby and the Romantics), but the Mommas and the Poppas were the first group to feature fully balanced co-ed vocals.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Thursday, May 06, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Teachers here are abuzz with talk of what changes next year's endorsement of the national High Schools That Work program will bring to BHS. Maybe a scheduled English meeting with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Felton-Montgomery will shed some light on the issue.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
We began exploring an excerpt from Miguel de Cervantes' Spanish classic Don Quixote.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1940, John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
The book traces the fictional Joad family of Oklahoma as they lose their family farm and move to California in search of a better life. They encounter only more difficulties and a downward slide into poverty. The book combines simple, plain-spoken language and compelling plot with rich description. One of Steinbeck's most effective works of social commentary, the novel also won the National Book Award.
WRAP IT UP
On this day in 1862 Henry David Thoreau died at the age of
forty-four, from bronchial and respiratory problems. Thoreau was
an integral but prickly member of the Transcendentalist community
in Massachusetts who once said "I
never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude,"
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Teachers here are abuzz with talk of what changes next year's endorsement of the national High Schools That Work program will bring to BHS. Maybe a scheduled English meeting with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Felton-Montgomery will shed some light on the issue.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
We began exploring an excerpt from Miguel de Cervantes' Spanish classic Don Quixote.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1940, John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
The book traces the fictional Joad family of Oklahoma as they lose their family farm and move to California in search of a better life. They encounter only more difficulties and a downward slide into poverty. The book combines simple, plain-spoken language and compelling plot with rich description. One of Steinbeck's most effective works of social commentary, the novel also won the National Book Award.
WRAP IT UP
On this day in 1862 Henry David Thoreau died at the age of
forty-four, from bronchial and respiratory problems. Thoreau was
an integral but prickly member of the Transcendentalist community
in Massachusetts who once said "I
never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude,"
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
A staff meeting today - an surprise - it wasn't extended. Maybe it had something to do with it being Teacher's Appreciation Day.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed the excerpt from Candide.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
Long-running romantic-comedy series The Love Boat aired its last episode on this day in 1986. The show had been on the air since 1977. And some say Saturday night has never been the same since.
WRAP IT UP
On this day in 1964 Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast was
published; and on this day in 1943 Michael Palin, author of
Hemingway's Chair and author-guide of Hemingway Adventure,
was born. Palin says that he was first inspired by Hemingway as a
teenager, and first disappointed: "Unfortunately, in the late
1950s there wasn't much call for provincial English schoolboys to
carry mortars up Spanish hillsides, and though I had a goldfish I
hadn't fought for seven hours to land it."
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
A staff meeting today - an surprise - it wasn't extended. Maybe it had something to do with it being Teacher's Appreciation Day.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed the excerpt from Candide.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
Long-running romantic-comedy series The Love Boat aired its last episode on this day in 1986. The show had been on the air since 1977. And some say Saturday night has never been the same since.
WRAP IT UP
On this day in 1964 Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast was
published; and on this day in 1943 Michael Palin, author of
Hemingway's Chair and author-guide of Hemingway Adventure,
was born. Palin says that he was first inspired by Hemingway as a
teenager, and first disappointed: "Unfortunately, in the late
1950s there wasn't much call for provincial English schoolboys to
carry mortars up Spanish hillsides, and though I had a goldfish I
hadn't fought for seven hours to land it."
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Tales continue to surface about inappropriate behavior on the senior trip. At least one senior will not be participating in commencement and others may miss out as well.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
We began exploring an excerpt from Voltaire's classic satire Candide.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1948 Norman Mailer's first novel, The Naked and
the Dead was published. A front-page editorial in the London
Sunday Times lobbied to have the book withdrawn for its
"incredibly foul and beastly" language, but most reviewers ranked
it among the best war novels, and conferred upon Mailer a
celebrity status that he claimed to regret.
WRAP IT UP
Moe Howard, one of the Three Stooges, died on this day in 1975. Howard was born in Brooklyn in 1897. The brother of fellow Stooges Shemp and Curly, Howard played the Stooges' caustic ringleader. The Stooges appeared in 190 short subjects and more than 20 feature-length films.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Tales continue to surface about inappropriate behavior on the senior trip. At least one senior will not be participating in commencement and others may miss out as well.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
We began exploring an excerpt from Voltaire's classic satire Candide.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued our in-class reading of August Wilson's play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1948 Norman Mailer's first novel, The Naked and
the Dead was published. A front-page editorial in the London
Sunday Times lobbied to have the book withdrawn for its
"incredibly foul and beastly" language, but most reviewers ranked
it among the best war novels, and conferred upon Mailer a
celebrity status that he claimed to regret.
WRAP IT UP
Moe Howard, one of the Three Stooges, died on this day in 1975. Howard was born in Brooklyn in 1897. The brother of fellow Stooges Shemp and Curly, Howard played the Stooges' caustic ringleader. The Stooges appeared in 190 short subjects and more than 20 feature-length films.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Monday, May 03, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
We welcomed back both the seniors from their class trip to Disney World and mef from my four-day New York city break. Back to work and the six-week rush to graduation.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Students chose their personality for their saturation research paper examining one of Time magazine's 100 Most Significant People of the 20th Century.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We began reading and discussing Act I of August Wilson's late 1960s-based play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1810 Lord Byron swam the Hellespont, in emulation
of Leander's legendary swims to visit his beloved Hero. Byron was
twenty-two, and not yet famous for his poetry or his profligacy
-- though he had just finished a draft of "Childe Harold," and
just ended an affair with a married woman who, while no Hero, had
moved Byron to challenge another to a sunrise duel.
WRAP IT UP
"A mad sunset pouring in sea foams of cloud through unimaginable
crags, with every rose tint of no-hope beyond, I feel just like
it, brilliant and bleak beyond words -- pow."
Jack Kerouac, in his Desolation Journal, source for much of
Desolation Angels, published on this day in 1965. The journal
is a record of Kerouac's two months as a fire-watcher at
Desolation Lookout, in Washington's Cascade Mountains, just south
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
We welcomed back both the seniors from their class trip to Disney World and mef from my four-day New York city break. Back to work and the six-week rush to graduation.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Students chose their personality for their saturation research paper examining one of Time magazine's 100 Most Significant People of the 20th Century.
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We began reading and discussing Act I of August Wilson's late 1960s-based play Two Trains Running.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1810 Lord Byron swam the Hellespont, in emulation
of Leander's legendary swims to visit his beloved Hero. Byron was
twenty-two, and not yet famous for his poetry or his profligacy
-- though he had just finished a draft of "Childe Harold," and
just ended an affair with a married woman who, while no Hero, had
moved Byron to challenge another to a sunrise duel.
WRAP IT UP
"A mad sunset pouring in sea foams of cloud through unimaginable
crags, with every rose tint of no-hope beyond, I feel just like
it, brilliant and bleak beyond words -- pow."
Jack Kerouac, in his Desolation Journal, source for much of
Desolation Angels, published on this day in 1965. The journal
is a record of Kerouac's two months as a fire-watcher at
Desolation Lookout, in Washington's Cascade Mountains, just south
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Friday, April 30, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Day two (of four) of my New York City theater break.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Completed showing Lean on Me.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
In a widely publicized episode of ABC's comedy Ellen, TV character Ellen Morgan, played by Ellen DeGeneres, announced that she was gay on this date in 1997. The episode featured cameo appearances by Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang, Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, and Dwight Yoakum. An estimated 42 million viewers watched the special hour-long program. Ellen became the first primetime sitcom to feature a gay leading character. The first openly gay regular character on a sitcom was Soap's Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, starting in 1977.
WRAP IT UP
All five members of Aerosmith visited shooting victim Lance Kirklin in a Colorado hospital before their show in Denver on this date in 1999. The band dedicated "Living On The Edge" to the student, who was one of 28 wounded and 13 killed by two deranged classmates at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Day two (of four) of my New York City theater break.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Completed showing Lean on Me.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
In a widely publicized episode of ABC's comedy Ellen, TV character Ellen Morgan, played by Ellen DeGeneres, announced that she was gay on this date in 1997. The episode featured cameo appearances by Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang, Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, and Dwight Yoakum. An estimated 42 million viewers watched the special hour-long program. Ellen became the first primetime sitcom to feature a gay leading character. The first openly gay regular character on a sitcom was Soap's Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, starting in 1977.
WRAP IT UP
All five members of Aerosmith visited shooting victim Lance Kirklin in a Colorado hospital before their show in Denver on this date in 1999. The band dedicated "Living On The Edge" to the student, who was one of 28 wounded and 13 killed by two deranged classmates at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Thursday, April 29, 2004
THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Turn about is fair play. With all my seniors on their class trip, I decided to use my two personal for a four-day break in New York City. So a substitute will have my classses today and tomorrow while I Big Apple it.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Continued showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued showing Lean on Me.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
British-born director Alfred Hitchcock, best known for psychological suspense films such as Psycho, dies at 80 on this date 24 years ago.
WRAP IT UP
"Dancing Romeo," the last Our Gang film, is released on this day in 1944. The first film, featuring a band of mischievous youngsters, was produced in 1922 by Hal Roach. Roach produced the short films until 1938, when he sold the rights to MGM. In all, more than 100 Our Gang films were made. Later, they were shown as TV comedies under the name The Little Rascals.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
Turn about is fair play. With all my seniors on their class trip, I decided to use my two personal for a four-day break in New York City. So a substitute will have my classses today and tomorrow while I Big Apple it.
FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Continued showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films
LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued showing Lean on Me.
COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
British-born director Alfred Hitchcock, best known for psychological suspense films such as Psycho, dies at 80 on this date 24 years ago.
WRAP IT UP
"Dancing Romeo," the last Our Gang film, is released on this day in 1944. The first film, featuring a band of mischievous youngsters, was produced in 1922 by Hal Roach. Roach produced the short films until 1938, when he sold the rights to MGM. In all, more than 100 Our Gang films were made. Later, they were shown as TV comedies under the name The Little Rascals.
Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking
