Read a Poem Today and Every Day

April is National Poetry Month!

Sad that we need to designate a "month" to appreciate the beauty of poetic language. But, so it is. Keep a poem in your pocket. Find an anthology to enjoy. My favorites are The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry and Poetry for the Earth. Write your own haiku or free verse. Try an Elizabethan sonnet if you are up for the challenge. Go to a poetry reading if there is such a thing in your area. Stand outside on the sidewalk or in the middle of the woods and read angry poems aloud. Consider each and every moment of your day solid fodder for poetic writing. Just enjoy it!

Also, check out the Poetry 180 program from the Library of Congress (and remember that next week is National Library Week).

Spring?

What happened to spring? Mother Nature certainly has a bad sense of humor these days. It has been unseasonably, and unreasonably, cold here in the Midwest. No snow in my area, but lots of wind and bitter temps. We had a warm spell for about 4 days a few weeks ago that made my classroom (and students) unbearable. Now that it is spring break time, the temps have dipped below freezing. I hope that the plants peeking out will be hardy enough this year to withstand the cold snap. We could all use splashes of color and happiness in our yards rather than piles of dead leaves, salt deposits, and garbage that the squirrels stole away throughout the winter. On a brighter note, the cardinals are back in strong song.

Remodeling Update

Here's the latest picture of the remodel progress. I chose to accent the color of the shelving wall with a sagey green color called "quaking aspen." Bricks and board shelves will be the same color to blend into the wall. I haven't gotten to that painting yet. The suspended ceiling and track lighting is done, though you can't see it that well in this picture. I hope to have the shelving in the closets done today, so I can get re-organized this weekend. I only have a few more days until I'm back in school. It's a good thing my curriculum is well planned out for the remaining academic quarter. All I really need to do is revise, reread, and implement. This new office space will certainly help.

That Lovely Four-Letter Word

I just watched the recent documentary by Steve Anderson on the modern cultural history of the word "fuck." Touted by NYTimes critic A.O.Scott as a "rowdy and contentious" exploration of a linguistic icon (what else can one call such a powerful swear word?) , the film both informs and entertains. I'd love to use parts of this one in the high school classroom to allow students to better understand how their overuse of the term (and all its wonderful forms) has weakened its rhetorical power. However, I strongly hesitate to use any material that so obviously needs a permission slip and also presents such a heavy-handed political bias. Warning: effective editing skews the narrative and key footage of our most powerful leaders using the term may push the film over the left edge. (That in itself might be classroom-worthy to teach persuasion and rhetorical style.) There is also a bit of gratuitous sexual footage from an environmental rally that I would NEVER show in the classroom. Short clips from the historical exploration parts would be useful though. I bet I would have to document the exact sections I was planning to use, even with that permission slip. BTW, the NYTimes wouldn't even print an "edited" form of the movie title, choosing instead to use four stars to represent the film.

If you are interested in the history of the term or in free expression issues, check this film out . Doubtful that standard video stores or your public library will carry this indy pic. Go Netflix!

Construction Update

The remodeling work is progressing nicely. Here are a few pictures to illustrate.

Did you know that drywall comes in mint-green? Not the best color for a basement room. It has been really cool watching the process of this remodeling work. Details are incredibly important. One also needs to be able to do solid math calculations. Ahhhh, another way to encourage my students to enroll in more math classes.

This picture is post-taping, post-priming, and post-closet construction.

Boxing off the "uglies."
It doesn't look like a basement anymore. :)

Yesterday, my guys painted the room "muslin" color -- think creamy butter. But, not yellow; I hate yellow. I think today's agenda holds work on the suspended ceiling and baseboards. Electricians are coming back on Friday to put in the heating units and a few other electric issues throughout my house. It will be sooooo nice to have heat in my basement. Perhaps I can work in my office without mittens this spring. I'll also have electric on my porch -- my favorite space in the entire house. No more extension cords running through windows.

That's all for now....off to vote!