Class Community

Although I don’t agree with all that Barlow has to say in his essay “Virtual Communities: Cyberhood vs. Neighborhood,” a couple of his points particularly resonate with me. Barlow went to the world wide web in search of community – community that he believed was disappearing from his hometown and the American cultural landscape in general. He reports that the average American moves twelve times in his life. Are we all looking for community (in vain)? It certainly seems elusive to me at times. I’ve already moved ten times. Barlow concludes that the physical place of his hometown remains, but the concept of its community is “largely a wraith of nostalgia.” I hope this isn’t the case for the future of our country/world/universe – just a bunch of individuals in a hazy search for something that exists as a glorified memory, but not as a living, breathing part of their experience.

Experience. Barlow claims that “information is alienated experience.” My own life experiences confirm this. And this poses a challenge for me as a teacher in a time when laws, congressional acts, and public opinion shapes educational and curriculur policies in a manner that frequently values information over experience. Let’s face it, a prescribed curriculum of say – thesis statements, in-text citations, and grammar – is a hard sell when divorced from anything meaningful in students’ lives. You can try to connect these surrealities to more concrete realities by providing context, offering topic choices, etc., but when it all comes down to it, a strong alienating-potential remains.

So what is one to do? Hope that a “good” classroom community will carry the day and make the information more palatable (if it can’t be meaningful)? To create this atmosphere, perhaps have ice-breakers and trust exercises? That would seem to fall under Barlow’s critique of humans trying to “build” something that can only be grown. He says that “human communities, are simply too complex to design.” Barlow states that to have a genuine community there needs to be a shared sense of adversity. I don’t know if figuring out the rhetorical strategies of an author counts as adversity.

Please understand, I’m not discounting our class’s community. This is the furthest from the truth. I am truly appreciative that I had the opportunity to be part of this group, this particular collection of individuals for the semester. Coming to class each day was usually the best part of my day (don’t laugh) - you all are just that cool! But I guess what I’m getting at, is…is Barlow wrong? Does a community need shared adversity to flourish? I might be willing to meet him half way on this and say that it could definitely enhance community. Just imagine how great it might have been if, for our curriculum, we were honing in on a few major issues and then, solving these real problems of consequence rather than simply discussing them from the safety of our semi-circle.

For now, though, until I become queen of the universe and have curricular and creative control over introductory college composition courses, I think we did mighty fine as a class. You all worked your tushies off, contributed to each other’s and my intellectual growth, prepared yourselves to go off and write oodles of papers for academia, and I hope, had some fun in the process. Good luck to each of you in whatever endeavors tickle your fancy!

Advice, Anyone?

So, today while I was observing a senior English classroom at Coconino High School, my cooperating teacher asked me if I would let the students interview me about my college experiences. Despite not having any preparation time, I said yes. I figured-- hey I've been in and out of colleges for a good fourteen years--I can wing this!

Well, let's just say it was interesting. Many of the questions they asked me were more about the transition from high school to college--those first couple of years--and let's just say those aren't as fresh in my mind. So, I'd like to offer a couple of questions that surfaced during the interview to all of you, the experts. What do you think is one of the most important things that a senior high school student can do, or focus on to be prepared for the first year of college? Or, what would be the best piece of advice you would give this student?

My response was to be open-minded to new ideas, paths and people. I know that my careerpath changed drastically during my sophomore year, mostly because I was willing to be flexible, embrace new paths, etc.

So, what do you have to say to students based upon your college experience so far?

Natural Inspiration

During a time when vacation means using any extra funds to return to the East Coast to visit family, during a time when vacation means flying across country, driving between states, filling days with plans made weeks in advance, and negotiating many people’s schedules, the idea of not over-planning or over-doing sounds so sweet!

Next week, at some point still undetermined, my guy, Kevin, and I are going to pack up and leave town for a while. We’re thinking warm, peaceful, and calm. Perhaps Death Valley or Joshua Tree National Park. I’ve never been to either, and I’ll be thrilled to visit one or both! I think I’ll read the following poem everyday till we leave:

The Peace of Wild Things

by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Spring Break and Charades

Everyone, including myself, seems absolutely zonked the last week or so. It’s that time of the semester when exams and essays threaten to take over our lives and the workload is almost too much to bear. People are just a little crankier than usual and a whole lot more apathetic. Understandably so.

Anyway, there is a silver lining to our collective mid-semester rain cloud—SPRING BREAK! Just think, in ten days or so, you’ll be lying on a white sand beach, sipping frozen beverages with teensy umbrellas, and reading trashy novels while working on your tan. Oh, you’re not having an island get-a-way this March? Well, neither am I actually. No matter. Whatever you have scheduled (perhaps scheduling nothing at all might be the best way to spend the week), let’s keep in mind that a little break is just around the corner. Maybe that can help us all stay somewhat focused and maintain our sanity.

Speaking of this upcoming break, we have to figure out what’s on our class’s agenda for Thursday, March 13^th. As of now, our schedule reads “Surprise!” for that day. No, I’m not throwing a surprise party for everyone. But we can pretty much take that day to do something fun and not strictly related to the standard English 105 curriculum. Personally, I’m always up for food, costumes, and game--you know, bobbing for apples, musical chairs, charades and the like. The floor is open to nominations and a vote. If you have an idea post it here and we’ll pick one or hybridize a few into a non-rhetorical-analyzing, thesis-free day!

Kowabunga or Cowabunga?

Alrighty folks! We’re off! Thanks for being my guinea pigs in this “blog-takes-the-place-of-website-design” assignment. “Did we have a choice in the matter?" you may ask. Well, no, not really. But hey, the website assignment was old news. Plus, you have tons of freedom of choice in other course content areas! (Here, I’m trying to assuage my guilt for not providing you the option between the two assignments). And…uh…also, just think, I don’t even own a standard-issue rubric for “Assignment # 3 – Blogging.” This is certain to ensure some grade inflation by me on all of your behalves.

So, Kirk, sorry - but as you can see from this site’s title, you’re going to have to share your modifying “Kowabunga, with a ‘K’” with this class site’s “Cowabunga with a ‘C.’” After our class’s little name game and my being pressured by the hands of time to select the inappropriate adjective “callous” to describe myself (by the way I’m neither lacking in emotion, nor is my skin covered with thickened, hardened areas), my curiosity was piqued. Was it “cowabunga” – allowing me to lay claim to it, or was it “kowabunga” – as Levy and others suggested – which gave Kirk the alliterative edge and left me being unfeeling and callous! I did a little research (alright, I looked on Wikipedia) on this “c(k)owabunga” business. For those of you still reading, here are my findings on the etymology on the word:

Its origins go way back to that land before time – the fifties…and the Howdy Doody show. Here, it was spelled “kawabunga” – with a “k” and an “a,” and used by the character Chief Thunderthud (Remember him? Me neither.) Anyway, it was a nonsensical, fun word. Later, it was altered to "cowabunga" by Australian surfers and subsequently, popularized by Bart Simpson of The Simpsons and Michelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic, TV, and movie series. Ultimately, however you choose to spell it (Do you identify yourself as a throwback or an ultra-throwback?), it is a slang term used when amazed or surprised, and is often followed by the word man. Example: Cowabunga, man! Look at that crazy house!

So, the moral of the story is…I guess we can all be somewhat correct in this instance. As long as we can reference some evidence and backing to support our case. As a personal aside, however, the more important message here is I don’t have to be Callous Carissa any longer! Oh--the other idea that I wanted to highlight is that voicing a multiplicity of opinions can promote thoughtful, academic(?) inquiry and informed conclusions. This expression of various perspectives and its ensuing broadening of worldviews is exactly what I hope happens throughout the second half of the semester with this blogging assignment. From skimming everyone’s initial postings, it seems that we definitely are off to an auspicious start with regards to diversity of topics and voices. So, continue on my fellow 105ers! And… keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming posts dealing with areas of inquiry such as: Where was Michael Moore really born and what does it matter to us?; Stories of a four foot woman who grappled with scrapple, and “Stories from the Marital Frontline” – My Upcoming Wedding and the Real Romance it Could Wreck.

P.S. Apologies in advance for any gratuitous alliterative references and usage in this post. It’s the literary device du jour (Look! I’m even doing it with quasi-foreign phrases.) that I’ve been focusing on at Mount Elden Middle School lately!