Teaching

What is teaching? Why does it matter? How should it be done?

national wear purple day

I found out from a friend about a movement to show support for GLBT youths by wearing purple today. There is a facebook group (at least one). There are events organized in Chicago, and other cities.

Much of the momentum comes from the 6 or more young men who have committed suicide in recent weeks after being bullied for their perceived orientation. At least one of the young men was straight, but peers labeled him and abused him (does/ should that matter?).

Today for a Journal Writing topic I'd like my classes to write about whether gay rights are civil rights. Why, or in what ways, are GLBT targeted? WHy do people react so strongly to homosexuality in you culture? Will there always be a scapegoat - or a socially condoned victim? Is our culture, community or school heterosexist? Issues of race get tied up with gender and sexuality all the time. I'm interested that the Root posted on wearing purple today. Why do divorce rates go up whenever/where-ever women get more rights?
What are the politics of the issue? What are the arguments for or against? For that matter, what is homosexuality? Some cultures consider it an act or behavior, for others (US) it is a fundamental question of identity.

The US Secretary of State speaks in support of an It Gets Better campaign, and the I Give a Damn campaign takes a direct approach.

And a shout out to the JCCC Queers and Allies - who meet Wednesdays at 2pm in CC212. The also have a facebook group.

Would our classes be interested in having a Speak Out panel come to class?

15 things you don't know about me

1. I cook. I like it and I'm pretty good at it.
2. I do all the laundry at my house.
3. I'm also the first to change dirty diapers - provided my son dirtied them.
4. I taught kindergarten for a year.
5. I wrestled varsity in college. Lettered 3 years.
6. I thought I might be an atheist from age 14 to about 28 - but it turned out I was just stuck in a very bad mood.
7. I've worked on farms much of my life - and can drive a tractor pretty well.
8. I like traveling and have visited at least 9 countries.
9. When traveling, I eat all the weird foods. Few people have eaten things I haven't tried.
   
10. My primary mode of transportation for about 3 years was a motorcycle.
    
11. I've broken at least 5 distinct large bones not counting noses, toes, fingers/thumbs, or ribs. Too many of those to count.
    
12. Television can hypnotize me - I won't touch a remote control unless I'm completely alone.
13. I can read on a bus, in a full sporting auditorium during a competition, during a riot, etc.
    
14. I speak ( or at least spoke) passably fluent Mandarin Chinese.
15. When I worked in a convenience store I sold cigarettes and beer to pregnant women (not exclusively or even most of the time - but I remember it because it bothered me).
    
16. I played nose guard in 4A High School football. We won league and made it to state semi-finals. I was all league. I weighed 153 lbs dripping wet at the time.
17. I went to a catholic grade school.
    

Questions for the class 8.19.9

How do you want to organize and archive your daily writing? In the past I've very prescriptive (or is proscriptive?) in telling students what kind of bound and expandable notebook type contrivance to use. And always 3-5% of the class would subvert the paradigm, bringing about the chaos described in my first blog.

The first entry in your collective daily writing journal/portfolio/notebook/blog will address the question, "Why am I in this class"? That will be on the back of the syllabus "quiz."

I like the idea of students posting their own blogs - we could create our own social network. A previous class had some success - and I learned a lot from the experience. I doubt it'd work for everyone, though I have ample evidence that blogging and the sort of web 2.0 skills that come with it are necessary for sucess in the workforce three years from now. Employers are going to demand it. and there are so many

So who should make the decision, teacher or students? regardless it needs to be convenient for review. Think not only of the categorical imperative but of the greg imperative (ie what would the greg's life be like if everyone did what I do?).