Dear Members of the NCGA, I am sure that many of you are familiar with Don McLean’s famous song “American Pie.” It has been the subject of tremendous amounts of explication. Websites devoted to explaining all of the lyrics and all of the rumored allusions can take a day or two to just peruse, but McLean … Continue reading Dear North Carolina General Assembly – Don’t Take Away The Arts and PE Because “Specialties Are Necessities”
Author: caffeinatedrage
Poetry List For My Daughter – List #1
McK, Here’s another one of those posts that I hope you may read when you are older. Hopefully, I will still be around, but if not, then here’s another way for us to acquaint ourselves with each other. Poems. My favorite ones. And why they speak to me, not as a nerdy English teacher, but … Continue reading Poetry List For My Daughter – List #1
Bye, Bye Miss American Pie -Keeping “Specialties” in Schools
“A long long time ago I can still remember how That music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while But February made me shiver With every paper I'd deliver Bad news on the doorstep … Continue reading Bye, Bye Miss American Pie -Keeping “Specialties” in Schools
Elsa’s Disney Song For Pat McCrory – “Let It Go”
"Let It Go" The super moon hangs on the sky tonight Waiting for the election recount But the final results seem like Cooper’s lead you won’t surmount. That bathroom bill is nothing but a thorn in our side. But you just defend it, pushing Carolina aside. Avoiding questions, you just didn’t see How HB2 hurt … Continue reading Elsa’s Disney Song For Pat McCrory – “Let It Go”
Hallelujah! Why We Need Poets. Thanks Leonard Cohen.
We need our poets. Whether composed with rhyme or meter, or to music, or if it is just on paper in free verse for someone to interpret through cadence, we need their words. We need words put together to frame an emotion, an event, a doubt, a success, a life event, or something that never … Continue reading Hallelujah! Why We Need Poets. Thanks Leonard Cohen.
Dave Chappelle Is A Great Teacher
The following is the third prompt (open argumentation) from the 2010 AP English Language and Composition Exam. The suggested time period for completing the prompt is 40 minutes. Quick, eh? It reads, "In his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton argues that the chief aim of humorists is not merely to entertain but “to … Continue reading Dave Chappelle Is A Great Teacher
Winter Is Coming – POTUS and The Game Of Thrones
Winter is coming. No, seriously. Winter is coming. December 21st. Winter solstice. Happens every year. However, for you Game of Thrones fans, winter has been coming for quite a while. The Wildlings have crossed through the wall, strange alliances made, and preparations for the coming apocalyptic standoff between the living and dead. It’s weird stuff. … Continue reading Winter Is Coming – POTUS and The Game Of Thrones
Why Pat McCrory Has Already “Lost” This Election
If the current numbers pan out, Pat McCrory will be a one-term governor. But more glaringly apparent is that his defeat came in a year of another GOP wave of victory in the nation. If the numbers are correct, over 60,000 people in North Carolina who voted for Donald Trump as POTUS DID NOT CAST … Continue reading Why Pat McCrory Has Already “Lost” This Election
Who We Need Is Tom Bombadil
Bombadil! thou shouldst be living at this hour: America hath need of thee: she is a fen Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, Have forfeited our American Dream’s dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give … Continue reading Who We Need Is Tom Bombadil
Being a Teacher the Day After “THE ELECTION” and How Public Schools Teachers Are Now More Important Than Ever
I did not vote for Donald Trump. Read my blog for just a few minutes and you can easily come to that conclusion. But I teach in a public school. In fact, I teach a course and subject area which demand conversation, constructive argument, and rhetorical analysis. And each student who comes into my class … Continue reading Being a Teacher the Day After “THE ELECTION” and How Public Schools Teachers Are Now More Important Than Ever
