Confucius Says: Words Are the Voices of the Heart

I love words.
Good thing, I suppose, given my chosen and hard-fought-for occupation. Every time I sit down at a keyboard or have a pen poised over a blank sheet of paper, I feel overwhelmed with excitement, with possibility, with anticipation. With a few key strokes or swipes of a pen, you can find the right combination of words that can make someone LOVE you.
Conversely, you can break a heart, manipulate a mind or sever an allegiance…all with those same strokes or swipes. Think about that. Legends are immortalized because of words. Nations go to war over words. Couples are united in matrimony with words. Hearts and lives are shattered due to words. The power they wield is, in a word, awesome.


“Every time I come around the corner and see your car in the driveway I get sick to my stomach.”

I sat on the couch during yet another face-off with my mother when she let fly with that condemnation, effectively shattering any sense of comfort and belonging I may have been clinging to at the time. I was 17. I’m 48 now, and I can hear those words in my ear as clear as if they were uttered 10 minutes ago. I can’t say that it was those exact words that led to the eventual, unsurprising demise of my relationship with my mother, but I know it was certainly a huge chunk out of the already crumbling foundation. It stands, to this day, as one of the worst things anyone has ever said to me.

But, as I said, words are powerful. They have healing properties. Let me give you an alternate scenario.
 I was visiting a friend at what is now, TCNJ (then it was Trenton State College). My boyfriend of about a year had just broken up with me, quite unceremoniously, at a party the night before. I was feeling kind of blue, just sort of moping around the campus waiting for my friend’s class to end. While aimlessly wandering through the bookstore, I saw an old friend from high school, a guy who graduated a year ahead of me. We got to talking about life after high school and what my plans were and all of that idle small talk, when he looked me right in the eye and said, “Well Cass, the thing is, I hear you’re an excellent writer.”
What followed is not a Cinderella-like ending of fairy-tale romance (this is me we’re talking about and you know I hate that HS Musical type-shizz) between Matt Opacity (that was his name) and your Lang teacher.
We didn’t fall into each other’s arms and swear undying love—it wasn’t even a romantic moment.
He wasn’t trying out a brand-new pick-up line or even trying to soothe my bruised, dumped ego.
 It was a simple declaration that I am quite sure he would never even remember saying all these years later. But it’s impact on me was and is undeniable. Because of him, when I went back home, the first place I looked for a summer job was at a local newspaper called The Sandpaper. I landed a job as a stringer and at the tender age of 18, got my first ever piece of writing published. I even got paid for it! (It was an article on Tonkinese cats—don’t laugh!) Such is the power and the beauty of words.

So, that is the focus of this week’s blog question. I would like you to think about conversations you have had, arguments in which you’ve been embroiled, moments of bliss you have experienced. They all have one thing in common—WORDS.

The Yin: What is the worst thing anyone has ever said to you? Why do you think it was the worst thing? How did it make you feel?
And for the Yang (because there always is one): What was the best compliment you have ever received?
Who said it? Why do you think was it was the best compliment?

And finally, perhaps even MOST IMPORTANTLY, reflect on the fact that you highlighted these two particular comments. What do you think your choices of what was the best and worst thing anyone could say about/to you reveal about your personality? Much to think about, I know.

Last Guys Don't Finish Nice

I am a Robert Greene fan.

<crickets....>

...someone from afar cries out, "who?!?"

Well, then.  I guess this warrants further explanation.

The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War (I don't have the one he wrote with 50Cent) are all displayed prominently on my bookshelves, and the abuse each one of them has taken (bent pages, cracked spine, coffee spills/burns) would indicate that I've read them several times.
So, you guessed it--Robert Greene is an author.

Further, it comes as no surprise (well, to me I mean) that I am feeling a bit cynical this evening, and for that, I apologize; I think that my internal struggle with cynicism thanks to Greene may have influenced this week's intellectual proposition.
I shall let you be the judge, however, as to whether or not this was a good or a bad thing.

As many of you know, and if you didn't you do now, I am not that into "people." There are a select few I would ever willingly share time with, and more often than not, it shows.  The true friends (not the acquaintances--you have to have those or it's really hard to survive in the world as an adult) I have are friends I've had for quite a while--it's not always easy for me to make new ones and frankly, I don't often (ok, probably never) try.
But, don't misunderstand me--I know that this is not considered "normal" and I often wish that this aspect of my personality were not so deeply rooted .

Now, before I go any further, I feel it pertinent to actually define what I mean when I say "people."
So, here it goes, for lack of a more...academic definition:

PEOPLE: Individuals who are not kids (and yes, I realize the absurdity there since EVERYONE was at one time, in fact, a kid--I never said my appeals were to logos);  mostly over the age of 30 and under the age of 80 (for some reason, I find the elderly fascinating).

And there you have it--the definition of people in the world of Cassie Bunje.

This rather pessimistic and certainly asocial view of the human race is not something with which I was born, however, I feel that it began cultivating itself at a rather young age.
My childhood was not one to be looked back upon wistfully, and it didn't really get much better as I grew into young adulthood. This was due, almost entirely, to my interactions with and observations of, you guessed it--people.
In fact, until I became a teacher, I held out very little hope that I would ever be able to gaze upon the face of another human being without a hint of scorn, mistrust or distaste. True story.
Truth be told, and this is not me being dramatic at all--you could probably accurately say that teaching saved my soul. More on that later.

So, back to today (Sunday) and the churning maelstrom (look it up) of pessimism taking hold of me.
 In my reading earlier ( I was searching for a quote from Greene and forgot which book it was in--so I skimmed them all), I happened upon an interesting quote.

 I would like you to read and reflect on this quote, and tell me what you come up with in terms of whether or not you agree with what it says, and what it even means.
As always, qualify your answer with an anecdote of personal (or not-so-personal--whichever you prefer) experience to help illustrate the point you are making.
Here it is:

"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."  --Rovert Greene

Have fun, my pumpkinsunshinefaceheads...

32 Names in Eskimo...So, Where Did We Go Wrong?

So, I've been thinking.  Sometimes that happens.  And when it does random topics whirl through my mind like mini cyclones, and sometimes in order to make sense of these thoughts I will write them down.  In the chaos and the tumult that is my mind, the ability to stop time by capturing those thoughts and depositing them on a page  is invaluable to me, and so, here we are.

The word "love" gets thrown around so much on a day-to-day basis, it's a wonder the letters haven't broken off and gotten lost forever. Or--have they? How often do you say you "love" something as silly as a pair of shoes or an ice cream flavor?

I have many favorite novels and one of those is The Secret Life of Bees.  It was remade into a movie with Queen Latifah.  Meh.  Anyway, set in the 60's at the start of the Civil Rights Movement, there is this matriarchal character in the story named August (think of the vocab word).  She is one of the so-named Calendar sisters in the book (the others are named May and June and there was once an April).  August takes in a 14-year old runaway, the main character in the story, and her name is Lily.  Like most storylines of the ilk, August is wise and weary and capable of great one-liners.  And this is one of them:
On page 140, August tells Lily,"We are so limited, you have to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving Coke with peanuts. Isn't that a shame we don't have more ways to say it?"

The first time I read that line (Summer of 2005) I pondered it for hours afterward, desperate to find another word to replace the one that should remain sacred. And came up with....exactly nothing. It has never been far from my thoughts since then. 


So, your challenge for this week, poppets, is to dig deep inside yourself and think about what it is that you really love. In order to do that, I think it would be beneficial to start out with a working definition of what love is. How would you define it? What characteristics would be a good representation of it? And then, at long last, ask yourself..."What do I love?"
Does putting a classification on things you have previously said you "loved" change your perspective on what the meaning of love should be?

Oh, and for those of you wondering, "what's with the title of this blog, Bunj"--the Eskimo language has 32 words for denotative love.  32?!!!!!

The Obligatory Thanksgiving Post--With a Twist

So, yesterday, a beautiful day indeed, found me walking a trail I had never seen before with my dogs.  I take them to the same spot in the woods all the time, so this seemed weird to me.

Why had I never seen this before?  Because I tend to be cautious in all other areas of my life, when it comes to exploration and traveling "new roads" I am fearless. So, the mysterious trail beckoned to me, and I decided to explore.  My dogs, always happy to accompany me no matter the direction, followed.

And...nothing happened.

It was just a trail that led deeper into the woods an to another trail.  After about 15 minutes of exploring, I was back on the original path.

Which started me thinking in a metaphorical way.
 For instance, the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc.
Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops.
I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't be here, in room 204, typing out this blog.

And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for?
 Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is.

But what I want you to do here is go a little deeper.
 I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis.
I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.

Use the force.

Identity Crisis

We've been together for...what? Approximately 9 weeks or so, right? So, I think we have reached that point where we can really start to do some introspective reflection. (I'm being facetious here, intentionally. I really do know all your blogs require introspection, and that you have willingly (I hope) given yourselves over to that.)

So, although I cannot make you do this, I would like you to minimize all distractions while you think about this blog. Exercise your right to have "You" time; put away your  phones or tv remotes and for the sake of all that's holy--stop playing Fortnite or whatever time suck application/site you have open.  I know those things are necessary to, in some cases, restore sanity, unwind or engage in healthy social discourse--but for now, maximize the "quiet."  And really think about this question.

Every day, you wake up, go through your morning rituals, come to school, do your thing(s), go home, go through your evening rituals and then go to bed.
There are obviously some variations to this routine from time to time, and I am not trying to downplay your life in any way by making it sound mundane; that is not the idea here.
What I am saying is, that through all of this, these daily activities, rituals and routines people interact with you.
They talk to you, refer to you, question you, yell at you, soothe you, talk about you, defer to you or, in some cases, though hopefully not many, ignore you completely. The point is, they KNOW who you are, at least enough to do one or more of the previous things.

But, when you stop to think about it, do they really know? And, more importantly, do YOU?

Beyond names, job titles or academic or athletic accomplishments, beyond labels given by yourself or by others, who are you?
Who are you inside?
If you had to write your name, and then your definition, what would it say?
Would it be a collection of traits, hobbies and virtues? Would you be able to strip yourselves cleanly of those three things and still define yourself?
Why or why not?

Ready, set, GO....

The 7-point Creed

I keep meaning to explain this to you in a very conversational way, but somehow there never seems to be enough time to be able to really just "talk" to you.  This schedule really--what do you guys say? BMS? Is that right?  Well, if that's right then that is what this schedule does.

Anyway, my dude John Wooden used to tell his UCLA players that being successful on the court meant nothing without being successful as a human.  No surprise there, and certainly not an original idea but Wooden didn't just preach it--he made his players LIVE it.  They all had to come up with their own blueprint of success that was modeled around a few tenets which they could apply to all aspect of their lives. (a tenet is a principle or a belief)  He called this list of tenets a 7-point Creed. This was the name of a list his own father, Joshua, had given to him when he was about to go into middle school.  It read as follows:

* Be true to yourself.

* Make each day your masterpiece.

* Help others.

* Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.

* Make friendship a fine art.

* Build a shelter against a rainy day.

* Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

If you don't know who John Wooden is, look him up--his story is quite remarkable. As a coach, I deeply admire him and the things he has accomplished. As a human being, he is amazing in every sense of the word and one of the few people I can honestly say I aspire to emulate. As you know, I don't say that about very many people.  He is also the renowned author of last's week's blog title--I reallllly like the guy.

In any case, your task for this week is to come up with your own 7-Point Creed and share it here.
Along with the list of statements that encapsulate your belief, you should also provide some sort of description or explanation about how this belief inspires you, keeps you grounded, motivates you, etc.

 I know that this is not something you can do in two days. And this is why I am extending the deadline until Friday (Oct.26) night. You will really need to put a lot of thought into this.

 Ask yourself these questions to help you along:

What do I value?

What are my morals?

How do I want to be perceived by others?

What do I want my legacy to be?

What have I learned in my life?

What else do I want to learn?

Now, I certainly don't want you to answer those questions and consider that to be your creed. Remember, a creed is a sort of guideline for living, but it is also completely subjective. Look at Wooden's creed again. The statements there are kind of ambiguous and can be open to interpretation, don't you think? So, when you are doing this, try to keep that in mind. However, it is precisely BECAUSE the statements are ambiguous that you will have to explain what you mean by them, what they mean to you and why you chose them. Always the why.

What you are basically doing is creating a blueprint all your own, by which you can live your life. YOUR life. Nobody else's.

After all, who is more important than you?

"Don't Let What You Can't Do Keep You From Doing What You Can..."

The above quote is from one of my favorite coaches of all time, former UCLA basketball coach,  ''The Wizard of Westwood," John Wooden.  I talk a lot about him throughout the year because he's kind of a hero of mine, even though, usually, I claim not to have any.

This quote, one of his more well known ones, got me thinking about the state of the world we live in, and how one day soon, it will be up to all of you to fix it.  No pressure.  :(    But, if you even glance at the TV when the news is on, you know I speak truth.

We're in bad shape, and I am seriously doubting the world's so-called political leaders have a clue how to go about reversing the damage.
But, that's what I think is so great about kids.  Your potential is limitless, your perspectives are fresh, and your souls aren't yet weary (I truly hope).  All that simply means--if the world is going to change, it will be because you guys changed it.

Let's start with what you think is wrong.  Maybe you think it's racism, maybe you think it's a propensity for violence, maybe you think it's ignorance, maybe you think it's sexism or poverty, or the fact that we've had the same 2-party political system for the past 200 years.  Talk a little about what you think is truly wrong with the world. Think macro or microcosm (society at large, or Oakcrest society), and really tear into what needs to be changed and what, we, the adults in the room, did wrong.  How could you, would you, should you, do it better or simply differently?

What you're doing is more than a blog posts, pumpkins. It's more than an assignment, more than a Genesis entry--this is your world and eventually your lives.  Both of those things matter.  Show me how much.

<3

There's No Place Like Home...or School...or the Cove...

As a kid, I moved around A LOT. It wasn't until I was 15 and a sophomore in high school that I was ever in the same school for more than a year.
 Because of this--well, because of many things but this is just easier to point a finger at--I have never been able to go back to a place where I lived and say, "This was my home--I belonged here." Feeling as though we belong somewhere has a tremendous impact on who we are and who we may one day become.

The need to belong is an evolutionary one, embedded in most people's genetic make-up.
Abraham Maslow, a renowned psychologist who conceptualized what is now known as an individual's "Hierarchy of Needs,” reasoned that the need to belong is third on the pyramid to a fulfilling life (the first two are pretty basic--physiological and safety needs), and without that feeling, we simply cannot advance, grow or ever fully become the people we are destined to be.

So--what do you think?
 Do you, at the young and impressionable age of 16 or 17, feel the inherent need to belong?
 I bold that because feeling the need and feeling that you actually DO belong are sometimes two very different things. The most popular people you can imagine, the ones who are in every club, do every sport, go to every party--do you think THEY feel as though they belong?

If you feel like you do belong somewhere--where is it?
 What makes you feel that way?
What does that sense of belonging do for you and your self-esteem?

If you don't feel as though you belong somewhere--why not?
 What do you feel is missing?
 Are you misunderstood, undervalued, overlooked?
What does NOT feeling like you belong do for you and your self-esteem?
A lot to ponder over--trust me, I know. Give it some thought and tell me about it.

"I Am...Whatever You Say I am..."

Ahhh...the unwitting brilliance of Eminem. Waaaay before he was murdering MGK he was gifting us with some genuine pearls of wisdom...and I don't say that sarcastically.  When you think about it, other's perceptions of us often turn out to be true--even when we don't want them to be.  We can explore this idea later, and we will, but for now, just this.


How many times have you said to yourself, and for that matter, to anyone who would listen--"I don't care what anyone else thinks...".

I know I've said it at least once in the past month--please note, today is the first day of the month...so...yeah, already said it.

 In our heart of hearts, though, do we really believe that?

It seems an age-old question, but it is one that may not have just one answer: to what extent do other people's perceptions of you have an impact on the decisions you make?

Peer pressure, parental pressure, self-imposed pressure, all these outside, or inside, forces have the potential to make you act, or react, in ways that you normally might not if never exposed to those influences.
My question is: Why? Why do we care?
Why is it important?
Why do other people's perceptions or expectations of who we are have so much of an influence on us? Or do they? Be honest with yourself when you answer. After all, it's just us so you can be honest here.

Part 1 of the INDEFINABLE words & HARD TO ANSWER QUESTIONS segment of our broadcast...Why We Love..

Most of us have been there at one point; the ones who haven't will get theirs, eventually. IT IS INESCAPABLE....

There you are, innocently sitting there, eating your Cheerios or some other tasty snack, when it hits you.  That flash of lightning that zips through your brain, jump starts your heart to the point of acrobatics, and sends the corners of your mouth into that half-circle of upward idiocy because that stupid grin won't stop spreading. 

An image of the love of your life burns itself into your brain like a cheap plasma TV screen.  Yup--it's love, and its got you in its grips.  Muu ahhhhhahhhh.

If none of this sounds familiar to you--don't worry--you simply have no soul.  ;)  Just kidding--like I said, you'll get yours and it'll be just as described with different metaphors. 

 Not ever being privvy to this feeling does not preclude you from this blog question, though; no doubt, you've seen what looks like and that's as much as you need for this assignment.

First, define love.  Nbd.  Thousands upon thousands of poets, essayists, philosophers and the like have all tried to come up with a working definition--whose to say their version is better than yours?  Do your best.

Have you ever been in love, or known someone who has? 
 Did their behavior change?  Did yours?  
Why do you think we are attracted to those we are? 
 What do you look for in potential relationships?  
What is your idea of a "perfect" relationship?  
Who taught you about love? 
 What is your earliest memory of "seeing" love?  
Does that memory affect how you view the idea of love?

And, finally, what will you teach your future sons and daughters about the idea of love and relationships?  Think about this one, and imagine what you wish you knew...

The Value in our Valuables

Every once in a while,a situation presents itself to you, and in so doing, however unwittingly, that situation tests your resolve, challenges your moral fiber and forces you to examine (or re-examine) your values.  These are the "pivotal moments" in our lives when our choices begin to define who we are.

When things like these happen, one of two things may be the result:
you will try to ignore the situation until it absolutely HAS to command your attention,
or
you will rush to a decision so that you don't have to think about it for too long.

 I have a theory about why these two possible reactions are so prevalent. And here it is:
There are simply not enough moments in a teenager's day to give the appropriate attention to the notion (idea) of what he or she values.
 Not to mention the word itself, values, is such an abstract term that who really has to time to ponder its meaning AND the implications AND live the life of a carefree kid? Nobody.

So, as a result of my theory, this blog question was born. Because sometimes we actually have to MAKE the time to do stuff like this, not because of a grade (although certainly that too), but because these are golden opportunities to ask ourselves who we really are.

 I would like you to really let the questions I am presenting here have some time to marinate so that you can reach a deeper level of understanding.

What DO you value?

Please don't say things such as "friends, family, or iPhone 12thousand  in rose gold."
Those things are just that--things (yes, even the people).
While they have surface value, they are not what I am talking about. Why? Because, in order to get to the deeper understanding of yourself and your actual values, you have to ask yourself WHY you consider those things valuable.
We already know the selfish answer to what makes the people in our lives valuable--we need them.  That's why I don't want you to list people.

Because, now,  you have to ask yourself a two-part, very fundamental question:

1)What makes you so mad you could scream? What fills you with unabashed joy?
and
2)Why do you have those reactions to what you listed?

The sum total of those answers is the amorphous notion of your values.

These are hard questions, and like all hard questions, the answers may take a while to come and you may have to write it as you're thinking about it. Please do so, because I would be willing to bet that all of us could benefit from your thought process as well as your answers.

Buena Suerte.

Welcome to 204!

I use this same post every year because even though it's generic, it does what it needs to do for a first time experience.  So, here we go...


As the year progresses, the questions you encounter will become much more conceptually dense (meaning--you will need to really take the time to think about the concepts) and will require a great deal of cerebral introspection (meaning--thought).
For now, though, we start here.

Welcome to your very first 204 blog post.
We will be using this blog frequently, both as a tool and a resource to get the most out of our time, and as a place we can go to share thoughts and valuable information and ideas whenever we need to.
Each week, there will be a question posted that you all must respond to in the allotted amount of time.***(Usually, 3 days, but it could be shorter. Plan well.)

These questions may be a jumping off point to class discussions, a support activity to lend insight or knowledge to what we are doing in class, or simply a thought-provoking way to get you to look at the world around you and marvel at your place in it.

These questions will not be simplistic, and they should not be done when you only have 5 or so minutes on the computer; rather, they are questions designed to make you think and your posts should reflect that. You will be graded on your responses by their content, so I would encourage you to try to not leave them for the last minute.  I care much more about the quality of the thought you put into your responses rather than the quantity of the words you use, so, no, Vivek, there is no word count you need to follow. ;)

Now that the formalities are finished, I would like you to consider the following:
You are now entering your junior year.
Some people say that this is the toughest, most demanding year of high school for a variety of reasons.
What do YOU think?
Do you have any expectations about what this year should bring?
What are you hoping to get out of your AP Lang class and your junior year in general?
What are your fears about this class and/or about 11th grade?
 Are you where you want to be academically, socially, physically etc? If so, how do you know? If not, why do you think you aren't?