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...
Monday, September 24, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
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?
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?
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