What Will Your Verse Be?

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering – these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love – these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, “O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” What will your verse be? (Thanks to Prakrit for sharing this Apple ad inspired by a scene from Dead Poet's Society)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome back everyone! Hope you are all rested and re-energized from three weeks away from school. I know I am. What did you read over the break? I devoured Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the end of the Lane, a creepy supernatural book like Coraline but for a slightly older reader. The main character is 7 years old. Actually, he's a middle aged man reflecting back on something that happened when he was 7. I liked it, but that's not surprising since I like most of what Neil Gaiman writes. So, confess. Did you think of your teachers even ONCE during the break? Did you miss us? Can you imagine anything as frightening as seeing one of your teachers while on vacation somewhere remote and unlikely. Well, pity poor Sophia Lesser, one of only a handful of tourists in the picturesque Chateau Gruyere, Switzerland, on the last afternoon of 2013. In truth, Sophia was very good natured about the whole incident, and didn't seem to be disturbed in the least to see her RLA teacher in a small Swiss village named after a very smelly cheese. I know that I was very pleased to see her! Here's the photo as proof. Please note how exceptionally fabulous we look in our cold-weather clothing. :)

Did you see anyone you knew during the holidays? Did you read any great books? Please share your news with us in the comments below:

Misunderstood

Have you seen Apple's holiday ad? It's a clever way of storytelling and there are many of you who can connect to the storyline. Is this you at your last family reunion? Check it out:

Showing off the talent of former B side student

I'm so proud of our former B-side student, Alex Fortmann,SAS student, for his beautiful film, "Flight". The script is reflective and insightful (it was his 7th grade English teacher, I'm sure of it!) and makes my heart swell with pride.

Flight from Alex Fortmann on Vimeo.

I can't wait to see all the cool things YOU are going to do with your life! Make sure to let me know so I can share it with my students :)

What to Give your Teachers this Christmas?

I know you all LOVE Kid President. I love him too because he believes we are all capable of awesomeness, and of kindness. He is wise beyond his years. In this fabulous video he asks, "What if EVERYONE gave a gift that made the world a little bit better?" How about you and your family decide to buy gifts for folks who really need one this Christmas, instead of just buying more "stuff" for each other? I'm pretty sure I can speak for all your teachers when I say we'd be happy if you gave a gift to someone who needs one, to show us how much you love being in our class. It's a win-win-win! Just sayin'

What book does this remind you of?

I find this a little bit creepy but it absolutely reminds me of a book we have in class. Is anyone else reminded of a book when watching this video? If you are, write the title in the comments below!

Hey Hobbit fans, have you ever wanted to visit Middle Earth?

Just in case J.R.R. Tolkien fans didn’t have enough material to satiate their geekiness with three Lord of the Rings films, three (in progress) Hobbit films, books, gear, fan fiction, etc., they can now explore Middle-Earth through Google.(click on link)

Tolkien himself included painstakingly detailed hand-drawn maps in the print editions of his works. This new Google endeavor is an interactive version of those maps and provides a guided tour of Middle-earth and all the elves, hobbits and other creatures that inhabit it.
(courtesy of TIME.com)

Visit the site and comment below on your favorite creature from The Hobbit.
And if you haven't seen the intense trailer for the new Hobbit movie, here it is. Don't forget you can read the book too - I have it in my classroom!