I saw a link to this blog entry the other day. I think the guy is on to something. Let me know what you think... (this is my first attempt to link to something, so let's hope it works...)
I have been thinking about hope lately. How hope is defined, how we find hope, and who can really offer us hope. I came into my local coffee house today to find they were selling "inauguration" cookies. The lovely cookies had one word written on them--hope. This has become a word strangely synonymous with our soon-to-be president, and I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I think it is good to hope--good to hope that things can and will get better. Good to hope that people really can make a difference. Good to hope that traditions, mindsets, obstacles can change. I find it a good thing to hope for all of these. But I also worry about hope. Worry that sometimes we put all of our hope in people, circumstances, words. I'm not sure that something as powerful and vital as hope can be managed by something as small as a person. Or even a group of people. Partly I think this because hopes are so easily dashed and regaining hope is so hard. So ...
has lasted approximately two weeks. Now we are back to things that work better. We, as Americans, have chosen hope over fear. That is until one party is having a hard time getting some legislation passed. Then we go back to fear--because, let's be honest, it is a more effective technique. (Example: We must pass this bill now or the economy with collapse.) Okay--let me clarify something. I really am not associated with a party, and I really am not looking for our newly elected president to fail. I listened to Pres. Obama's acceptance speech and his inaugural address, and read the press on his first few executive orders. I was impressed; I was hopeful I would be pleasantly surprised with the new administration. I was optimistic that he would be different and truly attempt to make positive changes. Over the last few days I have been disappointed...not so much in his legislation as in the rhetoric he is using to get his legislation passed. He seems to be falling back...
I've been reading a TON of my students' work lately. Grades are due in the next few days. By far the most interesting reading has been my students' freewriting on who they admire. We are currently working on the beginning of our research papers (I say we because I'm writing with them--I am becoming more and more convinced that this is something every teacher needs to do. It helps me know how effective or ineffective an assignment is, and it gives me a serious dose of sympathy for my writers. But anyway...back to the topic at hand...) The research assignment is to come up with someone they think should go on the "Ms. Taylor's Wall of Fame." They can choose anyone they want as long as they can find enough research on the person; I'm researching Frank McCourt . They are going to have to write a persuasive research paper explaining why that person is worthy of the wall (they also have to come up with a title--mine is "Best Teacher-Turned-Writ...
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