brave new world foreword

In light of our need for more time to get our work done, please make sure your comment is posted.  Then, please read the rest of the Foreword (below, continued after the jump) and summarize on your blog (title: HUXLEY'S FOREWORD TO BNW).

Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrong-doing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
Art also has its morality, and many of the rules of this morality are the same as, or at least analogous to, the rules of ordinary ethics. Remorse, for example, is as undesirable in relation to our bad art as it

february 28

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Break on Through" by The Doors]

(With Huxley's "The Doors of Perception" in mind...)
As Alexander Graham Bell observed, "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."  What doors are open for you right now?  What opportunities do you have to take a positive step in the world that leaves a valuable footprint in this community?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discussion: where is your tribe?
3. Continue BNW Foreword

POST:
Several well-documented studies have suggested that many people can be aware of a problem-- and fail to act, because they think someone else will respond.  In one case, dozens of residents in an apartment building heard a woman being attacked... and no one helped her because they thought someone else would.

What distinguishes the person who acts, when others merely think about it?  How can you use this to your advantage as a student and a member of our community?  (title: I'M THE PERSON I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR)

february 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today the focus is on collaboration.  Think about the direction your masterpiece is headed, and ask yourself how talking about your work can refine your thinking and help identify additional skills, talents, & resources to help you?  What skills/talents/resources do you have that might help someone else?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Self-evaluation
3. Big Question: it takes a village (*find the others)

self-evaluation

As we head into the first progress reporting window of the Spring semester, it's a good time to reflect.  Since I only see you for a few hours each week, and you spend 24/7 with yourself (including that oh-so-valuable time with your subconscious while you sleep), please answer the following questions as we begin to assess your performance.  Please write your answers in complete sentences-- you do not need to copy the questions-- on a piece of paper and turn in ASAP.  Please remember to write your name in the upper right hand corner.  Mahalo.

1. What do you do best in this course?  Where are you strongest, most confident?  What can you say you have actually accomplished or learned so far this semester?
2. Where do you need improvement?  Support?  What can you or the teacher do to help you?
3. On a scale from 1-10, how much effort are you putting into this course?  (*You can separate this out into categories; for example, if you put in a huge effort on your blog, but not so much on the reading or the journals or the lit circles, explain)
4. What letter grade do you believe you have earned at this point in the course?

february 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do you feel tired so often?  Since I assume most people know how to address being tired (sleep, rest, reduce stress, eat better, etc.), what is preventing you from living in a way that sustains your positive energy throughout the day?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2(a). Watch Mike Wallace (of eventual "60 Minutes" fame) interview Aldous Huxley
2(b). In an essay-let (essayito?) of 1-3 paragraphs, please comment to this post and cite 3-5 ideas from the talk to support your validation or refutation of the following claim:

We are living in the Brave New World.
(*You can also copy/paste this into a post for your blog.)

february 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe the worst villain you've ever experienced in a story.  What made this villain so... VILLAINOUS?  Use an example to explain your answer.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Brave New World: background and introduction
JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe the worst villain you've ever experienced in a story.  What made this villain so... VILLAINOUS?  Use an example to explain your answer.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Brave New World: introduction and background
3. Finish Foreword & begin reading chapters 1-2 of Brave New World 
4. Read "My High School Hoax" (try the link first; the comments are priceless--if the link doesn't work, you can read the text of "My High School Hoax" after the jump)
5. Then read "Committing to Play for a College, Then Starting 9th Grade" (if link doesn't work, see "Committing..." after the jump)

POST:
In a blog post entitled HAFTA/WANNA explain similarities/differences you see between your life during high school and life after high school.  Is there a significant difference?  Will people somehow magically transform the day after graduation, or will they take their current habits of mind/word/deed into their next set of daily activities?  How do you balance the things you want to do and the things you have to do, and what are your expectations of yourself and the world around you as you move on?


POST:
There was a time when the future seemed like it was guaranteed to be brighter and better than the present.  Is it still?  How do you see the future?  What is your view based on-- your own experience, movies, books, headlines, what adults say...?  Do you think it's set in stone or is the future something we can influence by making different choices in the present?  Explain.  (title: BRAVE NEW WORLD)

february 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine that you've accomplished all you set out to do. What would it take for you to risk it all, lose it, and move on without complaint?  (*Take a moment and let this really sink in before you begin to write.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Workday: please make sure your journals and blogs are complete and up-to-date

february 21

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What makes something funny?  To explain your answer, use an example from real life.  Describe a time something happened, or someone told a joke that made you laugh out loud.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Gatsby: finish reading, debrief/discussion

POST:
Answer the following questions (title: WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT GATSBY)

(Suggested opening: "The great thing about The Great Gatsby is that the characters and their decisions also reflect life in America today.  For example...")

1. Is Gatsby great?  Is he even good?  Why/ why not?
2. Nick opens the book by complimenting himself for his honesty.  Is Nick honest with himself?  Why does he constantly hang out with dishonest people?  Why does he respect them and seek out relationships with them?

3. Fitzgerald describes Daisy and Tom this way: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree?

4. Do you understand Daisy's behavior?  Do you agree with her choices?  Is she a person you would let your brother/son/friend date?

5. The last line of the book: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  What does this mean?  How does it relate to the theme/s of the book?

february 20

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Sometimes ideas from class stick with us and sometimes they don't. Describe an idea that you learned in class that has stuck with you longer than you expected. Why does it stick out in your memory? Was it presented in a memorable way, or is it particularly meaningful or valuable?

AGENDA:

1. Journal

2. Finish Gatsby

POST:

What does the last line of the book mean?  (title: FAMOUS LAST WORDS)

february 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe a practice that's good for you -- working out, eating vegan, sleeping 8 hours a night, flossing every day -- that you don't do.  Why don't you do something that you KNOW is good for you?  Logically, this seems absurd, but we all develop habits and life practices that need improvement.  What will it take for you to take better care of yourself?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Quiz on weekend reading
3. Gatsby Chapter VIII

study confirms that books at home are good for us

Don't take my word for it; read THIS.  And if you don't have books in your house, get some.

meet the five year-old who opened a library

"The benefits of having access to books are clear: According to a 2018 study, people who grow up surrounded by books develop higher reading comprehension and better mathematical and digital communication skills. But not every kid has access to reading materials in their house or even their hometown. A 5-year-old resident of Alpha, Illinois recently solved this problem within his own community by opening..."

Please read the full story HERE and comment below.

february 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
How far away from you (or how different a life from yours) does a person have to live in order for you to consider him/her a "foreigner"?  Are you inclined to welcome "foreigners" -- whether they be from a different country, city, or even just another social clique on campus-- or are you inclined to favor people whose experience is more similar to yours?

**If you finish before the rest of us: a) refine your journal entries for the week; b) look up "Trimalchio"; c) work on your blog.

AGENDA:
1.  Journal (please turn in)
2. Gatsby
3. Agreement: how much should we read this weekend?

POST:
What's the difference between agreeing to complete work for each other, and being told what to do for homework?  (title: HAVE TO VERSUS WANT TO)

thousands of uk students skipped class to protest climate change

Please read the full article HERE.  Then comment to this post with your thoughts on their actions.

testing directions

1. Go to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District website: http://www.smjuhsd.k12.ca.us

2.

 3.

 

4.

 

5.

february 14

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "My Funny Valentine" by Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker; "California Love" by 2Pac]

How will the love you express today be remembered tomorrow?  Also, if you really love someone, why do you need a 'holiday' to express the way you feel?

(P.S. Help those poor people who paid 3x the price for roses this week by being a role model for love the other 364 days.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. HIJACKED. TESTING
3. Gatsby (time permitting)


POST:
How can you show what you learn about what we read?  (title: HOW YOU KNOW WHAT I KNOW)

february 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
The human body is such an amazing design.  Evolution.  Wow.  But whether you believe that Mother Nature, or God, or selective adaptation from primordial ooze is responsible, why do we have such weird quirks?  Why is pain necessary?  Or fever?  Or phlegm?  Why couldn't we just have a red light or buzzer that goes off and says "Er, hey, you should probably get some rest"?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Gatsby Chapter 5 & 6

POST: reading notes to your blog (title: GATSBY CHAPTERS 5 & 6)

teen journalism

Sometimes the writing of teenagers causes me to reflect on the integrity and passion that adults so often lose to age and the compromise of "maturity."  This is one of those moments.  Have a look at SINCE PARKLAND and let us know what you think in a comment to this post.

(Thanks, BoingBoing!)

february 12

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Do you think money changes people?  Are people who are born into money different than people who aren't?  Are their lives really that different?  Why are we so curious about the extremes (like people who are super-rich or super-poor, for example)?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Blog audit results and feedback
3. Back on track: reading Gatsby

february 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Several of the themes in The Great Gatsby deal directly with human values and how we interact as individuals in society.  How does the book address the roles of women in our culture?  How does the book address differences in class and race?  Are rich people, or men, or white people "better"?  How much (or how little) do you think American culture has changed in the nearly 100 years since the book was first published?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss chapters 3 & 4
3. Begin reading chapter 5 and post your notes (title: GATSBY CHAPTER 5 NOTES)

february 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
When does Nick feel tested (or at least uncomfortable) in the book?  When do you feel tested in life?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Today is reflection in the form of torturing a friend.  Write a test with at least two questions per chapter. 

POST: the questions (BUT NOT THE ANSWERS) on your blog (TITLE: GATSBY TEST CHAPTERS 1-4).  Get at least three friends to take the test by commenting to your post with their answers.  Grade them and report their grades with the correct answers in a second post (TITLE: GATSBY TEST GRADES).

***
Q: Dr. Preston, what if I can't get three friends to take my test?
A: Fine-tune your powers of persuasion and try harder.  This is all-or-nothing.

gatsby audio

Some of you have asked me about an audio recording of the book.  (Full disclosure: I haven't listened to this.  If it's good, please comment and let me know.  If it sucks, please comment and let me know.)

february 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do people like playing games such as "Truth or Dare" and "Two Truths & A Lie"?  How do you know when someone is lying to you?  Do you think Nick can tell when someone is lying to him?  How?  Give an example.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Read Chapter 3 & 4

POST:
(title: GATSBY CHAPTER 4 NOTES) Answer these two questions: 1) What "truth" does Gatsby tell Nick in this chapter, and 2) What "truth" does Jordan tell Nick?  Do you believe either one?  Why/why not?

february 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Write about whatever's on your mind.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue reading Gatsby (as far as you can)

POST:
Reading notes (title: GATSBY NOTES)

february 4

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Did it occur to you to read this weekend?  Why do you think this sort of idea comes naturally to some people, and not to others?  What will you have to do in order to support this habit?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Gatsby pp. 39 - 59

POST:
At the end of Chapter III Nick tells us of his "cardinal virtue" -- what is it?  How does this admission change the way we look at Nick?  Is his idea supported by the events we've read so far?  Do you think he is being humble or arrogant?  (title: NICK'S CARDINAL VIRTUE)

february 1

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Let's talk Gatsby!  What do you want to talk about today?  What did you read over the last two days that's worth writing about and/or asking questions about?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Gatsby plot, characters, and discussion topics
3. Fitzgerald's style/techniques
4. Checking in: are we on the same page?
5. Our reading schedule