The Super Bowl of High Schools

Mary Tedrowe's opinion piece "The Rankings Game," in Teacher magazine decries our fascination with rankings in public schools.

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/12/12/14tln_tedrow_web.h19.html?levelId=1000&

So what if you're not always perfrect?

This semester I have asked my rhetoric students to write weekly for ten minutes on a famous quotation. The goal is that it will build fluency and comfort. There's a rough format for their responses: paraphrase, show how it's true (using examples from your life and the real world), then show how it might have some unexpected consequences if we really took it to heart. Sometimes students see that the veneer on common, uplifting, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps quotations is pretty thin, and leaves those who try and fail in a funk. This article in the New York Times talks about the unintended negative consequences of believing in the ubiquitious maxims of perfectionism in the American culture:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04mind.html?em&ex=1197608400&en=12509c9b97c24d7f&ei=5070

Mind over Mind-over-body

In this article, "I'm not really running, I'm not really running," published in the New York Times, Gina Kolata writes "No matter how high you jump, how fast you run or swim, how powerfully you row, you can do better. But sometimes your mind gets in the way." My rhetoric class took a look at this today in class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/health/nutrition/06Best.html?em&ex=1197435600&en=2dad7bfa34bfa04a&ei=5070

Also, for the students who wrote about teen drinking, and unhealthy choices, here's an article that shows why it's such a confusing and complicated issue, especially for teens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09RTEEN.html?em&ex=1197435600&en=3e50e0cff26142c7&ei=5070

Need a book to read?

Here's the New York Times' list of the ten best books of 2007:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/books/review/10-best-2007.html?_r=1&ref=books&oref=slogin

Need 90 more? Here's the NYT's list of 100 notable books. Get reading!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/books/review/notable-books-2007.html

Freedom of speech

We've chatted in class about some recent freedom of spech issues. Mostly we've considered whether it was right for the university to allow Iran's president to speak, or about Iran's president's right to speak. Here's Stanley Fish's interesting argument about the appropriateness of the University President's introductory remarks:

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/the-administrative-imperative-always-lower-the-stakes/index.html?hp

Fish's theme of the separation of a teacher's role -- between her academic duties and her rights of free speech as an American citizen -- has been a regular feature of his NYT blog. It's a teacher's role to teach thatthere is a controversy, and the history of that controversy, but not to comment on the controversy. Critics will say that "saying nothing" is filled with meaning, is similar to tacitly agreeing with the "evil side." Fish doesn't claim that the teacher shouldn't talk about of the schol buildings, just that she shouldn't use the classroom as a political forum.

A history of the "always academize" theme on Fish's blog can be found here:

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/academicize/

More in the world of writing...

Here are two more articles that I thought you'd find interesting. You might read these while applying your make-up or gelling your hair for Homecoming. May these articles provide ideas for future papers, or just food for thought.

1. Your favorite bands from England might not be coming to America soon... or ever. Find out why here in an article by John Jurgenen, who writes about music for the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118980966247828081.html

2. Seen more fat kids lately? It is caused by Taco Bell or Halo? (or something else?) This article (originally published) in Forbes reports about a new study by the American Journal of Preventitive Medicine. http://www.districtadministration.com/newssummary.aspx?news=yes&postid=48354

Happy dancing!

In the World of Writing...

Young scholars:

Here are links to two articles from today’s Tribune that are interesting in their own right, but also might be helpful with paper topics.

The first one is about the Deerfield parents who have been sentenced to jail for having drinking parties. I think that the response by the high school student (in the middle of the article) is good food for thought. My opinion on her thought is mixed.

The second is about some contradictions in the U.S. about “freedom of speech.” The last line is excellent, and makes you proud to be part of the U.S., even though it might be flawed.

Feel free to comment, or send links to articles that you’re finding of particular interest.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-deerfield_27sep27,0,823191.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0927parkersep27,0,1077543.column

Be careful this weekend. I want to see every one of you safe and sound on Monday morning.