Paper Proposals, Ideas, Questions, Thoughts and other Miscellany

This is the spot, folks.  Your Gladwellian notions and queries can all go here.  This is a collegial space where everyone is encouraged to offer thoughtful advice and ideas on each other's work.
In college, this skill is integral in your own personal success.  For a more concrete example, I offer the confounding fact that 50% of one of my grad class's  grade is comprised of my interactions with my fellow scholars.
So, there you have it.
Mingle!

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...Creeps Into this Petty Pace from Day to Day...

...and now I'm quoting Macbeth.  It's madness. Computer-inspired madness. My life, I swear.

In any case, at long last, here we are: Blog numero uno for week of Dec 9.  A simple one, as I said it would be.  It has, as you will see, nothing to do with the title, but then that just provides further insight into the maelstrom that has become my life since the Great Computer Crash of '13.

This response, and your peer responses, is due by Thursday night.  Tomorrow (Wednesday for those of you keeping track) I will post a more introspective query and that one will be due by Sunday night.
Onward and upward.

Tis the Season, as today's snow day would indicate. So, in that spirit, I would like you to compose a sort of reverse Christmas (or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any celebratory designation) list. I would like you to think about the edifice you inhabit for 5 days a week/7 hours a day.  The Oak. El Oako. The Falcon's Nest. Oakcrest High School.
What holiday gift(s) would you like to bestow on our school?  Now, since EVERYBODY will undoubtedly refer to the time of year when AC is at a premium, let me just take that off the table right now.  So, no gifting us air conditioning.  After all his time, it's kinda our thing that we don't have it, am I right?  No? Ok. Well, everything else is fair game.  Think building-wise, think academics, think demographics, think budgetary, think aesthetics, think faculty, think anything and everything related to our school. What would you like to give the Oak for the holidays?  As always, expound on your answer.

The Obligatory Thanksgiving Post--But, Not Really

Today, a brisk day indeed, found me walking through the woods with my 4 furbabies faithfully traipsing beside me. We had a mission, although some folks may find it sad or morbid, and despite the near below freezing temps, my dogs and I sojourned to a special spot deep in the woods by Maple Lake.  That is where my beloved Marley is now buried.  She died last year, February 6, on a day that felt similar to this one in temperature and that was what propelled me to visit there today.  I don't go often to the place she is buried, although I go to those woods no fewer than twice a week.  

So, in any case, there I am, walking with Josie, Jack, Murphy and Riley when I see an opening in the woods that opens up to a trail, so immediately I want to explore it.  I don't often do that--explore I mean, especially when I'm alone because with dogs it's never a good idea to not know your terrain. But the feeling of wanting to, well that started me thinking.

When I think, I habitually try to draw parallels. I have an inherent need to try to connect to things--to synthesize the knowledge I have to make sense of knowledge I aspire to. I notice that many of you do that too. It tickles me when I see you do it. But, I digress. (shocker)
 So, anyway--parallels.  Like wanting to explore the trail--the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc. Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops. I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't have 204, this blog or all of you.  Every year there are new things, new ideas, new kids to talk to, to learn about to KNOW. It's really quite something.

And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving. Which, by the way will be E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T!! I fully expect to eat myself into a food coma.  Bring it ON.

So, tell me, what is it that you're thankful for? Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is. But what I want you to do here, not surprisingly I hope, is go a little deeper. I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis. I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.

Use the force.

Last Guys Don't Finish Nice

I am a Robert Greene fan.
The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War (I don't have the one he wrote with 50Cent) are all displayed prominently on my bookshelves, and the abuse each one of them has taken (bent pages, cracked spine, coffee spills/burns) would indicate that I've read them several times.
Further, it comes as no surprise (well, to me I mean) that I am feeling a bit cynical this evening, and for that, I apologize; I think that my internal struggle with cynicism thanks to Greene may have influenced this week's intellectual proposition. I shall let you be the judge, however, as to whether or not this was a good or a bad thing.

As many of you know, and if you didn't you do now, I am not that into "people." There are a select few I would ever willingly share time with, and more often than not, it shows.  The true friends (not the acquaintances--you have to have those or it's really hard to survive in the world as an adult) I have now are friends I've had for quite a while--it's not always easy for me to make new ones and frankly, I don't often (ok, probably never) try. But, don't misunderstand me--I know that this is not considered "normal" and I often wish that this aspect of my personality were not so deeply rooted .
Now, before I go any further, I feel it pertinent to actually define what I mean when I say "people."
So, here it goes, for lack of a more...academic definition:
PEOPLE: Individuals who are not kids (and yes, I realize the absurdity there since EVERYONE was at one time, in fact, a kid--I never said my appeals were to logos);  mostly over the age of 30 and under the age of 80 (for some reason, I find the elderly fascinating).
And there you have it--the definition of people in the world of Cassie Bunje.

This rather pessimistic and certainly asocial view of the human race is not something with which I was born, however, I feel that it began cultivating itself at a rather young age. My childhood was not one to be looked back upon wistfully, and it didn't really get much better as I grew into young adulthood. This was due, almost entirely, to my interactions with and observations of, you guessed it--people. In fact, until I became a teacher, I held out very little hope that I would ever be able to gaze upon the face of another human being without a hint of scorn, mistrust or distaste. True story. Truth be told, and this is not me being dramatic at all--you could probably accurately say that teaching saved my soul. More on that later.

So, back to today and the churning maelstrom of pessism taking hold of me. In my reading earlier ( I was searching for a quote from Greene and forgot which book it was in--so I skimmed them all), I happened upon an interesting quote.
 I would like you to read and reflect on this quote and tell me what you come up with in terms of whether or not you agree with what it says, and what it even means. As always, qualify your answer with an anecdote of personal (or not-so-personal--whichever you prefer) experience to help illustrate the point you are making.
Here it is:

"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."  --Rovert Greene

Have fun, my pumpkinsunshinefaceheads...

"I Am Whatever You Say I Am..."

So, I like Eminem. There. I said it.
I actually like all sorts of music, and my iPod has an eclectic mix of Eminem, Jaz-Z, Lily Allen, the Shins, Imagine Dragons and...Sir-Mix-A-Lot. Don't judge.
Anyway, I so, back to Eminem. Questionable personl choices maybe, but in the end, he has valuable messages to communicate. Case in point:  "I am whatever you say I am If I wasn't than why would I say I am..."

At first glance, this is simple, almost elememtary (and poorly punctuated but who am I to judge?) "lyrical content," however, there is an underlying message that the rest of the words sort of belie.  I had the benefit of watching an interview of him once and in response to  the inevitably trite query: "where do you get your inspiration from, M? (seriously?! "M" as if you were bffs?  I hate these so-called "entertainment jounrnalists"), our pal Marshall casually replied, "people are gonna say what they say because they listen to my music and they assume they know me. As though there were nothing more to it than that."  His response, by no means a mine of intellecual ore, got me thinking and subsequently has become the inspiration behind this blog question.

How many times have you said to yourself, and for that matter, to anyone who would listen--"I don't care what anyone else thinks...".
I know I've said it at least once in the past month!  And it's only the 3rd.
In our heart of hearts, though, do we really believe that?
It seems an age-old question, but it is one that may not have just one answer: to what extent do other people's perceptions of you have an impact on the decisions you make?
Peer pressure, parental pressure, self-imposed pressure, all these outside, or inside, forces have the potential to make you act, or react, in ways that you normally might not if never exposed to those influences. My question is: Why? Why do we care? Why is it important? Why do other people's perceptions or expectations of who we are have so much of an influence on us? Or do they? Be honest with yourself when you answer. And keep in mind there are many questions buried here.  Perhaps you will exhume something buried in your own intellectual mine. (see what I did there?)

The 7-Point Creed: Setting the Moral Compass

I keep meaning to explain this to you in a very conversational way, but somehow there never seems to be enough time to be able to really just "talk" to you. Lang, lang everywhere and that's great, but it is a tad time-consuming. So, once again, I rely on the blog for the more meaningful endeavors, and in an effort to make better use of time, I have relied on the wonders of the internet to be able to explain the 7-point Creed, which is the integral foundation of this week's blog question.

Without furter ado--

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed,  given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

* Be true to yourself.

* Make each day your masterpiece.

* Help others.

* Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.

* Make friendship a fine art.

* Build a shelter against a rainy day.

* Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

If you don't know who John Wooden is, look him up--his story is quite remarkable. As a coach, I deeply admire him and the things he has accomplished. As a human being, he is amazing in every sense of the word and one of the few people I can honestly say I aspire to emulate. As you know, I don't say that about very many people.

In any case, your task for this week is to come up with your own 7-Point Creed and share it here. I know that I am asking a lot of you. I know that this is not something you can do in two days. And this is why I am extending the deadline, once again until Saturday (November 2) night. You will really need to put a lot of thought into this. Ask yourself these questions to help you along:

What do I value?

What are my morals?

How do I want to be perceived by others?

What do I want my legacy to be?

What have I learned in my life?

What else do I want to learn?

Now, I certainly don't want you to answer those questions and consider that to be your creed. Remember, a creed is a sort of guideline for living, but it is also completely subjective. Look at Wooden's creed again. The statements there are kind of ambiguous and can be open to interpretation, don't you think? So, when you are doing this, try to keep that in mind. However, it is precisely BECAUSE the statements are ambiguous that you will have to explain what you mean by them, what they mean to you and why you chose them. Always the why.

What you are basically doing is creating a blueprint by which you can live your life. YOUR life. Nobody else's.

After all, who is more important than you?

A Different Direction

Hello, scholars!

This week's blog posting will align closely with some current events of our days. We don't get enough time during our class periods (yet) to really do justice to some of the topics I think are important enough to have a voice, specfically Sexuality and the Cultural and Societal Expectations Wrapped Around It.  (sounds very official, eh?)

I've posted links to three different articles--technically 8 because the Huffington Post link contains 6 different articles on related topics (Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines controversy).  You are to read at least TWO of these articles and respond to the ideas, subjects, theories or opinions contained within them.
Follow up with your own thoughts--AND respond to at least three other classmate's responses.  You will not receive credit if you don't respond to other posts.

RULES

1. To disagree is NOT to disrespect
2. It is not enough to say "I agree" or "I disagree" as a response.
3. To keep you honest, you have to directly quote from an article you are responding to.

Keep making me proud.

That Mirror Moment...

We've been together for...what? Approximately 6 weeks or so, right? So, I think we have reached that point where we can really start to do some introspective reflection. (I'm being a bit facetious here, intentionally. I really do know all your blogs require introspection, and that you have willingly (I hope) given yourselves over to that.)
So, although I cannot make you do this, I would like you to minimize all distractions while you think about this blog. Exercise your right to have "You" time; put away your iPods, cell phones and Wii remotes and for the sake of all that's holy--close Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, ESPN, POLITICO, the Onion (my personal weakness) or whatever time suck application/site you have open.  I know those things are necessary to, in some cases, restore sanity, unwind or engage in healthy social discourse--but for now, maximize the "quiet."

Every day, you wake up, go through your morning rituals, come to school, do your thing(s), go home, go through your evening rituals and then go to bed.
There are obviously some variations to this routine from time to time, and I am not trying to downplay your life in any way by making it sound mundane; that is not the idea here. What I am saying is, that through all of this, these daily activities, rituals and routines people interact with you.
They talk to you, refer to you, question you, yell at you, soothe you, talk about you, defer to you or, in some cases, though hopefully not many, ignore you completely. The point is, they KNOW who you are, at least enough to do one or more of the previous things.

But, when you stop to think about it, do they really know? And, more importantly, do YOU?

Beyond names, job titles or academic accomplishments, beyond labels given by yourself or by others, who are you? Who are you inside? If you had to write your name, and then your definition, what would it say?  Would it be a collection of traits, hobbies and virtues? Would you be able to strip yourselves cleanly of those three things and still define yourself? Why or why not?

Ready, set, GO....

Deep Thoughts and Other 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.

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 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?

So, as a result of my theory, this blog question was born. 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.  So, as I am posting this late AND asking  you to take your time with it--your due date for this post has been moved to FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11th.

What DO you value? Please don't say things such as "friends, family, cell phone or iPod." 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. And then, 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.

Devil's Advocate...?

Ahh...controversy. Intellectual conversations are rife with it, families are torn asunder by it, school boards thrive on trying to eliminate it. You should probably know that I am not someone who shies away from controversy or controversial topics. Quite the opposite, in fact. I believe that controversy and the topics that define it have much to teach us, and I am confident that the subject of this blog will only serve to reinforce that belief. Remember the golden rule of 204--to disagree is not to disrespect. Especially on matters pertaining to the notions of religion.


In 1999, a Gallup poll indicated that approximately 60% of Americans believe that there is a hell. Out of that 60% only 4% were convinced that was their destination. In 2011, ten years later, that number had dropped EXPONENTIALLY to 32%. Interesting, eh? Why do you suppose there has been such a shift?
Next--do YOU believe that hell exists? If so, do you know what it looks like? Smells like? Feels like? Where did your belief come from? Your parents? Your church? Your friends? What do you have to do in order to get there?

The word that is used most frequently in the New Testament for hell is Gehenna. Gehenna is a reference to the Valley of Hinnom located on the south side of Jerusalem, which served as the city's "garbage dump" during Jesus' time. The fires that burned here never went out.
The Old Testament makes a reference to sheol as being a place where spirits reside (Deut. 32:22) and some of them will be resurrected to "everlasting life," while others are bound for "everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2)
One is a worldly destination, the other spiritual. Which one sounds more realistic to you?

Dante Alighieri was a prolific writer who wrote the epic narrative poem titled Inferno in which the main character, Alighieri himself, travels through nine circles of hell. The main theme of this particular work is that there is a kind of perfection to God's justice. Sinners on earth are relegated to various circles (or levels) of hell depending on the severity of sin. This would seem to indicate, at least in Alighieri's eyes, that there are varying degrees of sin and that each one is punishable in its own way. Do you believe this? If so, what is the worst sin that you can imagine and how should it be dealt with in hell?

Lastly, is it easily reconcilable in your own religion or any of which you have known to think of God as being the embodiment of love and grace yet imagine that it is through his word that people descend into hell, which is, ostensibly, a place of eternal suffering?
Think about it and let me know..

There's No Place Like Home...Right?

As a kid, I moved around A LOT. It wasn't until I was 15 and a sophomore in high school that I was ever in the same school for more than a year. Because of this--well, because of many things but this is just easier to point a finger at--I have never been able to go back to a place where I lived and say, "This was my home--I belonged here." Because of this, I posit that feeling as though we belong somewherehas a tremendous impact on who we are and who we may one day become.

The need to belong is embedded in most people's genetic make-up. Abraham Maslow, a renowned psychologist who conceptualized what is now known as an individual's "Hierarchy of Needs,” reasoned that the need to belong is third on the pyramid to a fulfilling life (the first two are pretty basic--physiological and safety needs), and without that feeling, we simply cannot advance, grow or ever fully become the people we are destined to be.

So--what do you think? Do you, at the young and impressionable age of 16 or 17, feel the inherent need to belong? I bold that because feeling the need and feeling that you actually DO belong are sometimes two very different things. The most popular people you can imagine, the ones who are in every club, do every sport, go to every party--do you think THEY feel as though they belong?
If you feel like you do belong somewhere--where is it? What makes you feel that way? What does that sense of belonging do for you and your self-esteem?
If you don't feel as though you belong somewhere--why not? What do you feel is missing? Are you misunderstood, undervalued, overlooked? What does NOT feeling like you belong do for you and your self-esteem?
A lot to ponder over--trust me, I know. Give it some thought and tell me about it.

Does Anyone Ever Win This Race?

Langers: Be mindful of what I told you about your blog posts, please. I have never had to take off points for an unsubstantial blog posting. I'd not like this year to be the first time.

I want you to really think about this question before you answer it. It requires you to closely examine yourself, your surroundings and your experiences.

From your own perspective, what is your definition of racism?
Does ignorance of racism promote or prevent it from becoming an ideology? By ignorance I simply mean the lack of knowledge that it exists. Because, if you were raised in an area that is predominantly white and you're white, odds are, you don't see much evidence that it does exist--right? Or wrong?
If you were never exposed to a multicultural environment, would you be more or less attuned to the cultural differences that exist in society? And for that matter...Do you believe that there ARE cultural differences? If so, what are they?
Do you think people hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude, inappropriate or obnoxious behavior? This question applies to ALL races, incidentally.
And finally, do you think that the division of class "levels" within schools (AP, Honors, CP, Non-CP) promotes or prevents a racial divide?

Welcome to 204!

I use this same post every year because it is generic and all-encompassing. As the year progresses, the questions you encounter will become much more conceptually dense and will require a great deal of cerebral introspection.
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. Each one will have a word minimum, but don't be discouraged by that. I care much more about the quality of the thought you put into your responses rather than the quantity of the words you use.

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?