Academic Writing… Why Do I Have to Take this Class Anyway? 10 Feb 201112 Feb 2011 I haven't studied math since high school. I excelled in it. I took all four years of accelerated classes, keeping college majoring options open. Then I tested out of college…
Baby Boomers… How to Stop Time 9 Feb 20119 Feb 2011 A student who's juggling unemployment stress and family crises (while still getting his schoolwork done) asked, "Can you just tell me how to stop time?" The same day, my son…
Academic Writing… New Messages on Texting 7 Feb 20118 Feb 2011 Could texting be good for literacy? Some early and brief studies are suggesting that it might not hurt as much as you fear. Students who spell well in general can…
Creativity… Did I Miss Anything? 5 Feb 20114 Feb 2011 When Billy Collins was the United States Poet Laureate, he encouraged schools to read a poem a day: no analysis, no writing assignments, only the pure nourishment of experiencing a…
Academic Writing… How to Get that Easy A 3 Feb 20113 Feb 2011 Show up. Show up on time, every time. Stay the whole time. Read the instructions. Listen to instructions. Try common sense. Be sober. Care for your health. Choose to learn.…
Completion… Day is done 2 Feb 2011 Day is done, gone the sun, from the lakes from the hills from the sky. All is well. Safely rest. God is nigh. That version of Taps is one of…
Academic Writing… I Am Woman; Call Me She 27 Jan 201127 Jan 2011 Since Facebook already knows whether you are male or female, and even distinguishes between your "Cousin (male)" and "Cousin (female)," a distinction the English language doesn’t make, then why can't…
Academic Writing… Does Education Pay? 18 Jan 201118 Jan 2011 Yes, college requires work. Does it pay off? Here's what the Bureau of Labor Statistics has to say about it: That's for full-time workers at least 25 years old. The…
Academic Writing… “I Have a Dream” for Writers 17 Jan 20119 Feb 2011 Today you'll probably hear the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And it will probably begin, "I have a dream!" I recently shared his entire speech from the March…
Blogging… Mercy 14 Jan 2011 I was busy grading my students' late papers when I realized I'd missed my own deadline here. It made me happy to be showing them some mercy, so I don't…
Brain… Want to be smarter this decade? 29 Dec 201029 Dec 2010 As a child, I often heard that brain cells did not replace themselves, that intelligence was a matter of genetics, that you couldn't teach old dogs new tricks, and that…
Change the World… With every Christmas card you WRITE. 23 Dec 201029 Dec 2010 "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I WRITE." -- Irving Berlin Ha! Caught a few of you writing! You signed your name to a beautiful card.…
