More tomorrow.

Unbelievable greatness. Here’s Eggers’s short story from the most recent New Yorker.

I was a bit startled that most of you are unaware of the health care debate raging around us, but that’s what this class is for, isn’t it?

I mentioned OpposingViews.com in class today, and while I haven’t had a chance to explore it thoroughly, they have a section on the health care debate. Might be worth thumbing through, as the people writing the arguments must meet one of the following criteria:

• They are a recognized leader in their field
• They have a significant following or constituency
• Their views have been widely published or broadcast
• Or they have a unique personal experience in a specific area

I mentioned TED.com as well. We are watching a video on the morality of liberals and conservatives in my senior English class, so pop over there if you’re interested. We’ll discuss articles tomorrow.

So, I went and did it. I wrote a reading quiz and made you take it. While no one asked why you had to (and you promised you would), the reasoning I gave in class was this:

1. Some of you are motivated by grades, points, etc. While I do my best to dissuade you from this, hoping that you’ll instead enjoy the book, many of you remain steadfast. That’s cool; we have quizzes.
2. It gets us all thinking about the same scenes from the novel while maintaining our own opinions of them. In years past, I would open with “So what happened?” and someone would give a synopsis. This worked fairly well, but colored everyone’s interpretation. I want to know how each of you read it, not come to a consensus.
3. Some of you are smarter on paper, or unwilling to speak up in class. I’ve always been in the former group, so I feel your pain. Writing out your thoughts gives you a chance to organize them. For the quiet ones, you get your opinions to me, though the rest of the class misses out. I may read some of your responses in class. If you are worried about this, just let me know.

Bookmark the previous post (the reading schedule) so you don’t have to go searching every night. Some students copy it into their reading journals or on a bookmark so they always have it. Do whatever you feel is best.

“How I Came to Be a Teacher”

Fifth hour (and anyone in third hour who is interested): I’m really excited that you decided to write your own story similar to mine. It will be due Friday in lieu of an essay over the book. Remember that it does not have to be about you as a student. Here are some ideas:

• How I came to believe…
• How I decided to change my life/outlook/attitude.
• How I came to the realization that…
• How I came to be friends with…
• Post below if you come up with more.

The only parameters are that it should be about something you have achieved, or something you are doing/living now. While “How I decided to become a _____ when I grow up” would be an interesting story, focus on something that has changed in your recent past.

As always, email me with questions.

Click through if you’re having trouble watching it here.

A few things to consider:

• Posting comments below is a good thing.
• As I said last year, it might be easy to jump to the conclusion that conservatives are conformists and liberals are rebels, it goes much deeper than such absolutes. We’ll talk tomorrow.
• Read through chapter 12 for our discussion on Tuesday.