Matt’s Class

Yeah, so today was pretty much just reading.

I was just wondering, on behalf of the theoretical public out there, whether teaching public school now involves nothing more than reading out loud to a bunch of bored kids out of an old “classic” book? Where are the lectures? The grammar exercises? Where are the particles of knowledge and how exactly is this reading pouring those particles into the receptive students’ little heads?

I mean, we’re just reading a book together. Is this “teaching”? In W’s immortal words, “Is our children learning?”

Well, maybe I can defend myself against myself. There’s actually a lot going on during these reading days:

– We develop and ask questions on every level, from basic fact-based questions and background knowledge, to questions that require a synthesis of material from the book with real life experience and opinions.

– We try to answer a lot of those questions in far-ranging discussions that let us brainstorm as a class about major themes; many of these questions and answers develop into full-fledged writing assignments that actually delve quite deep.

– We learn the definitions of certain new words–but more importantly we’re learning how to figure out the meanings of whole passages with many unfamiliar words by inference, without looking up definitions.

– We’re figuring out how to keep engaged amidst the chaos of total unfamiliarness. This may be the most compelling reason of them all, according to this recent NY Times article: LINK

Anyway, it’s certainly true that I spend a lot more of my time these days grading writing than preparing lectures. Maybe it’s justified. Maybe not. Comments?

Here’s today’s stuff:

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Okay. So this is not the best class ever. A discussion that went very well in a previous class crashes and burns an hour later. What happened in that fateful hour? Lunch.

Lunch: the enemy of education.

Lunch ladies: education’s best friend.

Ironic.

But this is just sad:

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Okay. I know it’s 4th period’s time to shine and all, but you should have really heard the 3rd period discussion today. It went way deep into the structure of the book and some of the deeper themes and motifs. All that happens in this recording of 4th period is the Germans kept distracting me with muttered comments about my mother, or something like that. I couldn’t understand much. (They claim it had nothing to do with my mother.)

Speaking of the Germans, they both came to class eating corndogs today, which they claim don’t exist in Germany. Go-merica!!! Also, we figured out that the word for corndog in German sounds like “corn-hound” in English. I like that. A lot. So I forgive them for the things they said about my mother.

Anyway:

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Day 4 of the Moby-Duck-Athon. I thought this marathon of reading would get to everyone, but it’s a happy surprise that most people are staying productive. You can’t tell from the audio so you’ll have to take my word for it that nobody in the class is asleep these days. I consider that a pretty great achievement. I truly am a master teacher.

Do you think you say the word “Descartian” like “day-car-tee-an” or like “dez-car-tee-an”?

Judge for yourselves, world:

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Sorry for the delay. The podcast server was down on Friday. As is typical, I have no recollection of Friday’s class. I guess it’s good I recorded it.

Here’s hoping:

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Okay. Lots of reading. Nice discussion at the end about why this book is about a whale, and why it’s not actually about whales.

Avast!

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I think this is another bread ‘n’ butter day for me. That’s not really saying much. We had a few laughs, at least–that’s worth something, isn’t it? A quick warning to the young and uptight: This episode contains some slightly off-color punning, as well as the prominent use of the term “ass hat.” By a student, I mean. I was saying “bass hat,” in case you can’t tell from the recording. Anyway, I didn’t start it.

My deepest apologies, taxpayers.

Beware:

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This week, you’ve got three options to choose from. These prompts are based on the discussion from Oct. 8th, which I highly recommend you listen to before attempting a response.

Listen to the class discussion HERE.

Take a look at your writing options HERE.

Good luck!

MT

Okay. This is more like it. Today, we end up sounding just a little bit smart. And we did real work.

You should also be aware that I taught this entire class wearing fabulous sunglasses.

Enjoy:

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Holloa!

No audio today since we spent most of the day reading up to Chapter 26, and discussing the various ways in which all the positive developments in the modern world are directly attributable to the brave actions of whalemen throughout history. At least, that’s the premise of two of the chapters we read today. I argued in class that these chapters are a sort of joke Melville is playing on us, and that wherever he is now, he’s laughing.

I only half mean that, though. There’s definitely a deeper way of reading these super-extended digressions that are spread liberally through the book. This is the kind of book that tries to show us the god of its world in the details. That is, the wild profusion of details Ishmael includes in the narrative all work together to reveal the ruling “spirit” of the book. Wait. “Ruling spirit?” Really? Not just plain old “theme”? I think it’s more than a theme. It’s an overarching feeling, a whole world created, complete with its own gods, in the mind of the reader, providing the context in which all the characters struggle and make decisions. Out of the richness of these details is born the meaning of the struggle. See, to understand this book we have to learn to read the context and not be too distracted by the text… Or something… Bleep bloop bleep

Oops. Overload.

To be honest, it was actually pretty boring reading it for the third time today. Mellllllllvillllllllllle!

More tomorrow.

MT