This blog is one of my favorite things on the internet ever! The author is so funny and clever. I have wasted hours reading all of her posts. This post was the first one I ever saw, so it holds a special place of high regard. I am guilty of being a grammar/usage Nazi at times, and I think this blog reminds me to take things less seriously. If I can laugh at the things that make me upset, they won't make me upset anymore!
This is a link to one of my favorite comics by The Oatmeal. They have done many grammar/English related comics, but I like this one especially because it addresses the different uses of their/there/they're, you're/your, and its/it's. I'm not sure why so many people have trouble with these usages, but it's one of my pet peeves! As a teacher, I'm going to make sure my students at least know the difference between these words, even if they don't always use them correctly on the internet. This comic would even make a great handout! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
This is a short, funny video by author John Green. What I love about him is that he addresses many complaints that high schoolers often have about reading and writing. One of my favorite things he talks about is the fact that "authorial intent" doesn't matter. I was always frustrated in high school when I was asked to write about what I thought the author was trying to do/say in a piece. Isn't more interesting to know what I thought about it, what I got out of it? Let's cut out the middle man!! This is definitely something I would show to my students. "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."
~John Lennon I really relate to this quote because, for me, deciding to become a teacher was what made me happy. I agree with Lennon; "they" don't understand life. This quote is an important reminder that students, teachers, and people in general, see things from totally different points of view. This is a wonderful thing that teachers should encourage not discourage. This is one of those "memes" that were really popular a while ago. I like this one because it makes me laugh and because I think it shows the stereotypes people have of teachers. I especially like the "what I really do" picture; I'm sure teaching sometimes feels like that!
Clipping number one for my collection! My best friend found this and posted it on my Facebook wall. Fair warning, it's a tad inappropriate (but funny!).
http://imgur.com/gallery/thxXlnf |
ClippingsAssignment description: several
clippings (approximately 6-8) that reveal something about what it means to
teach English (i.e., cartoons, sayings, pictures) ArchivesCategories |