Day 9 5/19

 Today I created class agenda 5 and 6. Class 5 I focused around the topic of joy. Using the poem "These Times" by Dan Szczesny, I wanted to emphasize the simple beauties of life which were a direct result of quarantine experiences. I connected this back to the previous class' brainstorm exercise, which was then used to assign the first poetry writing assignment. I deliberately did not require a specific form for the poem to take, as Covid Spring goes to show, there are so many ways to express the emotional experiences of COVID. For Class 6 I emphasized the intersectionality of race and climate change during 2020, as well as the direct connection to COVID. This focus was not only to have important discussions on this period of significant changes, but also to tie to the theme of dramatic changes which occur during a pandemic. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 2 5/11/21

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wgiV0Rn4SkuC-GpGfzaccanmG65Hf4tJsClnGGo2KN0/edit  The focus of my day was split into two primary objectives; creating the agenda for class three and starting to read Station Eleven. Class 3 starts with a poem of the day which I selected from the Covid Spring collection. After reading through the anthology, I selected Mike Nelson's "Coronalove", transcribed the poem, and created a quick write assignment with it. For the rest of class 3, I researched and sampled various podcasts which I could include in the class. I found a piece of the Spanish Flu produced by the History Channel, which I listened to and found fascinating. To then connect it to class, I assigned the first major paper, having the class actively take notes while listening to find connections or distinctions to the COVID pandemic, and then writing a one page compare and contrast essay. After completing the Day 3 assignment sheet, I spent the rest of the work day starting to
Read more

Weekly Reflection 1 5/16/21

  While this week I officially declared my major at Union to be economics, my passion for English has always been, and will continue to be a massive part of me. The objective of this project was to experience what being an English teacher is like. As expected, there are elements which I love and others that have proven to be a challenge. First off, I love the creative aspect of formulating something new, with a precise attention to detail. Each assignment, note, discussion which I have created thus far has been done with intention as I constantly imagine a classroom setting where my class is actually taking place. I want the students to feel a way to process the collective experience of the COVID pandemic, and through that process reveals themes that can be carried forward with truths about humanity. That component of exposing themes is what has always drawn me to English, as I know that it is deeply applicable to understanding life itself. I myself have been able to take time to refle
Read more

Day 1- 5/10/21

 My first experience as an English teacher has begun. Today, I was able to complete the first two daily agendas of my expected thirty to make up the entirety of a semester course. The first day focused around two different radio pieces; the first, an NPR special interview with Ilan Stavans, who created an anthology of coronavirus pandemic experiences through global authors in a book called And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again, the second piece from NHPR on the increase in poetry activity as a result of the pandemic. I have selected Stavans anthology as one of the primary texts of the course as well as Station Eleven. I coordinated with Morgan Hill Bookstore to get both texts and have been able to start Station Eleven with  And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again coming within the next couple of days. The title for  And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again comes from Dante's Inferno, so additionally I read the Capo XXXIV of that classic text, watched an analysis, and i
Read more