Wait, you tricked me--that wasn't LEARNING, it was fun!

I'm a firm believer in horizontal, all-inclusive learning. This is why I'm teaching The Hunger Games in a Composition class, why my students use Blogs, Wikis and YouTube throughout the semester, why my World Lit. students recognize Spoken Word and a Shakespearean sonnet, and why my ENG 100 students now know who Hans Christian Andersen is.

I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged me to read, took me to the library, and bought me books when they could.  I have a lovely illustrated compilation of some of Hans Christian Andersen's best-known stories, so I knew that Disney's The Little Mermaid was stuff and nonsense even as a child.  My students, however, do not.

As their journal assignment this week (12-15 sentences), my ENG 100 class was to read a fairytale by Andersen, give a short summary, and indicate whether or not they had ever heard anything like it before.  Other than the Little Mermaid, none of my students recognized the tales they read--and some read "The Princess and the Pea"!  I wasn't shocked, but I was gratified that I had introduced them to something new.

While initially the students griped because the stories looked long to them, in the end, they all enjoyed the fairy tales they read.  They learned something new, realized that the fairy tales they thought they knew were rooted in stories that were much older and more sinister, and synthesized what they are learning about narrative in writing with classic literature.  And we all lived happily ever after...

Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out

September 30 - October 6 marks this year's Banned Books Week.

Every year, individuals and groups who believe they know what is best for others challenge books, plays, poetry, short fiction, and art in an attempt to ban the works or restrict them. While this is common practice in many countries--often government or church mandated--in the United States, the right to exercise the freedom to read, view, and hear whatever we want is protected by the First Amendment. The American Library Association (ALA) promotes Banned Book Week every year to highlight works that have been challenged here in the U.S. Banned Books Week involves a number of activities meant to draw attention to censorship, including a "Read-Out" of banned material. Thanks to the internet, the Read-Out has gone digital this year. The Virtual Read-Out has a channel on YouTube. A sincere opponent to censorship, I have encouraged the students in all of my classes this semester to participate in the Read-Out, even if only for our class's benefit. ENG 120 (Composition) is reading The Hunger Games with me this semester--this YA novel has been challenged a number of times already. ENG 201 (Research and Applied Writing) has been challenged to create a video for any challenged or banned work. ENG 262 (World Lit. II) is a poetry and drama class, so students will create Read-Outs of challenged or banned plays and poetry. Even if they don't submit to the Virtual project, students will post them to class blogs so other students can view them.

What are you doing this week?

Teaching in the Era of YouTube

Today I found myself wondering how teachers ever made it through a school year without YouTube. The answer is somewhat fuzzy, and I believe it involved something along the lines of "V H S." (Whatever that is!) I have implemented YouTube videos into two difference courses this week, underscoring concepts in a way that would not otherwise be feasible within the time constraints of the classroom. While I'll deal with the second use later, I must share this first: ENG 262: World Literature II deals with poetry and drama (World Lit. I tackles short stories and the novel). My students have covered closed and open form poetry, rhythm and meter, sound in poetry, and figurative language this semester. I wanted to broaden their concept of poetry, however, so yesterday I introduced them to John Ecko's and Apollinaire's interpretations of concrete (or shape) poetry and to poetry as spoken word. Shape poetry is fun; it's visual and engaging. Almost every American child learned what a "diamante" (diamond-shaped poem) was back in elementary school. Moving on... Spoken word is new-ish on the scene of poetry in some ways, but in many ways it is the oldest form of poetry. Before man began to write, he spoke. Epics like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Beowolf were not the only types of poetry--or even literature--to be passed down orally. Poetry has a long and illustrious history as an oral art. If you mention "spoken word" to some older lit. profs, you may hear scoffing, or note memories of smokey coffee shops, espressos, hash and and snaps flicker across the face of your listener. One never knows the secret lives of professors! To introduce spoken word to my students, I begin with this stereotype: students in berets, black jeans, and turtlenecks, sipping gourmet lattes, smoking lazily, and listening intently to an identical speaker at the focal point of the cafe. Snaps can be heard at the finale of the artist's poem, then silence as each digests what he or she has heard, sipping and smoking all the while. My students laugh; this is a scene they recognize from the movies. Good, I've made a connection. I then note that while this is how some spoken word poetry is still delivered, it has become something of a sensation now in the U.S. Poetry slams begin at school levels and end on live, televised, national events introduced by celebrities. Spoken word poetry has always been largely in the first person, dealing with social commentary, pop culture, or personal angst. Having thus introduced my students to and engaged them with spoken word poetry, I turn to YouTube. As an aside, I note that we will watch, then take a moment to absorb each piece before moving to the next. I have good reasons for these pauses, my class soon realizes. First: Sierra DeMulder's "Paper Dolls" We discussed the role of poetry in feminism (and feminism in poetry) at the beginning of the class session, so this connects with the Sexton and Rich poems we've discussed. Students are visibly affected by young Miss DeMulder's condemnation of society's treatment of women, culminating in a passionate call to raped women not to accept society's handling of their "situation." I cried the first time I saw this, several years ago. I had a difficult time keeping everything together in class. Moving on... Second: Joshua Bennett's and Justin Reilly's collaboration "Women" Again, this ties into the theme of women's role in the world and in poetry. Last: Miles Hodges' "Maskless" This affected some students more than others, but none were entirely unaffected. To hear a young black man talk so nakedly, so unapologetically about his fair skin tone on an island where nearly everyone is black and skin tone still matters--even if no one will admit that out loud--was disturbing at a foundational level for many students. Without YouTube, without immediate access to these young poets and their relevant, striking, evocative works, the discussion of spoken word poetry would have been nearly pointless. Not only did students react to the works, but many of them also understood--for the first time--that poetry IS relevant, not just in the classroom, but to the world, to THEM. This poetry moved my students. I cannot take credit for that, but I can take pleasure in knowing that I opened up the world, just a little bit, more for those twenty-five students. Without YouTube, I could not have done this.

Extra! Extra! Cheating Scandal at Harvard!

"Typo at Root of Cheating Scandal, Letter Reveals" Oh, you thought Harvard students didn't cheat? WRONG. A number of studies right now are dealing with the question of not whether people cheat, buthow they cheat. Everyone, given the opportunity, cheats. The difference lies in the skill with which a person cheats and the magnitude of the situation (ie: copying a multiple choice answer on a quiz from a classmate versus versus insider trading or embezzling money from a company). The question then becomes, how do we minimize cheating--or at the very least, discourage it? If the emphasis in a classroom is actually learning, and not passing or earning grades, the temptation to cheat is lower; however, the u1biquity and popularity of MOOC's have shown that people will cheat even when there is nothing (money, grades) at stake. Signing an honor code is minimally effective for a short time, but not long-term. Must we, as teachers, accept that if a student is going to cheat, plagiarize, or lie, he is going to do it regardless? Have we, as a society, also taught our students that it's okay to cheat--even if one gets caught--especially if one does not get caught? I'd err on the side of HELL YES WE DID! How many corrupt executives, politicians, or other public figures have been caught with their fingers in the proverbial cookie jar or with their metaphoric pants down in 2012 alone? Can we really blame our students for buying into the philosophy that society has taught them, that everyone cheats, so as long as we are smart about it, we can (and should?) cheat, too? Frightening. The last time I cheated was in second grade, when I copied off Alexis M.'s reading quiz. I felt so terrible about it that I admitted it to the teacher. I don't think she even punished me, she could tell my guilty conscience was doing a better job than she could anyway. I learned my lesson, though, and have not cheated on anything academic since. I am a fanatic about proper citations and giving credit every single time it is due. Undoubtedly, I have "cheated" in other ways since, but none that gave me pause like that one did. Am I as bad as my dirty little plagiarizing students? Perhaps I am; I'm sure I've kept my mouth shut as a cashier rang up an item at a sale price when it should have been full-price. Next question: What do we do about it? We are all cheaters! Thoughts?

Publishing and Respect for Culture

Sounds like an odd mix, doesn't it? I spent most of my downtime (if you can call it that) Monday putting the final touches on an article I wrote. "Regional Dialect and Homophones: Teaching Standard English Composition to Thomian-Dialect Speakers" will be published by Claflin University in Summer 2013 in an anthology backed by the Claflin Initiative. Oddly enough, the topic became germane at happy hour last night with fellow UVI employees (not all professors). We were discussing cultural differences on St. Thomas--especially those that create difficulties for our students. One of those is the stigma surrounding mental illness--even so basic as stress or anxiety. Many West Indians believe that only the truly "crazy" seek help for mental concerns, and others believe that we are still in a 1950's time warp when anyone who admits to mental concerns will be given a shot and never seen again. This obviously causes difficulty for advisors, counselors and professors on the college campus. If a student believes that her anxiety or severe stress are normal, or that she must "get over it" on her own, she is quite likely to fail right out of school. Sadly, if that student had spent an hour with a counselor on campus, she might have found some coping strategies and become a more successful student as a result. Mental health, however, is not where my article nudged its way into conversation; rather, a discussion of perception led to some of our observations about how crucial respect is in the society here. Students will not listen to a professor they do not respect, nor will they do much more than show up and sulk through the class, texting or playing Angry Birds (if they aren't flat-out listening to music on their smart phone). One of my challenges--which I addressed in the article--is to teach students how to communicate effectively in Standard English (SE). Most West Indian students (from any island) use a dialect similar to English, but largely without most of the grammar or syntax structures familiar to SE speakers. In order to teach my students effectively, I must first help them to accept that while there is nothing "wrong" with the manner in which they speak, it is not SE; therefore, they must learn to use SE for the academic and business worlds. If a teacher sounds condescending or insulting, however, the students simply won't care--she will already have lost their respect because the students will feel that she disrespected them. Teachers at every level walk thin lines, but at the end of the day, shutting down students with a condescending or sarcastic comment is not going to serve anyone--least of all the students.

Let the Games Begin!

Oh yes, you heard correctly--I am teaching The Hunger Games in English 120: Composition this semester!


I am only teaching one section of ENG 120: Composition this semester, so you'll have the joy of reading about ENG 100: Writing Across the Curriculum (a remedial grammar and writing course), ENG 201: Research & Applied Writing, and ENG 262: World Lit. II (poetry and drama). You may also have to suffer through hearing about my new office mascot--my kitten, Titan. If you teach at a college or university where you cannot bring your pet to work, I sincerely feel sorry for you.


And with that, bring on the students!

TWO "N" Words?

I was reading this article on The Chronicle of Higher Education this morning and feel that it touches on an issue with which nearly all English professors (and even middle and high school level English teachers) deal. "The Trouble with the Other N Word" I am white. My students, upwards of 97%, are not. The U.S. Virgin Islands are historically black. It is fundamentally wrong to describe my students as "African-American." Why? Oh, let's see: 1. Even those born in the "U.S." Virgin Islands (post our $25 million purchase of the islands in 1917) prefer to be designated as "West Indian" (believe it or not, many "Diversity" surveys include this designation as distinct from African-American); 2. Not ALL of my students are from the U.S. Virgin Islands; in fact, many of them are from 'down island,' Puerto Rico, Dominica, Haiti, or Africa; and 3. The U.S. Virgin Islands is a non-voting territory in the U.S. Congress--that means no vote in the electoral college--and are about as different from mainstream U.S. culture as it gets, so no, my students do not self-designate as "African-American." Having said all that...we read Harlem Renaissance literature, as well as Caribbean literature dating from the early 20th century. Both "N" words are used in both of these. The blatantly inappropriate "N" word (if you have to ask which one that is...) is used by West Indians just as alternately negative and colloquial as it is by mainstream African-Americans (listen to any hip-hop or rap radio station if you don't believe me). Again, let me remind you: I am white. This puts me in a unique position. First, you must realize that I am the minority here--at the University and on St. Thomas. Second, as a professor, I believe that my role is to open up my students to different worldviews--this is not the same as blatantly insulting them. This creates an interesting cultural paradox for me: My students (once they get to know me) trust me to be honest with them. AT. ALL. TIMES. This is a promise I make to them on the first day of class, every semester. I also promise my students that they will not offend me, and while I will not intentionally offend anyone during the duration of the course, I will apologize once and only once in the event I do so unintentionally: "Sorry" (and that's all you get). Even in my composition courses without literature components, we discuss topics that are racially, culturally, spiritually and politically sensitive. (After all, isn't that what college is for--to learn about others' points of view and the way the world works?) I have not asked my students for their thoughts on the current debate over whether to censor the "N-word" out of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn , but a senior advisee from last year did bring it up with me while she was reading it in a capstone Humanities seminar. She has family ties in the Caribbean, but has also lived in a number of places throughout the contiguous U.S. and will be moving back stateside to work on her Master's (so proud!). She was bothered by the use of the "n-word," but when we talked about it, she eventually verbalized that what really bothered her was the ease and innocence with which the word was once tossed about, even in 'polite' society: her discomfort (and no small amount of genuine P.O.'ed-ness) came from the realization that HISTORY, not Mark Twain, was insulting. Once she was able to express this to me (and herself), she grew pensive. I asked her what she thought about publishers who wanted to censor the word from the text...and she thought it would be akin to editing history. I have to agree with her. This still leaves me with the question of whether "Negro" is just a thinly-veiled way of saying the BIG "N" word...but unlike the author of the article, I think I will be able to ask my students their opinion, and proceed accordingly.