Wanderings…

I am SUPPOSED to be retired.  Several teachers, including myself, were offered a retirement incentive last spring.  I am the only one who did not take it.  I watch my much younger colleagues happily retiring and wonder what is wrong with me.

My whole life has been centered around libraries.  I love them.  I need them like I need air to breathe.  What on earth will I DO when I retire?  Of course, I can still be involved in libraries.  I suppose I could volunteer…. But can I stand to not be in charge???

In recent years, it has been a rare semester that doesn’t bring me a fresh new intern to terrorize – whoops – mentor.  I LOVE doing this.  I love the idea of sharing the “mission from God” with the next generation of librarians.  Several folks have urged me to look into teaching grad school classes.  But – when I DO retire, I just don’t think I want to jump into another regular job – even a part-time one.  The only reason I would leave the job I love, is so I can wake up and plan my own day or week, without pesky job obligations

My hubby and I spent 4 glorious weeks of vacation this summer, celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary.  If I thought retirement would be a series of such trips, I’d sign on the dotted line in a heartbeat.  Alas!  Were we to adopt such a wandering life style, we’d soon be broke and practicing our dumpster diving skills.

So my friends – got any ideas for me?  I have to grow up someday.  But I really don’t want to…..

Leonard Pitts has a powerful editorial today.  “You don’t really know me”

Words to make you weep.  Words to make you think.

Again …  The Power, the Truth & the Immortality of Words.

Good writing and references to the “cannon” remind me of the power and the beauty of reading and writing – and why I became a librarian in the first place.  The Power, the Truth & the Immortality of Words

It has also started me thinking about  communication on the interactive web – ranging from email, to forums, to blogs, to Twitter etc..

We teach expository and creative writing in English class all the time.  How much do we teach about communicating in public?

My questions:

• Are we teaching students how to communicate effectively ONLINE?
• Are there writing conventions that we should be teaching to increase the quality of that discourse?
• Do we teach students how to express their ideas in a compelling and succinct manner?
• Do we teach students how to express disagreement/dismay/disgust respectfully through powerful language, free of expletives?
• Do we teach kids the power of using common  literary & cultural references in their writing outside of English class?
• How many teachers give students the opportunity to practice these skills authentically through blogs and such?

At the risk of being a curmudgeon, when I read the opinions posted on YouTube et al, I despair for the fate of rational discourse in the internet era.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, specific units taught in your school, opinions on how to keep internet communication civil and meaningful, references to articles….anything you would like to share with me – and the small number of folks that wander into this blog now and again.

I was struck today by this week’s Time Magazine Inbox.  Referencing an article about our corporate/economic meltdown, Vicky Brago writes:

The villains in this saga are not sorry. Almost 70 years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote that “the greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil Dickens loved to paint but … in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.” Never before has the truth of his words been so apparent.

To be able to write like C. S. Lewis……  You can feel, see – almost touch – the cold & seductive evil described in those words.   There is a reason why we read the “classics”.

I feel like the teenager left out of the party right now. Everyone is at NECC – and I wish I were too. Oh well. Maybe someday I too will go to the ball

Meanwhile – I am out here thinking on my own. And as usual, I need help.

All good readers have developed reading techniques to help us through difficult text. Scanning for headings and subheadings, interpreting context when encountering unfamiliar words, etc. What about online? There are lots of articles about evaluating resources on the web. I am looking for a list of tools that will help students make quick but informed decisions while navigating websites. Are there techniques that can be used?

We ‘traditional” readers are used to reading in a linear fashion. How does this work in a hyperlinked environment?

I am not sure what I am looking for here. Certainly, I would like to find some good research articles/ studies on how people approach a website. From these studies, articles, blog posts etc., I would like to develop a list of techniques that I can emphasize when teaching our students.

Some techniques I am thinking about:

• Scan the whole page before clicking anything.
• Locate the navigation helps on the top and the sides of the page.
• Locate the “about me/about us” link. If it is not there – go on to the next site.
• Look at the address so when you click a link that takes you away from the site – you are aware that you are “not in Kansas anymore”.
• Know how to click those ruby slippers and get back home quickly.
• Other ideas?

Please help me out here folks. I need to make a vague idea concrete.