OK, I’m finally going to finish the bomb shelter story. Maybe. After we finished The Giver, we had a couple of days before Christmas to sort of debrief and discuss. We talked about “the end justifying the means” and such, and if it is OK to sacrifice one innocent to save multiple others. (Here’s Part I.) Then I busted out something I hadn’t used in years; the old bomb shelter exercise. I got it out of an old 70′s touchy-feely teaching book. I had to give some background about “duck and cover” and Mutually Assured Destruction and that sort of thing (good groundwork for The Martian Chronicles later on), and they laughed about hiding under their desks from nuclear weapons, and then… “So now the missiles are coming in two minutes. Your bomb shelter has enough room and supplies for you, your family, and six other people. But there are 10 people pounding on your door begging to be let in. You have to leave four outside to die.” I give them the same group of ten supplicants I got from the old book: a) An accountant, 31 years old, b) his wife who is 6 months pregnant, c) a
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I don’t usually make New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve always considered New Year’s Day sort of a lame, artificial holiday. My brother and I call New Year’s Eve amateur night, and I rarely venture out. But this year, I actually made two (sorta) resolutions. One: my family has encouraged me to try to “be nicer.” Hrrmmm. We’ll see how this one works out. In fact, yesterday one kid interrupted me for the umpteenth time with, “Guess what my New Year’s Resolution is?” “If you don’t stop interrupting me, you’re going to make me break mine.” My other “resolution” is to post here more often. I already sort of broke that one too by not posting this yesterday, but… I actually kind of enjoy the first day back from vacation. “MISTER COWWWAAAAAARD! I missed you. I got braces.” “MISTER COWWWAAAAAARD! You know you missed us! You did, didn’t you? You know you did.” “MISTER COWWWAAAAAARD! I thought you were going to get a haircut over the break! But I’m glad you didn’t. But I got one. I also got an ipod. MISTER COWWWAAAAAARD!” “MISTER COWWWAAAAAARD! Did we have any homework over the break? I hope not, because I didn’t do it if
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We had an open mouth quiz on chapter 8 today. One class has several boys who have a new phrase they’re trying out. Personally, I sort of like it. 4) On p127, we get an example of what seems to be foreshadowing. What is it? a) When Two-Bit says that Darry will kill him if Pony’s really sick. b) When Two-Bit says Darry could be a Soc. c) When Pony says he has a helpless feeling. d) When Two-Bit calls Pony chicken. e) When Pony says he’ll be well by tonight. “OK, number four. What’s foreshadowing?” The class takes care of that one for me. Most of them laugh, and one says, “I was wrong.” (Pony’s line at the end of chapter three, and a beauty example for them of foreshadowing.) “Oh yeah. Ok, so it’s C, right?” “True that.” “Number six. Darry, I mean Dally (they always mix up those names), right?” “True that.” (me, doing some “refocusing” of a gentleman off to the side) “‘Clark,’ could you focus your comments on the questions? Open mouth only applies if that mouth is talking about the questions.” “True that.” “And I think we’re done with that line, for today at [...]
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