September is the real New Year

Labor Day is a great way to bid farewell to summer - and it's a starting point for getting down to the business at hand. I always think about this weekend the same way I do spring cleaning - it's a fresh start before I head into the busy time of fall and the start of the school year. Writer Andres Martinez had the same idea, which he wrote about last September noting how "The Real New Year Starts in September." I really liked that sentiment, especially because it reminds me of all those things I want to do but haven't got around to doing yet. There is much to read and write, and there are many plans to be made for next summer. Here's some of Martinez's ideas about the real "New Year."

In college, I used to love picking up the books for each course (well, except for having to pay for them) and I’d make the most of our initial “shopping period,” when you could wander in and out of any class, as if sampling a grand buffet, before finalizing your semester schedule. The possibilities were endless. But fall isn’t only about going back to school. Every workplace I have ever worked at has treated the fall as the true beginning of the year, when new projects are launched. Fall marks the start of a new football season (both of the American and English varieties), a new TV season, and a new budgetary year for the federal government. It marks the arrival of new fashions (check out how fat those magazines are!), new car models, and of more purposeful movies and weather. In certain latitudes, the fall brings a crisp air that chides you into reaching out for your long-neglected sweater or jacket — but without the malevolence of winter.

I have every intention of going into next June with plans to avoid "the Summer of George."

Professor Scott Newstok Urges Students to "Think Like Shakespeare"

OK, this is brilliant. And so necessary.

Professor Scott Newstok of Rhodes College urges students to "build a bridge to the sixteenth century" and learn to "think like Shakespeare." This reminds me of a recent Facebook meme that encourages men to "Ditch the man cave and bring back the study."  I can't explain this better than Newstok, so it's worth taking a look at his entire piece which is beautifully written and so important. The basic idea is about the idea of becoming a better human being by cultivating culture and knowledge and wisdom.

So how can you think like Shakespeare?


His mind was shaped by rhetoric, a term that you probably associate with empty promises — things politicians say but don’t really mean. But in the Renaissance, rhetoric was nothing less than the fabric of thought itself. Because thinking and speaking well form the basis of existence in a community, rhetoric prepares you for every occasion that requires words. That’s why Tudor students devoted countless hours to examining vivid models, figuring out ways to turn a phrase, exercising elaborate verbal patterning. Antonio Gramsci described education in this way: "One has to inculcate certain habits of diligence, precision, poise (even physical poise), ability to concentrate on specific subjects, which cannot be acquired without the mechanical repetition of disciplined and methodical acts." You take it for granted that Olympic athletes and professional musicians must practice relentlessly to perfect their craft. Why should you expect the craft of thought to require anything less disciplined? Fierce attention to clear and precise writing is the essential tool for you to foster independent judgment. That is rhetoric. Renaissance rhetoric achieved precision through a practice that might surprise you: imitation. Like "rhetoric," "imitation" sounds pejorative today: a fake, a knockoff, a mere copy. But Renaissance thinkers — aptly, looking back to the Roman Seneca, who himself looked back to the Greeks — compared the process of imitation to a bee’s gathering nectar from many flowers and then transforming it into honey. As Michel de Montaigne put it: "The bees steal from this flower and that, but afterward turn their pilferings into honey, which is their own. … So the pupil will transform and fuse together the passages that he borrows from others, to make of them something entirely his own; that is to say, his own judgment. His education, his labor, and his study have no other aim but to form this." The honey metaphor corrects our naïve notion that being creative entails making something from nothing. Instead, you become a creator by wrestling with the legacy of your authoritative predecessors, standing on the shoulders of giants. In the words of the saxophone genius John Coltrane: "You’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light." Listen to Coltrane fuse experimental jazz, South Asian melodic modes, and the Elizabethan ballad "Greensleeves," and you’ll hear how engaging with the past generates rather than limits. The most fascinating concept that Shakespeare’s period revived from classical rhetoric was inventio, which gives us both the word "invention" and the word "inventory." Cartoon images of inventors usually involve a light bulb flashing above the head of a solitary genius. But nothing can come of nothing. And when rhetoricians spoke of inventio, they meant the first step in constructing an argument: an inventory of your mind’s treasury of knowledge — your database of reading, which you can accumulate only through slow, deliberate study.

Broncos Should Keep Mark Sanchez

Now that the Broncos have declared Trevor Simian the game-day starter, and they have made it clear that Paxton Lynch is the Broncos QB of the future, and they've made it clear that they don't value Mark Sanchez and might cut him, the organization has no choice but to keep Sanchez and either pay him what he's owed at $4.5 million a year, or try to convince him to take a pay cut to stay with a potential Super Bowl team. At one point, with the big losses of starting quarterbacks in Dallas and Minnesota, the Broncos could have dealt Sanchez and not lost a draft pick or any cash. But now that they've played their cards, both Dallas and Minnesota know they can pick up Sanchez cheaper if they just wait for the Broncos to cut him. And the Broncos should only cut him if they have a solid lead on a veteran journeyman QB whom they can trust and not pay too much. Mark Sanchez is that guy - for the money he's owed is below or at what most adequate back-up QBs are making anyway. Not to mention, the Broncos are already saving huge money at the position, and they just cleared out a $3 million hit with the release of punter Colquitt. So, just suck it up, John. You and Kubs screwed up by naming Simian before knowing if you could deal Sanchez. And, the financial hit is minimal for what Sanchez can provide in peace of mind with two rookies on the bench.

Is Parenting Hard? Young Mom's Confessional on FB Goes Viral

We've all seen young kids behaving uh, poorly, in public. It may be the temper tantrum in the supermarket. It may be rudeness at the park or playground. Whatever it is, we are all inclined to pass judgment on the parent of the little troublemakers. And sometimes that is clearly deserved, and other times we should probably remember the frustration when kids are acting like, well, kids. That issue regularly comes up in parenting blogs and Facebook posts, and the most recent example comes from a young mom named Aly Brothers whose post about her very bad day went viral and was written about by Gina Mei for Cosmopolitan's lifestyle section.

She writes about the frustration and tears that followed a disasterous trip to the store, and she explained simply that "This is motherhood."

This is motherhood. No fancy filters, no good lighting, no new lipstick. It's messy hair that's wet from the rain, yesterday's makeup that I was too tired to wash off, and tears. Motherhood is HARD. Single-motherhood is HARD. These tears started as the cashier of Giant Eagle handed me my receipt and continued for the entire drive home. Tears that were passed on to my oldest in the backseat because he doesn't like to see his mommy cry. We know how much boys love their mothers. 

And, I guess the question we have to ask is: Is it? Really?

Her goal and her advice was obvious and reasonable. She was asking for a bit of empathy, and encouraging a judgmental public to show a bit of understanding when witnessing parents having a difficult time with their children in public. Truly, I don't disagree with that. In fact, I've even been moved to simply and politely ask a frustrated parent, "Is there anything I can do to help?" But sometimes you just need to let people deal with it, understanding that these are not rational but instead emotional moments that a child just needs to work through. Fair enough.

However, I think we need to scrutinize these ideas a bit in the abstract and theoretical. Is parenting really that hard? Or are a lot of these upsetting confrontational public moments a result of poor parenting decisions prior to that moment. My general reaction to a lot of behavior I see in the store is that our current crop of parents are doing a really weak job of parenting. In fact, we might argue that they are parents, but they are not "parenting." From dietary choices to passive response to agressive behavior to a tendency to laugh off behavior that isn't funny at all, many of my Gen X peers with young kids are simply not "raising" their kids. They are co-habitating with these young people, and they are deferring to children decisions that should be made by adults. One of the most respected voices in child psychology, Leonard Sax, agrees and explores this situation in his book The Collapse of Parenting.

Is parenting hard? I don't think that's the right word. And if it is, you're probably not actually doing much parenting.

Give All Students Extended Time on Tests

Obviously, schools have long put time constraints on students taking assessments. That reality extends to standardized tests like the PSAT, SAT, & ACT, and those tests are taking on a greater prominence than ever before, especially when it comes to accountability. Those of us in the education world know all about the term "extended time" because some kids with learning challenges require additional time to be able to compete on those tests. Sometimes they use it, sometimes they don't. But it's a necessary condition for many young people. And when it comes to college entrance exams like ACT and SAT, that's of upmost importance.

It's especially true in reading. I've long been a critic of the time limits placed on the reading test for ACT. The constraints are, in my opinion, a bit ridiculous. Students are asked to read four passages and answer forty questions in thirty-five minutes. That means averaging 8 minutes and 45 seconds per passage. That's not reading - it's a sprint. These passages are read "blind" with no prior knowledge or prep, and the obscurity of the passages can by quite challenging. I can't imagine how offering the kids an additional fifteen minutes would be bad. It's true that some kids can answer all questions correctly in the short time - but is that really so important or more impressive than a kid who would take longer. Seriously. When in our adult lives are we given such ridiculous time-constrained tasks. Occasionally, I'm given work to finish in a day. Never am I given completely new information to digest and comprehend in forty minutes. 

Why shouldn't all kids have extended time if they want it. I hated when I was proctoring the ACT or SAT and I had to deliver those dreaded words: "Stop Working. Put your pencils down and close your test booklet." How cruel for that kid struggling to finish the last few bubbles. Time constraints are arbitrary and completely unnecessary. I don't care how long it takes a kid to finish the reading. Give him two hours. Give him all day. If he needs that time to get the right answers, then give it to him.

If ACT and SAT really want to revise and reform their tests, they need to develop a way to allow all kids the time they need to demonstrate knowledge and skills.

LunchSkins are a Great Product

RE-PRINT: Views on the Village, 2013

As summer comes to a close, and school is just around the corner, many parents are kicking into their back-to-school purchasing mode.  And one product that is going to be filling the pantry again is plastic lunch bags for all those snacks.  It's usually a no-brainer for those of  us who send our kids to school with home-packaged lunches and snacks.   However, it doesn't have to be a waste of money or un-friendly to the environment.

LunchSkins are reusable and washable packages that are the perfect product for packing snacks for school lunches, or really anytime.  We discovered them last fall at the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market, and we are really pleased with how easy and convenient they are.  The "lunchskins" are little pouches with a colorful cotton fabric pattern on the outside and a "food safe" polyurthane liner that  keeps food  fresh for the trip to school.  With a velcro flap to keep them closed, they are dishwasher safe and really convenient.

Put LunchSkins on your Back-to-School list.

Jay McInerney - Novelist & Wine Critic

RE-PRINT - Views on the Village, 2012

Most people who have heard of Jay McInerney know him as a literary author, most famous for his classic 1980s novel Bright Lights, Big City.  However, these days he has as much of a reputation - maybe more so - as a wine critic who writes a regular column for the Wall Street Journal.  McInerney always had the voice of a magazine writer, albeit a literary one, and his columns on wine read like engaging stories, using the narrative of experience to open the world of wine to the novice and afficiannado alike.  Since developing a column for House and Garden - and then moving on to the WSJ - McInerney has published several works of non-fiction focusing on the wonders of the fermented grape.  I enjoyed Jay's fiction, and I'm developing a newfound enjoyment of his taste in vino.

In his most recent piece for the WSJ, McInerney spends some time with Steven Tanzer whose popular wine newsletter - International Wine Cellar - has been published since 1985.  Tanzer's newsletter has taken on additional prominence recently after the news that iconic wine writer Robert Parker sold a controlling interest in his newsletter the Wine Advocate.  Apparently, there seems to be some question to the credibility of Parker's information if it's not coming directly from his palate, or is potentially influenced by investors.  And, there is also a difference in the personalities and reputations of these men.  According to McInerney, Tanzer is a wine expert who favors "finesse over power" or more aptly, a pinot over a cabernet.  Favoring the cold climate delicate pinots is definitely my taste in wine, though I can enjoy a nice meaty cab on occasion.

Disc Golf in Greenwood Village

RE-PRINT, Views on the Village, 2013

[In early 2013] Village Greens Park in Greenwood Village underwent an extensive renovation with expanded recreational activities that include a new 18-hole disc golf course and a extensive mountain bike course. Like all things done in Greenwood Village, these projects were well planned and developed. The disc golf course - which aligns with the mountain bike course running along the Cherry Creek Dam - is in its infancy stages, having opened in spring of 2013. However, it is already getting plenty of use and positive reviews from Village residents. The course is "mostly wide open,"according to the DG Course Review website, and it will take a couple seasons for the trees and hazards to grown in. This leads for pretty easy access on approach to most holes. That may not impress the disc golf aficionados, but for players just looking for some recreation and nice challenge on their walk, the course plays fine. Since, discovering the course on a family bike ride a month or so ago, I've played several times with a top score of 3-over-par. My 11-year-old son and his friends, however, are practically obsessed with the course - primarily because of its proximity - and they have logged several 36-hole rounds.

Grade Within a Margin of Error

When a student "earns" a grade by accumulating 89.3% or 79.2% of the possible points, should the teacher award the higher or lower grade? Is the body of work truly the lower B+/C+, or is there a chance the student is really an A-/B- student? Ahh, the nuanced question of absolute value on grades - it's a conundrum for teachers who have a subjective component to their assessments. That disparity between letter grade demarcations is most significant in the arts and humanities, though more objective classes in the math/science world also face challenges in assessing the most accurate grade. I alwasy address this with my students in the first week of school and with their parents during Back-to-School Night. For, in my AP Lang & Comp class I usually give the class a surprise style analysis essay during the first couple days, and many students do .... well, not as well as they'd like and not as well as they will probably do by the end of the semester and the year. To that end, I only count the essay for half the normal points, and I will always consider dropping a low grade at the end of the semester for students "on the bubble." And I can't imagine why any teacher wouldn't also factor in some latitude to the idea of assessment.

The challenge of subjective grading of work like essays can be one of the most frustrating parts of the teaching field. In AP, teachers must rely on a general rubric that rates pieces of writing on a 1-9 scale. For the purpose of letter grades and GPA, teachers must turn those rubric scores into percentages. Many will put 8s and 9s in the 92%-98% range. And the scores adjust from there on down. And, overall we feel like this system is pretty accurate in assessing exemplary, competent, and inadequate performance. But what to do when a student's final grade ends up near that letter grade breaking point? Is the balanced part of the class where teachers grade objective tests enough to guarantee the letter grade is accurate? I often wonder. If a teacher regularly assigns an 82% for a low B grade (or 6 on the rubric), is there a possibility that a legit margin of error in giving a few essays an 81% or 83% instead could be the breaking point up or down for a final grade? The same question can be asked about those objective questions - which are occasionally debatable and certainly arbitrary in some of the content they expect for mastery.

I think we have to give students the benefit of the doubt more often than not. It's troubling that the art of assessment and grading can be such an inexact science. And, twenty-four years into my teaching career, I am still pondering the issue of authenticity.

Denver's Vibrant JAZZ Scene

Denver has a special place in American jazz history, notably for the accounts Jack Kerouac recorded of his time in Denver in the iconic novel On the Road. At the time Kerouac was writing and travelling, the jazz clubs on Larimer street and in Denver's Five Points neighborhood would have featured performances by legends such as Miles Davis and Billie Holiday. These days those areas have gentrified into Lo-Do with high rents, but they are still hipster cool with restaurants, clubs, and hangouts. And Denver's jazz scene is thriving. Colorado is host to many great music festivals in the High Country, from the Vail Jazz Festival to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and many visitors head through town on the way to those fests. Still, in Denver residents can see great jazz any night of the week. And, it's not just limited to the long-time jazz standard El Chepultepec. Recently, writer and former Denver Post travel editor Mim Swartz took a look at all the opportunities to enjoy the finer offerings of America's sound. As she notes for us: Denver's Jazz Scene Today is So Cool, man.

Of course, Dazzle Jazz — a slightly funky lounge and supper club in Denver’s Capitol Hill — has been a mainstay of the local jazz scene for nearly 20 years. Downbeat magazine has named it among the top 100 jazz clubs in the world. The club not only imports big names, it also features local talent. Good local talent. In some cases, great local talent. And where else can you go for lunch on a Friday and hear jam sessions with such a polished pianist/vocalist as Ellyn Rucker (she hosts there on the last Friday of the month, while various musicians sit in). Lucky for us, elegant Ellyn also plays gigs elsewhere in Denver. Other clubs have cropped up in the last several years, like Nocturne in the River North District and The Crimson Room in Larimer Square, both classy, sophisticated spots that make me feel like I’m in New York.

Give Students Time to Revise & Edit

RE-PRINT: Mazenglish, 2012

Teaching Honors Freshman English as well as AP Language and Composition, I focus a great deal on in-class writing with my students.  The in-class essay is only one form of writing, but it is a significant one these days.  With the rising concerns about plagiarism - even in the era of Turn-It-In.com - and the increased focus on AP classes, the ability to write in a timed setting is an important skill for students.  It certainly offers a truly authentic sample of a students ability to translate thoughts into writing.  However, the task of revision is every bit as important.  So, on some assignments I give my students a bit of a perk - and extended time.  Occasionally, I will start them on an in-class assignment, and then hand it back for a second day of revision.  Sometimes I tell them they will have two days, and on others I surprise them.  However, in between days I collect their work, so they aren't actually doing any work at home.  Today, however, I sprung a different format on the kids.  My freshman are writing final essays on Antigone today, and about halfway through class, I stopped them and offered fifteen minutes for peer editing.  They are also allowed to take the essay home and finish it.  However, it must be handwritten and I need to see both copies and any revisions.  The class was thrilled - for sometimes, they say, they just need a little guidance and feedback during the writing.  A quick tweak of the topic sentence or some advice on a helpful quote might be just the sort of editing a kid needs to get over that hump.

Students Can Buy Taylor-Made Essays Online

RE-PRINT, Mazenglish, 2012

In the ongoing battle for academic honesty against a rising tide of easy-to-access plagiarism opportunities, the arguments for a considerable amount of in-class writing just keep going up.  As a teacher of AP Language and Composition, I assign mostly in-class writing to prep my students for the exam.  In the course of roughly thirty in-class essays a year, I have a pretty thorough understanding of my students' styles and abilities.  Thus, if they turned in an out-of-class essay that didn't "sound like them," I would be pretty comfortable calling them out for academic dishonesty.  And, that is the issue in a fascinating feature in the Atlantic Monthly.  Richard Gunderman - in his article Write My Essay, Please - exposes a new addition to the essay-writing assistance that many teachers thought they had prevented with the arrival of TurnItIn.com.

Now, students can purchase assignment-specific non-plagiarized essays which can be accessed in a very short time period.  Apparently, quite a few online sources are offering essays written-to-order for very reasonable prices.  And since they are crafted upon request, they are not plagiarized and will not be caught by the standard plagiarism sites.  While Gunderman approaches the situation philosophically, wondering what it says about students and our world that they would simply pay someone to do their work, I am looking at it more practically in terms of how I can continue to guarantee academic integrity.  In essence, the only way to do so is to assign a fair amount of in-class writing.  While some teachers are more hesitant to do so, it is really the only way to verify a student's skills.  Even longer research projects can be handled in class with a practice of a writing journal and incremental grades for drafts.  One of my colleagues assigns out of class research papers, but tracks students' progress via their journals.

Regardless, English teachers need to be aware of these new essay writing services.