The Ironic Teaching Life

Hello,

Sorry to those of you who found the lack of a post, following my sick day, a significant impediment to your learning. Nonetheless, it strikes me as ironic that I am now responsible for missed homework. In an effort to assist you with the blog, I have taken on more work for myself and lessened student responsibility. Hmm. Perhaps we can find a way for you to take turns writing the blog - guest bloggers if you will! I once worked as a ghost blogger - interesting work impersonating someone else. It would be a good exercise in writing and replicating voice if each of you wrote as me. Would I be flattered or offended by the results?

Anyway, today we finished up the Kyoko Mori essay and discussed (briefly) some of the fundamental differences between Japanese education and American education. By the way, I took note of some very good homework efforts out there - even if I don't mark it, you are helping yourself by doing such good work, and I do notice!

Then we moved on to the viewing portion of the class; we watched scenes from Giant, On the Waterfront, A Fistful of Dollars, Dirty Harry, La Dolce Vita, and a questionable selection, to please some male viewers, from Apocalyspe Now.

Finally, we continued to delve into what I will term The Great Movie Debate of 2010: what can we watch as a class? I still think It's A Wonderful Life has the curricular connection and is different enough from what you normally watch to be worthwhile. That being said, none of you has seen The Class, from France, and it is highly educational, interesting, thought-provoking and challenging. Further, it won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and having lived and worked in Cannes, that makes it a sentimental favorite! Perhaps we have a winner ...

Homework: Read On the Uses of a Liberal Education as Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students. Try to see the prof's point of view.

See you Wednesday!