First Blog Posting Assignment: Thinking Inside, Outside, and All Around the Box

(REMEMBER TO PUT YOUR FIRST NAME AND LAST INITIAL ON YOUR POST!!!) We have spent the past week and a half discussing questions surrounding identity. As part of those discussions, we you have read several stories, listened to music, performed poetry, written in journals, and created identity collages to express your own unique cultural identifiers. We have also discussed various examples of "the box," which is a metaphor for any obstacles or barriers that might isolate, frustrate, enclose, or sometimes protect someone from a larger world.

Think back over everything we have read so far for this unit ("Theme for English B," "High Yellow White Trash," "Black, White, and Jewish," "Those Who Don't," "Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio, "Alone and All Together," and "Two Kinds"). your task now is to write and post a comment in this forum in which you describe a connection between TWO of these works, focusing on the role of "the box." Think about how different characters face similar or different challenges. Think about similarities or differences in the kinds of disguises characters wear. Do you think these characters will escape from their boxes?

When you have made a connection between two works, write a post describing that connection. Make sure to mention specific characters/narrators, and to be clear about how the "boxes" they experience are similar. Your post does not have to be long; three or four sentences is plenty. You should feel free to respond to your classmates' posts, as well as to ask your classmates questions.


*** Remember to use your first name and last initial when you sign your post. Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.

Human Knot Pictures

This past Friday, our advisory conquered an extremely difficult teamworking challenge--they untangled the Nekrosius Advisory Human Knot! With communication, cajoling, and a fair amount of both literal and interpersonal flexibility, the students went from a hopelessly tangled collection of hand-joined individuals to two interlocking rings of classmates. Tough to describe, really--I'll let the pictures tell the tale:


First, our Friday advisory breakfast:




Second, they all join hands and contemplate the task of unraveling themselves:



Chaos ensues:



At long last, they achieve their goal!

What A Neat Bunch Of Kids -- Plus, A Bonus Picture of a Giant Insect

Here is the first of what will eventually become several pictures of my 2007-08 advisory class. Note the entirely genuine expression of surprise on all of their faces. You can already tell it is going to be a fantastic year!





Also, here is a picture of a praying mantis that a student found ambling about on Kenwood Mall. Truly an impressive specimen. After some friendly hellos and a bit of arm-crawling, our emerald friend was released back into the wilds of Hyde Park.