Gloria Steinem on Sarah Palin:
Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much […]
Here is my favorite photo of the my trip to India. It may not be the best photo in a technical sense, but it best captures the spirit of my work as a fifth grade teacher at a tiny village school in Himachal Pradesh. In the background you can see the other fifth grade teacher, […]
Download or listen to Four-Eyed Girl by Rhett Miller.
This morning I had my last class with rowdy, lovable 2de 5, the sporty class whose students assured me last week “We are not the children.” I made them chocolate chip cookies and they were really pleased. I was sad to say goodbye, but it didn’t seem […]
Miles posted this article called Against School, which I read this morning just after reading an opinion piece in the New York Times called Clueless in America. The two articles make an interesting juxtaposition. Clearly, something is wrong with our public education. I wish I could say I had been surprised by either of them, […]
[This actually happened a long time ago, but while I’m writing, I might as well share it.]
The woman at my school in charge of all the finances, the intendante, is very sweet. I’ve been to see her a few times to buy lunch at school, so she knows who I am. She is always smiling […]
Yesterday in class, I had my secondes (sophomores) play a game in which they were divided into two teams. This particular class is composed entirely of sportifs, students who are seriously involved in a sport in high school and who take four years to finish instead of the usual three. My school is special because […]
Some of my students have spent the morning taping paper fish to the backs of other, unsuspecting students. That’s what the French do for April Fool’s.
I considered tricking my students but since they often don’t understand me when I’m telling the truth, it seemed too mean. Instead, I tried to explain what happens […]
I have really been enjoying The Traveler’s Lunchbox, a food and travel blog that I just discovered. It’s not only the good writing and photography that draws me there, but also envy of the author’s life–she’s a freelance food and travel writer who also has a PhD in linguistics.
When my students are good–as they […]
This article describes the recent dance craze in France, called the Tektonik. There are some videos as well. My students love this dance and talk about it all the time–I would have mentioned it earlier but I didn’t know how to describe it. This is the description I have from my students: ”Ben… tu te décoiffes… […]
Barack Obama’s speech on race was so good that just reading it made me sort of tear up. It would probably sound pretty hokey to my students, since they have no reason to feel proud of the United States, but my first urge was to show it to them. But they wouldn’t be […]