I began rereading Atlas Shrugged a few weeks ago when I heard the terms nationalization and socialized being bandied about in the news. What I needed was a healthy dose of objectivism.
Apparently I wasn't alone. According to a recent Economist article, sales of Miss Rand's mighty tome have spiked four times in the past year. It climbed from an average Amazon sales rank of 542 and peaked at 33 on January 13. (I ordered my copy on January 18.) A website, GoingJohnGalt.org, pays homage to Miss Rand's philosophy by encouraging productive citizens to engage in a "calculated work slowdown."
Many news stations have called attention to this likeness of thought, especially Fox News. But you know it's really news when The Colbert Report features the story as The Word. ("Rand Illusion" was the word for last night.)
Maybe Miss Rand's ideas are extreme, and maybe he who runs GoingJohnGalt.org is a nut, but we should still pay heed to history and literature alike. And if nothing else, let's be impressed that so many Americans are reading a 1200-page novel.
3.12.2009
3.07.2009
A Compartmentalized Life
I had a friend who liked to eat one part of his meal at a time before moving onto the next one. The first time I realized this, I witnessed him eat every french fry on his plate before touching his hamburger. When I asked why, he said, "My hamburger will still taste good if it's just warm, but the fries are best hot." I, on the other hand, ate a bit of a burger, then a fry or two, then went back to my burger. I liked mixing everything together.
This preference stems beyond my eating habits, however. My professional life permeates every other part of my life: Student emails arrive in my gmail account, I read for pleasure and think of how I can use the piece in my classes, and I constantly think and talk about the courses and students I teach.
Some would call me a dedicated instructor, but I worry this behavior is unhealthy. I am unsure of how to balance being a dedicated, hardworking instructor and being a human being. How to balance being Professor Casey and being Ann.
But is there a difference? Have I not been an educator—in mind and in soul as well as in actions—my entire life?
There are many days I wish I could compartmentalize my life, just as a styrofoam lunch tray separates the main dish from the sides. But even if I could, I would probably mix my food together, anyway.
This preference stems beyond my eating habits, however. My professional life permeates every other part of my life: Student emails arrive in my gmail account, I read for pleasure and think of how I can use the piece in my classes, and I constantly think and talk about the courses and students I teach.
Some would call me a dedicated instructor, but I worry this behavior is unhealthy. I am unsure of how to balance being a dedicated, hardworking instructor and being a human being. How to balance being Professor Casey and being Ann.
But is there a difference? Have I not been an educator—in mind and in soul as well as in actions—my entire life?
There are many days I wish I could compartmentalize my life, just as a styrofoam lunch tray separates the main dish from the sides. But even if I could, I would probably mix my food together, anyway.
3.05.2009
Word Nerds, Unite!
Every year, unused words are removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Visit SaveTheWords.org to expand your vocabulary—and do a good deed!
Visit SaveTheWords.org to expand your vocabulary—and do a good deed!
2.09.2009
Endorsements
Lately I've gotten a number of requests for letters of recommendation. Although they take a good deal of time and energy to write, I can't say I'm not flattered.
The following is excerpted from an email from a student I had last semester:
I hope this isn't too informal, but I am applying to the Social Studies MAT program for the fall, and I would greatly appreciate it, if it isn't too much trouble, if you would write me a letter of recommendation. I really enjoyed your course last semester and would value your endorsement. If you want me to come by and discuss this with you, I can meet whenever you're available. Thank you.
The following is excerpted from an email from a student I had last semester:
I hope this isn't too informal, but I am applying to the Social Studies MAT program for the fall, and I would greatly appreciate it, if it isn't too much trouble, if you would write me a letter of recommendation. I really enjoyed your course last semester and would value your endorsement. If you want me to come by and discuss this with you, I can meet whenever you're available. Thank you.
2.06.2009
The Humanities
I don't much care for the beginning of the school year (or semester). And it's not just the anticipatory dread that comes before Day One. I just don't feel like I have any emotional investment in these very nice, literate, non-felons who comprise my roster. I know their faces and can usually link them to names, but that's about it.
But around the two week point (i.e. now) the students become better distinguished from one another. I have a better sense of their personalities, hobbies, interests. This morning I had a fifteen-minute discussion after class with one of my students about his decision to embrace a vegan diet and the challenges of negotiating an alternative diet. Afterward, I worked one-on-one with a Journalism student who was having difficulty with the grammatical concepts we've covered so far. This afternoon I spoke with a Taiwanese student about American dialects and different forms of English; he expressed the challenges of learning a language with so many colloquialisms (his word).
As I left work today, I couldn't help but love my job and each of the students in my classes. They've suddenly become human.
But around the two week point (i.e. now) the students become better distinguished from one another. I have a better sense of their personalities, hobbies, interests. This morning I had a fifteen-minute discussion after class with one of my students about his decision to embrace a vegan diet and the challenges of negotiating an alternative diet. Afterward, I worked one-on-one with a Journalism student who was having difficulty with the grammatical concepts we've covered so far. This afternoon I spoke with a Taiwanese student about American dialects and different forms of English; he expressed the challenges of learning a language with so many colloquialisms (his word).
As I left work today, I couldn't help but love my job and each of the students in my classes. They've suddenly become human.
2.04.2009
Hot to Trot
Today, in an effort to teach my 101 students how to make inferences from observed facts, I opened my wallet and told them the contents of it. Once I finished, I prodded them to make bold inferences about me and my life.
Based on the fact that I have a Petco card in my wallet, one student said I was a pet owner. But that wasn't bold enough: I asked whether I was a dog or a cat owner. One student, an English language learner still attempting to grasp colloquial speech, said, "You're a dog owner because cats are cold, and you're so...hot!"
Based on the fact that I have a Petco card in my wallet, one student said I was a pet owner. But that wasn't bold enough: I asked whether I was a dog or a cat owner. One student, an English language learner still attempting to grasp colloquial speech, said, "You're a dog owner because cats are cold, and you're so...hot!"
2.03.2009
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