thank you

As often as I say it, I feel like I don't say it enough:

Thank You.

Thank you for your effort, your insight, your willingness to risk and make mistakes and change your mind;

Thank you for your trust, for your sense of humor, for your curiosity;

Thank you for your time, for your attention, and

Most of all

Thank you for taking this learning trip with me this year.

I hope you feel like it was time well-spent.

Wishing you the best this summer and always,

Dr. Preston

no one said "have a great summer" like thoreau

june 2

This is it. 

1. Find your textbook and bring it to the library.
2. Turn in your paper.
3. Turn in your journal (if you haven't already).
4. Turn in your self-assessment.
5. Sign up with your menu item(s) for next week's two-hour final period.
6. Give your presentation if you're signed up today.
7. Post anything you want considered for your grade to your blog by 12:00 A.M. Sunday PDT.

june 1: the penultimatum

Holy crap: it's June!

This is our second-to-last day.  Tomorrow, please bring:

• Your completed research paper
• Your journal (if it's not already in the room)
• Your self-assessment (please do this tonight) which includes:
• What you learned this semester/year in this course
• How hard you worked
• At least one great mistake you made and how it helped you
• What you did well
• What you still need to improve
• What letter grade you believe you deserve
• Your idea of what you would like to make for our final two-hour meeting next week 

mla style sample

Request granted.  Check out the sample HERE.  Please comment with any questions.

may 31

You know who you are.

You know what to do.

After today's presentations we'll talk a little about MLA style.

The paper is due on Friday.

That's 48 hours.

may 30

By now you know I won't be there today.  I just called into class and Ms. Anderson told me someone is already presenting.

Nice work: this is now officially a self-sustained learning community.  I am proud to be part of it.

Please take notes and curate the moment on your blogs.

And please turn in your journals.  I have a lot of reading to do this week.  If you completed a notebook already and you have it at home, please bring it with you tomorrow.

may 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today's the day.  But... the day for what?  Explain your answer.

--or--

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy:

may 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:

You find a scorpion in your shoe.  The hard way.  Describe the moment in vivid detail.

--or--

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy

masterpiece academy day 5

Thanks to Marino for his presentation about the science and passion behind high performance.  I got such a kick out of thinking about soccer so hard that I said the same exact thing about practice and basketball that I did yesterday.  Here is Marino's presentation, and-- bonus!-- my favorite rant about basketball practice.

My Big Question(1) by dpreston1441 on Scribd

In case you're dreaming of getting better at your own life, check out this presentation from Luis:
[update: Huh. The next generation of Prezi seems to have hiccups with its embed code. To see more than the square below please click HERE.]



Alexis taught us about the American school system.  This was a powerful moment.  We learned that:

• We spend $153,000 per student.
• Teachers don't have adequate training and they don't get to know their students.
• The schools prepare students for prison.
• Since we spend a lot of money on our students, we're ranked highly by the OECD, but we don't show positive results for students. 
• Asian cou
• We always hear about Finland because their students work on hands-on projects and they perform much better on exams and in life.  They don't hate learning.
• American parents also need to be more involved.  This is difficult because so many of our parents work hard and they're tired at the end of the day.  (Only five students out of 30+ raised their hands when Alexis asked how many people talk about school every day with their parents).
• 80% of American high school students aren't ready for life after graduation.

Jeez. We can do better.

masterpiece academy day 4

may 24

JOURNAL TOPIC:
"Good luck."  What a bunch of crap.  We know better.  Since the 1600s we've had sayings like, "The harder I work, the better luck I have" and "Chance favors the prepared mind."  So why do so many of us ignore the obvious and just hope for the best without taking the right-minded action that will more likely create the results we desire?  Why leave your fate to... well, fate?  What can you do today to improve your luck?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy: Jordan, Luis & Alexis

may 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Write a short story that includes the following ingredients: an alligator, a cafeteria worker, a magic lamp, and an allusion.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy: Cesar & Eldrin

may 22

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats]

Please reflect on the Masterpiece Academy presentations you've seen so far.  What have you learned?

--or--

Why do you like/hate Mondays?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 4: Lesley & Adriana

may 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Choose your own.  Or write about how it is that a 52 year-old successful rock star can be so (?) that he takes his own life.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 3 (Liliy & Rosie)

may 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Since you didn't get to choose your own journal topic yesterday...

Choose your own journal topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. MGOM -- if you haven't yet presented, work to make it the best ever; if you have already presented, help a friend who hasn't, and/or go through the course blog to find information for your paper (you can also take the time to look into MLA Style).  Whatever you do, blog about it.

masterpiece academy day 2

Ale shared her inspiration for the "perfect match" topic-- she hated the show Are You The One?

• "When you think of the show, the contestants are just playing a game and hooking up with people they don't even care about and obviously aren't even good fits for each other."
• The idea of birthmarks
• Celebrity examples of failed marriages

[At this point the crowd got involved.  The class did their own relationship research online and came back together after six minutes to share questions and ideas.  If you found something interesting, or you heard something interesting today that wasn't captured here, please comment to this post.  Mahalo.]

am lit masterpiece academy links

Here...because they're awesome:

Click on the links below to see what happened in American Literature Masterpiece Academy Day 1:

Period 3
Period 4
Period 5
Period 6

may 17

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Hotel California" by The Eagles; "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and The Papas; "California Love" by 2Pac]

Why do you think California is so legendary for so many people around the world?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 2

[Ale Part II]

may 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today the thinking is all about your thinking.  What are you thinking about?  Why are you thinking about it?  How is your thinking influenced by your feelings and your memories, your fears and hopes and expectations and rumblings in your tummy?  What can you do in this very moment to change your thinking in ways you think will help you think better?  Will this improve your life?  Ya think? ;)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 1: Ale & [?]
3. Notes/ MGOM