Adventure

 This is the first year since 2018 that I am not participating in the A to Z challenge. This is not an April Fool's joke.  I decided last year that I was going to take a sabbatical from one if not my most favorite blogging events.  I do plan to participate as a reader and commenter of other participating blogs.

April is also National Poetry Month, and this year I do plan to write some poems and publish them here.  I will even try to have the poem titles match the A to Z letter of the day.  To that end, I will now shre two haikus I wrote today on the back end of a impromptu road trip I took from Chicago area to St. Louis area and back today.  One is appropriately called Adventure

Adventure

Roads of adventure

Trees lay barren, friendship blooms

Memories echo

Here's the so far untitled other haiku

Lights from wind turbines

Silent thunder of crickets

Dusk train slumbers on

Since today is also Wednesday.  I thought I'd slip in one of my kid's favorite songs when growing up Adventure is A wonderful Thing from Winnie The Pooh's Grand Adventure as part of Midweek Music Break.  

FIRST CYCLE OF 2025: Carson Kelly hits first Cubs cycle since 1993!

At Bats Singles Doubles Triples Homers

1597      231       71          2          54                  

Freedom By Langston Hughes

 I was subbing at a high school today.  I was teaching English.  Actually I was subbing for an English Teacher.  In college I was studying to be a H.S. English Teacher but instead got my degree in English Literature.  I figured I was probably not going to be a public school teacher and was eager to get overseas and teach English and do ministry work which I ended up doing after I graduated.  As for public schools, I went from 1992 to 2019 without teaching at one, so it worked out pretty well.  

I actually wasn't teaching English today, I was pretty much taking attendance, sending students to the bathroom, and reading some of the books I brought with me.  I took solace in the fact that I could have taught this class if the need had arisen.  By 8th hour I decided to take a step away from my books and look at one ofthe teacher's texts.  It is called Advanced Language and Literature.  I opened up to Chapter 12 Section 1 and ran into an old friennd, Langston Hughes, whose poem Freedom adorned that chapter

I have typed it out hear without permission.  If you click on the title you can see the poem on it's poetry foundation page.  

Freedom By Langston Hughes

Freedom will not come

Today, this year

Nor Ever

Through compromise and fear

I have as much right

As the other fellow has

To stand

On My Two Feet

And Own The land

I tire so of hearing people say,

Let things take their course

Tomorrow is another day

I Do noy need my freedom when I'm dead

I cannot live on tomorrow's bread

Freedom 

Is a strong seed

Planted

In a great need

I live here, too

I want my freedom

Just as you.

12 New Movies: Shock and Awe (2017)

 Rob Reiner's shocking death late last year had a profound effect on my wife and I.  We had grown up with him  as Michael Stivic on All In The Family and were Young Adults when he began his prolific career as a film director.  We found ourselves rewatching many of his films int he weeks and month after hus and his wife were murdered.  

One film we had not seen or even heard of is my first installment in 12 New Movies to me for 2026.  

Film: Shock And Awe (2017)

Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

Summary: James Marsden and Woody Harrelson play reporters for Knight Ridder and Rob Reiner plays their boss who  report on the aftermath of 911 that led to the War in Iraq.  The problem is that the story they are researching and the narrative coming from the White House, Congress and the Pentagon are vastly different. 

Theme: Who should you listen to?

One Thing I liked about the movie: I got to see Rob Reiner act and direct.  Since he spent so much time and energy the last 40 years of his career in the latter, it is easy to forget what a great actor he was as well.

One Thing I did not like about the movie: This my be picky, but I think there was a deliberate attempt to make viewers think that Aaron Sorking was associated with this movie.  Two of Reiner's finest  films are Sorkin collaborations (The American President and A Few Good Men).  This film has legal, military , political and journalism tie ins so since these are all Sorkin Staples the comparisons make sense initially .  However, I thought that the court room scenes, the casting of Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and some of the speeches in the film were contrived to connect Sorkin to the project without adding to the plot.  

The ideal audience for this film: People who like Newspaper movies and people who enjoy Reiner as a director and an actor should enjoy this film.  

Your A Commie Maybe

 I was subbing at a local middle school on Monday.  I don't sub very much at middle schools or highschools compared to how often I am in K-5  buildings.  This can be explained in a joke or with a more detailed explanation.  I will do both.

The Joke: They don't pay me enough to sub at Middle Schools, and too much to sub at high schools.

The Truth of the joke: Someone told me once that the key to working with middle schoolers is building relationships.  It is very difficult if not impossible, to build relationships with middle schools when you are a sub and you changing classes every 40 minutes.  The reason why I think I'm over paid to teach at High School is that compared to elementary, where you are generally teaching for the majority of the day, and middle school, where you are herding  disinterested and disrespectful cats in 45 minute intervals, you are basically taking attendance, announcing  the assignment and reading a book.  

For the 3 years prior to this school year, I spent the majority of my subbing at middle schools.  This was entirely as a long term sub, or a building sub.  Both of those positions involve getting to know the students and them getting to know me.  As a result, I was able to do far more teaching, far more relationship building and slightly less cat herding.  

Monday, I was subbing for a teacher I used to work with at the middle school I was  working the last 3 school years and I have subbed in her resource room 3 or 4 times already this year.  As a resource teacher, I either co-teach with another teacher or teach smaller classes of 5-8 students.  I also get to teach Math, which is one of my passions.

But that's not why I brought you here today,  (I know 5 paragraphs of intro, and not even my point.  What can I say I'm a professional communicator.) 

Today, I am here to share with you a video from the Social Studies class I co-taught on Monday.