Thursday, September 4, 2008

Announcement: If you are interested in going to Germany this spring break, the informational meeting will be next Tuesday night at 6:30 in my classroom. I have some forms if you would like to share information with your parents and not hit them with sticker-shock at the meeting. Travel, I'm afraid, is not cheap. The only thing I can say with certainty (and a lot of modesty) is that I am fun to travel with. You won't get away with a lot of bad behavior, but we will have fun and there will be much rejoicing!

SENIORS: You will meet with your Guidance Counselor on Monday, September 8. Come to my class first so I can take roll and ascertain your presence on our lovely campus before we sojourn together to the Student Services Centre*.

Gifted English II: Finish O. Henry's tale in second; evaluate it in first. Author of the Day is John Keats, after which we will review the common errors from the first paper and go over Guidelines for Solid Writing. It has clip art! And then, time permitting, we'll look at yet another short piece of ironic fiction--this one set in a war.

APees: Common error review, which won't take long, and then we'll begin introducing the transitional materials to Greek tragedy, a.k.a. Oedipus Rex. You don't need your anthology today, but you will on Friday. Handouts: FRQs and Sophocles Biography (read for homework.)

Word of the Day: mendacious (adjective): dishonest, full of trickery or chicanery
Have you noticed how I try to define words with other SAT words? How mendacious of me, if I didn't just admit that.

*Apropos of nothing: I hate, hate, hate it when American locations appropriate "Britishisms" to class up the diction. For example: Pointe Orlando, which I call "pointy." I know this is just one of my myriad of character flaws, but "centre," "towne," and "colour" drive me "batty" when utilized by Americans. We don't speak English, people! We speak SAE: Standard American English! We don't use "lifts", or live in "flats", or "snog" the "bobby" after he gives us a "brolly" (kiss the cop after he gives us an umbrella, -ella, -ella.) I love England, really really, but dang. The most egregious offender is Seminole Towne Centre Shoppes. I will never patronize such an establishment. Not that you care. I need to drink less coffee.