LOL! OMG! TTYL!!

When I caught one of my kids texting in class today, I used it as an opportunity to begin a whole-class discussion on texting, coding and 'technology acronyms.' The kids have no idea that what they text to their friends could be considered a separate language. When asked how they learned this language, the kids told me it was pretty much by word of mouth. If they didn't know what a code meant, they would simply ask the person who sent it. They said it only took one explanation for them to learn it! If only they had such a vested interest in math or vocabulary words! They told me that people come up with new codes all the time and that they text this way to each other because it saves time. I shared with them the quote "necessity is the mother of invention" and we discussed how that applies here. We all agreed that they are not learning to be better writers or communicators with this technology, but that it's here to stay.
I think I'm going to stick with the original idea that I had on my first night "Differentiation" class and have my kids write down a series of texts from Daisy to Gatsby. Not only will the students show that they understand both characters and their circumstances, it will allow them to have a bit of fun!

As far as topics that I'm considering for my mondo-project, I think it will have to do with American Romanticism. The big idea, I think, will be connections. All of the works that we study in this unit, from Longfellow to Poe, are so different and yet they all fall under the umbrella of Romanticism. The kids should be able to explain why.

Finally, I think that there are many things that make writing worth reading. I read things that I can or cannot relate to, things I'm required to for a class, stories that are funny or gut-wrenching, things that are thought-provoking or fluff. Assignments that my kids have worked hard on, whether they're awful or not, are worth reading because they put forth effort I want to validate that. I guess what makes something worth reading is that it fulfills some need that I have. For instance, I've never needed to be emotionally manipulated by an overpaid narcissist who has the gall to compare himself to Hemingway and Shakespeare, so I've never read Nicholas Sparks. I have, however, needed a good laugh, so I've read Christopher Moore. What makes things worth reading is the reader.