Back to the Future
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On my shelves here in Mexicali, I have several biographies of William Faulkner. I have read of the famous author’s methods to outline his stories and novels. He had a unique approach. On the bedroom walls of his Oxford, Mississippi home, he used to plot out his characters and action. I mean, he used to…
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In English 61, I encourage my students to explore issues that impact them the most. We reading a novel about a young woman coming of age in the sixties. Inspired by the writing, I often receive essays on Gender Equality, Women’s Rights, Domestic Violence, Sexual Harrassment – mostly from the women in my classrooms, but…
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In English 61, Isela chose to write here sixties research paper about a young woman with a dream of becoming a rock ‘n’ roll star. Her name is Janis Joplin. In the late 1960s she left home in Port Arthur, Texas to seek a better life in California. Janis was different. She wore her hair…
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In English 61, we are reading a sixties novel, and my students are writing about the discrimination, racism, inequality of a tumultuous decade. Many of our papers touch upon the Civil Rights Movement. We talk about how we got from there to here, and how we should move forward. Wendy chose to write about Arthur…
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Whenever we talk about great civil rights leaders we talk about Cesar Chavez, but we don’t speak about Dolores Huerta. She was very tough, competitive and independent woman. Because of that, she intimidated many of the men she tried to lead. Because Cesar was a man, most farmworkers looked to him for direction. But that…
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At the time of publication, Jonathan is just finishing the novel Motorcycle on the Sea of Tranquility in his English 61 class. It’s a story about a young Latina coming of age in the year 1969. When her brother returns from Vietnam broken and distant, Yoli tries to make sense of the chaos in her…
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Recently- quite by accident – I shared a book about the Beatles in a basic skills class. It was sticking out of my backpack: Sgt. Pepper at 50. To my absolute surprise and delight, my students were inspired by the look, the sound, and the legend of the Beatles. Who knew? We are now developing…
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On Aug. 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood apartment from an apparent drug overdose. English 61 student Yessenia Alvarez thinks otherwise. She believes the Hollywood icon died of a broken heart. In her research, Yessenia discovered that Marilyn came from a dysfunctional family. Her mother was a paranoid-schizophrenic and…
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In English 61, a group of students decided to re-open the case of Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death. In 1962, the famous Hollywood movie star was found dead and alone in her Brentwood home. The autopsy suggests suicide. In her sixties research paper, Melissa says otherwise. There are too many inconsistencies. The toxicology report reveals…
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In many of my classes, I bring up Amy Winehouse. We talk about her music, tattoos, and hair. Among many things, she’s famous for bringing back the sixties style Beehive hairdo. She once said, “The more insecure I feel, the bigger my hair has to be.” In her sixties research essay, Llovana explored the history…