Planet Mexicali
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This summer I’m reading for my students. I’m searching for a new class novel that may evolve into an interesting writing project. If you ask me about elevating critical thinking skills, I would increase the amount of reading in class. (But, no one ever asks me!) The other night I finished a gothic horror…
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This summer I'm shaping up my classroom blog site for my Fall 2021 online instruction. In a few of my classes I will encourage my students to develop mental illness research papers. This project seems to work. Students write about depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts. In today's climate, the information is growing exponentially. Many…
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During Christmas Break, I came across an article published in “The Lost and Found” section of Tin House Magazine. With each issue, writers submit their appreciation for neglected or forgotten authors. It’s here where I discovered Breece D’J Pancake. When novelist and short story writer Andre Dubus III first read Pancake, he was inspired to…
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Earlier this month, I participated in a UCR writer’s workshop/conference. I shared thirty pages of my Mexicali writing with other MFA grads. They diced it, they sliced, and they handed it back to me with their critiques. I’m so happy I went. I often tell my students I write best with the anticipation of someone…
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This week my students hand in the first drafts of their community profiles. I’ve asked them to approach someone in their community with an important story to tell. We’re writing of teen-age pregnancies, gender issues, the threat of deportation “Put yourselves in someone else’s shoes,” I tell my students. We’re searching for a deeper understanding…
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We’re fast approaching our second week of the semester, and I’m asking my students to share a “Book Out Of Their Past.” My hope is to generate a discussion of positive reading experiences on our class discussion board. I know. I know. We are all stressed and confused for what is happening around us. Some…
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This first week of the semester I assign tuff-stuff, cause and effect essays in many of my classes. I ask my students to examine difficult decisions they have made in their lives. I ask them to pause, reflect, and open up. For example, if my students are anything like I was at their age, they’ve…
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I discourage my students from beginning their essays with a quotation. They’ve learned to write with a hook to grab the reader’s attention. They go to BrainyQuote or something like that is quick and easy, but I say something, like, “Your first words are copied from someone else?” Why? It’s your name at the top…
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This week my students hand in the first drafts of their community profiles. I’ve asked them to approach someone in their community with an important story to tell. We’re writing of teen-age pregnancies, gender issues, the threat of deportation “Put yourselves in someone else’s shoes,” I tell my students. We’re searching for a deeper understanding…