Mid-Year Project

            Because of the holidays, 2^nd quarter always seems to fly by!  That’s why, despite that it feels we only recently chose our topics for this quarter, we need to start thinking about our midterm.  Therefore, last week I presented my idea to the class.  Rather than taking a test (impossible with nineteen individualized subjects) or writing a traditional essay about their work during the midterm block set aside for their class, the students are going to work on developing, implementing, and then reflecting on a personal project related to their reading.  As I said, we began brainstorming and completing the initial planning phases last week, so I already know, for instance, that Eric is planning to create a “Hobbit Hole,” and John-Luc is going to take contemporary photographs of local sites of historic significance and compare and contrast them to their original states.  Jess is going to paint a portrait half in the style of van Gogh and the other half in Kahlo’s style, and Mike is going to build an octagonal tree house!  I can’t wait!  The project guidelines are below.  After we finish, I’ll send an update on anything that we plan to adjust for the spring project. 

 Mid-Year Project

Due by 7:30 am on Tuesday, January 20th

            Because this is not a traditional English class, we are not going to take a traditional midterm.  Instead of coming in for a long test for which you have (hopefully!) studied ahead of time, you are going to plan for, complete, and blog about a project of your choice.  This project should be based around an interest that arose during your reading for the semester, ideally second quarter since that will be freshest in your mind.  We will spend approximately five hours of class time on this project.  The rest must be done on your own.  Everything that you do in relation to this project (research, planning, execution, and reflection) must be posted in your final blog of the semester, by 7:30 am on Tuesday, January 20^th.  Please take this blog post extra seriously, as it is the representation of a project that counts for 10% of your yearly grade.  This means that you should write an outline and an initial draft, then self-edit and additionally have someone else look it over before you post a final version for me (and any other viewers) to read. 

             

Guidelines:

There are three stages to the project:  research/planning, action, and reflection.

Between these three elements, your project will take approximately 20 hours.

Requirements:

1.      The project must justifiably relate to one of your quarter topics, ideally 2^nd quarter. 

2.      Evidence of research, planning.

3.      At least ten hours where you take action and do something.  Action must be recorded in written testimonials from other people, photographs, or videos.

4.      Reflection/Blog Post (1,000 words):  This reflection should first lay out what you set out to do and why.  Feel free to post excerpts from your planning and link in articles that relate to your topic or goals.  Next, explain not just your project but the results, the way that it affected you (or didn’t), and its connection to your reading.  You may also discuss any challenges that you faced in completing your project.

Because this assignment takes the place of your midterm, it is worth 10% of your grade for the year.  That means that if you get a zero on it, your grade will go down 10 points.  You have more than a month to complete it, including a week and a half of vacation, so please make sure that you complete it to the best of your ability.

            I hope that it will be a great experience for all of us.  I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with and especially for witnessing how choosing your own topics to study has affected you both personally and intellectually.  Whatever we learn from this experience, we will apply to a final spring project.

Good luck! J

            I recently finished my two latest books where childhood is a major motif: All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr and The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer.  The “children” in these books are closer to teenagers, but they initially seem as innocent as much younger children.  So, what’s my project for the quarter?  Mostly grading theirs, if I’m being honest, though weekends of overnight babysitting for my three nieces and baby nephew, all six and under, should count for something, too!

                                                                                                            Happy Holidays,

                                                                                                                                    CJF

Points of Emphasis and Inner Exploration

            While this class is designed to be both nontraditional and independent, there are some traditional values that are still important, such as knowing proper grammar.  That is an area that I am really focusing on in my comments this quarter, and I’ve also been asked students to revise their posts more often.  Though I understand that most of them are not at the stage where they can write a grammatically perfect blog, I want this to be a point of emphasis because I think it’s important in the real world, no matter what future education or job they pursue.  So hopefully anyone who is reading this is going to see that blogs are being revised and that there are fewer and fewer mistakes throughout the quarter. 

            Secondly, though most students who took this class did so because they felt their strength was more in independence than in collaboration, I do want this to feel like an environment where they can work together to improve.  Hence, I’m making it a weekly part of class for students to take a day to just read each other’s blogs and comment on them.  At times they will do this in partners, evaluating each other’s blogs and then revising them, and at times they will simply scroll through the subjects to choose entries that they want to read.  Hopefully, this will spark in person discussion outside of class.  I heard a bit of it during class today, as Sean was asking Luke some questions about a blog that he posted about a family who turned a van into a home in which to tour Asia.  Luke also revised his blog for yesterday to include a citation.  And later, I went back and read some of the comments that were left during class today, and they were very thoughtful.  So those are two things that we are going to try to push further second quarter.

This week I thought I’d showcase Eric’s blog.  He does happen to be writing about one of my favorite topics, which is self-exploration, but I also thought that his posts were thoughtful and effective when he was posting about a topic in which I had very little interest!  So here’s Eric talking about an amazing book, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Finding Inner Space

After Tolle explains in A New Earth that people must be accepting if they are to be happy, he further progresses into the process of spiritual awakening by teaching the reader how to find their inner space. In a fascinating story depicted in this section, Tolle speaks of an established monk and a disciple. He says that while the student is trying to find the inner space within him, the uncomfortable, forced effort disables him from attaining this peace. After some time, the monk asks the student calmly if he can hear the distant stream. At first, the student’s focus on Zen defers the very concentration he needs to reach this mindset. Then while focusing on the sound, the student’s current and clear mind naturally notices the little stream, exemplifying the very essence of Zen. In using this story, Tolle states that finding one’s inner space does not result from forced concentration, but from letting the concentration go.

While deliberating on the topic of inner space, Tolle says, “Whenever you let go of these patterns, you de-emphasize who you are on the level of form and who you are beyond form emerges more fully. You become less so you can become more” (Tolle 254). In order for the true Being of a person to blossom, he must let go of what he once thought was his self. This “form” that Tolle discusses about is the structure of the ego, or the believed to be “Being” of a person. In reality, a person’s self is not characterized in form, but is instead something nonphysical. Letting go of the ego, or the form, is not easily achieved, yet it allows the emergence of something spectacular; trueness.

Image by therevolutionchurch.me

In human society, the “Being” of people can be entirely misconstrued. Unfortunately, many people are entangled in the mess of distractions, barring their trueness from surfacing. There are interferences all around us and the best way to deal with these disruptions is to take them lightly. We must never forget that the true being of ourselves is comprised out of innate trueness and not of external forces. Unfortunately, the society that we live in today consists of pronounced distractions, and, sometimes, these things can detract from a person’s presence. For example, many people are intertwined in sitcom television and their careers, leaving little room for spiritual comfort. These people are practically “lost” because their life is driven by forces that only coat their true self. Additionally, they are distracted by futile things that only take away from their right to happiness. While it can be difficult to be completely present and have inner space, it is reassuring to know that the option to do so is always there.         

Posted by Eric Raimondi at 1:58 PM 

4 comments:

1.                   Topics in Literature 2014-2015December 2, 2014 at 5:31 AM

Yes, so how would you say that you are progressing with being present? The example of the stream always reminds me of Thoreau and how in the "Sounds" chapter of _Walden_, he discusses sitting in his doorway while hours go by without him noticing. In his case, it's not because he is thinking but because he is not. On another note, I tried out a new yoga program last night and began my meditation practice from that book on mindfulness that I was telling you about. I'm not sure I need to start at the beginning of the eight week program, but I'm going to anyway.

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Replies

1.                       Eric RaimondiDecember 2, 2014 at 10:30 AM

This sounds awesome!

2.                        Eric RaimondiDecember 2, 2014 at 11:05 AM

In response to your question, I find that I can sometimes lose the concept of time. In the morning while eating my breakfast, I often find myself staring out the window at the bird feeder. I lose my "identity," and I become merely an observer. I hope this answers your question.

2.                  Ben DLDecember 3, 2014 at 7:49 AM

I enjoyed reading this post very much. I too can relate to this idea of being caught up in modern distractions that I often find myself trying to be something I'm not. Our generation puts so much emphasis on being "cool" or "accepted" that we seldom find ourselves being who we truly are.

            So far this quarter, I’ve read four or five books that deal with childhood or have children as central characters.  Each have been intriguing in their own right.  Most intriguing was probably Sandor Marai’s Embers, most disturbing definitely Lianne Moriarty’s Big Little Lies!  My favorite books with childhood as a central idea will always be Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, though.  I can’t see how any others will ever beat those two out.

                                                                                                                        CJF