The emergence of intellectual life

It seems that the emergence into the world of scholarship has begun. With signed course descriptions, open and honest personal inventories, it is evident that this struggle, this journey, and this process of embracing the life of scholarship has begun. Certainly, I will be there with our students as they take these critical and formative first steps.

On the 8th grade side of this path lies the world of divergent learning styles. Perception and judgment are being merged with intuition and sensation in order to understand more about ourselves and others. With this, students are embracing a model that will guide their work in Social Studies throughout the year. For the seventh graders, understanding the implications of "the black dot," the symbol of Tessie Hutchinson and friendships like Mrs. Delacroix are a part of this learning process. Students will take these lessons and apply them to the period of Salem in laying the historical groundwork for the study of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

Please be on the lookout for notices about the upcoming Curriculum Night on the 14th, as well as the unveiling of the team website with electronic copies of the team overview and assignments. If I can be of any further assistance, please note that students received my email address and home number which should be written in their daily planners. Please don't hesitate to contact me at school or at home.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/mscaprikell/4733913/sizes/l/in/photostream/ and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Rising Sun: The start of a new year

At this point, with less than a week to go in summer, some level of thought has to be given to the next year. My hope is that you had a wonderful summer.
However, work is rapidly approaching.

I hope that you are ready to go on Wednesday, 8/24. 7th graders will meet their advisory teacher in the Gym, while the 8th graders will meet their advisory teacher in the Commons. It will be a full day of school on Wednesday, so bring a lunch, be prepared to go down the line, and don't let yourself be taken by surprise.

There are some items to investigate before you start might help you. Perhaps, you might need to become familiar with the school supply list for Team 7.8/3. If you need to read over the list, here is a link. Your Team Teachers' blogs are all hyperlinked on the left side of this blog, so feel free to click away. If you need to examine anything on the Julian website, this is the link.

In terms of Social Studies, the left side of this blog features links to the syllabus for the next two weeks, as well as other items. If you scroll down, there is an extra credit option for quotes that you might want to start reflecting upon now so that when you start seeing the material, you can go ahead and earn some points with some writing. If you need a general introduction to the course, click here.

As always, if I can be of any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to starting up the year... although battling jet lag is a considerable challenge, it will be secondary to guiding all of you through the wilderness of American History.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

Photo courtesy of mehul.antani with rights stipulated at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehulantani/4270001055/sizes/o/in/photostream/

The calendar is turning to August... You know what that means, right?

Given some of the weather I have been hearing about back in Oak Park, maybe India's not so bad.

I hope your summer has been great. India has been awe- inspiring. There has been much here I have gained and learned. As the calendar turns, I hope that your attention is focused on returning and having as much of an "awe- inspiring" experience in class as I have had here... Ok, it's a stretch, but one that's worth it.

With time elapsing in both of our summers, here is a list of things that can be done on your own and with parental permission to make your time more meaningful:
1) Go to the Art Institute and absorb the art.
2) Check out a book at the library of something that you know you need to read, but haven't had the time. If possible, check out the closing sale at Borders',also.
3) Pay some attention to the debt debate that is going on, right now, at this moment in Washington, D.C. Trust me when I say it impacts you more than it does me.
4) Take some time to think about last year. Think about where you did well and where you need improvement. Questions: How are you going to continue and enhance your successes and how are you going to make active improvement?
5) Take a long walk with someone in your family. Talk with them on your walk and listen. I mean, really listen. Try to hear them and pay attention to what they say. (It's not as easy as it sounds.)
6) If you have access to a computer or can gain access to a computer, try listening to music from a different genre, or category, that you have not heard before. My suggestions: Jazz, International/ World, Classical, Classic Rock and Roll. See if you can find a new artist in that genre whose music you really like.
7) With parental permission, go to a mall and "people watch." What are people at the mall like? What do you see around you? Where are you in all of this?
8) Start becoming familiar with next year's Social Studies curriculum! For those going to seventh or eighth grade, the Constitution is a good starting point. Become familiar with it. For those going into high school, might I suggest that you start becoming familiar with the works of Homer or other "greats" of Western Thought.
9) Take some time to really enjoy what is left of your summer... on your own.
10) Make sure your school fees are paid so that you can get your schedule in the next two weeks and find out what is in store for you.

To all of you, do enjoy what is left. I look forward to hearing from you soon enough.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

Picture property of flickrPrince with rights stipulated here http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Time to say goodbye

With this, my last blog entry of the year, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the 7.8/3 students for their scholarship and their diligent work this year. It has been my privilege to guide them through American History.
So much is left to be written. For those who are moving on to high school, I wish you all my best as you recognize in the most direct of terms that "the fight goes on, the cause endures, and the dream shall never die." I hope you are able to take chances with your identities in the future in embracing opportunities that will open new doors to you. I hope you continue with your scholarship and recognize that the idea of being able to be a true scholar and a good person are two of the most difficult challenges all individuals face. I hope that you are able recognize our paradigm offered by Dorothy's quest, in that all of us there are elements we need to find in order to recognize that "there's no place like home."
For those who will be returning for their last year at Julian, I wish you a restful summer. I also hope that you reflect on both the successes this year as well as the mistakes made. It is my hope that when you return you will be able to maximize the former and minimize the latter, or at least avoiding making some of the same errors the last time around. If our paths cross again, I will apologize for all of the work you will do for me. If our path do not cross again, I will apologize for all of the work you had to do for me. In either case, I wish you nothing but the best as I hope to see you in August on that first day, which for all of you will mark the beginning of the end of your Julian experience.
Best wishes to all of you. Thank you all for being you.
Mr. Kannan
Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuprajg/2154587934/sizes/z/in/photostream/ and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Thoughts from a day off...

If you know anything, it must take a great deal to keep me from school. This was the case Friday, as I was sick. I figured that this week's blog entry might be represented by what I gained from my day not in my room.
1. Daytime television can get quite boring, quite quickly.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. I actually did more than just watch television. There is a bird's nest right outside my front door. The eggs look real peaceful and the mother bird is keeping watch over things.
7. When children are in school, the block is really quiet. Imagine that.
8. If we ran the technology right, I am sure that we could conduct learning virtually. I am keeping up with students emailing their work with me, , and keeping tabs on things at school, while sitting on my living room couch.
9. It's been a while since I watched the clouds move. It's kind of cool and very hypnotic.
10. The eggs hatched. They are loud. They've been in the world for no more than a minute and their lungs are so powerful. The process of life is amazing.
11. The internet contains some really weird stuff and weird people on it. I know there is a theory that the longer a "Comments" section goes the weirder it gets. I buy it completely.
12. .
13. Local news can be quite depressing.
14.
15. This is cliche, but so true:
16. I find that I cannot stop staring at this bird's nest. I am not trying to be like Miss Brill watching other people immersed in life, while I am seeing, but not seen and all, but it is really fascinating.
17. While I use a great deal of paper in my teaching, there is something awesome about paperless assignments and students emailing work. Comments are easier for students to read... mainly because my handwriting is no longer an obstacle.
18.
19. I just came up with a great assignment
20.

There you have it. The 20 things that summarize my day away from my classroom. I am not sure if it was a day well spent, but I know one thing:

In terms of what to keep in mind this week:
7th grade- This week's work on the Gettysburg Address, Chapter 16, and "The Lottery" are all good to the ten points for participation which will be decided on Friday. All Social Studies Textbooks need to be submitted as soon as possible.
8th grade- Short stories all week. We hope to cover Jackson, Gordimer, Hemingway, Chopin, and Kurieshi this week. Ambitious. The application assignment for Jackson could be done by Monday's class or turned in by Wednesday.

All best and steer clear from the
Mr. Kannan

I promise that John and the Speak Sisters will get a detailed blog entry... starting next week.

The rebellion has started. The voices have started on critiquing the abbreviated version of the blog. Indeed, their voices will be heard, validated, and authenticated... next week.

Click here for this week's assignments and deadlines.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

For 8th Graders: Click here for information regarding abducted youth, the topic of Oates' short story.

Three in a Row! There is someting about word economy...

Why stop a good thing? It seems like the less I write, the more attention things receive. Interesting...
Click here for the homework assignments in the upcoming week.
Of particular note:
8th Graders- Assessment on the Holocaust Wednesday. IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD A COPY AND WORK ON IT NOW TO SUBMIT ON FRIDAY, CLICK HERE!
7th Graders- Civil War Quiz on Monday/ Completed Rubrics submitted and Final Assessments distributed on Monday and work on them commences. All Final Assessments are due on May 20th or before.

Best wishes in all of your endeavors.
Mr. Kannan