Pun Power

Dear English Answer Man:
What is a pun?
-Curious in Costa Mesa

Dear Curious:
A pun is simply a play on words that helps someone appear clever, cheesy, or both. When you come up with a clever pun, be prepared to hear groans of exasperation, and perhaps even a few cruel words of disdain. However, Pun of the Day website accurately informs us that many people groan when they hear a pun because they are jealous that they didn't think of it first. Yes, my pun-worthy friend, those naysayers are little more than linguistic losers who can't understand that the pun is mightier than the sword.

What are some of the best puns you have ever heard or created?  Leave one in the comments section.

Here's an assignment for each of your blogs:

Newspaper headlines are usually a gold mine for puns.  Find a clever pun in a newspaper headline, and post it to your blog. Include any explanation or commentary you feel is necessary. If you find your head line in an online newspaper, include a link to the title.

Here are some examples from Saturday's Los Angeles Times:

• "At Least the Price is Right in Left" (an article about the cost of a player who will be playing left field)
• "High Expectations for Really Low Snow" (an article about people expecting the snow levels to drop this weekend)
• "Heads Told the Tale in Upset" (A play on the idea of head and tails in a coin flip, and telling a story [the tale]).

Student Blog Recommendations

I don't necessarily recommend any or all of these--but here's the list, with descriptions courtesy of 35 student bloggers:

Antoinnette recommends this blog for candy lovers, while Sydney insists on linking to a blog about--rainbows?

Chau!, AskingAiden, and Marissa all point to this music blog, so there must be something to it.

Speaking of music, Hillary seems to like My Chemical Romance, Michael isn't far off with "shrednews," Cassandra goes for guitars, Tori links to new music, Yareni shows us winners, and Saire rounds out the list with rap.

For those interested in sports, CJ shows us where to get the shoes, Osbaldo clues us in on soccer, Patrick chooses to focus on US football, and Cynthia and Trevor link to blogs on baseball. Of course we can't leave out the Lakers, so Jacoby saves the day on that one.

Alec adds some levity with a jokes blog, Tori takes us off-road, and Talisa offers life lessons.

Wow. This is a lot. But we can't leave off without a personal touch. Daniel hits the books, Daniel #2 points the way to recipes (I'm checking out this one first) and don't forget cakes (thanks relytnosredna). Shalese adds a feminine accent, Clayton turns us on to technology,  and Tatum takes us out with a touch of style.

Let me know if I missed anyone!

The Stereotypes Are True--An Invitation

All stereotypes start from a kernel of truth--the problem is application of the stereotype to any and all individuals in a given group. Unfortunately stereotypes have a way of changing the way people behave. Most of my students, for example, say they believe poetry is "for" guys or girls. But a guy admitting he enjoys or writes poetry is socially risky. Most guys, in my opinion, are afraid of being labeled as feminine, wimpy, or soft--so they steer clear of poetry. And I understand that. Adolescence is already complicated--why add to the trials and difficulties of middle and high school.  This is what I see in action: the vast majority of students who write poetry for fun are female.

It's easy to tell a teacher what he wants to hear, but it's another thing to shatter a stereotype. There was a time when female voices in literature were an extreme minority, but women have been shattering stereotypes for awhile. There are guys and girls discovering a joy in reading, writing, and poetry in spite of the fact that it's not necessarily "culturally cool" to read and write for enjoyment. (I find it almost vomit-inducing to hear some folks claim lack of literacy as "cool"). There are athletes killing the competition both in the classroom and on the field. Kids who are popular AND friendly to outsiders and the less fortunate. Snowboarders and skateboarders who don't do drugs, respect others, AND possess a functional vocabulary.

These anomalies are out there, and I think some of the walls are beginning to crumble in my own classroom. 

Which stereotypes will you shatter?

Do Hard Things (Take a peek; it's easy)

From the time I was about 14, "Harris" was a big name in our household. Joshua Harris made courtship cool again (at least my mom hoped) with his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and his follow up (I think) Boy Meets Girl proved once and for all that it was actually possible to meet a girl without "dating." Now younger brothers Brett and Alex have sparked a "rebelution," inspiring teens to "do hard things." 

With all of the raunchy, lazy, and thoughtless pus clogging the blogosphere, this site is an inspiration. Brett and Alex tackle a range of topics, most of which target teens. Check it out, and see if you're not better off after browsing what they have to say.

This poem caught my eye and made me cry. Yes, the Answer Man's eyes are still a bit moist. Their mother recently passed away, and it immediately made me think of my own mother with more than a little love and appreciation.

New Blogging Assignment

Don't worry student bloggers. The assignment isn't the hard thing. I'll get to that.

Here is your mission if you choose since you have no choice but to accept it:
Find a blog that you find particularly interesting, hilarious, compelling, educational, or entertaining, and then share it with us. I would like you to do this in two ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post (the one you are reading right now) where you leave the link to and brief description of the blog you have chosen. 
2. Go to your own blog, and write a brief post reviewing the blog you have chosen. Tell us what we can expect from the blog, why you find it interesting, etc. Be sure to include a hyperlink to the blog in your post. 

For my part, I will also complete two tasks:

• First, I will create one post with mini-summaries of all the blogs you submit. This will make it easy to crazy-click away, exploring all of the digital delight from one simple location.
• Secondly, I will start us off by writing a post doing exactly what I would like you to do. Look for that masterpiece above.

The Students Speak

So whose fault is it when schools fail? Ask a bunch of students and most of them will tell you, it's all the--
STUDENTS'??!! Student calling out students?! What does this mean?

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by the volume of commentary that placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of apathetic students. Not that I disagree--or agree--but I thought more comments would be gunning for the teacher. In all fairness, many of you who posted admitted that both sides share responsibility for failure, and that sounds...fair.

As a teacher, I can only look to the factors that I control, so it is not especially productive for me to blame students. As a student, however, I would blame myself, just like many of you did.  It is encouraging to read the thoughts of students ready to take charge of their education, and their futures.

Who is to Blame?

Who's fault is it when schools don't do well? Teachers? Communities? Principals? Students and their parents? I haven't seen the new documentary Waiting for Superman, but almost every one involved in public education seems to have an opinion on the film.(Read a quick review of the film here). The California Teachers' Association (CTA), which represents teachers across the state, published an article that was critical of the film. The author of the article argued that people are playing "the blame game," blaming and bashing teachers when they should be looking at other solutions. 

I came across the following comment from a retired teacher, who offered her opinion on why schools and students are not performing as well as we would like. You can read the entire letter here, but check out the comment below. After you've read the quote, please leave a comment with your thoughts. Then head over to your own blog and write about this topic. Who is to blame when schools fail?

Here's the quote:

"I think the real problem lies in the apathy of the students. When so many students are concerned only with their appearance, their iPods, and their cellphones, it doesn't matter how good the teacher is."