Strange Little Collecting Project

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Opinion Vs. Belief (Why the internet is making me like fewer people)

I suffer from analysis paralysis. I have a hard time committing to opinions. Ironically, I am the most opinionated about what people should do with their opinions. I wrote about this a couple years ago . (I have such analysis paralysis that it took me 5 minutes to convince myself that it wasn't too egotistical to link to an old blogpost in a new blogpost). When forming an opinion, I subconsciously consider it from the perspective of all parties involved. (I think this comes from years of reading papers from the perspective of the devil's advocate since my inability to commit to opinions seems to be getting worse and worse). It is because of this over-analysis that I have a reoccurring stress dream where I am forced to make an executive decision about something unimportant like choosing a restaurant or movie. (Stop judging me...you have your weird thing, too). It is also because of this analysis paralysis that I do not understand everyone's insistence on being so opiniona

If You'd Like to Know the Road Ahead, Ask Someone Who Traveled It

If you know a teacher or two in North Carolina, and you've been on social media in the last day or so, you know that NC legislators are at it again. Yesterday, Governor Pat McCrory announced that he is making it a goal in the near future to raise teacher salaries. When I first saw the headline, I was ecstatic. Finally, the hardest working people I know will get what they deserve. But when I read the article, I realized just how wrong the state has managed to get it...once again. Pat McCrory's plan is to pay new teachers with 0-5 years of experience $33,000 a year starting in the 2015-2016 school year. That is up from the current $30,800 that first year teachers in NC receive giving teachers with 1-5 years of experience a $2,200 dollar raise. Teachers with 6 and 7 years of experience will also be raised to $33,000 giving them between a $1,780-1,330 raise for the 2015-2016. All of this sounds great. ($33,000 is still a slap in the face when you consider the hours teachers work,

In Defense of Being Literal...Literally

I would like to speak on behalf and in favor of literal language. I feel the need to speak for literal language because literal language can no longer speak for itself; it can no longer be trusted. Last year, the internet claimed another victim. Reputable dictionaries (not just the Urban Dictionary) included the non-literal meaning of literally. Merriam-Webster now defines literally as meaning “actually” and “virtually.” The Cambridge online dictionary also included a modified definition of literally that describes how it is used to create dramatic effect. The word literal is just another victim of our changing times. It can now join unanswered questions, articles that aren’t presented as lists, carrying cash, card catalogues, and privacy at the Island of Misfit Toys. One of my biggest pet peeves has quickly become the flagrant (flagrant 2 for my basketball readers) misuse of literally. (What can I say? You were right Joanie Mitchell…and Passenger; I didn’t appreciate “literally”

To the Man that Followed Me All the Way to My Car Today: Did You Know?

To the man that followed me all the way to my car today: Did you know that women don’t feel flattered when strange men follow a few feet behind them telling us how nice our butts look when we walk? Did you know that instead of feeling flattered we usually feel terrified and threatened? Many of us are actually berating ourselves for not being “overly-cautious” and for not purchasing mace, pepper-spray, or a taser. We are getting mad at ourselves for having the “it will never happen to me mentality.” We don’t hear “Hey sweetheart. Where are you going?” as a question. We hear it as a threat. Our hearts aren’t fluttering because your words are welcome and exhilarating. It’s the adrenaline because we know that you are twice our size and could physically overpower us if you chose to. We aren’t looking at the ground because we’re being coy, humble, or playing hard-to-get. We’re afraid to make eye-contact in case you take that as an invitation or an agreement. Did you know that I’m we

If NC Teachers Treated Their Students the Same Way the State Treats its Educators...

It’s fortunate for every student in North Carolina that their public school teachers don’t treat them the way that the state and local governments are currently treating public educators. If I treated my students the way North Carolina public schools treated me, my classroom would look like this: I would set my students up for failure. Every school day, teachers across the state are set up for failure by being placed in overcrowded classrooms without the proper materials. I taught classes of 32 even though I only had a class set of 30 books. I had one set of books for three separate classes which meant I could not assign any independent reading practice for homework because I needed the books for my other two classes. If I treated my students the way that the state treated me, I would give them a completely unreasonable assignment. I would ask my sophomores to independently read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in Middle English and then demand a comparative analysis essay discussing g

The UnProfession of Teaching

I’ve avoided writing this for a while because I did not want to offend any of my colleagues that are still in the North Carolina education trenches. So all of my NC teacher-friends, please know that I am on your side. But after spending a year teaching outside of North Carolina’s public schools, I think I finally have enough perspective to try and discuss my frustration and troubled relationship with my home state’s public education system. North Carolina public school teachers are not treated like professionals. If I had to explain the biggest difference between my old job and my new job, I could explain it succinctly with that sentence. In North Carolina, I was not treated like a professional. I was not treated like someone who had a degree and a career status license in my subject matter. Teachers are treated more like whining indentured servants (the younger teachers more literally since they are paying back their student loans) and are then told to be thankful that they e