A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

 

George Bernard Shaw

 

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw

 

Please choose and interpret the quote and then make comments about its meaning. 6 sentence minimum.

Hi students!  I am writing this from Istanbul, Turkey, a city so incredibly rich in history and in the arts that my new wife and I are truly inspired. We traveled to a region called Cappadocia and viewed the tremendous cave communities from a hot air balloon, rising to 6,000 feet; later we went to an underground city that was built in 900 A.D. that reminded me very much of certain scenes from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I was keeping a lookout for orcs and balrogs as we descended 80 feet below the surface, down long passageways and tunnels.  The ancient city of Ephasus was our next stop. I was transported into a feeling of living history as I walked along the wide marble avenues, and when sitting in the amphitheater I could almost hear the clashing of the gladiator’s weapons, smell the burning camphor and feel the pulse of the ancient crowds. All in all this has been an unforgettable honeymoon.

I am looking forward to teaching this spring semester, and want to re-introduce Homeroom as a go-to page for each and every one of you. I advise that you check this page twice a week. The prompts will be quite varied, from creative writing prompts to analytical ones, and your responses will be edited for posting. Naturally only the best responses will be posted, and this goes for your student work as well.

 

Stay tuned for State by State essays being published, but while you await that, please read Jessica Cheng’s essay on South Carolina, as well as Grace Guo’s essay on Chinese female poets of the Tang dynasty. Younger students, please read Olivia Shen’s essay about ice cream in Hong Kong, and other work from the 4-8th grade!  Please write comments about the student work you read, in advance of the first lesson.

See you next week!

 

Mr. Watt

 

In lieu of prompts for now, I encourage all students to read each piece of student work published so far this year! Your assignment is to choose two and make comments: 8 sentence minimum with both positive and constructive commentary, please. Quote your fellows for accountable analysis.

This chalk is crumbly: it has been quite a while since the Homeroom board lit up.  Off to a strong start with the AP Prep course (which I am officially renaming “Intro to Rhetoric”), and having some heavy dealings with Middle Earth, Frodo, Gandalf and company, course work is continuing apace, barreling toward a strong showing of student work. By the way, please acquaint yourselves with student work as it is published.  You will see your classmates Larry, Ben, Christine, Sophia, Oscar, and Hannah have had their work published this year.

 

It is your job to locate writing competitions online and to aim for submitting. Three students submitted for the Letters about Literature contest: good job, Robert, Hannah and Christine!

 

I have great hopes for this year. Some of them have to do with continued excellence, the second summer intensive author study, to prep school admissions for some of my 8th grade students. Other hopes include a gradual expansion of the student body, the taking on of another teacher who complements my style and adds to the endeavor … the list goes on. For now, though, stay tuned to Homeroom for thrilling and unexpected writing prompts!