Headlines of the Week (Or Whatever)

Because I am a giant English nerd.


E-Prime would make language so much better.

On word spacing and incapping.

Why two spaces after a period isn’t wrong (or, the lies typographers tell about history).

The once and future e-book: on reading in the digital age.

Monster Porn Is the Latest Wrinkle in Self-Published Smut

What qualities make a perfect student?

From an in-class writing exercise during a teaching demonstration with an English Education professor candidate:

What qualities make a perfect student?

If perfect  means 'easy' or 'utilitarian', then I think that a perfect student would be bright, or at least neurotypical, from a relatively privileged household, with adequate elementary education. If the student is a person of color, then a higher socioeconomic status would be preferred. The student would be obedient and eager to please or impress.

In reality...

The above was my answer during the teaching demo, because I was trying to answer from a universal perspective. However, I very much enjoy my challenging students and find that they bring a perspective and a sparkle to my classes. I can't imagine a class full of obedient students with cookie cutter experiences, and don't think that I would want to.

On Education and Language

From my Honors Colloquium II mid-term exam:

“The teacher’s thinking is authenticated only by the authenticity of the students’ thinking. The teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thoughts on them.”

–Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed: The Banking Concept of Education