Teaching Satire Using YouTube

Posted by Caleb Coy on

I try to teach “A Modest Proposal” to every senior class I have. I love their reactions to the proposal itself. What really gets me is how few of the students understand that the entire proposal is a satirical piece, that he is being facetious.
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How We (for the most part) Potty Trained Our Son in 3 Days (and How You Can Too!)

Posted by Caleb Coy on

We did it. We potty trained our son in 3 days.

Let me provide a disclaimer: It wasn’t easy. It’s not perfect. There are still accidents. Number 2 hasn’t quite caught on like Number 1 has. But overall, it worked.
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The Apple on ThisTeacher’s Desk

Posted by Caleb Coy on

I have an apple on my desk. (not this one—this one just looks prettier)

An apple—that sweet symbol of education: Knowledge, as many have depicted it as Eve’s forbidden fruit; Nutrition, in mind and body; Red, the color of exes on wrong answers and of the weight of test grades; Folk patriotism, as Johnny Appleseed’s token gift; Autumn, when school activities begin; Frontier Heritage, the rustic nostalgia of the little schoolhouse in the country; Well-roundedness, like the Greeks, like the Renaissance; Social Support, as the apple was one of the gifts given to teachers by parents to feed them; hard cider, because alcohol is a common use of retreat from the stress of teaching.
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