Let's be honest...
Sure, this is technically our class blog and I will certainly use it to supplement our educational materials, ask thought-provoking questions on our reading material, provide you with food for thought, communicate with you, and be inspired by all the intellectual posts you all are bound to write. While technically, yes, you are being graded on your participation in this blog, hopefully, you will find some fun in it. Hopefully, you will feel your voice is heard, considered, and your opinions taken seriously. And hopefully, hopefully, you'll learn something.
Will I also use this blog to shamelessly promote my exhilarating YA Fantasy/Science Fiction novel Sleep Wanderer: Omen among the other writings I have yet to publish as well...? Of course. You all will have the freedom to publish your creative works, and promote those on this blog as well! Unfortunately, shameless marketing of our creative work is not the sole purpose of this blog.
Bottom line: Students deserve honesty in the classroom and in life, especially when reading and considering works of literature. No one has the right to say your interpretation of literature is wrong, especially when you have solid evidence from the text and/or historical context to support your claim.
If most of these authors have been dead for decades, how would we know otherwise? Scholars can try to tell us what to think, but especially in these tumultuous times, we need to think for ourselves and believe in the power of our own intellect and opinions. The problem is, students don't receive the truth enough, and quite often the lies we are told day after day are accepted as truths because we don't know how to determine facts anymore. Students are told education and school success are important, but then receive no support after your success is achieved.
Our world seems to be constantly inundated with political leaders who deceive their people on a daily basis, media that twists the facts to gain a larger audience, viewers who see these "facts" and then twist those facts to fit their own schema of what they feel the truth should be, Facebook debates that turn into virtual stone-throwing and the pointing of fingers, one's worth determined by photo filters and the number of likes, and being told constantly that your thoughts are inherently erroneous.
The point is, students nowadays deserve a bit of honesty in what they read and how they express themselves. A glimpse of how things really are without sugarcoating the issues or insulting anyone. A chance to express your own opinions and what you really think about literature, history, and the world, and have those opinions genuinely considered without judgment.
This is why I love Edgar Allan Poe.
His writing always portrayed raw honesty and truth, even if his truth was a bit dark for some readers (and still is, which is why he is often referred to as the original master of horror). Poe's life was traumatized by death and loss, but he never hid his devastation. He never thanked anyone or anything for "giving him the opportunity to overcome these challenges in life," nor did he spew cliche sayings about how his experiences somehow made him stronger. He was honest about his pain, and his perspective of society.
This classroom blog is literature, creativity, analysis, life, history, and the real world as you see it.
This is our classroom truth, based on our experiences and an open-minded interpretation of literature. The eyes of intelligent students who are also readers, writers, scholars, and dreamers. The eyes of many trying to climb that elusive "ladder of success" while maintaining empathy for others along the way.
Consider this blog not just another hoop to jump through to maintain a solid "A" in my class. Consider this your creative outlet, and your open window to the thoughts and perspectives of others. A safe place where you can say what you think with solid evidence from our reading or sources you discover on your own, and a place to question history, politics, and humanity in general.
Use the toolbar on this blog to find the topic you would like to comment on, participate in a discussion, post an article about, or ask a question. Maintain decorum, of course, and respect the opinions of others. I am really looking forward to watching this blog emerge and grow with your contributions in class, and I know this is going to be a fantastic school year for CPA High. :)
Happy Reading!
~Ms. Welsh :)
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