It's almost time for another school break...

Hi everyone,
Just want to check in and congratulate you on a job well done this marking period. I've heard about all the great writing you've been doing.
As I'm no longer teaching the class, I've been wondering what this blog should be about. If any of you have any advice about the new direction it should take, post a comment or email me at ms.gonzalez02@gmail.com.
I'd love to hear from you all.
For this break I will be visiting my family in California. I am very excited to be in manageable weather again, although I must admit that I quite enjoyed today's snowfall, as sparse as it was.
What will you be doing this break?

Ms. Gonzalez

Grading Process

Hello Everyone,
I am in the process of grading your work, and while most of you have by now become my followers, some of you have not yet posted school work. Let me remind you all that your posts are for a grade- failing to create a blog until now is not an excuse for not having posted work. Many of you posted when assigned to, and I thank you profusely. It makes my job easier, and your grade representative of the work you put into the class.

Ms. Gonzalez

Blog update

Hello everyone,

I want to apologize for a few things, the first being my harsh tone of voice when I asked you all to quiet down today. What I wanted to express was that I will allow you to talk, but not while I am giving directions. The second thing I want to apologize about is not visiting the blog in a few days. What I plan on doing is writing down all of the blog assignments so far on a checklist, so that you can keep track of them, and to hand out blog assignments during class time so that there is no confusion about what is due when.
We're going to begin writing a short story soon, so please be prepared for that.

Until tomorrow,

Ms. Gonzalez

Went to the MoMA today...really?!

This morning I went to the MoMA.






I was not impressed. No photographs from the permanent collection on display? Is this a world-class museum or not? Or is photography still a form of art that is not taken seriously? Try as I might, I am just not as impressed by Picasso as, say, Jeff Wall or Sally Mann. I tried giving the museum a chance. I looked for the work of a British painter, David Hockney, that the museum acquired in 2005, but it is "currently not on view during this rotation." I was so, so sad. What do you enjoy seeing at museums?
For great photography, check out the International Center for Photography, on 6th and 43rd St. icp.org.

Ms. Gonzalez

HW for Monday, 9/29

Hi everyone,
Your homework for the weekend is to post the quick writes we worked on in class yesterday. Remember that we did a quick write describing how a person may be feeling, but without stating their feelings, and we added to that story for homework on Wednesday. Now, with the feedback that you received from your peers, you will post it (possibly revised) on your blog.
Keep up the good work! You are all doing a great job.

Have a nice weekend,

Ms. Gonzalez

Hey class!

Creative writers,
I have begun going over all of your work, and you all have to know: it's great stuff! I wish that every day more of you would share your quick writes, but some writers don't do it that way, and that's fine!
Please remember to post a reflection, thought, or any other form of academic or non-academic writing to your blog tonight.
See you tomorrow (Froday!!!)

Ms. Gonzalez

What is this?

What is this feeling of loneliness? Of desperation, of fear? What will I do tomorrow, and the day after that? Will you listen as I figure it all out? "Honestly, I just can't anymore." Time passes. I have it now, listen- but you won't.

Homework that is due tomorrow

Hey everyone,

Thank you to those who read and brought a copy of the short story to class. Everyone needs to bring in a copy tomorrow, and must have it read! Your assignment, which needs to be posted on your blog by 11pm tonight, is to write about two instances in the short story where Shukumar's feelings are exposed, but not explicitly described. We talked about how forgetting to brush his teeth and not going out of his house tell us that he might have stopped caring about those things, and we learned, through the story of his baby's death, that he didn't want to have children in the first place. What else do we learn about Shukumar?
Your post should contain two examples from the text, pointing out the lines and instances where the feelings are inferred.
Also, what are your thoughts about the short story? Did you like it?

See you all tomorrow,

Ms. Gonzalez

Homework for Tuesday's class

Hi everyone,
By now you should have all learned how to make your own blogs, and should be planning on completing them by Wednesday. You'll be receiving homework on Tuesday and it will be due on your blog Wednesday.
Your homework for Tuesday is to read a short story by Jhumpa Lahiri, titled A Temporary Matter. It is from her collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000. You can find it here, on the NYTimes website (You'll have to become a free member by entering an email address and choosing a password). We'll be looking closely at how emotions are described, so you may want to take note of that as you read. Bring a copy of it to class with you on Tuesday.
See you all tomorrow,

Ms. Gonzalez

Welcome to Blogger.com

Welcome, class, to blogger.com, where you'll soon be creating your own blog. It's purpose is to offer you a forum for publishing your own work and receiving feedback from you peers. You'll be posting all of your homework assignments on your blog, as well as maintaining drafts, reflections, and the occasional rant. The Harlembury Tales is my own blog where we can stay in constant contact with each other about homework and extra credit, so it is imperative that it be checked regularly. I'll be sharing my own thoughts on the blog, too, and may even invite my English 9 and history classes to check it out.
By the way, can anyone tell what my blog is in reference to?

Ms. Gonzalez