"She Was Wrong for That!"

One of my students sent me an email and asked me if she could do her individual novel presentation on Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Being that Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my all time favorite books, I instantly replied "Yes," and I told her that I would help her if she needed any help.

Well, the day of the presentation, she came to class a little late, and she did not seem to be prepared, but I was still hopeful.

She got up to do her presentation, and she did not do this wonderful novel justice.

I cringed throughout the presentation and did an awesome job of holding my tongue.

But, when she finished, I had to let her know that "She was wrong for that!"

I can't believe that she butchered Their Eyes Were Watching God!

She was wrong for that....

Shaking my head!

Doesn't Everyone Wants a Tea Cake?

Tea Cake is the one of the main characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God! The way that his love, Janie, describes him, is enough to make a woman or man wait for as long as she/he has to for his/her very own Tea Cake to show up.

This is what Janie said about her love:

This quote really makes me glad!!!!

Don't we all want a Tea Cake?????

Did I say THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

All Smiles for THE PRESIDENT! Look closely, I'm behind the guy
with the red shirt on.

So, at school on Wednesday, it was in the air that the Secret Service were seen around the building. (Just for the record, High School Students don't miss anything.) One of the students stated; "The Secret Service were having a meeting in the conference room yesterday, and I also saw them looking around in the gym." She went on to say "Somebody's coming!" (All I could do is look at her in amazement, and think, how did she see all of that, and how did she know that the strange people in the building were Secret Service?)
 
Well, she was correct! On Wednesday, we had an impromptu faculty meeting where we were told that The President of the United States, Yes, The President of the United States, President Barack Obama, the first African American President, was coming to OUR school to talk to the Juniors and Seniors about student loans. (I mean really?? Somebody pinch me.) I can not began to explain the excitement in the school once the Principal made the announcement. However, being that he only wanted to see juniors and seniors, everyone was not going to see him live, but his speech would be live-streamed into every class. (One of the advantages of being in a school that is completely technology savvy.)

Guess who has free time during third and fifth periods and could go see THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES live! (Me! Highly Favored all of the time.)

Today, I got to school around 6:30, about 30 minutes earlier than I normally get there, and I was so excited to see Secret Service everywhere. I bounced into the main office to get my ticket, yes, people on the list needed tickets to go in the gym to see THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!

The ticket!

Here are a few teachers after we picked up our tickets!

Excited!

Representing Howard and Tuskegee and all HBCU's!
He is here to talk about college right?

Around 9:45, I proceeded to the gym, but first I had to show my ID and make it through security. I wish that you could see the excitement that was on my entire body.

Ok, so I must give this plug for The Greatest Historical Black College in the land:Tuskegee. I wore my Tuskegee t-shirt, and as I was going through security, one of the Secret Service asked me if I went to Tuskegee and if I knew anything about Clark County, Alabama. Well, my mom is from Clark County. After a conversation, we realized that we are related through marriage. Now, if I had not worn that Tuskegee t-shirt, we would have never made that connection! Yaaaaa to Tuskegee; The Pride of the Swift Growing South!!!!!

Cousin who is also a Secret Service Man!

After this encounter, I scurried into the gym and pushed my way to the very front and anxiously waited along with colleagues, parents, students, and many dignitaries for The President of the United States.



Kids were in place!

Banner was up!

The Principal Spoke

A student who met with The President privately introduced him!

And then THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

He gave the student a genuine hug!

And it was on:

After the speech, he shook our hands! WOW....

and I had to take this picture with our Superintendent!

The Superintendent!

As stated by Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God, "Ah done been tuh de horizon and back..."

By the way, this is my 100th post, and I am so grateful that it is about The President!

The Literary Canon

The literary canon can be described as a group of books that helped to shape American culture.

I can not remember any of the books that I read in high school, but I do remember that I loved to read the books that were assigned by my teachers. I am wondering if I don't remember the books because we did not read any by African American authors, and I could not see myself in the text; the teachers did not teach the novels in a way that would make them memorable; or I have been out of high school for so long until I just can't remember that far back.

When I was in undergraduate and graduate school, we use to have lots of discussions about the literary canon and whether or not there were particular books that all students should read and exactly what should be read if there was a such a thing as a literary canon.

Being young and not having much experience with teaching and the vast literary world, I didn't know what my thoughts were on this topic in graduate or undergraduate school, but I did feel that the literary canon, if there was a such a thing, should not only include dead, white men: Hemingway, Dickens, Shakespeare, Fitzgerald etc., there are lots of other writers who helped to shape the American culture.

Today, I have a lot more experience with literature and teaching, and I do feel that there are certain books that all students should read before they leave high school. However, I feel that some of the books in the canon should change to reflects the time. For instance, The Kite Runner is a story by a man from Afghanistan who writes about a boy and his family who lives in Afghanistan. This book looks at war and the impact that it had on the people of Afghanistan. Due to the war that the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afgan North Alliance waged on Afghanistan, I do believe that this is a relevant book that should be read today; however, it may not be relevant 20, 30 or 40 years from now.

Even though there are books that I feel are time period relevant, there are other books that I feel are timeless and should be read by all high school students: To Kill A Mockingbird, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Romeo and Juliet, Absolute True Diary by a Part-Time Indian, anything by Charles Dickens etc.

However, this is one of the problems with the literary canon; if you get 100 teachers of English together and ask them the top 10 books that all students should read before they leave high school, I believe that it would be almost impossible to get them to come to a consensus. I know that there are certain books that I want all students to enjoy and learn from, but there are other teachers who have list of books that are very different from mine.

Today, with my seniors, I mentioned Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and To Kill a Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee, and only a few students had read these two books. Oh my!!!!

What are you thoughts on the literary canon, and do you think that there are books that all students should read before they leave high school?

By the way, do you remember any books that you read in high school, or am I the only person who can't remember that far back?

What Sets Your Heart on Fire?

I hope that everyone has something that sets his/her heart on fire. Something, that if you just think about it, it makes your heart glad.

Anyone who really knows me, knows that there are many things that set my heart on fire: a good sermon, any outdoor activity, a great free hip hop concert, a museum, jazz, a great date, a good book etc. As you can see, my heart is set on fire quite often.

My students tell me that everything that I read makes my heart glad, and they are sort of right but not quite right. I do love books and quite a few make my heart glad, but not one book sets my heart on fire like Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

When I think of the main character, Janie, taking the risk and going off with her Teacake, makes my heart glad. A woman deciding that she was going to do what she wanted to do, regardless of what anyone thought, and deal with the consequences, is enough to make my heart shout.

Here are some of my all time favorite quotes from Their Eyes Were Watching God that make me smile when I think of them:

"Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate."

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

"Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember and remember everything they don’t want to forget"

"She didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop." 

"He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place,"

You'se something tuh make uh man forgit tuh git old and forgit to die."  WOW!!!!!

So Ah'm back home again and Ah's satisfied tuh be heah. Ah done been tuh de horizon and back  and now Ah can set heah in my house and live by comparisons."

I could go on and on but.........................

Today and everyday, I will focus on things that set my heart on fire. Will you do the same?

Here are some other things that set my heart on fire:

Zora, daring to smoke cigarettes in public when

it was viewed as inappropriate for women.

Riding my bike with Tammy on the National Mall



A first lady who is fit, sets my heart on fire!



The Great Outdoors!

Me with friends in Los Cabos on my birthday.

Tuskegee's Homecoming! The Best Homecoming in the land.

At a dinner with the niece of Zora Neale Hurston

What sets your heart on fire? Holler......