A word about Skyward
Okay, okay. I’ll admit it: As a teacher, I despise Skynet… er, ah, Skyward. However, as a parent of an MTHS student, I love Skyward Family Access.
So, I understand that I’m trying to have it both ways when it comes to this wonderful, horrible Web tool. Of course I want to know how my son is doing in his classes, but I don’t want to be enslaved to updating Skyward on a daily basis for my students.
But, it’s more complicated than that. Let me explain…
The Red Balloon: An all-time classic is restored
It’s difficult to think of cinema in the past 50+ years without considering the impact of “The Red Balloon.” For many generations, this film was the introduction to the power of film. For millions of elementary school kids, “The Red Balloon” was synonymous with movie...
Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” is a whopper
Tornatore’s Italian masterpiece: “Cinema Paradiso”
Okay, I’ll admit it: This is one of my all-time favorite films. Sure, I’m biased because it’s an Italian film, but there’s so much more to it than that. Among the many elements to like in this film are: A beautiful story – perhaps one of the...
Celebrating Steven Spielberg
Slam Poetry
What is Slam Poetry? Characteristics Performance is key – usually to an engaged audience Poet is often on stage where they recite their chosen work Heavy focus on intonation and inflection May be performed by more than one person “Slams” originated in...
Hitchcock: A dizzying masterpiece – “Vertigo”
He made you over, didn’t he? Just as I’ve done. But better! Did he train you? Rehearse you? Teach you what to say and what to do? John “Scottie” Ferguson One of Hitchcock’s films rises above the rest, in my opinion – “Vertigo.” While it didn’t exactly meet with wide...
Hitchcock: Master of suspense and the sublime
Assignment Choices Psycho North By Northwest The Birds Rope Rear Window Click HERE to go to the Vertigo page We’ll experience several of Hitchcock’s masterpieces – “North By Northwest” and “Vertigo” for sure – and maybe one or two of his other great films. When...