Farewell to 2010

While we had a short week at school, the outside world gave us many newsworthy events that we all need to be on top of. First the most exciting news…congratulations to the UCONN Women’s basketball team for being the first team in history to win 89 games in a row. When ESPN commentators were talking about the success of this program they kept coming back to work ethic. This is a team that plays 110% whether they are up by one point or thirty points. A strong work ethic and doing one’s best under all circumstances are great attributes as you go forward in life. It is comforting to look back on events and know you tried your best.

Meanwhile, our Congress has been cranking out legislation that had been stalled for several months. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to lift the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” rule from our military forces. Many believe this will go down as the great civil rights legislation of this decade. The Senate also approved a treaty with Russia to limit nuclear weapons and provide for inspections of nuclear facilities, and it approved a special trust fund to help first responders from 911 deal with medical bills.

But not all the news was good. Tensions mounted on the terrorist front. Over a dozen suspects were arrested in London, and there were reports of small-scale plots to poison US salad bars and takeout counters. There is speculation terrorists may be shifting their strategy from attempting massive attacks like 911 to orchestrating smaller strikes that would cause the West to “hemorrhage.”

South Asia

We concluded our study of South Asia by working in groups with multiple texts and videos to help us respond to two questions: Is Pakistan a dangerous country? And what should the US relationship be with this country? You had excerpts from your UpFront magazine, Newsweek, and the New York Times as well as a video clip on pop musicians in Pakistan, a TED video on suicide bombers, and a CNN interview with Greg Mortensen, author of “Three Cups of Tea.” This wealth of information gave you a wide ranging perspective on this country but ultimately you have to make a decision. Is Pakistan dangerous, and how should the US relate to this country? This in class writing assignment was worth 10 points.

Task

Congratulations to all of you who handed in the task. Many of you met or exceeded the standard and therefore the task can go in your portfolio. For those who nearly met standard, you were still able to earn in-class credit. To help you improve the next time you are asked to do a reflection I shared with you a brief PowerPoint that went over strong and weak sentences from actual student essays. I hope you found it useful. My advice is to think before you write, give yourself time to rewrite and be specific…avoid generalities.

Enjoy

Now we have all earned some rest and relation time. No homework was assigned over the break but let me remind a few of you that revisions are due on January 3. I know you will keep up with the news and what is happening in the outside world.

A Time to Say Thank you

There are many who help make this blog an interesting, useful and helpful source of information for students and parents. I want to thank BABM, KLM, and MLM who give me the student’s point of view on the entries. They are especially good at pointing out the need for a consistent positive message no matter what the challenges are. They also provide technology support when I have goofed up an entry or inserted the wrong size picture. I also want to thank LEM who has been my faithful editor. His insistence on word choice and good grammar have made me a better writer. He has also been a constant source of encouragement when some weekend mornings I consider not writing an entry... “What, no blog?! Say it’s not true!” Finally, thank you to my faithful readers both near and far. While this is the last posting for the year, stay tuned for a special New Year’s kickoff!