Jim Grayson
@jimgrayson.bsky.social
teacher, writer, dad, hobbyist, snark
My opinions are only my own.
My opinions are only my own.
In Kurt VonnegutI'd final written speech (which he died before he could deliver), he labored to produce a universally agreeable American sentiment. His first attempt was: "Sugar is sweet."
I'll argue that Annie has hit something we can agree upon every bit as easily.
I'll argue that Annie has hit something we can agree upon every bit as easily.
we should have art and it should be broadly accessible
in terms of well being and happiness imo). In the face of the most overt brutality it's easy to be like 'hard to get mad about access to art when people are being starved and bombed' which has a point but these things all come from the same basic social logic of indifferences to human flourishing.
November 19, 2025 at 1:41 AM
In Kurt VonnegutI'd final written speech (which he died before he could deliver), he labored to produce a universally agreeable American sentiment. His first attempt was: "Sugar is sweet."
I'll argue that Annie has hit something we can agree upon every bit as easily.
I'll argue that Annie has hit something we can agree upon every bit as easily.
I'm actually starting Macbeth with my sophomores this week (plus I just finished Othello and Richard III with my AP courses), so this looks fun!
#SundayMacbethChat
#SundayMacbethChat
Okay, so let's do officially do this! a slow-read of Macbeth with Sunday discussion threads starting November 23rd! #SundayMacbethChat
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 17, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I'm actually starting Macbeth with my sophomores this week (plus I just finished Othello and Richard III with my AP courses), so this looks fun!
#SundayMacbethChat
#SundayMacbethChat
STUDENT COMPLAINT FROM 2009: "All we do in this class is read the book, talk about the book we read, and then write about what we talked about from the book we read."
MY RESPONSE: "The sign on the door says 'English Class.'"
MY RESPONSE: "The sign on the door says 'English Class.'"
November 16, 2025 at 9:38 PM
STUDENT COMPLAINT FROM 2009: "All we do in this class is read the book, talk about the book we read, and then write about what we talked about from the book we read."
MY RESPONSE: "The sign on the door says 'English Class.'"
MY RESPONSE: "The sign on the door says 'English Class.'"
Read this Yale report on AI. Don't ask your chatbot to read it for you.
thenewjournalatyale.com/2025/10/insi...
thenewjournalatyale.com/2025/10/insi...
Inside Yale’s Quiet Reckoning with AI | The New Journal
Amid ChatGPT's rising popularity and a computer science cheating scandal, Yale students, professors, and administrators wrestle privately with the proper role of AI in education. What happens when eve...
thenewjournalatyale.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Read this Yale report on AI. Don't ask your chatbot to read it for you.
thenewjournalatyale.com/2025/10/insi...
thenewjournalatyale.com/2025/10/insi...
Honestly, these jerseys should be exhibited in the Vatican Museum. As his papacy continues, the jerseys pour in from around the world, and suddenly there's this incongruous 21st-C sportswear room among all the marbles and such.
It is very funny that this Pope is just going to get jerseys from now on. Everyone decided that's what this Pope likes and that is it. It's like if your grandmother got you a puzzle for Christmas one year and you said you liked it so your entire extended family is like "oh that's the puzzle kid"
Spike Lee just blessed Pope Leo with a custom Knicks jersey during his visit to the Vatican, just one week after the Pope was gifted a custom Chicago Bulls one.
November 16, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Honestly, these jerseys should be exhibited in the Vatican Museum. As his papacy continues, the jerseys pour in from around the world, and suddenly there's this incongruous 21st-C sportswear room among all the marbles and such.
That's my Friday evening sorted.
Tonight at 9pm ET, 8pm CT, the Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night starring Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and directed by Saheem Ali will be on PBS Great Performances.
You can stream at pbs.org/gperf or on the PBS app.
You can stream at pbs.org/gperf or on the PBS app.
Twelfth Night ~ About | Great Performances | PBS
The Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identity starring Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Junior Nyong'o and more.
www.pbs.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:43 PM
That's my Friday evening sorted.
I look forward to the day this trickles down to high schools and I have to call 130 sets of parents plus a handful of administrators every time a kid asks a question.
November 13, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I look forward to the day this trickles down to high schools and I have to call 130 sets of parents plus a handful of administrators every time a kid asks a question.
And then I, a high school English teacher these 17 years, learned about three-cuing.
ever since I learned about three-cueing I've developed infinitely more patience for replies on social media. mfers literally do not know how to read. people are walking around conjuring random meanings into words they don't know, and they don't know a lot of words. it's crazy
November 12, 2025 at 8:03 PM
And then I, a high school English teacher these 17 years, learned about three-cuing.
Reminder for after work.
AND WE'RE LIVE!!!!!
Welcome to American Medieval! Our first episode sees @profgabriele.com talk with the amazing @goingmedieval.bsky.social about what got us interested in the Middle Ages, why Czech history is super cool, and why Dan Brown drives us nuts
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Welcome to American Medieval! Our first episode sees @profgabriele.com talk with the amazing @goingmedieval.bsky.social about what got us interested in the Middle Ages, why Czech history is super cool, and why Dan Brown drives us nuts
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Public Medievalism with Eleanor Janega
Podcast Episode · American Medieval · 11/12/2025 · 57m
podcasts.apple.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reminder for after work.
For some reason nobody asks me about the secret of the success of my AP Lit program (I know, Annie, I know). The secret is simple: we read books. Lots of them. We talk about them, write about them, and then we succeed on the tests (which aren't the point), even in my oddly-shaded red state.
November 8, 2025 at 8:26 PM
For some reason nobody asks me about the secret of the success of my AP Lit program (I know, Annie, I know). The secret is simple: we read books. Lots of them. We talk about them, write about them, and then we succeed on the tests (which aren't the point), even in my oddly-shaded red state.
Gremlins 3 is happening, there's a LEGO Enterprise-D, and Tuesday's elections happened.
There's good in the world.
There's good in the world.
November 7, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Gremlins 3 is happening, there's a LEGO Enterprise-D, and Tuesday's elections happened.
There's good in the world.
There's good in the world.
And punk rock is optimism. In this essay I will
majoring yn English ys punk rocke
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
And punk rock is optimism. In this essay I will
For crying out loud, I was just a handful of hours away from a history minor concentrating mostly on classical and medieval Europe, and I was an English education major. Trust that I had plenty of coursework to occupy my time.
Okay, that overlap might not be such a stretch...
Okay, that overlap might not be such a stretch...
but here Kurtz is making a dumb straw man argument.
like, this is just simply not true. not at all. not even a little bit.
THERE ARE TONS OF COURSES ON EUROPE/ THE AMERICAS IN HISTORY DEPARTMENTS AT LITERALLY EVERY UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE IN THE COUNTRY
(there are ~ 40+ at my uni alone)
4/
like, this is just simply not true. not at all. not even a little bit.
THERE ARE TONS OF COURSES ON EUROPE/ THE AMERICAS IN HISTORY DEPARTMENTS AT LITERALLY EVERY UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE IN THE COUNTRY
(there are ~ 40+ at my uni alone)
4/
November 3, 2025 at 11:14 PM
For crying out loud, I was just a handful of hours away from a history minor concentrating mostly on classical and medieval Europe, and I was an English education major. Trust that I had plenty of coursework to occupy my time.
Okay, that overlap might not be such a stretch...
Okay, that overlap might not be such a stretch...
I haven't watched a ton of the playoffs because I'm a Reds fan and now have the Bengals to disappoint me, but good grief was that Game 6 something to see. Looking forward to Game 7 tomorrow.
November 1, 2025 at 3:26 AM
I haven't watched a ton of the playoffs because I'm a Reds fan and now have the Bengals to disappoint me, but good grief was that Game 6 something to see. Looking forward to Game 7 tomorrow.
"Arts" =\= "Less than science"
October 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM
"Arts" =\= "Less than science"
How much plastic was in this stuff before???
October 23, 2025 at 11:45 PM
How much plastic was in this stuff before???
Define irony.
An artillery shell fired during 250th anniversary celebration of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton on Saturday detonated prematurely over Interstate 5, damaging a California Highway Patrol vehicle on JD Vance's security detail www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/u...
Artillery Shell Detonated Over Interstate 5 During Marines’ Celebration, California Officials Say
www.nytimes.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Define irony.
Furthermore, you should read widely, fiction and nonfiction, crossing genres and disciplines. And for the love of whatever, let your students see you reading!
If you're a K-12 teacher, you should read books! Often! Regularly! It makes you a better thinker, and often, a better human -- both things a real bonus when working with youth!
October 19, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Furthermore, you should read widely, fiction and nonfiction, crossing genres and disciplines. And for the love of whatever, let your students see you reading!
Thread.
Probably a coincidence, but I notice that today’s #NoKings protest falls on the anniversary of the death of one of the worst kings of all time, King John, so here’s a short thread. 1/7
October 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Thread.
I, a Kentucky alumnus, do hereby take back one or two ugly things I've said about you, UofL.
Louisville beats No. 2 Miami 24-21, handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season and first at home since 2023.
Louisville intercepts 4 of Beck's passes, tops No. 2 Miami 24-21 to end Hurricanes' home streak
Louisville has pulled off a stunning victory against the second-ranked Miami Hurricanes, winning 24-21 on Friday night.
bit.ly
October 18, 2025 at 3:40 AM
I, a Kentucky alumnus, do hereby take back one or two ugly things I've said about you, UofL.
Me, to coworkers, friends, and family alike: Take care of yourself. You have sick days for a reason. Use them.
Also me, sitting on more than nine years' accumulated sick leave: No, I'll be fine, there's too much to do right now.
Also me, sitting on more than nine years' accumulated sick leave: No, I'll be fine, there's too much to do right now.
You can't logic your way out of being burnt out. Unless you're me. Who should be able to do it and it's a personal failing that I can't
October 13, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Me, to coworkers, friends, and family alike: Take care of yourself. You have sick days for a reason. Use them.
Also me, sitting on more than nine years' accumulated sick leave: No, I'll be fine, there's too much to do right now.
Also me, sitting on more than nine years' accumulated sick leave: No, I'll be fine, there's too much to do right now.
I'm a teacher, not a lawyer, but if I catch you cheating on a test and I call you out on it, I cannot recommend "Bro, it was just one question!" as a defense.
October 9, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I'm a teacher, not a lawyer, but if I catch you cheating on a test and I call you out on it, I cannot recommend "Bro, it was just one question!" as a defense.
My literature students are reading THINGS FALL APART, and I think I've just found them some supplemental context.
A Brief History of Men are Becoming Less Manly
🧵
🧵
October 7, 2025 at 11:54 PM
My literature students are reading THINGS FALL APART, and I think I've just found them some supplemental context.
The Eagles could not be reached for comment.
House Republican says she'll hold a town hall 'when hell freezes over'
www.dailykos.com
House Republican says she'll hold a town hall 'when hell freezes over'
twp.ai
October 7, 2025 at 11:33 PM
The Eagles could not be reached for comment.
Okay, Bengals, with Mark Sanchez in the hospital, I suppose your options were limited.
October 7, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Okay, Bengals, with Mark Sanchez in the hospital, I suppose your options were limited.