YES to Oct & to apple crisp!!! Love pippin apples for this, when our yard tree goes crazy. And btw: It’s hard to ruin the “crisp” part- it’s very forgiving. Want less sugar, flour or butter? More oats? It all works! Occasionally I add fresh or crystallized ginger for a small something.

Like most of us, I did those modules for years (more added every year!) w/out any extra time or pay. One of the small pleasures of retirement has been freedom from them, but guess what? Got a note 2 weeks ago that that company leaked all my data! It’d almost be comical if it weren’t so infuriating!

Same!

Been scrolling through the posts. What a great resource/site. Thanks for the rec!

898 W Grand Ave, Oakland

Just fyi: that stretch is often called “West Grand.” (“Grand” often refers to the part of the street closer to the Lake/Grand Lake Theater).

The Stars Undying &The Sea Eternal by Emery Robin. Retelling of Cleopatra & Caesar (1st book) & Antony & Cleopatra (2nd)-in space! Epic, queer, sci-fi, philosophical with an Alexander-the Great character who’s been “stored” in an AI computer & speaks to Cleopatra, among others. Complex & compelling!

Remarkably, I was at both of these!

So sorry that you have to deal w/ that. I didn’t grind, but similarly, I did clench while sleeping (alas, I was also a teacher. The struggle is real, as they say). I started using a night guard & wow, it was a game changer for me. I sleep much better too. Best to you going forward with this.

Teachers have, sadly, been shouting this same thing into the void, for a long time. I don’t wish it on any body or any profession.

All the best to you in the challenging times ahead.

Sure.

Interestingly enough, now that I think about it, Gatsby’s the only Am Lit “classic” from those early days that we DIDN’T eventually drop from the required titles…

No, I had not read it in HS, but did in college. I think it was just part of the general Am Lit curriculum at my school(s). We dropped/changed many titles over the years, but kept that (for me, it stayed challenging & stimulating to teach, while still bringing students to new thinking & skill depth)

6/ who was “blind,” who “saw” (literally, figuratively), in that climactic chapter. Here’s a link to a google doc you are welcome to copy. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

5/& Finally, a plain old literary activity that was always successful: a visual examination of Ch 7. Every S got paper w/ an outline of an empty head. Diff Ss took diff characters in Ch 7 & explored “what’s in my head”? They used space, color, words, images to brainstorm (more & link on next post)

4/Also, sometimes w/ Am Lit books I’d do a “make it relevant“ activity, comparing a thing from the current year to a book’s characters/themes. Gatsby= always thought-provoking (from the Kardashians to environmental disasters, college Admission scandals, specific MeToo cases, class barrier examples)