Your First Grade Checks. . . TGIF!

This Friday you are taking home your first grade check, and it is the first time that our school will be sending home two grade checks per quarter. This is a good opportunity for you to reassess your performance in all your classes and to make sure that you are headed in the direction you really want. What's nice is that it is early enough in the quarter that you will still have many opportunities to improve. The best advice I can give you is to keep a record of all your grades (in all of your classes), and if you are ever absent, be sure you have caught up with all assignments and class work you may have missed. Congratulations to the many of you who have been working so hard. To those of you who wish to improve your grades, dig in. You can do it!

Meantime, what book have you selected for pleasure reading? For free writing or thought, reflect on the reading you are doing. How much do you read each day? Do you prefer to read at home or at school, or does it matter? Do you have a good book right now? You might also reflect on your goals in this class. Do you feel like you've started some good habits - homework, reading, etc? I know it's sometimes a challenge to balance sports, music, lessons and practice, homework and so forth. Life is so much easier when you can establish a homework routine early on. So, have a great weekend, but keep yourself organized!

Man's and Woman's Best Friend

Reading about Odysseus and his faithful dog Argos makes me reflect on the wonderful, loyal pet friends I've had in my life. I guess you could say I am dog crazy; in fact, my whole family is. I can't think of a time that we haven't been blessed with canine companions. What do you think the story of Argos tells us about the ancient Greek culture? What role do pets play in our culture today? What does the way our society treats pets say about our culture?

My niece Krista visited the dog pound fifteen years ago and adopted the beautiful dog in this picture. You may recognize him from the many pet pictures I keep in my classroom. His name is Bo, and he dresses up for holidays, enjoys the festivities,
and is loved by many. Bo has given my family immeasurable comfort in the years following my niece's untimely death. His life is a testimony to the therapeutic nature of a loyal and loving pet.

Looking for a great book? Author John Grogan writes a moving love story of man and dog in Marley and Me. Click on the title, and you can link to a great interactive site which offers pictures, blog posts, questions and answers from the author, and excerpts from the book. Give it a try. Comparing all this to the ancient story of Argos reminds me that the story of canine loyalty is seemingly eternal.

Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Here's another idea for thought and possible free writing: Odysseus gets a lot of help on his journey, advice about dangers to avoid and knowledge about events that will happen before they happen. Do you agree that it is better to know about the dangers you may face, or would you prefer to face the unknown with no clue of what may come? On a similar note, should Odysseus have told his men about the danger of Scylla? Why or why not?

Can you imagine being away from home for twenty years? How could anyone recognize Odysseus, especially his son, who was only an infant at his departure? The episodes in Part Two: Coming Home give us a glimpse of human nature and Greek values. As you read, you may wonder what qualities are valued by our culture today and what
qualities were valued by the Greeks.

Keep reading in your pleasure books. You may look for parallels between your class discussions and your personal reading.

In a Pig's Eye

Further ideas for thought and free writing:

As you continue reading, you may notice how men and women are depicted in ancient
Greece. Who has power, and what are the roles for men and women? How are they different from each other and different today? In today's reading you will meet the sorceress Circe, who charms the men and turns them into pigs! Does any of this remind you of other stories or themes? In your opinion, what was the lesson to be drawn from this story?

As you keep reading, you'll meet more dangerous females. why do you think this is?

What or Who Frightens You Most?

Here's an idea for free writing....... Odysseus meets up with the Cyclops in today's reading. (By the way, you'll notice that many of the other monsters in this story are female.) Think of the villains and monsters you know from literature and history. Who are the most frightening to you? Who are the most powerful and why? (It may not escape your attention that today is 9/11.)

I think in today's reading it becomes clear that although Odysseus's strength is wisdom, he's also fairly weak when it comes to pride. I enjoy reading this story because of the lessons that still apply today, even though the story is pretty wild. It's interesting to see what the ancient Greeks valued.

As to the monsters I have feared the most, I have to say that the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz was truly my worst childhood villainess. Interestingly, both The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz have been compared as epic journeys, both main characters searching for themselves and for home. Think about it; there really are a lot of similarities.