Blogging Standards and Class Expectations...Odysseus Returns to Family and Kingdom

The first activity in getting our classroom weblog set up this week is an agreement for your student expectations. This weekend's homework included a proposed list of ten (or so) guidelines for participation on the blog. Today your team will review each member's rules and compile a set of rules for the class. As we discuss these for possible adoption, we will reach a consensus on our guidelines for the class. These are important. We don't want to hamper anyone's creative efforts on the blog, but at the same time we want to reflect the true academic and intellectual exchange we're after on our educational weblog.



The rest of the weekend's homework included continued reading of the Odyssey. After ten years at sea and an additional ten fighting the Trojan War, our hero Odysseus is finally home on Ithaca. We'll be looking at some of the lessons he should have learned along the way. I have to wonder as I read this part of the story, how on earth can he expect his family and friends to recognize him after all this time, and why does he want to test them? Would you recognize your parent after years of absence? Is the bond between parent and child that strong? Remember, Telemachus (Odysseus's son) was only an infant when Odysseus left for war. Telemachus sets out to find his father, but how would he know who he is? Should Odysseus's wife Penelope be expected to wait this long for his return? Overall, we should also be able to identify the ancient Greek values and heroic traits. Just how is Odysseus a hero?


Finally, in looking over this week's events, we'll continue reading independently and prepare to post to our weblog about our reading. A lot of you have expressed a readiness to get blogging, and I certainly agree.