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Why Elon Musk Is Wrong about The Odyssey and Why That Matters

O muse, sing through me the ways of Musk’s failures, and the confusions upon which they rely… Let me start by saying something I think some of Musk’s critics are wrong about.  A predictable kind of social media smugness often emerges in these situations and reads something like “imagine caring about whether a fictional character’s … Continue reading Why Elon Musk Is Wrong about The Odyssey and Why That Matters →

“Like That” – The Beef Starts in Earnest

[This post is part 6 of a series on teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – click here for part 5 –“First Person Shooter – Rap Beef as Socratic Dialogue”] Introduction This post is really, really long.  I hope you’ll go on the journey with me.  This is one of those rabbit holes that got deeper and … Continue reading “Like That” – The Beef Starts in Earnest →

Teaching the Drake/Kendrick Beef – First Person Shooter – Rap Beef as Socratic Dialogue

[This post is part 5 of a series on teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – click here for part 4 –“Poetic Justice” – Even When They Were Friends There Were Issues]] For about the first two weeks of the unit, the class had now listened to and analyzed several songs - “Ab-Soul’s Outro” (Ab-Soul featuring Kendrick … Continue reading Teaching the Drake/Kendrick Beef – First Person Shooter – Rap Beef as Socratic Dialogue →

Teaching the Drake/Kendrick Beef – Last Prequel – “Poetic Justice” – Even When They Were Friends There Were Issues

[This post is part 4 of a series on teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – click here for part 3 – “Hiiipower” and “So Appalled” – How Kendrick Signifies on Kanye] A final lesson I did leading up to my students studying the beef itself was about Kendrick Lamar and Drake co-performing on the 2012 song … Continue reading Teaching the Drake/Kendrick Beef – Last Prequel – “Poetic Justice” – Even When They Were Friends There Were Issues →

Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel 2 – “Hiiipower” and “So Appalled” – How Kendrick Signifies on Kanye

[This post is part 3 of a series on teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – click here for part 2 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context] Here’s a question - a literal AP Lang question - that Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 song “Hiiipower” could have been answering, from the 2010 exam: In his … Continue reading Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel 2 – “Hiiipower” and “So Appalled” – How Kendrick Signifies on Kanye →

Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context

[This post is part 2 of a series - click here for part 1 - Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept] I don’t know if Drake intended to set off the firestorm that eventually happened when he called himself the GOAT on “First Person Shooter” … Continue reading Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context →

Part 2 – If We Shouldn’t Teach Students to “Read Literature Like a Professor,” Then Where Should We Start?

“You come from a long line of great poets, some of the greatest poets since Homer.” -James Baldwin, “A Letter to My Nephew” “Literacy is a process of moments. It isn't a set of skills to be acquired or un-acquired. When students sit down to read or write a text, they are involved in a … Continue reading Part 2 – If We Shouldn’t Teach Students to “Read Literature Like a Professor,” Then Where Should We Start? →

Why We Shouldn’t Teach Students How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Kendrick you do know my language, you just forgot ‘cuz of what public schools had painted” —Kendrick Lamar, “Momma” (2015) A year before COVID, I had a student named D.  He was enrolled in my school’s on-level junior English class, which was generally a decently racially diverse class - D was one of like 7-8 … Continue reading Why We Shouldn’t Teach Students How to Read Literature Like a Professor →

Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept

[This post is part 1 of a series - click here for part 2 – Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context] This last year I developed a unit that presented students with one of the most genuinely difficult challenges I’ve ever presented in 17 years of … Continue reading Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept →