Et al.

More Pedabloguery

But not much, 'cause I must get this paper finished while the sitter is here.

The Chronicle of Higher Education (pretty sure it's in the freebie section) has a touching piece on the topic of learning from one's students, as we all should. I, too, have had the good fortune (and agony) that comes with teaching so-called "non-traditional" students, whose wisdom and fortitude are exemplary.

Elsewhere: I'm delighted that so distinguished a source as the NYTimes shares my discomfiture at the loss of the analogy section of the SAT (and only in part because I aced it...). Given the proliferation of shady. sloppy, and downright bogus analogies from both sides of the aisle, the skill is not nearly so obsolete as critics and a certain breed of anti-intellectual would have it. Frankly, I think such a measure of students' grasp of language use (there's a demand for nuance in these questions, since the best answer is generally one that is both intuitive and reasonable) that is more sophistsicated than the sections that merely test the students' grasp of material they've already seen over and over in class.

Finally, from Salon, Joyce McGreevy's screed on the privatization of America is worth the brief ad to get to it—or, better yet, a membership to Salon. In these days of manufactured news, a genuinely ideological vehicle of truth, justice, and the American way is a necessary bargain.

posted by Unknown @ 1:46 PM