Happy MLK Day! I'm a fan of Dr. King and I like the day of service. I know that at my high school today there were over 300 people planting trees and taking care of some nature. I wanted to go but I was on daughter duty this morning. Maybe next year she can come with me and help out.
I apprecate and respect Dr. King but I've always been a bigger fan of Malcolm. I read his autobiography (by Alex Haley) when I was 16 and it's one of my favorite books. It seems like people are either King people or Malcolm people (or racists). I'm not sure why that is but it's interesting. In fact, I just noticed that I have a picture of Malcolm hanging on my classroom wall but not Dr. King, which is something I will remedy in the near future. I also have pictures of Raymond Carver, Tommie Smith, my wife, my daughter, my cats, and my vice-principal (long story). I just flat out need some more pictures hanging up here.
Animals by Chris Jones
In 2011, in Zanesville, Ohio, Terry Thompson owned a large plot of land where he kept exotic animals. One day, Thompson let all of his animals out and shot himself in the head. This is the story of what happened next.
Article: 10 of 10
It is gruesome to hear about dozens of animals being killed in cold blood. It is scarier though to read about lions, tiger, bears, wolves, and monkeys being loose, just running around outside of a town. Jones details the 24 hours after Thompson kills himself and the first animals are seen at a neighoring farm. The writing is so good here it's hard to explain. There is suspense, drama, emotion, foreboding, and humanity. The first few paragraphs establish a tone of creepiness and surrealism as a 64 year old woman is out on her farm watching her horses freak out when she sees a bear chasing them. She then heads back into her barn where she makes eye contact with a lion who watches her for the 100 yards it takes her to get back inside. Chilling stuff.
Teachability: 10 of 10
As an example of longform journalism, there just isn't much better; this article is as good as it gets. As for content, the tragedy will appeal to students, although it will repulse some. They do love a good ethical discussion and this situation would definitely provide one. Great reporting here.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be up late tonight. Sometimes I just sit in bed and try to find some sleep but it doesn't ever come find me. Instead it hides from me and mocks me from a distance. It says, "You want me but you can't have me. I will stay over here while you read your book or play on your phone." And I just lie there wondering when it will happen. Tonight feels like one of those nights.
I have a friend that told me that when she turned 50 she quit sleeping well. It started with me three years ago. I just have such trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. And now when I do fall asleep, I wake up a couple hours into my slumber because I have to pee. That is new too and I hate it. Getting old is a drag.
Please let me die by Juliet Macur
This is a three-part article about a woman suffering from anorexia named Casi Florida. It is without a doubt the best description of what it would be like to live with the disease and students will love it. It is a fairly long piece but it is fantastic. Originally appearing in the Dallas Morning News in 2001, the article details Casi Florida's school girl entry into the world of running and how that helped her overcome some homelife issues. She was an excellent runner and colleges were recruiting her but it became apparent that she had an eating disorder so many of the bigger schools were turned off. She wound up at a smaller school and that's when she hit bottom with the disease.
Article: 9 of 10
The opening few paragraphs show Casi at the bottom of her anorexia battle and it is absolutely horrifying. She has been in bed for seven days.She was such a wreck that the pressure on her scalp from brushing her hair caused her to lose control of her bowels. The story is vividly told and the reader cares about Florida. The disease is the co-star and Macur informs the reader all about it by illustrating Florida's life and death battle.
Teachability: 10 of 10
Kids love drama and despair. The saddest real life stories are the ones they latch onto and this one fits the bill. The writing is nice and can definitely be looked at but the story is king here. There are just some things students should be exposed to and eating disorders belong on that list. This article addresses it in a fascinating way and wonderful discussion could follow the readings.

Hello glorious weekend! It's raining buckets, the Seahawks won, my wife is sick, my daughter is addicted to pickles. Those are just four facts I have noticed today. The rain: I have a jeep and the soft-top roof leaks on the passenger side. It rained so much today there is a puddle. The Seahawks: They beat the Saints but didn't look that good. They'll be better next week I hope. The wife: Her throat hurts too much to drink water but wine is not a problem. I love this woman so much. The daughter: I've noticed that the eating habits of a two-and-a-half year old are strange. Tonight it was all about the pickles. I love the rain, the Seahawks, my wife, and my daughter. The order can vary though.
How to Stop the Bullies by Emily Bazelon
This piece was in the March 2013 issue of The Atlantic. It details the efforts of social media sites and professors at MIT are undertaking to combat online bullying. That wonderful rogue hacker group, Anonymous, is even getting in on the action. It's a fascinating piece of journalism that scared me. I work with over 150 kids every day and I'm sure that online bullying is something they deal with but before reading this I didn't know how huge it was.
Article: 9 of 10
Bazelon is a great reporter. She goes in-depth with the topic and explains not just the problem, but also the possible solutions. An aside: I love The Atlantic.
Teachability: 10 of 10
This is one of those articles that I want my students to read, not so they'll appreciate the writing, but rather  so I can listen to them discuss it. There is power in the article and in the topic of cyberbullying and imagine if every student in a middle school or high school were to read and then discuss this? Things would change. Kids would maybe think twice before being jerks to each other online. Highly recommended.

Day two of post-Christmas break and people are dragging. Students, teachers, security, clerks, you name it and if they're in school, they are going slow motion style. I think everyone had their sleep schedule corrupted over the last two weeks and we are having trouble acclimating to the 7:30 first bell. The first day back was decent because of the adrenalin of being back. Day two? Not so much. Tomorrow will be much better I'm sure. I posted a note on Facebook about this blog or whatever it is and I noticed that my site visitors jumped way up. That's pretty cool I guess. Actually, it is. It's nice writing for an audience, even if it's smallish. Today's entry will be a piece of longform journalism.
Someone to Lean on by Gary Smith
First off, Gary Smith has been writing masterful longform journalism since before it was called longform journalism. He has written for Sports Illustrated for years and consistently produces the most interesting stories in the magazine. He doesn't write about sports as much as the humanity involved in them. For example, this piece is relatively famous because it was turned into a movie, Radio, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris in 2003, seven years after publication.
Article: 9 of 10
The article tells the story of an developmentally challenged African-American man, Radio, who gets taken under the wing by a white football coach, Coach Jones, in the south. To be honest, I'm pretty sure that race has nothing to do with the story. Smith writes about the troubles Radio has and how Coach Jones brings him out of his shell and helps Radio find his voice and himself. It is very inspirational.
Teachability: 8 of 10
It's an excellent article to teach with very high interest from the students and Smith is such a good writer that there is plenty to talk about with his style. The story is fascinating, uplifting, and true so that's a win with the students. The frustrating part is that if you cover this in class, each and every student will want to watch the movie. And the movie just isn't that good compared to the article.

It's January 6th and I'm back at school. On most Sunday nights I have trouble sleeping  but last night was pretty bad. I was up until 1:00 going over the week in my head and stressing about which students would turn in work that I let them makeup over break. Finaly I slept and had to wake up to my alarm seemingly fifteen minutes later (almost five hours of sleep actually). Today will be good. I've missed my students.
The Girl in the Window by Lane DeGregory 
This piece of longform journalism is from a prolific news reporter working for The Tampa Bay Times, Lane DeGregory. It was published in 2008 and tells the story of Dani, a feral child who finally gets rescued from her "mother" when she was six years old where her living situation was horrific. It also details the changes Dani is able to make as she gets adopted by a kind family.
Article: 10 of 10
Longform journalism doesn't really get much better than this. The opening few paragraphs completely capture the reader and the rest is just as entrancing. The story is fascinating enough that a person would be  naturally interested (and heartbroken), but DeGregory adds so much with her vivid writing that it makes the article impossible to stop reading.
Teachability: 10 of 10
I've used this article in my classes for five years and it has always been great. The student interest aspect is off the charts for them as many of them say that it reminds them of "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer . From using this article I have received fantastic writing, research, discussion, questions, and effort from students. I work with low income kids and maybe that has something to do with the incredibly high interest, but I think it might be universal. The Tampa Bay Times website also has some very nice interactive things to go with the article, including the audio of DeGregory reading her piece.