True Story from a Teacher

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

So I was grading papers this afternoon, and one of the papers was a "Word of the Day" worksheet. Each day, when the kids come in, I have a word of the day written on the board. We talk about it, the part of speech, its meaning, and then the kids have to write a sentence using the word, which gives the reader a sense of the word's meaning.

One day last week, the word was "avarice". One kid wrote (which I didn't see until today): "Larfleze is the Orange Lantern of avarice."

I think I am the one teacher who will count that one right (even though doesn't exactly give anyone a sense of its meaning), or would have any idea what he was talking about. We will be talking comics tomorrow!

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

I would say that it is safe to presume that this young man, who is obviously well bred and educated, is clear on the meaning of "avarice." Two thumbs WAY up.

Although...is he the one who didn't spell Larfleeze correctly or was that a typo on your part? ;-)

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Also, he's a bright young man who knows how to impress his teacher. Extra points for that, I say.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

That's awesome, Jeff! An orange ring to him!

[Philip Portelli]

It's a good sign to see a kid still reading comics, though with today's contents it could be a double-edged sword!

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Philip Portelli said:

It's a good sign to see a kid still reading comics, though with today's contents it could be a double-edged sword!

You just said a mouthful! I began to wonder whether Green Lantern is the best thing for this kid to be reading--turns out he's read all the issues of Blackest Night (his knowledge is actually pretty crazy-accurate). But still, I have to admit I'm happy to have someone to talk to about it. Ha!

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Cavalier said:

I would say that it is safe to presume that this young man, who is obviously well bred and educated, is clear on the meaning of "avarice." Two thumbs WAY up.

Although...is he the one who didn't spell Larfleeze correctly or was that a typo on your part? ;-)

I was tempted to write "sic" after that post, because the misspelling was his. To be fair, though, no dictionary would have that word in it, which is my typical expectation. Hey, I was just excited to see it.

[Eric L. Sofer]

So your boy is reading... and he understands a relatively complex word, and recognizes it in context.

That's GREAT! (And let's face, even though I don't think "avarice" is in the book, aren't you just a little less discomfited by the fact that he didn't cite it from "Little Women"...?)

(Not that there's anything wrong with "Little Women", of course!)

It doesn't matter so much what they're reading as long as they are reading and are comprehending. Gotta put that on the teachers - good for you!!!

xoxoxo
x<]:o){

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Okay, the fanboy in me is ashamed to admit that Jayson (the GL reader) won a bet between the two of us. He said that blue was for hope and indigo was for compassion, and I swore up and down that it was the opposite. I read every issue of Blackest Night, but I was wrong. Now I have to wear an IU sweatshirt on the Friday before the IU/Purdue game (he's an Indiana fan).

My favorite part of this whole realization is that he, like me, treads the fine line between comic book fan and sports fan--a line that you all know is ridden by very little of the general populace. I figured he was another jock--nothing wrong with that, but my school is full of them--but nothing could be further from the truth.