It’s the birthday of the comic-book author Bob Kane, (books by this author) born in the Bronx (1916), who was working at DC Comics in 1939 when his editors began asking for more superhero characters to follow up on the success of Superman. Kane thought about it over the weekend, and on Monday morning he turned in some sketches of a character he called Batman. The character made his debut in DC Comics number 27, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” in May of 1939. He is alter ego of multimillionaire Bruce Wayne and one of the few superheroes in the history of comic books who doesn’t have any special powers. He’s just rich enough to build himself special crime-fighting gadgets. Kane said he based the character partly on Zorro, because he liked the idea of a fashionable rich guy dressing up as a vigilante at night to fight crime. He got the idea for Batman’s costume from a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of a bat-winged flying machine.
So, burning question:
Your faced with a creative challenge. What do you do? What resources will you draw from, (literally, if you’re an artist, or figuratively, if you’re tangling another sort of task)? Did you ever imagine that Bob Kane would use the genius of a 420-year dead guy to inspire him? Happens all the time.
I really hate lies. Lies make the world so…diminished. I’m not talking about the “little white lies” that we use to not hurt someone’s feelings, although those can be pretty dreadful, too. I’m talking about the big whoppers that put people’s lives, time, and trust at risk. Lies are as old as time. I’m also not talking about stories that everyone knows is a story and is enjoying. I’m talking about intentional, deceitful, “I am knowingly trying to pull one over on other people” lies. I have students who are so in the habit of lying, they don’t even know it. The first thing out of their mouths when they’re answering a question is a lie. Example: Me to student: “Please change your laptop screen–(laptop screen is filled with gang/street imagery)–you are only allowed to have a solid color, or our mascot.” “No way, Mrs. L! Another teacher told me…blah blah blah blah…” Since other teachers are even more strict than I am, I am CONFIDENT another teacher did not say it was okay to have those images on her laptop. One. Hundred. Percent. I had one student whom I said hello to in the courtyard before class, and then when she was tardy, proceeded to tell me the bus was late. Um, yeah…the bus may have been late (it wasn’t — we hear announcements) but apparently you weren’t ON IT BECAUSE I SAID HELLO TO YOU IN THE COURTYARD FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO!
(Deep breath.)
Now, there’s the news story out of Colorado about the crazy dad who told everyone his little boy was up in a balloon. I only listened to this story from the peripheral (sidelines), but when I heard more details I was horrified. The parents must be devastated! If I lost one of my children, I would never recover. Teachers who have lost students are never totally the same. I am not being dramatic when I tell you it breaks your heart.
And then it came out that this dad was lying, it was a hoax.
What should happen to parents who make their children play a part in a nationwide, no–worldwide– deception? Who manipulate the media in this way?
As my husband said, ‘We (people in general) want to help those in danger. How are we going to want to keep doing that, having a moral and ethical reaction when some one’s really in danger?”
Take care, students — this is why your parents and teachers want you to be a “critical thinker.” Don’t take part in the lies that undermine the trust.
I trust you now, too–don’t lie to me. I want to help you when you’re in danger, of any kind. Especially if you’re being dangerous to yourself.
Read this fable, and compare it to the modern news story:
It was on this day in 1764 that Edward Gibbon (books by this author) thought up the idea of writing The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His six-volume work, published between the years 1776 and 1788, covered more than a thousand years of Roman history, from 180 A.D. to the fall of Constantinople.
Gibbon wrote in his autobiography: “It was at Rome, on the fifteenth of October, 1764, as I sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while the barefooted fryers were singing Vespers in the temple of Jupiter, that the idea of writing the decline and fall of the City first started to my mind. After Rome has kindled and satisfied the enthusiasm of the Classic pilgrim, his curiosity for all meaner objects insensibly subsides.”
Rome had cast a spell on Gibbon. He wrote that he was not very “susceptible [to] enthusiasms” and never pretended to be enthusiastic when he didn’t actually feel it. “But at the distance of twenty-five years I can neither forget nor express the strong emotions which agitated my mind as I first approached and entered the EternalCity. After a sleepless night, I trod with a lofty step the ruins of the Forum; each memorable spot where Romulus stood, or Tully spoke, or Caesar fell, was at once present to my eye; and several days of intoxication were lost or enjoyed before I could descend to a cool and minute investigation.”
Gibbon became known as “the first modern historian.” He tried to write objectively, and in departure from his predecessors, he relied heavily on primary source documents rather than on secondary sources such as official Church histories. He made extensive — and eccentric — use of footnotes.
Gibbon argued that the Roman Empire’s decline and fall were a result of a couple of major factors: changing military practices and the spread of Christianity. Rome had begun outsourcing its military jobs, hiring paid mercenaries from around the world to defend the Empire, and Gibbon argued that this made them susceptible to the “barbarian invasions” to which Rome fell victim. Additionally, he argued that Christianity’s emphasis on the heavenly afterlife reduced the incentive for Romans to sacrifice for the cause of their Empire and the accompanying earthly riches and glory.
No. 1 Burning Question: Will the World End in 2012?
One of my all-time, absolute, fantastically favorite enduring understandings to discuss with students is my “Burning Questions” lesson. I developed this with my friends and colleagues, Dr. Laura and Dr. Holly, two of the smartest people I know; so smart, in fact, that you don’t even know how smart they are because they make everyone feel like “they can do it, too.” (Note to my students: that’s how I want you to feel in our classroom, as well).
We started the discussion yesterday, Friday. And overall the initial discussion went fairly well. There were some side conversations in 7th, but I suspect that some of the talk and chatter was on-target. There was some silence in 1st period, probably because you hadn’t had your Monsters or Mountain Dews yet. (Just kidding!) So, we’re all still getting to know each other. It’s only the third week of school. We started late. We’re cramming a lot in, in a short time. This discussion usually goes a little awry at first, only in the sense that when confronted with the question, “what are your burning questions?” most people don’t have a ready answer. It’s like when you go to the mall or the grocery store and there was something you really wanted and then poof! you forget why you went there, there are so many choices, you’re overwhelmed. It’s a “deer in the headlights” feeling–you’re not sure which way to go. Well, that explains why some of the students didn’t participate. But of you most did. Given the conversation and discussion, in every class period, people had something to say. And I know your brains were working.
Here are some of the questions you posed:
Is the world going to end on December 21, 2012?
One ridiculous website I found was: http://www.december212012.com/. Its cheap commercialism and sensationalising of the world’s end is laughable. Now, students – I want you to tell me why I would state this thesis. You can post it in a comment or in our other forums.
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatlby Daniel Pinchbeck (Penguin/Tarcher, May 2006)
2013 Oracle: Ancient Keys to the 2012 Awakeningby David Carson & Nina Sammons (Council Oaks, November 2006)
Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization’s End by Lawrence Joseph (Random House/Morgan Road, January 2007)
The Revolution of 2012: Vol. 1, The Preparationby Andrew Smith (Ford Evans, January 2007)
Serpent of Lightby Drunvalo Melchizedek (Red Wheel/Weiser, Autumn 2007)
Other burning questions:
2. Why do people age?
3. Is there life on other planets?
4. Why do parents abuse their kids?
5. Why is there war?
6. Are there unseen worlds?
7. Why am I drawn to fantasy novels?
8. Is North Korea going to start a war, and will that war affect my family in Guam?
9. Who invented vampires? (This led into a discussion if vampires are real or not–you’ll have to research that burning question on your own time.)
10. Is there such a thing as reincarnation?
There were many more, and I’ll post them as I collect them. The next steps are to dig deep into our true purposes — are we afraid? Are we seeking answers to help alleviate some of our fears? Do we talk to parents, friends, read books, watch documentaries? Yes, yes, and yes…seeking the answers is the journey.
Here’s what I know: You all have more inside of your heads than you show on the outside.
Here’s my burning question of the day, and of my life: Can anyone be creative? It has always been my belief that yes, anyone can be creative. What do you think?
First, I think we need to think about what is your definition of creativity. It’s kind of like your definition for what you find beautiful, painful (emotionally anyway: I think we can all agree that anything that involves blood or bruising is physically painful), or interesting. Creativity comes from inspiration, from thinking, from connections, and I must say–admiration of others’ creativity. Is that mental or artistic stealing? Only if you claim the idea as your own. Would you want others to take your flashes of genius and steal them from you? (I didn’t think so.)
Moving forward – you’ve now defined what creativity means to you. Do you think you have some? How do you know? If not, why not? Creativity is another form of curiosity, of inquisitiveness, and we all know curiosity killed the cat. If you’re not a cat, you have nothing to worry about. The point is to ask questions…and then seek answers that may satisfy.
Where some of my frustration sets in is when I get jealous of other people’s creativity and their successes that go along with it – the great book that someone else wrote, the breathtaking painting that someone else produced, the movie script that is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I think, actually, a lot of us get frustrated that we’re not rich and famous due to our creativity, so we give up, and settle for mediocrity and boring routines. If you feel yourself mentally flatlining, shake things up! Find out why others created what they did, and find your own spark. Creativity builds on connections.
I believe we all have a level of creativity to share, simply because we are all individuals that take up our own space, time, and energy. And I guarantee you, you do. Prove it to yourself.
You know, my Washingtonian darlings, you won’t start school until Monday, August 31. And you will complain, although I have it on good authority you’re actually excited to be back. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.
Anyway, one of my favorite cousin’s sons has already started ninth grade English. I’m not sure if he’s in honors or not, but my cousin asked me if I could help him with an assignment. Apparently, his class is reading Alas, Babylon and Lord of the Flies. I have never read Alas, alas, but I am fascinated and fond of Lord of the Flies.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
He asked me to help him develop questions based on stylistic elements of literature. Um, yeah. That was kind of like asking me to pull apart the richness of a thick, gooey, chocolate cake with chocolate chips, chocolate frosting, and a side of chocolate–LOTF is so rich with symbolism, motifs, allusions, allegory, foreshadowing and all-around awesomeness of writing, it’s almost impossible to pull it all apart–but not totally. This is the challenge of discussing amazing literature–novels, short stories, poetry–all deep and interesting texts that connect us as humans. Lord shows us that we, in our deepest hearts, can be cruel, savage, and bloodthirsty bullies. It also shows us that evil may take many forms, but it can be fought: when it’s left unchecked, our society and connections fall apart.
Oops. This wasn’t about me writing a thesis paper on Lord of the Flies. It was about finding and understanding literary terms, so you can apprecitate, understand, and desire reading:
Smith’s book, How to be an Explorer of the World, is a feast for the mind and soul. Don’t live in a world of grays and browns – wake up and smell the creativity!
You know me. I like to be creative. Think. Make art. Write. Read. I really appreciate what Keri Smith put together in her book about exploration.
For example, on page 144-145, she writes:
Thought Experiments: Einstein used “thought experiments” (questions that can only be solved using imagination), on a regular basis. He actually formulated the special theory of relativity by asking the question, ‘what would it be like to travel on a beam of light?’ It is interesting to conduct these thought experiments in the midst of everyday life.
Some thought experiment starters:
what if all my neighbors had secret lives?
what if the newspaper held all the secrets of the universe in some kind of code?
what if all leaves had secret messages embedded on them?
what if little elves lived on the roof and only came out at night?
what if my house were a playgroun? a blank canvas? had secret powers?
So, burning question:
