I just spoke with B&N at 41st.  They tell me that Eggers’s Heartbreaking Work should be at the store by the 10th, which is Monday.   We will have a separate reading over the weekend and a discussion on Monday, so this shouldn’t be a problem.  I’ll let you know if they arrive before then.

I just spoke with B&N at 41st.  They tell me that Johnson’s Everything Bad is Good for You should be at the store by the 13th, which is a week from today.  I’ll let you know if they arrive sooner.  This is really a good thing as I think we all have plenty more to say on our current topic, right?

Tomorrow we’ll be discussing and analyzing our favorite songs.  Bring a copy to class (on a CD or in a music player) so the class can enjoy.  Because, after all, "what [is] a personality if [not] a drop-down menu, a collection of likes and dislikes?"

[Insert obligatory "please keep it clean" disclaimer here.]

will be fueled by our creations.

Today we discussed motivations, which led us to Freud’s pleasure principle. Here’s a clip from the board:

How’s the search coming? If you have a video that you’d like to share, post it in the comments section below. Here’s one from Gwyn that she posted under the previous header:

The video’s from Ted.com are always amazing, and this is no exception. The speaker contends (among many other things) that adults have learned to be frightened of being “wrong.” Has anyone seen Meet the Robinsons?

Our discussion tomorrow will be based on the articles and information we bring in. Remember, it is one thing to know something, but quite another to understand and use this understanding to create.

Here are a few more articles from you guys:

• The declining American high school graduation rate: Evidence, sources, and consequences
• Successful School Breaks the Rules

And one from another teacher:

• What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?

I’ve been very impressed by our discussions over the New Yorker article “Raj, Bohemian.” It’s interesting that 1st and 3rd hour came to fairly different conclusions about the narrator and what it means to be “bohemian.”

Here’s a synopsis of both arguments. Please let me know what you think of each, and whether I’m accurately recounting the discussion.

First hour: The narrator has set himself up to be robbed of his “cultural capital.” By placing such importance on the exclusivity of his interests and actions, he has allowed his personality to be dictated not by any actual interests he may have but by the sense of originality they afford him.

Third hour: This short piece highlights the impossibility of unselfconscious uniqueness in modern society. Because modern individuals are constantly bombarded by commercial goods and advertisements, it is impossible to make a completely personal choice about taste

Also, the narrator may be crazy.

Any thoughts?

Tomorrow we will be discussing the narrator’s self image in relation to the other chracters and his comments on his environment.

Cool side note: Hari Kunzru is the author of The Impressionist (2002), Transmission (2004), and My Revolutions (2007). His first won several awards in Great Britain and Transmission was a NYT notable book of the year. I haven’t read any of these. If you pick one up, let us know what you think.