If you missed Mr. Gorey's speech on Friday....

Mr. Gorey addressed the graduating class of 2010 on Friday morning during class day. We think what he said was important and want to share it with you.

"I want to thank Brittany and Ntina for asking me to speak today; I want to thank Ms. Patrick for fitting me into the program; I want to thank the class of 2010 for your kindness; kindness still matters.

What I’ve written to share with you is part poem, part essay, part tall tale, part jeremiad—let’s just say it defies genre. I’m calling the piece, “Wisdom is a Long Song”:

Given my day job, I have to believe that language still matters. I’m always looking for wise words that help me understand what it is to be alive. If I owned one, I could wallpaper a mansion with the mottoes, maxims, and mantras I’ve come across that say something true about being human. They might be from a song on the radio by a band such as Men Without Hats reminding me that it’s, safe to dance. You know that one-- You can dance if you want to—you don’t want me to continue. They might be from my Mother who kept repeating throughout my adolescence, “patience is a virtue.” They might be from someone called Shakespeare; in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Polonius says to his son “To thine own self be true”; this advice has been lifted out of context and used to inspire people to pursue their individuality and dreams for most of the 400 years since the play was staged, but if we actually read the play closely, we realize that Polonius is a scheming, hypocritical tool of a corrupt, murderous king. All these pithy sayings are clever and seemingly clear, but they don’t tell the whole truth. So, what I’ve concluded is that wisdom doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker. Instead, wisdom is a long song, the various refrains of which, I can only, occasionally, tune in. But I don’t think that I’m alone in my quest.

True story:  Most of you don’t know that someone recently wrote on the top floor mens’ room wall, “That government is best which governs least.” That’s a word-perfect transcription from Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience”; now, because I am the teacher who drags his students through a few pages of Thoreau’s writing, I felt a weird connection to that inscription on the wall. In fact, I was flabberghasted. (How’s that for onomatopoeia?) The specific nature of the student’s protest is unclear, but this could be a first in the annals of BRHS bathroom graffiti. Despite the power of those seven words, they don’t tell us everything we need to know about the US government. You really have to read the rest of his essay to get his big idea, which is, if you’re a true citizen, you will walk the walk to make your government and your society better. That’s what I mean about wisdom not fitting on a bumper sticker. Thoreau died before the Civil War, but his words help me understand where we are today in America better than most.

Following Thoreau’s trail, I too went to the Maine woods, to “confront the essential facts of life”; Why did I do this? Well, I found myself in a confined space, where one person was dialing up the volume of American Idol because she couldn’t hear above the roar of another person’s Madden 2010, and I began to experience a psychic imperative to escape. So I went to the woods. Life in the woods is raw, unmediated, and unscripted: When you hear an owl hooting in a movie, you might be inclined to yawn, but when you wake up 50 miles from the nearest TV at 2 AM because on a limb above your tent there’s an owl booming its hoots to beat the band, you will take notice. Unlike Thoreau, I left the woods after two days, because I remembered I’d forgotten to pay our TV, Internet, and cell phone bills. And if the TV screen turns to snow at my house, and people can’t connect to Facebook, the mutiny will be swift, and savage.

When I left the woods, I had not slept well and had a headache because of that owl. I went to buy some Ibuprofen, and the Rite Aid Cashier asked me without irony, “Would you like to play the game of life?” For a moment, I considered launching into a tirade, railing against the deleterious, cultural effects of big box chain stores, otherwise known as the mauling of America (that’s M-A-U-L-I-N-G). Instead, I said, “no, thank you.” And as I walked through the sliding, electronic doors, I said sotto voce, “choose your battles.”

It’s easy to get worked up over relatively unimportant things. For example, I’m a huge fan of democracy, but something’s awry with ours, when the people decide that Lee DeWyze is a better singer than Crystal Bowersox.

Choose your battles. So what is a battle worth fighting?

I told this story to a class once;
We were probably discussing some
Lighthearted tale of moral ambiguity such as
Heart of Darkness:
As a father, I sat still, in a swing,
In a Paris playground;
I watched a three-year old Alex
Trying to play the game of life in a French sandbox. (In case you’re wondering there’s nothing special about a French sandbox.) And in that hour,
I saw the future movers and shakers
Who would suppress their compassion
In order to satisfy shareholders.
I saw the schemers who would cajole
The apple from the gullible.
I saw the self righteous
Accost the apathetic, and
The ambitious with the big sticks
Lord over the dreamy and the vulnerable.
In short, I saw injustice unchecked, chalked up as child’s play.

So, here are some words I try to live by:

Politicians decide your future, so inform yourself.

Vote, but don’t vote for somebody just because someone else is, or because of some radio soundbyte or advertisement you saw on TV.

If you see an injustice, do something.
If you hear something that doesn’t quite sound like the truth,
Speak up.

Don’t assume
That others in the room
Will.

This time,
I’m going to make it rhyme:

Don’t be a shill
For any bill
You don’t believe in.


And finally, I agree with the copywriter for LG, Life’s Good, BUT IT’S ALSO POSSIBLE, TO BECOME COMFORTABLE, WITH THE UNACCEPTABLE.

Thank you."

The Countdown Begins.....

Piano staircase VW ad | The News is NowPublic.com

I apologize that this blog has not been updated in a long time. This has been a year of big changes and opportunity and unfortunately, this blog fell to the bottom of the priority list. I know that the ed tech in the library next year can do a better job.

At this time, the seniors have only 2 weeks of classes left, with graduation only 23 days away. Spring sports wrap up regular season play in just over 2 weeks. According to Mr. Wolotsky’s school time-line, it is almost Friday!

Although I look forward to teaching full time next year, it is working in the library where I have been able to connect with the rest of the students and create lasting relationships. I plan to visit often next year.

Thank  you, Mr. Wo,  for creating a library that is the heart of the school.



-Ms. Harkins

Halfway!

Thank you to Ian Weiss for his book display "Books that make you think.... that are NOT boring."

Featured on his display:

Description: A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and hisson, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.

Happy November!

Congratulations! We are now 2 months into the 2009/10 school year. We have some exciting new titles in the library- come in and check us out!

New Fiction

Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead?

In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .

From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

New Non-Fiction

 

The mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son's death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.

Today, the name Matthew Shepard is synonymous with gay rights, but before his grisly murder in 1998, Matthew was simply Judy Shepard's son. For the first time in book form, Judy Shepard speaks about her loss, sharing memories of Matthew, their life as a typical American family, and the pivotal event in the small college town that changed everything.

The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family in the days immediately after the crime, when Judy and her husband traveled to see their incapacitated son, kept alive by life support machines; how the Shepards learned of the incredible response from strangers all across America who held candlelit vigils and memorial services for their child; and finally, how they struggled to navigate the legal system as Matthew's murderers were on trial. Heart-wrenchingly honest, Judy Shepard confides with readers about how she handled the crippling loss of her child, why she became a gay rights activist, and the challenges and rewards of raising a gay child in America today.

The Meaning of Matthew not only captures the historical significance and complicated civil rights issues surrounding one young man's life and death, but it also chronicles one ordinary woman's struggle to cope with the unthinkable.

Blur

Time goes by so quickly when I don't do any of my work and procrastinate to the very last second. Usually I just wait til the two "guards" up front at the desk fall asleep, so to speak, and then I'm free to do what I want. However, with this newfound freedom comes a choice to do what is right and good for my academic career. I rely on comedy to keep me from doing my work and it works. One joke may equal up to three minutes of laughter which means three less minutes to do my work. Then I can blame it on other people to make myself feel better. lol. To sum up study hall in the library I would say that I can speak for many of my peers when I say that it's pretty rad.

Guest Post by Andy Panagore

An Athlete in All of Us

Fall sports are well under way at BRHS. Field Hockey had its first win of the season this week! Come check out our SPORTS display- a variety of books to satisfy the athlete in all of us.

September 2009- New School Year, New Books!

New Fiction!

New Non- Fiction!
New Graphic Novels!

Come check out our new book displays.
Mr. Wolotsky ordered many new books over the summer- something for everyone.

SPOTLIGHT: Fiction

"All the Broken Pieces"
by Ann Burr

By turns harrowing, dreamlike, sad, and triumphant, this searing debut novel, written in lucid verse, reveals an unforgettable perspective on the lasting impact of the Vietnam War on its survivors and the healing power of love.

Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is haunted: by bombs that fell like dead crows, by smoke and death, by the brother and the terrible secret he left behind. Now in a loving adoptive home in the United States, over the course of a baseball season, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past, and slowly, sometimes painfully, heal.


SPOTLIGHT: Biography

"I and I: Bob Marley"
by Tony Medina

Brimming with imagination and insight, this biography of reggae legend Bob Marley features soulful, sun-drenched paintings that transport young readers to Marley's homeland of Jamaica, while uniquely perceptive poems bring to life his journey from boy to icon.