The Crazy Sub

One day, a class of grade 12 students had a crazy sub. This guy was insane! He talked for days and made the students' lives a living hell. The poor students were desperate to overthrow their evil oppressor! They banded together to defeat the crazy sub. Collectively they made a plan to overthrow his power and control within the classroom. First, they sent in Edgar, the class' own crazy kid, to distract the maniacal sub. Next, some of the boys crept up behind him, ready to pounce. One of the boys slipped briefly, causing a squeak of rubber on linoleum. The sub began to turn towards the sound when Edgear suddenly lunged forward, knocking the crazy sub to the ground. The waiting boys attacked as well, binding the sub's hands and feet. After an imperious nod and mild gesture from the girls in the class, the boys carried the sub over to the supply cupboard and shoved him inside. It took all of their combined weight to get the door closed but they were finally successful. They strategically placed a couple of chairs infront of the cupboard door for good measure. Suddenly, a joyous cheer rang up amongst the students. Their oppressor had been vanquished and they had been liberated. "Carpe Diem", "Seize the Day"!

Terri Something

     We were given the opportunity to have a real, "best-selling" Canadian author come to speak to our class. He was particularly inspring because he faced many challenges before finally obtaining a certain degree of fame and recognition. He was not a die hard writer but began to professionally write later in life. He is also an example of how difficult it is to be a writer in Canada. He maintains and full time job and has a family yet still finds time to write. His concept of a humourous book about Canadian politics did not appeal to any publishing houses in Canada so he made the decision to self-publish his first book. After some small success he submitted and won the Stephen Leacock Award, enabling him to sign with a legitimate publisher. After his first novel was selected for Canada Reads his book gained new recognition and enabled his book to sell over 70 000 copies.
     I found his writing process to be especially interesting. He is very meticulous. He spends a few months crafting a very detailed plan before he even attempts to write. This, I could never do. I rarely know the events in my story as the take place before I sit down to write. He chooses to have, from beginning to end completely planned out in advance. I would feel that this process would lose much of the creative thrill that I associate with writing but it works for him. Because of his very detailed planning he is able to write his very quickly. From his presentation I will take away some knowledged of the benefits of prewriting and will try to incorporate them more willingly into my own writing process.

Protests

     I actually watched the news today. This was a big accomplishment for me. I generally find the news to be extremely dull. What caught my attention and interest was a protest that was happening in Ottawa. I want to start out saying that I fully endorse a persons right to protest, especially when they are not being adequately represented by their government. This protest, however, did not make a lot of sense to me. Congolese Canadians were protesting infront of the Congolese Embassy. They felt that the recent election in the Congo was unjust and corrupt. They were protesting that Canada should interfere on behalf of the people living in Congo in order to secure a fair democracy. What I had a particular problem with is that they were not protesting peacefully, as is enshrined in their very right to protest. Police were present at the protest to protect the peoples of Ottawa, both protesters and bystanders. The protesters showed violence towards these cops by both verbally harassing them and throwing things. Canada vocally promotes freedoms for its people, however there is no excuse for harming another in the name of change. They are fighting for the rights of people in Congo while violating the rights of their fellow Canadians. It doesn't make any sense.

Visualization

     Today in class our journal was supposed to be about a visualization excercise. Unfortunately, a couple of boys in the class felt that it was neccessary to piss Ms. Cat off and end our journal early. They wanted to be immature and were craving attention. It felt that if the world was not completely focused on them they were not satisfied. I understand the need to go off topic sometimes and move the class towards some random tangent but there are limits. Why do some people find it imperative to make a teacher mad and force everyone in the class to suffer through a tense silence where eye contact is avoided. Do they think that we enjoy being a witness to a vicious stand off between teacher and student? Like honestly guys, choose your moments. Through the film the Dead Poet's Society we were encouraged to "seize the day", but this is only relevant at appropriate moments.

     Sometimes people need to learn to shut the fuck up and just go with the flow. I am not necessarily a fan of the visualizations that we do in class but I am able to grasp the evidently elusive concept of participating in class in order to succeed. I also agree that making everyone in the class close their eyes during this exercise is essential to make everyone more comfortable. So please guys stop the pointless confrontations and close your mouth! If it isn't the appropriate time then it isn't appropriate for you to talk!