The Mediocre Key of Solomon

Nancy Cooper Frank @ncooperfrank.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 14:09 UTC

important/ overlooked I see a LOT of ageism on here Yes, I am old. So will all of us be, with luck.

3 replies 17 reposts 62 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 14:16 UTC

Oh shoot, I feel that pain. Sometimes the convos were so interesting I forgot why I was there!

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:25 UTC

To soothe my soul I'm gonna go watch the Next Gen ep where Picard has to survive on that planet with the guy that only speaks in metaphors. Tanagra, here I come.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:25 UTC

But I know if if that app takes off, it's not the starting point. It's a dead end. Another lost opportunity to turn people on to the most human of pursuits, curiosity and storytelling.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:23 UTC

express yourself cogently, and actually develop views and opinions that don't come pre-packaged. To go back to the original topic, the simplified books - I'd use those. I'd use the hell out of those if it meant getting students an in to language and literature.

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:21 UTC

Why did we take rhetoric out? Why are media and digital literacies separate pursuits? Why is communications siloed away? Why is theater a luxury? All of these disciplines/studies are part and parcel of developing not only mechanical skills to write documents, but to think clearly

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:20 UTC

Another thing (related) that angers me is Higher Ed's nose dive into tech-sucking nonsense. Ayy-Eye in everything, free you to do the "real work" of teaching. In reality, we're mapping junk tech onto a bastardized 19th century standard and wondering why "the kids" can't read.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:18 UTC

I want to be teaching those classics. I want to be grading those initially-shitty 5 paragraph essays. I want do be doing this. But I can't survive off that alone. I'm not the only one that feels that. And that angers me.

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:17 UTC

Ok, fine. I did that for ages. I struggled to make ends meet while I heard NONSTOP about how "the kids" can't read/think/write/type. In reality the buck was passed until it landed in my underpaid, undersupported lap.

1 replies 1 reposts 2 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:15 UTC

I hate that that's necessary, but I was happy to do it because basic skills are a lifeline. My idea was that if I could equip even one person with that know-how, I did a good job.

1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:15 UTC

I've taught English (basic composition) for a long time. I burned out. The utter evacuation of any responsibility to teach critical thinking or even basic literacy skills at the k-12 level meant that higher-ed me had to do the work that should have happened in middle school.

1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 30, 2024 at 13:13 UTC

Still thinking about that post I re-biscuited yesterday about the app that simplifies works of literature. It's nothing new, but what really pisses me off is that Cliff's notes, For Dummies, hell, even Readers Digest were written by PAID PROFESSIONALS. This is a glorified Grammarly.

1 replies 3 reposts 5 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 22:22 UTC

If one leaned into that....it'd be pretty cool, actually.

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 21:02 UTC

Or...bear with me....we could pay trained professionals to make literature come alive. *clears throat in English major*

0 replies 2 reposts 6 likes

The Mediocre Key of Solomon @lizdamnit.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 29, 2024 at 14:28 UTC

I don't like even toy guns, but the temptation to do that where we live is so strong.Esp if I can get hubs to drive a vintage car and I can ride the running board like Eliot Ness, paintballing away.

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes