OH wow, i just realized you can only post 500 words. (i only created this youtube account purely for the fact that i could post this ridiculous message..hence my username) CUTTING TO THE CHASE NOW(:
You're inspirational, genius, halarious! and everything i hope to be. You also resemble my eldest sister Carolyn (also a teacher and a quick witty talker) so when i saw your videos it strangely made me feel closer to her. (I don't see her often anymore)
considering this video was posted about 3 weeks ago I'm not sure if you'll get this, or have the time (I know you have an intense load of commenters)
Just thought I'd let you know that you're videos genuinely impacted me. I think your clever banter and sheer intelligence is extremely admireable. I'm only seventeen, and haven't even really paid attention to youtube all that frequently. My teacher posted your video on our wiki site in hopes of lessening some ignoramous commenters.
I think that you have an awful lot to offer the kids today. Uh......I am probably one of those who hated the great gatsby and have not wanted anything to do with it.
My wife and I are excited though; we just got a leather bound, acid free copy of Huckleberry Finn. Wow! My wife has never read Huckleberry Finn. I think it will be fun to talk with her about it.
Just a note about reading certain books with 11th graders, they don't have to get the whole book. Just reading and seeing the basic plot will prepare them to want to read it later and be able to delve into it deeper at some point. Also, if they aren't challenged with some reading, they may never learn to read The Great Gatsby so don't be afraid of turning them off by reading it now.
Sisters, did one of you mention y'all were from Texas? It is unbelievable that we had 11.2 inches of snow in North Texas today. That is the most on record since January 15, 1964, when we had 7.8 inches.
Also, congrats on getting the teaching gig. You are obviously very smart and I think it's important that teachers are smart and well-spoken people.
Woah I would have been so freaked to be on that lake. And on the later part of your video CONGRATS on the teaching job. You would make such an awesome teacher ! Those kids are lucky .
we discussed a lot of the symbolism of Gatsby when I was in high school. a neat assignment my teacher did was to give each student one of the things like the green light and had different students read to note those incidents in the book. that made the reading more interesting.
i read it again in college and focused on the wasteland area then in grad school i had it AGAIN and became obsessed with the character of Pammy..poor Pammy
Hey LIz, what happened to my post? I wrote sharing about the I had to teach "Beowulf." It posted one day but is no longer there. Just curious, do you screen comments?
Nope, I don't screen comments (well, I do a little, just to make sure everything is family-friendly, but there was nothing in yours that would have caused concern). I'm still seeing your previous comment below. You don't see it listed?
You're right, high schoolers typically can't grasp all of the symbolism in Gatsby, but that's what makes it a wonderful teaching tool! I don't believe I would have the same ability to read and process literature if it weren't for those times in high school where we all sat around&discussed what we THOUGHT the book meant & had our teacher for a bit of guidance.Yes, sometimes students end up resenting those books, but I think it's worth it for those of us who end up giving those works another shot
One of my graduate professors made a similar comment to my class when we expressed some ambivalence about certain journal articles we had to read. A lot of it was over our heads in areas more easily understood by PhD's who do that type of research. I hated to admit my professor was right even though reading the articles was quite a slog.
which realistically in my life experiences, was total dung
My parents, my mom being of the rich social class, and my dad being of the poor social class have been married for 21 years. I'd say that is pretty awesome. So the Great Gatsby's view of social classes was really irritating to me. But I must admit, I do LOVE to kill a Mockingbird!
Aaaah, if we all knew what the new gnu knew, sport. . . wouldn't it be Great? Assuming ,lder Sister Salad,that you have ever experienced a steam bath you have now walked through water, on water and into water! What else is left?
Congrats. I would have to agree when I was in high school some of the books I had to read definitely had themes that I completely missed. The good thing about having to read such challenging books was the drive it gave me to understand more. It started my love of reading.
I LOVED The Great Gatsby when I read it in high school. It's been my favorite book of all time ever since, actually. I wouldn't say it's inaccessible to high school students at all--it just requires them to put more into the book than they're used to doing. I know I read it as a senior on my own--not with a class discussion--but I had a lot of background knowledge on the themes and symbols because of an English teacher who recommended it to me when I was a junior.
Oh my God. I am in eleventh grade AP English and we have to read crazy books like Pride and Prejudice and The Scarlet Letter, and everyone hates them and gets so frustrated with them.
And honestly, I probably won't ever read Pride and Prejudice again even though I love the movie.
Oh no, give it another shot sometime when you're not on a reading deadline. I think reading without deadlines greatly increases the enjoyment! Pride and Prejudice is great. For the record, I hated it when I read it freshman year of high school (I'm now just out of grad school - didn't read it again until after my undergrad!).
oh em gee. fishing on ice lakes look cool. i'd probably be scared to get on the frozen lake cuz i might fall and swim with the fish. congrats on the teaching gig.
Okay first off walking on lakes is the bomb digity.
Second of all I read The Great Gatsby in my Sophomore English class two years ago. I hated the book dont get me wrong but I could understand it at least. In some ways I am slightly insulted that you would say that we dont have the intellectual capacity to understand the book. But I guess in a way as teenagers we think we know everything but we dont.
But still. I was kind of insulted but I do understand where you are coming from. I spose...
And no offense, but I think you're completely and utterly wrong about teenagers' ability to understand the books they're taught in high school. I think that assumption is utterly condescending and unnecessarily dismissive.
I definitely don't mean to be dismissive or condescending. I'm making on the basis of my own experience with having read The Great Gatsby, and other similar books, back in high school, and reading them again now. At the time of reading them I didn't feel like I was missing much, but looking back I see that most of it went over my head. And I was a serious and experienced reader. I'm sure there are some 16 and 17 year olds capable of really grasping those books. But I'm guessing not many.
The bit everyone remembered from the Great Gatsby for the AS exam about a month ago was close to the end when Myrtle gets killed by Gatsby's car and her "left breast swung loose like a flap". Oh well, at least we all got one quote into our essays!
Congrats! I once had a week long assignment teaching HS English where we read "Beowulf." Now talk about unaccessible!! To make it 'accessible' I broke the story down and updated to something they could understand. I used an analogy of kids playing b-ball getting owned by a rival neighborhood. They understood what bragging rights were, and were thus able to get the language and theme of BW. Of course Beowulf himself was a 'ringer' they hired to help them get back their honor.
I read that book last year, in eleventh grade, and I got a lot out of it. I may not have understood all of the cultural references, but I got the vocabulary and most importantly, I got the amazing meaning and symbolism. But I definitely agree with you that books like it should be taught from a young age.
Your dead right Miss Salad. I read all those dull books as a kid or at least said I did. Watching the movie doesnt do at all I'm afraid. I suppose I have to read them all again now Life is so unfair....
I read Gatsby last year in my 11th grade English class...I'm pretty sure I got it.
I don't think it's fair to lump all students together and make assumptions about their reading abilities, vocabularly, or knowledge of cultural history. We're all different people and comprehend things in different ways at different times. And there's definitley merit in trying to teach these sorts of books in high school -- some people never touch books again post high school/college. :/
I like the Liz in Liz feature. Reminds me of that Xzibit meme.
Yo dawg I herd you like sistersalad, so we put sistersalad in your sistersalad.
I agree particularly about Gatsby, but I think I drew a great deal from other things I read when I was 16. I grasped the 'aspiration only gets you so far' message but I don't think I really processed it much beyond that.
It felt very much like a book for its time to me; but isn't actually.
Hey, that book. I was planning on reading that in the near future (that being, probably in the far future). But then again, I'm only sixteen so maybe not...? Anyway, I'm really happy for you and I hope you'll get a "real" teaching job soon ^^
As a Minnesotian, I had to chuckle at the frozen lake adventures. As a member of a family where everyone (except my wife and myself) is a teacher, I say ROCK ON with the teaching gig!
@sistersalad Reading great literature at a young age is like planting seeds of knowledge in your brain. At first all you see is work, toil and frustration. Seasons later you'll turn around and be enriched by all the fruits of a long mental harvest. Keep planting and young brains will stay healthy!
read Gatsby in high school and hated it, but I've been thinking about rereading it now that I'm a little more enlightened than I was. Also, I didn't have an 11th grade English teacher who could conceivably be described as any kind of awesome.
We read the Great Gatsby last year... I definitely didn't get anything out of it but that might be because I forgot to read it until the morning before class, and somehow managed to speed read the sucker in my German class.
Now I'm in college, doing the same thing. I should probably knock it off xD
you should be a student teacher in Jefferson middle school in campaign Illinois one of my friends goes there
penguinprotector2 1 year ago
OH wow, i just realized you can only post 500 words. (i only created this youtube account purely for the fact that i could post this ridiculous message..hence my username) CUTTING TO THE CHASE NOW(:
You're inspirational, genius, halarious! and everything i hope to be. You also resemble my eldest sister Carolyn (also a teacher and a quick witty talker) so when i saw your videos it strangely made me feel closer to her. (I don't see her often anymore)
Thank you, sisters. seriously.
marychip17 2 years ago
Hello,
considering this video was posted about 3 weeks ago I'm not sure if you'll get this, or have the time (I know you have an intense load of commenters)
Just thought I'd let you know that you're videos genuinely impacted me. I think your clever banter and sheer intelligence is extremely admireable. I'm only seventeen, and haven't even really paid attention to youtube all that frequently. My teacher posted your video on our wiki site in hopes of lessening some ignoramous commenters.
marychip17 2 years ago
I think that you have an awful lot to offer the kids today. Uh......I am probably one of those who hated the great gatsby and have not wanted anything to do with it.
My wife and I are excited though; we just got a leather bound, acid free copy of Huckleberry Finn. Wow! My wife has never read Huckleberry Finn. I think it will be fun to talk with her about it.
erksron 2 years ago
Just a note about reading certain books with 11th graders, they don't have to get the whole book. Just reading and seeing the basic plot will prepare them to want to read it later and be able to delve into it deeper at some point. Also, if they aren't challenged with some reading, they may never learn to read The Great Gatsby so don't be afraid of turning them off by reading it now.
SheilaKey 2 years ago
hehe you say buoy funny! we pronounce it like "boy" in aus
hollyehh 2 years ago
Sisters, did one of you mention y'all were from Texas? It is unbelievable that we had 11.2 inches of snow in North Texas today. That is the most on record since January 15, 1964, when we had 7.8 inches.
Also, congrats on getting the teaching gig. You are obviously very smart and I think it's important that teachers are smart and well-spoken people.
theastrovanman 2 years ago
Woah I would have been so freaked to be on that lake. And on the later part of your video CONGRATS on the teaching job. You would make such an awesome teacher ! Those kids are lucky .
MeanMissC 2 years ago
we discussed a lot of the symbolism of Gatsby when I was in high school. a neat assignment my teacher did was to give each student one of the things like the green light and had different students read to note those incidents in the book. that made the reading more interesting.
i read it again in college and focused on the wasteland area then in grad school i had it AGAIN and became obsessed with the character of Pammy..poor Pammy
:)
charlottepoet 2 years ago
I honestly don't remember anything about Gatsby either. lol Though it's been forever now since I last touched it!
doctornoise 2 years ago
Hey LIz, what happened to my post? I wrote sharing about the I had to teach "Beowulf." It posted one day but is no longer there. Just curious, do you screen comments?
MostEvilPenguin 2 years ago
Nope, I don't screen comments (well, I do a little, just to make sure everything is family-friendly, but there was nothing in yours that would have caused concern). I'm still seeing your previous comment below. You don't see it listed?
sistersalad 2 years ago
You're right, high schoolers typically can't grasp all of the symbolism in Gatsby, but that's what makes it a wonderful teaching tool! I don't believe I would have the same ability to read and process literature if it weren't for those times in high school where we all sat around&discussed what we THOUGHT the book meant & had our teacher for a bit of guidance.Yes, sometimes students end up resenting those books, but I think it's worth it for those of us who end up giving those works another shot
Somethingquiteclever 2 years ago
One of my graduate professors made a similar comment to my class when we expressed some ambivalence about certain journal articles we had to read. A lot of it was over our heads in areas more easily understood by PhD's who do that type of research. I hated to admit my professor was right even though reading the articles was quite a slog.
hrhamy 2 years ago
Yeah I hated the Great Gatsby with a passion
to me it was about social classes
which realistically in my life experiences, was total dung
My parents, my mom being of the rich social class, and my dad being of the poor social class have been married for 21 years. I'd say that is pretty awesome. So the Great Gatsby's view of social classes was really irritating to me. But I must admit, I do LOVE to kill a Mockingbird!
seabreezez 2 years ago
Congrats and make it great for those kids
metamurph 2 years ago
That book was easy to read.
I just pressed "Play" on the VCR (now a DVD).
About 2 hours later I was done!
culwin 2 years ago
Aaaah, if we all knew what the new gnu knew, sport. . . wouldn't it be Great? Assuming ,lder Sister Salad,that you have ever experienced a steam bath you have now walked through water, on water and into water! What else is left?
franksdad69 2 years ago
I've driven on a lake.
acrimsonmystique 2 years ago
Congrats. I would have to agree when I was in high school some of the books I had to read definitely had themes that I completely missed. The good thing about having to read such challenging books was the drive it gave me to understand more. It started my love of reading.
realityfree 2 years ago
I LOVED The Great Gatsby when I read it in high school. It's been my favorite book of all time ever since, actually. I wouldn't say it's inaccessible to high school students at all--it just requires them to put more into the book than they're used to doing. I know I read it as a senior on my own--not with a class discussion--but I had a lot of background knowledge on the themes and symbols because of an English teacher who recommended it to me when I was a junior.
ianswertobob 2 years ago
Haha, I got the "exciting" part of the title, but not the rest...
easyto123 2 years ago
Please speak up. With the volume up all the way and straining to hear, it's still difficult. <3 ya, but please turn it up.
xTwinSistasx 2 years ago
Gnu is pronounces guh-new...
Mindhawk 2 years ago
Oh my God. I am in eleventh grade AP English and we have to read crazy books like Pride and Prejudice and The Scarlet Letter, and everyone hates them and gets so frustrated with them.
And honestly, I probably won't ever read Pride and Prejudice again even though I love the movie.
snaliger 2 years ago
Oh no, give it another shot sometime when you're not on a reading deadline. I think reading without deadlines greatly increases the enjoyment! Pride and Prejudice is great. For the record, I hated it when I read it freshman year of high school (I'm now just out of grad school - didn't read it again until after my undergrad!).
notreallyasuperhero 2 years ago
oh em gee. fishing on ice lakes look cool. i'd probably be scared to get on the frozen lake cuz i might fall and swim with the fish. congrats on the teaching gig.
BaldButWigged 2 years ago
Walking on lakes is always fun.
hangingwithNadine 2 years ago
Okay first off walking on lakes is the bomb digity.
Second of all I read The Great Gatsby in my Sophomore English class two years ago. I hated the book dont get me wrong but I could understand it at least. In some ways I am slightly insulted that you would say that we dont have the intellectual capacity to understand the book. But I guess in a way as teenagers we think we know everything but we dont.
But still. I was kind of insulted but I do understand where you are coming from. I spose...
Deag710 2 years ago
Walking on lakes kicks butt.
And no offense, but I think you're completely and utterly wrong about teenagers' ability to understand the books they're taught in high school. I think that assumption is utterly condescending and unnecessarily dismissive.
CodedLockFilms 2 years ago 2
I definitely don't mean to be dismissive or condescending. I'm making on the basis of my own experience with having read The Great Gatsby, and other similar books, back in high school, and reading them again now. At the time of reading them I didn't feel like I was missing much, but looking back I see that most of it went over my head. And I was a serious and experienced reader. I'm sure there are some 16 and 17 year olds capable of really grasping those books. But I'm guessing not many.
sistersalad 2 years ago
Correction:
I'm making *this point* on the basis of my own experience...
sistersalad 2 years ago
The bit everyone remembered from the Great Gatsby for the AS exam about a month ago was close to the end when Myrtle gets killed by Gatsby's car and her "left breast swung loose like a flap". Oh well, at least we all got one quote into our essays!
jesseasyopensmiles 2 years ago
Congrats! I once had a week long assignment teaching HS English where we read "Beowulf." Now talk about unaccessible!! To make it 'accessible' I broke the story down and updated to something they could understand. I used an analogy of kids playing b-ball getting owned by a rival neighborhood. They understood what bragging rights were, and were thus able to get the language and theme of BW. Of course Beowulf himself was a 'ringer' they hired to help them get back their honor.
MostEvilPenguin 2 years ago
Hello,Lizz.
You could have been "Queen of th e Frozen Lake"
had you worn a bathing suit for that picture.
As for the Great Gatsby,a movie version was filmed in Newport RI many years ago. One of my neighbors,was an extra. He did not understand it either.
Blargaldalien 2 years ago
I read that book last year, in eleventh grade, and I got a lot out of it. I may not have understood all of the cultural references, but I got the vocabulary and most importantly, I got the amazing meaning and symbolism. But I definitely agree with you that books like it should be taught from a young age.
xmyotheraccountx 2 years ago
Your dead right Miss Salad. I read all those dull books as a kid or at least said I did. Watching the movie doesnt do at all I'm afraid. I suppose I have to read them all again now Life is so unfair....
clearly 2 years ago
Love how your editing is getting fancier Liz! =D
Also, I'm so glad you're enjoying teaching. I really do miss teaching.
phampants 2 years ago
I read Gatsby last year in my 11th grade English class...I'm pretty sure I got it.
I don't think it's fair to lump all students together and make assumptions about their reading abilities, vocabularly, or knowledge of cultural history. We're all different people and comprehend things in different ways at different times. And there's definitley merit in trying to teach these sorts of books in high school -- some people never touch books again post high school/college. :/
AwkwardIndigo 2 years ago 3
That's awesome that you got a teaching gig!
keepbabbling 2 years ago
I like the Liz in Liz feature. Reminds me of that Xzibit meme.
Yo dawg I herd you like sistersalad, so we put sistersalad in your sistersalad.
I agree particularly about Gatsby, but I think I drew a great deal from other things I read when I was 16. I grasped the 'aspiration only gets you so far' message but I don't think I really processed it much beyond that.
It felt very much like a book for its time to me; but isn't actually.
Loreki 2 years ago
I guess you where a "Lesus", so to speak? ;)
...
No? Not funny? Darn it!
Hey, that book. I was planning on reading that in the near future (that being, probably in the far future). But then again, I'm only sixteen so maybe not...? Anyway, I'm really happy for you and I hope you'll get a "real" teaching job soon ^^
mangamadde 2 years ago
As a Minnesotian, I had to chuckle at the frozen lake adventures. As a member of a family where everyone (except my wife and myself) is a teacher, I say ROCK ON with the teaching gig!
WoWTirrus 2 years ago
@sistersalad Reading great literature at a young age is like planting seeds of knowledge in your brain. At first all you see is work, toil and frustration. Seasons later you'll turn around and be enriched by all the fruits of a long mental harvest. Keep planting and young brains will stay healthy!
davidanastasiou 2 years ago
This video makes me miss my mountain hometown in the California Sierras and my own two sisters. If only they would vlog with me too.
@sistersalad Where are your other two sisters? I miss Alexandra. I hope life is swell!
davidanastasiou 2 years ago
read Gatsby in high school and hated it, but I've been thinking about rereading it now that I'm a little more enlightened than I was. Also, I didn't have an 11th grade English teacher who could conceivably be described as any kind of awesome.
Happy teaching! =)
bandgeek8408 2 years ago
i don't remember if i actually finished the great gatsby but we watched the movie in class...so that was good enough...right?
ukebandit 2 years ago
We read the Great Gatsby last year... I definitely didn't get anything out of it but that might be because I forgot to read it until the morning before class, and somehow managed to speed read the sucker in my German class.
Now I'm in college, doing the same thing. I should probably knock it off xD
ethgania 2 years ago