How would it work? Writing Colleagues would have the option to work with students in an English class or another writing intensive class from Geneva High School throughout the semester. We would meet weekly with our students at Geneva High School and we would follow the same set up of 15-minute conferences that are centered around questions and getting students to take ownership of their writing. The amount of high school students we would be assigned to would depend on how many Writing Colleagues sign up and how many teachers at Geneva High express interest.  It would be more work for us, but it would invaluable community service.

A program like this can be done. Currently, I am a Teaching Assistant of sorts for the class Debating Historical and Philosophical Topics in the Education department. In this class we have set up a blogging project with 5^th graders from Romulus Middle School where students from HWS and Romulus blog back and fourth every week. Every Thursday I drive to Romulus with members of the class to help the 5^th graders work on their blogs. Last year I was in Professor Polak’s Writer’s Seminar where students from one of Geneva’s middle schools came to HWS every week to work on a blogging project. Teachers from local schools are more than willing to participate in these projects because the projects can only help their students with their work. Further, I believe working with college students could give some students the inspiration to attend college if they previously had not planned on attending, especially if their family members did not attend. Creating the HSWC program would not be extremely difficult.

The High School Writing Colleagues program would benefit us as well because there is a lot to learn from younger students and it would be a great way to give back. It would also help strengthen the relationship between HWS and the residents of Geneva. Yes, we do give back now as Writing Colleagues to the HWS community but we can do more. The Writing Colleagues program as constituted is a great program. But there is more work to be done. And do more we must.

What do people think? Would you participate if it were a reality? Do you have any suggestions? Would anyone be interested in setting this program up with me?

How would it work? Writing Colleagues would have the option to work with students in an English class or another writing intensive class from Geneva High School throughout the semester. We would meet weekly with our students at Geneva High School and we would follow the same set up of 15-minute conferences that are centered around questions and getting students to take ownership of their writing. The amount of high school students we would be assigned to would depend on how many Writing Colleagues sign up and how many teachers at Geneva High express interest.  It would be more work for us, but it would invaluable community service.

A program like this can be done. Currently, I am a Teaching Assistant of sorts for the class Debating Historical and Philosophical Topics in the Education department. In this class we have set up a blogging project with 5^th graders from Romulus Central School where students from HWS and Romulus blog back and fourth every week. Every Thursday I drive to Romulus with members of the class to help the 5^th graders work on their blogs. Last year I was in Professor Polak’s Writer’s Seminar where students from one of Geneva’s middle schools came to HWS every week to work on a blogging project. Teachers from local schools are more than willing to participate in these projects because the projects can only help their students with their work. Further, I believe working with college students could give some students the inspiration to attend college if they previously had not planned on attending, especially if their family members did not attend. Creating the HSWC Program would not be extremely difficult.

The High School Writing Colleagues Program would benefit us as well because there is a lot to learn from younger students and it would be a great way to give back. It would also help strengthen the relationship between HWS and the residents of Geneva. Yes, we do give back now as Writing Colleagues to the HWS community but we can do more. The Writing Colleagues Program as constituted is a great program that benefits many students. But there is more work to be done. And do more we must.

What do people think? Would you participate if it were a reality? Do you have any suggestions? Would anyone be interested in setting this program up with me?

Last year, the last episode of the fifth and final season of HBO’s The Wire was aired (Alston). For many viewers this was a sad day because The Wire is a truly amazing show and more importantly, meaningful show. Although The Wire was never a commercial hit like HBO’s Entourage or The Sopranos or broadcast shows like 24 or Lost, The Wire is critically acclaimed and deserves to be watched by every serious fan of television (Is this the best TV series ever made?).  The Wire is in fact so good, that some articles written it about are called “The best TV show of all time: A classical masterpiece: Laura Miller argues for “The Wire”” and “The Wire on Fire: Analyzing the best show on television.”

At first glance The Wire may seem like a cop show. At its most primitive, the plot of the show is about cops trying to arrest drug dealers.  The show is not about on specific individual or group, rather it is about the city of Baltimore. Jacob Weisberg of Slate writes, “Its protagonist is the broken American city of Baltimore, depicted with obsessive verisimilitude and affectionate rage” (Weisberg).  Each season has a different focus of an aspect of Baltimore: the first one on drugs dealers, the second on dockworkers, the third on reform, the fourth one on Baltimore public schools, and fifth one on the decline of newspapers. Each season’s focus is intertwined with the Baltimore Police Department and to a lesser degree the Mayor’s Office.

The Wire is an extremely complex show, which has multiple plots, sub plots, and many characters. Sometimes an extremely important plot development happens very quickly and it will not be returned to. The characters are complex as well. No character is a stereotype and the characters are not stagnant, just as in real life. There is the serial killer Omar, who refuses to kill people who are not in the drug game.  There is the drug lord Stringer Bell, who wants to become a legitimate businessman and who takes economics class at a local community college (McCabe and Smith). Laura Miller of Salon explains this complexity very well: “The series is complex, with a lot of characters, and its never going to hold your hold through the intricate curlicues of each season’s story. You have to pay attention, even when you’re not sure what’s going on” (Miller).

Another reason The Wire is great is its realism. It is not a show that is filled with feel good stories and characters. It is not a show which is about a world that does not exist or the world as we want it to be. Rather it is a show about the world how it is. Weisberg explains The Wire’s realism by writing “No other program has ever done anything remotely like what this one does, namely to portray the social, political, and economic life of an American city with the scope, observational precision, and moral vision of great literature” (Weisberg). The Wire’s realism is heightened because it is an unsentimental show. This is epitomized by the fact that one of the most beloved characters in the show, Stringer Bell, is killed in the third season (Ogunnaike). As in real life, anyone can die at any time on The Wire. Much of its realism comes from its creator, who was a Baltimore Sun crime reporter before The Wire. Moreover, Ed Burns, Simon’s writing partner is a former homicide detective (Weisberg).

Another reason The Wire is great is because it is an angry show. This is because David Simon is angry about the state of the American inner city and the lives people live in them. In the article “Arrogant? Moi?” Oliver Burkemen writes about his interview with Simon.  About the show’s creator, Burkemen writes, “Simon the other hand is very angry indeed.” Simon sees Baltimore as an indicator, which reveals The American Dream is dead. In his interview with Burkemen Simon states “You are sitting in the deconstruction of the American Dream,” he says, indicating Baltimore” (Burkemen). The anger found in the show gives it real meaning, something all too missing today on today’s television shows. Watching the show causes viewers to think about parts and people of our society that do not get enough attention, parts of our society that are too often forgotten.

The Wire is more than entertainment, which makes it truly great television. It is great on so many levels, that almost all viewers will find something to like about it. Whether it’s the realism, the characters, or plot, there are many elements of The Wire which different viewers like best. Give it a shot and more than likely you will immediately become a fan.

Weisberg Article

Miller Article

Burkeman Article

More info on the characters in the show

Episode Guide

Interviews with cast members

Here are some great scenes from this show:

Works Cited

Alston, Joshua. “Hanging Up ‘The Wire’” Newsweek. 10 Mar. 2008. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.newsweek.com/id/120319>.

Burkeman, Oliver. “Arrogant? Moi?” The Guardian. 28 Mar. 2009. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/28/david-simon-the-wire-interview>.
McCabe, Bret, and Van Smith. “Down to The Wire: Top 10 Reasons Not to Cancel The Wire.” Baltimore City Paper. 12 Jan. 2005. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.baltimorecitypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=9538>.
Miller, Laura. “The best TV show of all time: A classical masterpiece: Laura Miller argues for “The Wire”" Salon. 15 Sept. 2007. <http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2007/09/15/best_show/>.
Ogunnaike, Lola. “Whacked! Another HBO Main Player Meets His End.” The New York Times. 13 Dec. 2004. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/13/arts/television/13wire.html>.
Weisberg, Jacob. “Why The Wire the best show on television.” Salon. 13 Sept. 2006. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.slate.com/id/2149566/>.
Welsh, Irvine, John Harvey, Dreda Mitchell, Mark Billingham, and John Williams. “Is
this the best TV series ever made?” The Guardian. 20 July 2008. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/20/television.irvinewelsh>.

I came into class with two topics: one about lowering the drinking age and one about legalizing marijuana. personally am “straight edge”–I don’t do either. I have chosen legalizing marijuana because last week President Obama was asked in his virtual town hall the country should do so. He said no. However, I believe with the state of the economy, we must think outside the box to help bring in revenue. California a state with huge budget problems looks like they might begin taxing it. However, our country wastes a lot of money on arrests and jail time because of the fact that marijuana is illegal. We need to divert this money to help people have things like health care and avert more people from loosing their homes. This is a big issue in pop culture, as their is always a new stoner movie coming out. I am not arguing for people smoking marijuana, I am simply arguing that we must get creative in the crisis we face.

I know that public polling shows that the country is divided on this issue. I also know that millions are spent on enforcing the law. I know that there are millions of dollars to bring in if we taxed it marijuana. I also know that where places like marijuana is legal, people use it less.

I want to find out just how much is spent on enforcing the law each year and how much states could bring in if it was legal and taxed. Further, I want to know more about public polling about the issue, to see if it is at all politically possible, in “real politik” terms.

Name of item: USB Drive. With high speed internet readily available, USB Drives already an old and useless technology?

Cross: Should the cross and other religious paraphernalia be banned in schools?

Film Cannister: Film cannisters are relics of an old technology, that is out of place in modern America.

Buffalo Wild Wings: Food chains like BBW’s epitomize corporate America’s place in everyday life.