English is missing a word. (Well, probably many words.) However, this is a really useful word: it’s a gender-neutral singular pronoun for people. In the good-old-boy days, they just said “he” but that’s not cool anymore, nor should it be. “It” is gender-neutral, but also implies a lack of humanity. “He or she” is correctContinue reading “Ze is awesome: adventures with gender-neutral pronouns”
Author Archives: thefriendlymoth
The Beard of Poetry
Last week my friend Joshua Gottlieb-Miller came to my Friday class as a visiting poet. It was pretty exciting. The kids had great questions for him. Some highlights: “Are you a famous poet like Robert Frost?” “I am zero percent famous.” “Are you a famous poet like Charles Darwin?” “I may be a more famousContinue reading “The Beard of Poetry”
Some Opposites — a Frog Hollow Crankie
After a steep technical learning curve, I have a Frog Hollow Crankie* for you all. This is one we made to the poem “Some Opposites” by Richard Wilbur. We memorized this poem, and had a great time with it. It’s got a great rhythm, which helps make it easy to memorize, and it’s funny toContinue reading “Some Opposites — a Frog Hollow Crankie”
Crankies
For the past few years, I’ve been making crankies with my classes. Crankies (so named because you crank them) are scrolling pictures that usually accompany a song, story, or poem. They are a traditional Appalachian art form, but have cousins in many times and places. There are miniature ones — my friend made one outContinue reading “Crankies”
FROG HOLLOW SCHOOL 