Monthly Archives: January 2014

The Guardian has an interesting chart up, showing the decline of state of the union addresses as measured by the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. See here. Or perhaps it shows the improvement of presidents’ ability to speak intelligibly … Does anyone … Continue reading →

I called the local kindergarten this morning and learned that registration is in March.  Okay, Katherine, here we go! Erin

I’m gearing up for some massive reading alongside my students this spring.  First up is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which presents me with an interesting (and complex!) discussion opportunity: an Iowa native (with more than a whiff of the East Coast … Continue reading →

“And the woman was crying, ‘Ugh!’ because the dinosaurs ate her.  No, she couldn’t get into the ark, so the shark ate her.” This is what I heard through the door while I was working in the study this evening.  … Continue reading →

This week we began another Grand Experiment in the Penner household.  Sydney will be away at Ohio State to teach from Tuesday afternoon to Friday evening each week this spring.  In this, his first week on the job, he’s busy … Continue reading →