Dear Reader,
Last year was the first time I assigned this curation project to my students, so I began it with them, but I didn’t finish it. Grading, planning, and life got in the way, but on some level that’s just an excuse. My students have plenty of obligations that get in their way, and I expect them to finish with something special, so this year I’m following through.
My artifacts may seem disparate, but they’re truly the fabric of my life. Close to a cliche, but I’m big on fashion (although my attempt to wear suspenders every week didn’t totally work out, I did join Stitch Fix) so fabric does ring true for me on some level. From the most important (the time I spend with Mrs. Stein) to the most practical (the food I eat) to the most creative (my weekly band practice) to my most humbling (every day I’m at school I realize how much I still need to and want to learn), to the most adventurous (never thought I’d sleep in a tent on a truck on the beach) these artifacts tell the story of my life. I like my clothes to tell a story each day as well: casual on Fridays, polished in a three piece suit once a week, and more fun than anyone else in the school when I wear my bright red pants; these outfits communicate different aspects of my personality. I think my artifacts have accomplished that too, but they’re also facets of my life specific to this year, so they don't fit into any long traditions or routines.
I wonder if my students this year will find a better focus in their introductions than I have here; I guess I can’t fault them if they don’t. The fact is that we could probably find five artifacts from every day of our lives, but they get lost in the grading and planning and appointments and parties, so we grasp onto the big moments. And that’s what I’m sharing with you. Maybe next year I’ll try to focus on the little ones. I turn forty next year, which seems like a good time to pay attention to the little victories. For now, enjoy my big ones.
Sincerely,
Mr. Stein
Last year was the first time I assigned this curation project to my students, so I began it with them, but I didn’t finish it. Grading, planning, and life got in the way, but on some level that’s just an excuse. My students have plenty of obligations that get in their way, and I expect them to finish with something special, so this year I’m following through.
My artifacts may seem disparate, but they’re truly the fabric of my life. Close to a cliche, but I’m big on fashion (although my attempt to wear suspenders every week didn’t totally work out, I did join Stitch Fix) so fabric does ring true for me on some level. From the most important (the time I spend with Mrs. Stein) to the most practical (the food I eat) to the most creative (my weekly band practice) to my most humbling (every day I’m at school I realize how much I still need to and want to learn), to the most adventurous (never thought I’d sleep in a tent on a truck on the beach) these artifacts tell the story of my life. I like my clothes to tell a story each day as well: casual on Fridays, polished in a three piece suit once a week, and more fun than anyone else in the school when I wear my bright red pants; these outfits communicate different aspects of my personality. I think my artifacts have accomplished that too, but they’re also facets of my life specific to this year, so they don't fit into any long traditions or routines.
I wonder if my students this year will find a better focus in their introductions than I have here; I guess I can’t fault them if they don’t. The fact is that we could probably find five artifacts from every day of our lives, but they get lost in the grading and planning and appointments and parties, so we grasp onto the big moments. And that’s what I’m sharing with you. Maybe next year I’ll try to focus on the little ones. I turn forty next year, which seems like a good time to pay attention to the little victories. For now, enjoy my big ones.
Sincerely,
Mr. Stein
1. Sunday = Meal Prep Day
I haven’t always eaten healthy. I ate Chinese takeout four times a week. I ate hamburgers every Saturday and Sunday. I took daily walks to Carvel and ate peanut butter cup ice cream.
When Mrs. Stein and I first decided to “eat healthy” at work, we packed our lunches each night. We always included a bag of carrots and cucumbers, but our meals as a whole were not that healthy. We packed yogurt (that had too much sugar in it), sandwiches (deli cold cuts full or nitrates or tuna salad full of mayonaise), and pretzels or goldfish or other “seemingly healthy” snacks.
This year Mrs. Stein decided that we needed to really rethink the way our family ate, and that change involved the way we cooked. Now we have Meal Prep Sundays where we cook all day and pack our lunches for the week.
Mrs. Stein is really the brains behind our meal prep; she finds new recipes, tweaks old recipes, and make the shopping list. She always makes us a variety of shakes (with plant based protein powder, chia seeds, spinach and lots of berries and fruits) as well as our big meals (which range from chili to shrimp stirfry to buffalo chicken meatballs)! She also bakes tons of veggies (brussel sprouts, green beans, and sweet potatoes are our favorites). I’m more of a helper, but I’ve gotten very good at being helpful!
I make the muffins (which are always protein based and use almond meal or oats). My favorite is banana muffins with cacao nibs (healthful chocolate chips)! I also try to prepare our veggie cups (we still pack carrots and cucumbers, but now in reusable containers), and hard boil eggs for the week (I eat two a day). When the weather is nice, all the grilling is my responsibility, and lately I’ve been grilling us salmon or mahi mahi!
We love spending time together, and cooking together is fun and delicious! Now we eat healthier than ever and our Sundays are always productive. Not only that, but every meal I eat is a reminder of my favorite person, my wife!
Mrs. Stein sometimes takes pictures of our meal prep for her fitness blog, so the pictures you’re seeing are meals that we made! That’s our food!
I haven’t always eaten healthy. I ate Chinese takeout four times a week. I ate hamburgers every Saturday and Sunday. I took daily walks to Carvel and ate peanut butter cup ice cream.
When Mrs. Stein and I first decided to “eat healthy” at work, we packed our lunches each night. We always included a bag of carrots and cucumbers, but our meals as a whole were not that healthy. We packed yogurt (that had too much sugar in it), sandwiches (deli cold cuts full or nitrates or tuna salad full of mayonaise), and pretzels or goldfish or other “seemingly healthy” snacks.
This year Mrs. Stein decided that we needed to really rethink the way our family ate, and that change involved the way we cooked. Now we have Meal Prep Sundays where we cook all day and pack our lunches for the week.
Mrs. Stein is really the brains behind our meal prep; she finds new recipes, tweaks old recipes, and make the shopping list. She always makes us a variety of shakes (with plant based protein powder, chia seeds, spinach and lots of berries and fruits) as well as our big meals (which range from chili to shrimp stirfry to buffalo chicken meatballs)! She also bakes tons of veggies (brussel sprouts, green beans, and sweet potatoes are our favorites). I’m more of a helper, but I’ve gotten very good at being helpful!
I make the muffins (which are always protein based and use almond meal or oats). My favorite is banana muffins with cacao nibs (healthful chocolate chips)! I also try to prepare our veggie cups (we still pack carrots and cucumbers, but now in reusable containers), and hard boil eggs for the week (I eat two a day). When the weather is nice, all the grilling is my responsibility, and lately I’ve been grilling us salmon or mahi mahi!
We love spending time together, and cooking together is fun and delicious! Now we eat healthier than ever and our Sundays are always productive. Not only that, but every meal I eat is a reminder of my favorite person, my wife!
Mrs. Stein sometimes takes pictures of our meal prep for her fitness blog, so the pictures you’re seeing are meals that we made! That’s our food!
2. Happy Costa Rica Birthday
When I met Mrs. Stein, she owned a Costa Rica guidebook. She had never visited Costa Rica, but it was number one on her bucket list. I’m not much of a traveler, so I didn’t really process how bad Mrs. Stein wanted to travel.
Over the course of our relationship we've traveled to Niagara Falls, Nashville, New Orleans, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. We’ve also explored New York, including most of Manhattan and Brooklyn (I once took Mrs. Stein on a donut tour that I designed) as well as Montauk, Harriman State Park, and Ithaca. I’m okay staying close to home, but I know Mrs. Stein has a travel bug and I feel like I’ve held her back the past few years, so when she turned 32 (a very special birthday because 32 was her number when she played lacrosse), I sent her to Costa Rica.
Our friends and family were confused that I wasn’t going, but I didn’t want to get in the way of any part of her dream vacation. Even Mrs. Stein was confused because our family motto is “Everything Together,” but I just felt like this was an experience I wanted her to have on her own terms.
Needless to say, I was jealous of all her adventures! Mrs. Stein stayed in the rainforest (at a sustainable farm) for several days and then spent a few days on the coast. She went ziplining, hiking, and surfing! She practiced yoga, she repelled down a waterfall, and she met amazing people. While I have some regret that I didn’t join her, I’m so excited that she got to have the experience she’d been dreaming about since before we met! I’m also excited that I was able to give her that experience!
While I have made it impossible to ever give Mrs. Stein as good a birthday present, one awesome result of this trip was that I realized I never want to send Mrs. Stein anywhere without me again. I kind of hate traveling, but I don’t want to miss out on having adventures with my favorite person, and I never want to hold her back, so I might be developing a travel bug. Where are we going next, Mrs. Stein?
When I met Mrs. Stein, she owned a Costa Rica guidebook. She had never visited Costa Rica, but it was number one on her bucket list. I’m not much of a traveler, so I didn’t really process how bad Mrs. Stein wanted to travel.
Over the course of our relationship we've traveled to Niagara Falls, Nashville, New Orleans, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. We’ve also explored New York, including most of Manhattan and Brooklyn (I once took Mrs. Stein on a donut tour that I designed) as well as Montauk, Harriman State Park, and Ithaca. I’m okay staying close to home, but I know Mrs. Stein has a travel bug and I feel like I’ve held her back the past few years, so when she turned 32 (a very special birthday because 32 was her number when she played lacrosse), I sent her to Costa Rica.
Our friends and family were confused that I wasn’t going, but I didn’t want to get in the way of any part of her dream vacation. Even Mrs. Stein was confused because our family motto is “Everything Together,” but I just felt like this was an experience I wanted her to have on her own terms.
Needless to say, I was jealous of all her adventures! Mrs. Stein stayed in the rainforest (at a sustainable farm) for several days and then spent a few days on the coast. She went ziplining, hiking, and surfing! She practiced yoga, she repelled down a waterfall, and she met amazing people. While I have some regret that I didn’t join her, I’m so excited that she got to have the experience she’d been dreaming about since before we met! I’m also excited that I was able to give her that experience!
While I have made it impossible to ever give Mrs. Stein as good a birthday present, one awesome result of this trip was that I realized I never want to send Mrs. Stein anywhere without me again. I kind of hate traveling, but I don’t want to miss out on having adventures with my favorite person, and I never want to hold her back, so I might be developing a travel bug. Where are we going next, Mrs. Stein?
3. "Forgotten Songs"
I met Frank at a sleepaway camp in New Hampshire when I was fourteen years old. At the time, neither of us played music regularly. Frank played trumpet for his high school band. I had played (and quit) violin, french horn, and drums; at that time, I was singing in the school chorus. A few years later I started to teach myself guitar, and Frank (for reasons neither of us can recall) started to teach himself the mandolin. Our musical tastes shifted over the years from jazz and punk to folk and Americana, and we began to write songs that reflected our playlists.
We recorded two records and played small clubs around New York city, but the past few years we only practice. I was beginning to feel like we were static, and so to reignite our momentum I convinced Frank that we should enter NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest. We recorded a song in my office, and although it might not be our best performance (we look a little stiff, I sing some notes as flat as a highway, and we weren’t overjoyed with any of our six takes), we recorded and entered our video.
Needless to say, we didn’t win; so many of the entries were truly amazing, but we did get introduced to and inspired by so many new musicians, and we did generate some forward momentum. We now have a Wolfeobro YouTube channel (Wolfeboro is the name of our band, which is also the name of the town where we went to and worked at camp together), so hopefully we keep playing and avoid having “forgotten songs.”
I met Frank at a sleepaway camp in New Hampshire when I was fourteen years old. At the time, neither of us played music regularly. Frank played trumpet for his high school band. I had played (and quit) violin, french horn, and drums; at that time, I was singing in the school chorus. A few years later I started to teach myself guitar, and Frank (for reasons neither of us can recall) started to teach himself the mandolin. Our musical tastes shifted over the years from jazz and punk to folk and Americana, and we began to write songs that reflected our playlists.
We recorded two records and played small clubs around New York city, but the past few years we only practice. I was beginning to feel like we were static, and so to reignite our momentum I convinced Frank that we should enter NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest. We recorded a song in my office, and although it might not be our best performance (we look a little stiff, I sing some notes as flat as a highway, and we weren’t overjoyed with any of our six takes), we recorded and entered our video.
Needless to say, we didn’t win; so many of the entries were truly amazing, but we did get introduced to and inspired by so many new musicians, and we did generate some forward momentum. We now have a Wolfeobro YouTube channel (Wolfeboro is the name of our band, which is also the name of the town where we went to and worked at camp together), so hopefully we keep playing and avoid having “forgotten songs.”
4. Beach Camping
I’m the outdoor type. I love hiking. I love the beach. I love the sun. But my sleepaway camp didn’t involve much actual camping. We had cabins with lights and fans and plumbing. On one of my two cross country drives, I did some camping, but aside from setting up the tent and sweating through my sleeping bag, it wasn’t really noteworthy or proficient camping. I only ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I missed the comforts of home.
Unlike me, my friends from Babylon are avid campers. They grew up camping with their parents, and on a trip we all took to Watkins Glen, we camped the way I imagined people camped. We grilled burgers and sausages, stewed chili, and flipped pancakes over an open fire! We hung lanterns from trees, tarps were suspended over our heads , and we had every conceivable outdoor game. I thought this would be the extent of my camping experience until this past Fourth of July.
My friends recommended we camp on the beach. If you have a fishing permit, there are certain Long Island beaches that you can camp on, but there are many rules associated with this type of camping. Aside from the fact that you actually need to be fishing, you cannot pitch a tent on the beach, so this summer Mrs. Stein and I bought a tent that fit on the back of her pickup truck.
We arrived on the Thursday night before the fourth. The beach was deserted when we showed up, not only because it was June 29 but because it was raining and the wind next to the water was whipping the tent out of our hands as we tried to set it up. Not only did we have to set up our truck tent, but we needed to set up three pop tents for us to cook and hangout under. Then we dug a huge pit for our fire.
The next morning was gorgeous, and waking up to the sound of the ocean was unreal. What was also unreal was that the beach was empty; it was Friday, and since most people were still working, we had the entire beach to play frisbee and cornhole. We also did a bunch of fishing, but we didn’t catch anything. On Saturday the beach completely filled up by nine, and people couldn’t believe the amazing complex we had built.
The weekend was fun, but it also taught me that I can be more outdoorsy than I thought. It also showed me that I want to keep having new experiences and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I’m pretty sure we’re going back this fourth, and while I know it won’t be the same, and we’ll probably face some new challenges, I’m excited for whatever comes next!
I’m the outdoor type. I love hiking. I love the beach. I love the sun. But my sleepaway camp didn’t involve much actual camping. We had cabins with lights and fans and plumbing. On one of my two cross country drives, I did some camping, but aside from setting up the tent and sweating through my sleeping bag, it wasn’t really noteworthy or proficient camping. I only ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I missed the comforts of home.
Unlike me, my friends from Babylon are avid campers. They grew up camping with their parents, and on a trip we all took to Watkins Glen, we camped the way I imagined people camped. We grilled burgers and sausages, stewed chili, and flipped pancakes over an open fire! We hung lanterns from trees, tarps were suspended over our heads , and we had every conceivable outdoor game. I thought this would be the extent of my camping experience until this past Fourth of July.
My friends recommended we camp on the beach. If you have a fishing permit, there are certain Long Island beaches that you can camp on, but there are many rules associated with this type of camping. Aside from the fact that you actually need to be fishing, you cannot pitch a tent on the beach, so this summer Mrs. Stein and I bought a tent that fit on the back of her pickup truck.
We arrived on the Thursday night before the fourth. The beach was deserted when we showed up, not only because it was June 29 but because it was raining and the wind next to the water was whipping the tent out of our hands as we tried to set it up. Not only did we have to set up our truck tent, but we needed to set up three pop tents for us to cook and hangout under. Then we dug a huge pit for our fire.
The next morning was gorgeous, and waking up to the sound of the ocean was unreal. What was also unreal was that the beach was empty; it was Friday, and since most people were still working, we had the entire beach to play frisbee and cornhole. We also did a bunch of fishing, but we didn’t catch anything. On Saturday the beach completely filled up by nine, and people couldn’t believe the amazing complex we had built.
The weekend was fun, but it also taught me that I can be more outdoorsy than I thought. It also showed me that I want to keep having new experiences and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I’m pretty sure we’re going back this fourth, and while I know it won’t be the same, and we’ll probably face some new challenges, I’m excited for whatever comes next!
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5. The Great Debate
I have been teaching for fourteen years, and I am still constantly reinventing myself in the classroom. I’m sometimes horrified by what I thought was a good lesson fourteen years ago, but sometimes I’m horrified by what I thought was a good lesson one year ago. As my teaching philosophy has evolved, my activities have evolved. As I’ve figured out what skills I think my students need to work on, my focus and my approaches to helping develop those skills have evolved.
I have only been teaching AP Language and Composition for three years, so my approaches to this course have changed rapidly. After my first year teaching AP, I realized I wanted to make our arguments more timely and relevant. I didn’t want to pull essays from textbooks when there were great arguments being published everyday in The Times and across the web. I began to bring in editorials that I thought were persuasive and when the FDA opened a debate about how they should define the word natural, my students read several articles on the issue, wrote defenses of their own definitions, and submitted them to the FDA.
In my third year teaching AP, I knew I wanted my students to argue more often. I began with Fighting Fridays where the class was split in half and argued with each other about a topic I assigned. The arguments became more focused in my Gatsby debates (an activity I developed and used earlier in the year where teams of four debated the morality of characters from the novel). The scaffolding of these arguments culminated in a new activity where teams of two debated one another over a variety of issues. I allowed my students to devise the debate structure and the rubric (neither of which worked at first but which we developed as the debates went on). This ended up being my favorite and most instructive activity of the year!
While the idea was developing naturally, I was pushed by a teacher from Herricks Middle School who observed the Gatsby debates and introduced me to the film The Great Debaters. After watching the movie, I was inspired to have my students debate in a similar fashion, and when I showed them scenes from the movie, they got pumped! Here is a scene of tryouts for the debate team that made me want to be a better teacher and made my students want to be better students!
I have been teaching for fourteen years, and I am still constantly reinventing myself in the classroom. I’m sometimes horrified by what I thought was a good lesson fourteen years ago, but sometimes I’m horrified by what I thought was a good lesson one year ago. As my teaching philosophy has evolved, my activities have evolved. As I’ve figured out what skills I think my students need to work on, my focus and my approaches to helping develop those skills have evolved.
I have only been teaching AP Language and Composition for three years, so my approaches to this course have changed rapidly. After my first year teaching AP, I realized I wanted to make our arguments more timely and relevant. I didn’t want to pull essays from textbooks when there were great arguments being published everyday in The Times and across the web. I began to bring in editorials that I thought were persuasive and when the FDA opened a debate about how they should define the word natural, my students read several articles on the issue, wrote defenses of their own definitions, and submitted them to the FDA.
In my third year teaching AP, I knew I wanted my students to argue more often. I began with Fighting Fridays where the class was split in half and argued with each other about a topic I assigned. The arguments became more focused in my Gatsby debates (an activity I developed and used earlier in the year where teams of four debated the morality of characters from the novel). The scaffolding of these arguments culminated in a new activity where teams of two debated one another over a variety of issues. I allowed my students to devise the debate structure and the rubric (neither of which worked at first but which we developed as the debates went on). This ended up being my favorite and most instructive activity of the year!
While the idea was developing naturally, I was pushed by a teacher from Herricks Middle School who observed the Gatsby debates and introduced me to the film The Great Debaters. After watching the movie, I was inspired to have my students debate in a similar fashion, and when I showed them scenes from the movie, they got pumped! Here is a scene of tryouts for the debate team that made me want to be a better teacher and made my students want to be better students!
The students researched, strategized, rehearsed, and prepared for full-period debates. While they game-planned for rebuttals, they were often forced to think on their feet and develop their arguments on the fly. Some students dressed up for their speeches (Pat and Aaron at the top of my page revealed their Harambe t shirts midway through their opening statement). Some students raised their voices in anger at our apathy while others performed the effects of zoochosis to tug at our heartstrings (Shoutout to Pat and Aaron once again). My students' use of original metaphors and vivid examples made me proud, but their ownership over the entire activity, from helping me chose the debate topics to designing the rubrics contributed to their investment and their engagement. I also think they had fun.
Of all the new activities and lessons I designed this year, I’m probably most proud of this! Every section of the debate was timed, and when your time was up, even if you were still talking, I rang the bell pictured at the top of this artifact. That sound resulted in some much laughter and frustration that it became integral to the activity.
Of all the new activities and lessons I designed this year, I’m probably most proud of this! Every section of the debate was timed, and when your time was up, even if you were still talking, I rang the bell pictured at the top of this artifact. That sound resulted in some much laughter and frustration that it became integral to the activity.