Beat Nite

It's that time of year again, time for our annual Beat Nite. Mr. Hixon's Senior English classes invade our library and turn it into a "Beat Cafe" right out of the 50's. Snap, snap, clapping is not allowed. It is hard to let them tear the library apart but they really do wonders and transform the library into a cool cafe where poets read and musicians play.
The Beat Movement which began in the 1950's was a term coined to describe an ant-establishment movement. Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were two prominent poets of the Beat Movement.
The night will be filled with poems dealing with first love, first love lost, family issues, fear of the unknown (college) and some regular teen angst. Many of the poems are truly heartbreaking to hear. It makes you realize how much baggage some of our students carry around.

Thing # 17

I couldn't help myself, I had to post this picture of the cast of the Cullens. It seems the Twilight movie is well underway. Can't help but wonder who will be Jacob. My students are so excited they can hardly stand it. I even received a phone call from a former student who is at MIT to tell me about the cast.

I played in the sandbox and was very nervous doing so. I kept thinking about the video on Wikis and how easy it looked and thought okay here I go. As our Senior AP English class hosts a "Beat Nite" in the library every year I feel a Wiki would be a perfect tool for the class to collaborate and organize the event. So much is involved in this project. From setting up the stage to decorating the library to refreshments, getting ready for this poetry reading night is a huge job. I will suggest a Wiki to the teacher and see if together we can make this work.