2022 Office Hours Schedule
Announcement (8/15/2022): We are making an important change to the Office Hours format! Going forward, all Office Hours discussions will take place in the Pelican Forum. At 12:00pm Pacific Time, Adam and Missy will open a thread with a question and their own meditations on the subject. They will check in regularly over the following 24 hours to answer questions and respond to Pelican contributions.
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January 20: Grading Papers - What, Why, and How?
Grading a paper can feel as daunting for the teacher as writing it in the first place was for the student. What should be our goal in evaluating student work? By what standards do we grade, and how do we help our young writers improve without discouraging them? Is grading even helpful for our students, or a necessary claim on our time? We’ll be spending this hour discussing an evergreen teaching conundrum.
March 3: The "3-Sentence Quotation" Assignment
At CenterForLit, we are always encouraging our students to “support their argument with examples from the text.” But for those who have never had to incorporate textual evidence in their writing, the demand may sound intimidating. Not to fear! Like most things, it’s a piece of cake once someone shows you how to do it. The 3-Sentence-Quotation is a form ubiquitous to academic writing, and it can easily be taught. With this handy tool, your students will be making sound literary arguments like a pro in no time!
March 24: Dealing with Troubling Content
This month we’re checking back in on a conversation that is always going on at CenterForLit: how do we handle potentially troubling or offensive content in the books we read? What makes content dangerous, and how do we know where to draw the line? Our students are sure to rub up against ideas that make us uncomfortable at some point in their reading. How can we be sure we and they are equipped to handle it when they do?
April 14: Mimesis vs. Catharsis: Two Ways to Read (and Teach) Great Books
In this discussion, we’ll be digging up two old and dusty words: mimesis and catharsis. One, mimesis, describes a process of imitation. The other, catharsis, names the feeling of release or “purging” caused by vicarious experience. We’ll be looking at what these terms have to do with the reading experience, and how they might influence the way we teach Great Books.
May 19: How to Make the Most of Summer Reading Adventures
There’s nothing like the feeling of wrapping up classes in the spring and looking ahead to a long and luxurious summer of opportunity. And while you and I may already look to our neglected booklists at such times, how can we encourage our children to do the same? How can we excite them and create opportunities for a summer reading adventure? In this Office Hours, we’ll be trading ideas and dreaming of warm, bookish days.
June 9: Tools for Idol-Builders
How can we tell when a perfectly good activity has turned into an identity project, causing us to place our hope and worth in something besides our Creator? And what’s to be done if we’re already far down that road? In this discussion, we’ll be sharing hope and tools for those desperate to enjoy the good things of this life as gifts instead of opportunities for self-justification and condemnation.
July 21: Family Reading Culture
This month, we’re sharing tips and tricks for enjoying good books together as a family. What are the benefits of reading together? How do you find titles everyone will enjoy? And how do you keep everyone engaged?
August 25: Getting the Most out of Online Education
We’re taking time this month for a special Office Hours in which we’ll be offering suggestions on how to get the most out of online classes. Remote classes offer a unique variety of challenges, but if you are equipped to handle them, online education can also come with its own wonderful rewards.
September 29: Keeping it Simple
All too often, the amazing hopes and dreams we had at the beginning of the school year crumble to pieces when they brush up against the reality of daily life. In this Office Hours, we’ll be talking about finding freedom in the midst of overwhelm by focusing on the basics. It turns out that the “three R’s” are all a student really needs to succeed!
October 27: Teaching the Bible as Lit
The Bible is, of course, primarily a work of Truth, the divine revelation of God. However, it is also an exemplary work of literature and poetry, and as such, yields rich reward to those who read it literarily. This month we’ll be talking about how to read the Bible as literature, why one might do so, and what you expect when you do.
November 17: Show-and-Tell: Share your Favorite Books with the Pelicans!
We’re trying something new this month! In a special Pelican tell-all, we’re asking you to bring your favorite book recommendations to share with the group. It will be a fabulous chance to get to know one another better and build up our book lists for the coming year!