Thou Shalt Not Bore Thy Readers

It is always good to blog out of the blue, spontaneously, even verging on “stream of consciousness”, letting your thoughts flow on the page. Better still is writing in response to the writing of others, such as colleagues; or in response to others’ concerns. That way you may abide by the commandment “Thou shalt not bore thy readers.” Today, I would like to reflect on blog entries by colleagues of mine, fellow composition instructors at the American University of Beirut.

Two of my colleagues have recently written on the subject of ghost writing. Having reflected on the subject myself in the past, their postings grabbed my attention. One of them mentioned that public figures set a bad example by using ghost writers while behaving as if this were normal practice. She reminded us that it happens at both the undergraduate level and the Master’s and PhD thesis levels. Then she compared cheating in writing to cheating in relationships: when trust is shaken, that undermines the student-teacher relationship, discouraging teachers. It creates a “disconnect with students” and, in her words, is “why we hate going to work, or not love it”.

My other colleague took photographs of advertisements posted on both roadside billboards and less obvious university walls. Ghost writers are not ashamed to advertise publicly while working in the shadows and claiming no credit for their writing. She wondered what drove students to avail themselves of their services. Was it the economy, the job situation, or desensitization to corruption; a combination of these factors; or some other mysterious reason?

Today as I write, students are protesting the economy and the corruption of leaders. Let us hope they return to their classrooms soon and remember that all forms of corruption are to be frowned upon, not merely that of the leaders they are accusing in their demonstrations. It is wise to look closer to home as well.

Guest Bloggers Invited

Inviting guest bloggers with similar interests can add diversity to one’s blog. Guest postings are useful for both the host and the guest. Additionally, they could break the monotony for the audience.

If you would like your writing to be hosted on this blog, please get in touch. Submit a brief biography along with your topic proposal. Whether you prefer to post as  an anonymous teacher or not, please don’t hesitate. In fact, The Guardian’s “Secret Teacher” blog has inspired me to encourage anonymous blogging. The Guardian promotes critical posts among frustrated teachers who prefer not to reveal their identities. While aimed mainly at school teachers, the idea of that blog could also be relevant to those at the tertiary level with its emphasis on “the trials, tribulations, and frustrations of school life”. Here are some topics tackled by the secret teachers, to give you an idea:
- Disappointment with school focus on structured learning and assessment rather than enjoyment. A believer in play based learning found that approach soul destroying.
- A teacher suffering physical violence at the hands of a school child.
- Dyslexic students not receiving sufficient support on exams.
- Mental health issues amongst pupils under pressure to perform.
- A teacher bullied by her superior.

University students with ideas worth sharing are also welcome. I look forward to hearing from you.

Blogging After a Break

Taking a long break from blogging can seem strange after years of regular postings. You may feel awkward yourself, and your readers may rightly wonder what is wrong or whether you are still around. Still, hopefully you will not lose your audience but rather keep them in suspense! And more importantly,  you will gain rather than lose momentum.

Actually, I look forward to receiving comments from my readers on their thoughts during my absence from the blogosphere. Perhaps some readers needed a break themselves from reading the blog! Perhaps others could have served as guest bloggers here had they been invited. In retrospect that seems to have been possible and preferable to keeping the blog idle for so long; apologies to my faithful readers near and far.

In any case, when you feel uninspired, in need of recharging, or simply too busy with other concerns, by all means take a break from blogging. I am not suggesting you stop altogether. Just press pause.

A teacher with interesting students and exciting work will naturally want to return to blogging when time allows. Don’t force it. Just let it flow. A blog is like a stream, uneven at times but flowing again when the time is right – a quiet stream that fades into the deep blue ocean.

Word of the Year 2018

A look at the past year’s English words of the year sheds light on people’s current interests and concerns globally. Merriam Webster’s words of the year included justice as the most frequently looked up word – and one whose hits rose by 74% over 2017. According to the dictionary’s web site, the popularity of the term reflects U.S. concerns with all kinds of justice – racial, social, criminal and economic. Additionally, the Department of Justice has frequently been in the news, besides the use of justice as a synonym for judge, as in the Supreme Court’s Cavanaugh hearings.

The Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year was toxic. Not only had it been looked up 45% more than the previous year, it had also developed new meanings, spanning a broad variety of contexts: “The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression that is judged to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.” Including both literal and metaphorical senses, the term had been applied to the following ten contexts, in order of frequency, based on the Oxford Corpus:

· Chemical

· Masculinity

· Substance

· Gas

· Environment

· Relationship

· Culture

· Waste

· Algae

· Air

The Collins Dictionary chose single-use as word of the year as it had seen a four-fold rise since 2013. The term refers to products, especially plastics, that are used only once rather than recycled, such as straws, bottles and bags. Images of plastic items floating in the oceans became popular on television this past year, with channels such as the BBC raising awareness on the issue. Another term that was high on the list for Collins also reflected environmental concerns: plogging, derived from Swedish, meaning picking up garbage while jogging.

Finally, the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year based on a public poll was nomophobia: “fear or worry at the idea of being without your mobile phone or unable to use it.” A runner-up was ecocide, emphasizing people’s environmental concerns. The dictionary editors had chosen the most popular new additions to the dictionary then asked their online readers to vote. The result was therefore referred to as the “People’s Word of 2018."