This idea came to me a few years back when I bumped into one of my students on campus before class. He was dressed in button-down shirt and a nice pair of slacks – like he was heading to an interview in a café, restaurant, or retail store. But he wasn’t. He was coming from a communications class where he presented a three-minute speech to his teacher and classmates. I commend his instructor’s lesson plans. Inside the classroom, beyond the reading and writing, students can benefit by presenting themselves as professional, mature, and serious enough to commit to a job. I wish when I was his age, I had taken this class. This may have been at the beginning of theTrump presidency: I mean, we were all watching news clips of Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Sara Saunders, Rod Rosenstein, presenting important information to a roomful of reporters. And taking questions! I... Continue reading

Last semester I encouraged my English 105 students to SHARE their ideas on JAMBOARD, PADLET, and FACEBOOK. For me, INCREASED collaboration, leads to INCREASED performance. That's good for THEM. And that's good for ME. Often, students who work in isolation just lose interest in their writing. WE DON'T WANT THAT. The say they don't have anything to write about - They don't really know anything about their subject - This assignment is BORING - They are CONFUSED - They don't know where to START. So, I have created these PRE-WRITING ACTIVITIES to RAISE THEIR INTEREST LEVEL in their RESEARCH TOPICS. How do they expect to write a 5-7 page research paper if they don't care or know anything about their topic? Sharing with your classmates will help! We read a SIXTIES novel - Motorcycle on the Sea of Tranquilty - so, I thought it would be COOL to develop a... Continue reading

Throughout the semester, I do whatever I can to engage students with their research. I mean, if they are not closely reading their articles for meaning, it’s going to be a DRAG for their instructor to read their essays. I tell them this: Annotations will DEEPEN their UNDERSTANDING of each article - I annotate EVERYTHING - I feel if I don't WRITE IT DOWN, I WON'T LEARN ANYTHING. l ask for a closer reading to all their research materials. Together, we will INTERACT with the text. We will ANNOTATE our reading What is an annotation ? A note by way of explanation or comment added to a text or poem. There is no one way to make annotations. They need to decide what is INTERESTING and/or IMPORTANT. Annotating research articles will become an IMPORTANT ACADEMIC SKILL – My students will elevatethemselves from their competition when they can identify and understand... Continue reading

Young Love “Only In My Dreams” by The Marias captures the intensity of young, toxic love portrayed in T.C Boyle's “The Love Of My Life.” China and Jeremy were young lovers who were certain they would be together for the rest of their lives. When they weren't with each other, they were thinking about each other. This dramatically changed when China unexpectedly became pregnant. Jermey distanced himself because the flame he had once felt for China had diminished. All he could picture is what they had done to their baby. Whereas China wanted Jeremy regardless of what had happened to them. “Only in my dreams” is about a deep longing for that one person's affection. For a love that only exists in dreams, something intense and eternal. This song expresses China's desire for Jeremy. The beginning lyrics “baby stay with me” and “you're everything I need to bare this fear”... Continue reading

Young Love “Only In My Dreams” by The Marias captures the intensity of young, toxic love portrayed in T.C Boyle's “The Love Of My Life.” China and Jeremy were young lovers who were certain they would be together for the rest of their lives. When they weren't with each other, they were thinking about each other. This dramatically changed when China unexpectedly became pregnant. Jermey distanced himself because the flame he had once felt for China had diminished. All he could picture is what they had done to their baby. Whereas China wanted Jeremy regardless of what had happened to them. “Only in my dreams” is about a deep longing for that one person's affection. For a love that only exists in dreams, something intense and eternal. This song expresses China's desire for Jeremy. The beginning lyrics “baby stay with me” and “you're everything I need to bare this fear”... Continue reading

For the story, "The Most Beautiful Woman In Town" I chose Tyler the Creator song “Judge Judy.” This song talks about how he met a woman and how they hit it off and later on and how she passed away unexpectedly. In the story, Cass is seen as the most beautiful woman in town, and how many men always stare at her and want to be with her. But because she seems crazy many people only see her as a sex machine. In the song “Judge Judy” Tyler sings about how he doesn’t care about how she acts in front of him and what she had done in her past “'Cause I don't judge, Judy (yeah, yeah, yeah) (What's your fetish and what are you into?) No, I don't judge, Judy." This correlates to my narrative since Charles doesn’t see Cass as a crazy person like everyone else but sees... Continue reading

Fig 1. Debut Album by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. RCA Records, 1986. A Song of Social Inequality in Cisneros' Story “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby & The Range is the song I used to represent Sandra Cisneros’ short story “Geraldo No Last Name.” Both the song and the story deal with themes of social inequality and how the system disregards people within communities based on race or nationality. Hornsby’s lyrics, “Well, they passed a law in 64 to give to those who ain't got a little more,” references the Civil Rights Act and highlight the constant inequity that continues to affect society. Geraldo’s death in the story reflects how these injustices still affect undocumented immigrants. The line, “That’s just the way it is, some things will never change,” shows how people have to live with the injustices, which mirrors how Marin views Geraldo’s death in the story.... Continue reading

JAY'S SEMESTER READING MVP: Yeah, yeah, we do a lot of WRITING, but we also do a lot of READING. For our Final Exam I ask my students to choose their MVP - Most Valuable Part - of their semester reading: an idea, a scene, a character, a quotation, an event, a description, an author....THEY CHOOSE. I grade them on their ability to make their MVP argument. This is the cool part: There is no right or wrong position in a student’s vote for MVP. There is no concrete definition for “valuable.” It can be the best part. It can be the worst part. Maybe it’s a character the reading could not do without. Maybe it’s an event that changed everything. Maybe it’s an idea no one speaks about in class, but it may be most important to us all. I’m most happy with the diversity of choices my students... Continue reading

In The Dead Straight Guide to the Beatles, author Chris Ingham explains how the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in in February 1964 changed world forever. Before Ed Sullivan, few people in this country had ever seen or heard the Beatles. This was before the internet. Television at the time offered maybe three to four channels. Ed Sullivan was a variety show. Every Sunday night, families gathered around the television set to watch Ed Sullivan introduce his comedians, juggling acts, tap dancers, stuff like that. But, on this night, more than 73 million people were tuned into the show, the largest audience of all time. This was New York City. Many call this place "the media capital" of the world. This is where you can find some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses, biggest record companies, and most prolific television studios in the world. The Beatles... Continue reading

Writing for enjoyment is something we should all be doing in the classroom; like, I don’t mean we should dumb anything down to make writing EAZY, but we should look for ways to make writing FUN. This semester, I have this queazy feeling in my stomach that many of my students not only hate writing, but they fear it. I can see them shiver when I introduce my assignments – like a cold wind suddenly blows through the room and across their faces. As a teacher, I try not to let their reactions scare me. If they see frustration on my face, things are only going to get worse. I mean, we are all in this TOGETHER. How can I convince them of that? It came to me this morning, maybe at 4:00 or so. I was out on the streets for my daily walk in Mexicali (I can’t run... Continue reading

I grew up in Arizona, with the sound of my mother's old static box T.V turned on to her favorite playlist, blasting songs that I knew would be ingrained in my head for the years to come. From Fiona Apple to Fleetwood Mac, I feel incredibly grateful to say I grew up listening to some of the best music that a kid could listen to. What piqued my interest most was moving to Ocean Beach, San Diego, and seeing all the buskers on the sidewalk, playing their songs that would always end up getting stuck in my head. When I was 13, I ended up discovering an artist who was pretty small at the time named Cavetown, an indie artist I had found on Soundcloud, an older streaming service. Although I don't listen to him anymore, I resonated with his music very deeply, and some of my fondest memories come... Continue reading

I am obsessed with purses. I always get excited to buy a new bag whether it’s a tote bag, mini purse, handbag, or a crossbody. It has become a hobby for me to buy purses. They all look different and can be an expression of who we are or how we are feeling. I started collecting bags about two years ago. I now have 11 bags in total. My bags are either from the brands Tory Burch, Kate Spates, or Marc Jacobs. I was motivated to start this collection when I watched the show Gossip Girl. Two of the main characters were two rich girls who bought Chanel bags or Hermes bags for fun. I love Chanel bags but I can’t afford them. I also love Tory Burch handbags because of the elegance they give off and they fill the void of not having a Chanel bag. One day I... Continue reading

The human mind is such an intricate and intriguing topic of discussion. To gain a full understanding and grasp the entirety of how it works, is without a doubt difficult. Back when we were little kids, until now being mature adults, we experience all sorts of encounters with other people throughout our daily lives without even acknowledging what they might be enduring. Some are more noticeable and severe, while some are mild. Psychological disorders are a range of disorders that affect an individual's thoughts, emotions, or behaviors. You could have an interaction with someone that has trouble maintaining eye contact when conversing or being tense. At the moment, most people don’t take into account the mannerisms or actions the person with a psychological disorder does. Personally, my brother has suffered from social anxiety. Whether it's a big social gathering or just a meetup for a group project, my brother would... Continue reading

A beatnik was a fifties person who was creative, poetic and/or intellectual. Janis Joplin was a beatnik before she was a hippie. This was 1958, around the same time John Lennon and Paul McCartney were putting the "Beat" in the "Beatles." Beatniks wore dark glasses and dark clothes. They smoked a lot of cigarettes and listened to weird music. Be-Bop. Jazz. They developed their own language. Beatniks didn't care about being popular; in fact, they often sought the opposite because they considered themselves rebels against conformity. Janis read a lot of books and sang a lot of songs by black artists. Her friends and family in Texas didn't like that. I just read a very cool anecdote about Janis the other day in a book of anecdotes called One on One, written by Craig Brown. Previously I had read a similar book by Mr. Brown about the Beatles in which... Continue reading

Perfumes can bring out emotions and memories, they are a powerful tool in our daily lives. They can change how we feel and how others see us, add a little something to our presence. Yes, there's scientific evidence that specific scents can affect our mood. Studies have shown that “essential oils like lavender, peppermint, and citrus can reduce anxiety, enhance mood, and improve cognitive function” (De Feo & Labbozzetta, 2023). These findings show the powerful connection between our sense of smell and emotional wellbeing. Whether it’s a light, fresh scent for a casual day out, an exited, seductive fragrance for a special occasion or a calm, classy fragrance for the office or meetings, perfumes play a big role in our experiences and interactions. For me, the world of perfumes is a fun journey through different scents and emotions. I love sweet and sophisticated perfumes. My collection is filled with perfumes... Continue reading

My collection of vintage postcards began as a simple hobby but has grown into a passion that holds significant personal value. These postcards, each a tiny window into the past, offer a glimpse into different eras and places, making them invaluable to me. They are more than just pieces of paper; they are stories, memories, and pieces of history that I cherish deeply. The collection consists of postcards from various periods, primarily from the early 1900s to the 1980s. They are neatly organized in albums, each categorized by theme, location, and time period. My collection boasts over 500 postcards, each carefully preserved in plastic sleeves to protect them from wear and tear. They are stored in a dedicated cabinet in my room, where I often spend time organizing and admiring them. The postcards are categorized into three main groups: historical landmarks, cultural events, and personal messages. The historical landmarks category... Continue reading

Baseball bats help to create core memories that impact us for life. The love of the game is why a collection of them or balls are hung on a wall forever. These are long lasting memories whether they are bad or good, we learn and grow from them. This starts as little as t ball all the way through college. You choose a bat with the thought in mind that it will hit hard and far. You research online and talk to other players, parents and coaches about their experience with different options and styles. You ask other teammates about how many hits they got and what kind of pop it has. Which bat is their favorite? You consider the price you want to pay; they range anywhere from $50-$500. Do you go basic or top of the line? How long will it really last? You chose the grip, the... Continue reading

In Tortured Artists, we learn the sordid details of Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death. When she first began living the life a Hollywood legend, she of all people probably knew she would soon become a dead one. As a famous star, Marilyn lived her life under enormous scrutiny and criticism. Drugs became an avenue of escape. Sadly, she already had a history of mental illness in her family. The combination of pressure, drugs, and anxiety took her down a dark road for which there was no return. For example, at the age of four, Marilyn’s mother was placed in an asylum. Marilyn grew up in an orphanage. Later she found out her own grandmother had committed suicide. She must have thought mental illness ran in her genes. At age thirty six, when she felt herself losing her looks, she intensified her drug use. She didn’t know who she was anymore. She... Continue reading

Each semester, I find that that the work of my past students becomes a great writing resource for my current students. From reading Jay’s Bloggin’ in the Wind, my new students can develop a better picture in their minds of where we are headed with our writing. Below I share some insightful, innovative, personal, and well-developed community profiles from Fall 2024. Continue reading

Going for a physical was one of the things my younger brother, Anthony, despised as a child. He was diagnosed with chronic asthma at birth and put on steroids during his childhood to make his lungs stronger, these steroids made it easy for him to gain weight. As he began to gain weight he also gained scrutiny from his pediatrician, she made snide comments and was dismissive of any of his complaints chopping up everything to him being overweight. At appointments made to follow up on sickness like Influenza or the common cold, his pediatrician often made comments directed towards his exercising habits and asked our mother questions about his eating habits, “How much soda does he drink? How often does he eat junk food? Does he ever work out?” and finishing the appointment with a recommendation of putting him on a diet and exercise routine. Having gone to one... Continue reading

Throughout my life I have always enjoyed running, the feeling of going fast, my feet pounding on the ground. However, like any other sport or physical activity, running comes with the risk of injury. I, and many others, have experienced muscle or joint pain from running, but these are very minor problems. One of my recently acquired friends, Carlos, had a pretty bad knee injury while running. Carlos and I met last year at the beginning of the cross-country season, and the more times we ran together at practice, the closer and closer we grew. Unfortunately, during one practice, we were on a run/hike on Mount Laguna. There the trail varied in size, structure, and visibility. We needed to exercise caution because of the rugged terrain, but accidents happen, and Carlos slipped on a rock. He fell and he fell hard, his knee slammed into a rock and he had... Continue reading

Growing up the children in my family including myself all had a pretty idealized childhood. However as we became teenagers this all shifted, my parents and my cousins parents began to set high expectations from us in their own way. I saw it first hand with myself but more heavily with my cousin who was the same age as me. When he started middle school his momnoticed that when he’d get home he’d want to go play video games as a form of relaxation after a long day of school. She slowly started limiting him to video games and would punish him bytaking it away if he didn’t do his chores or didn’t get home and immediately do his homework. One day she decided to finally rid him of the game and replaced it with a violin. She enforced it onto him almost religiously and made him practice all the... Continue reading

Growing up there was nothing more exciting than having a family party. The loud Mexican music, the running around with a mob of cousins, the singing, the dancing, the endless food, and of course the never-ending entertainment of the drunken uncle. With his slurred words, staggered strut, ridiculous jokes, and his foolhardy confidence, a family party would not be a party without him. As funny and silly we all thought he was, there was always one person who did not appreciate his behavior, his wife. No matter how fun the night was going, it would always end with an argument between the drunken uncle and his wife. As a child, I could not for the life of me understand why she had to be such a buzzkill and ruin his fun, our fun. “Why does she have to be so mean,” I thought to myself. I was so young and... Continue reading

Ever since the arrival of my niece, my family and I started living again in the same household, so much more often I began frequenting my older sister Isabella. Growing up, we both had a close only brother and only sister relationship until she departed into her correctional officer career after high school and moved out of our home. Six years is what separates us both in age, she was born first and she always made sure I discerned that around her. Now that we were again under the same roof, we started chatting how we usually did back in the days before she graduated high school. Things have changed much from then; she now is a happy single mother who's made a nice living from corrections the past five years. During most of our talks, curiosity of her workplace mostly pivots the conversation at times. “In a very tense... Continue reading

My grandmas death was harsh on my mother. She thought she would never recover like most people when they lose a parent. Even though she already knew she was pregnant there wasn't much hope for her to lighten her life; after all, she was a teen mother and it hurt her even more than my grandma was awaiting the birth of her granddaughter. After having me she discovered that she could love someone as much as she loved her mother. She found that she could love me and love no one else like she loves me. As a child, I remember being the happiest with my mom since I would spend most of the time missing her since we didn't live together. Every week I would wait for Friday to cross the border and see her for two days. She would try to get as many shifts as possible during... Continue reading