Aucun Poisson d’Avril
The image is a reference to the French version of April Fool’s Day. It’s more interestingly a reference to René Magritte’s painting, The Treachery of Images:
If you have heard of Magritte, it’s likely to be in relationship to that painting or The Son of Man, which is another absurdist painting of his.
What This Has to Do with English
This is being posted on March 31, so it can be assigned to you on April 1. The date gives us an excuse to learn about the French version of April Fool’s Day, which leads to an absurdist image, which leads to Magritte.
None of it is related to a specific project or lesson. All of it, however, is related to learning. As always, the goal of an instructional post like this is not just to tell you about the specifically English stuff; it’s to link together some interesting information and help you develop your curiosity.
This is also good practice for the kind of reading expected of informed citizens:
Reading online needs to be exploratory for you. It should take you down side paths and winding roads. You should repeatedly discover some new idea in the Humanities — for instance, Magritte’s artwork. You could do worse than to be curious about absurdist painters and surrealism. That’s a rabbit hole worth falling into.
Absurdism is also baked into this makerspace. Its mascot is Sisyphus, or at least a version of Camus’ Sisyphus. The central shift is away from the toxicity of grades, and eliminating grades is so absurdly difficult that it’s almost quixotic. Even the title of this post is a bit absurd: It’s March 31, because a post for April 1 needs to be online early for scheduling purposes.
So consider Magritte: “This is not a pipe.” Some of these lessons are not lessons. Some requirements are not requirements. It’s all interesting, though, and if you are open-minded, it could be the most engaging part of your year.
The Specifically English Stuff
The rest of your senior year in English is built around project-based learning. The work is student-driven, with more choice within each unit than you’ve had all year — and you’ve had unprecedented choice already.
Not all of those projects will be formally assigned. Many will be tailored to your specific interests and needs. The broad strokes will stay the same, however. The more closely you read that overview, the better equipped you’ll be to make this an individual process.
You should also prioritize the following post on feedback:
There are many links to follow in that post, and they all emphasize your role in feedback. Of particular importance now is this section:
[T]he design of all creative work in a makerspace is concatenative. The word comes from the root for chain, and that’s the metaphor: Strength comes from successive links, and each link is dependent on the one before it. Weak links break the chain. The chain starts with that background work, and if it is all done with fidelity and in good faith, we have enough of a feedback loop to start.
The concept of “good faith” applies to your in-class focus more than just about any other aspect of the learning environment. The makerspace is set up to help you create meaning and explore your interests; you must, therefore, approach each day with integrity.
If you have not already, carve out the necessary time for the following lectures on focus. They demonstrate the breadth and depth of support you have in here. They also demonstrate the respect given to you — that you are held accountable and pushed to excel.
You need to take the initiative. You must build that feedback chain explicitly and directly. You set the chain in motion.
That said, I know that you have multiple classes, plus your responsibilities at home. I know that you are experiencing distress and anxiety just from being alive in this world, let alone being at the end of high school. If, at any time, you think you need an exemption or exception, just say so.
Remember that the real work is the work of self-direction, self-efficacy, and self-awareness. You set daily goals, organize your ongoing work, and respond to formative assessments — because the feedback chain starts and ends with you.
There is a checklist you can use to check your readiness for this suite of project-based units. Consider the extent to which
- you have examined all recent profile scores;
- you understand exactly what those scores mean;
- you acknowledge that you can get individual feedback about those scores at any time;
- you accept that you must read all instructional posts in full;
- you know that you must read everything on Google Classroom in full;
- you know that you must set a daily goal through Google Forms;
- you are aware of all the available resources for your project-based learning;
- you know how to share evidence of your project-based learning;
- you are aware of how to seek feedback, in class and online;
- you know you can always ask further questions to individualize the work;
- you know how to ask questions to individualize work.
Then you can begin looking over the projects themselves. You’ll start with research, and then you’ll choose your own work of literary merit. Along the way, you’ll be invited to write an optional letter or speech. Your passion projects can continue, or you can shift into the final Senior Talk.
Advocate for yourself, be proactive, and collaborate as often as you can. Ceci n’est pas une montagne.