Open: An Autobiography

I just today finished Andre Agassi's autobiography. I have enjoyed watching Andre play for years, so I suggested to my wife that I would like to have the book for Christmas. She didn't disappoint me. If a book does not keep my interest, I will seldom finish the book. I didn't have a problem keeping interest in this book

The book is well written. Andre had help from a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. The book opens with an account of one of Agassi's last matches in the 2006 US Open. The description of the match caught me. I am not sure it will catch everyone, especially if other readers don't know tennis.  This is a book for those who have watched professional tennis. I have watched the top players for years. I remember watching Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe, and Stan Smith. Agassi is certainly up there with some of the greatest who have played the game.

I think Agassi does grow up a lot throughout the course of the book. If I were in his position, I am not sure I would have done a whole lot better with my choices. His comments on other players is interesting. What is most interesting is his introspection. All his self doubt and the trust he puts in other people around him surprises me.

I come away from the book feeling that my life has not been so nearly dramatic as Andre's. He is an extremely emotional person. I guess I will take my more predictable life  over his tumultuous one.

In his acknowledgments Andre describes the process of producing his book. He indicates how hard the work was in drafting, drafting and redrafting the book. He is thankful for his editors and first readers for feedback. I try so hard to show my students that good writing means rewriting and rewriting. It means collaborating with people to make it the best writing possible.

To Be in Paradise

Last Saturday night I attended a Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert at the Ohio Theater. What a great concert. I listen to classical music most of the time. I developed my interest in classical music as I grew up because my mother was a classical pianist. She has a beautiful Steinway Grand piano that is probably worth $75,000 or more. Even as a toddler I would walk around listening to tunes from Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, and Chopin. Yeah, I did also listen to Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and Tommy James and Shondells. I do listen to other music besides classical, but classical music just doesn’t get old for me. I can listen to it over and over.

Saturday was just another experience that confirmed my love of classical music. The Columbus Symphony performed Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony. The 9^th is Beethoven’s last symphony. It is totally amazing that he composed this symphony when he was totally deaf. It is a very complex piece of music in four movements. To perform this piece of music a full chorus must be assembled. The texture of the instruments mixed with the chorus was just outstanding. Beethoven was one of the first to mix classical instruments with the human voice.

As some of you know, listening to music even on a good sound system does not compare to listening live. The power of a live concert is just so amazing. If you have never been to a live classical concert, you should give it a try. My ticket to the concert was only $15.00.

Acquiring a taste for classical music takes some time and effort, but it is really worth it in the long run. I like to listen to all kinds of music. Some music is real easy to listen to, but classical music takes a bit more effort. A person must get educated, and pay more attention to the music. They have to concentrate more. When learning to appreciate classical music, never go to a concert without being fully rested. One must focus, but the rewards can be almost overpowering at times. Classical music can transport a person into paradise.

A Trip To Robert Frost's Farm

In late July Cindy and I traveled to Derry, New Hampshire to see a farm Robert Frost lived on during the turn of the century. The farm has been restored with many artifacts from the time that Frost lived there. The tour was great because the guide really knew a lot about Frost. He had even had talks with Frost's grandchildren. Frost is one of my favorite poets. I have read some about his life. He was an unusual and complex man.

I was able to take some pictures on the inside of the house. You can go to my gallery to look a more pictures. http://gallery.me.com/btcmann. One of his famous poems is called mending wall. If you read the poem and then look at the photos on my gallery, it will help you to better understand the poem. You can see on the farm how they used large stones to mark their property. Even though Frost only lived on this farm for 11 years, many of his more famous poems were thought to have been written about this time.

Many people think of Frost as a nature poet, but he was much more than this. We will spend some time this year studying some of Frost's work.

At The Lake

I am writing this post from Shawano, Wisconsin. My mother and brother live here on the lake. The weekend has just been beautiful. The temperature has been in the low 70s without a cloud in the sky. Saturday my two brothers and sister were here. We had an excellent meal, sat around the fire pit out by the lake front, and then played cards until late in the night.

It is sad to me those folks who don't get along with their siblings when they become adults. I talked to one person last week who said he hasn't had any contact with him brother in over 15 years. Now the four of us are very different in personality and temperament, but we make the effort to stay in touch and do things together when we can. We don't get together real often because of where we live, but we still email each other and talk on the phone. Shawano, Wisconsin is still home for us all even though John is the only one who lives in Shawano now. We spent many summers in Shawano when we were little, and it is a special place.

I have not been able to do much school work this weekend, so this next week will keep me very busy. Even though the trip was expensive, I am glad I was able to be here. My younger brother, Bob, lives in France. I don't get to see him real often.

eTech Conference

February 2nd and 3rd I attended the Ohio eTech Technology Conference in Columbus. This anual conference draws over 9,000 teachers, tech coordinators, librarians, and administrators. I have attended this conference the last five years because it always gives me some new ideas to use in my  classroom and also to share with other teachers.

One new idea I will be exploring thanks to the conference is a server technology called Moodle. This new software suite allows teachers to create new ways to works with their students. Moodle is a web interface thatcombines a teacher's homepage for their classes with an array of web tools that interact with students. This includes a gradebook, a web quest template, a forum maker, a wiki maker, an online test generator, and an easy method for share files with students. And this is just a sampling of what this system can offer to teachers. I like the fact that it is all organized with one place.

I also discover a number of new web sites that I can use in the classroom. Weebly.com is one new site I have discovered. Students can create their own web pages through this site. It is very user friendly. I have added several new titles to books I want to read that deal with technology. These titles include The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman.

Something to Give You the Willys

How would you like to spend 33 days locked up with 3,000 scorpions? I guess this is the world record. I personally would rather not spend one night with one scorpion, but some cultures see things differently.

Scorpions are considered a delicacy in some parts of Asian. By delicacy, I mean that they eat scorpions. It is a fact that many 3rd world countries eat all sorts of insects. Insects are very high in protein. They are actually a very nutrious food source. Now that doesn't mean that I am that excited about eating insects. I prefer to eat chicken.

To see the scorpion queen, you can click on the link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7849854.stm