Who I’m Voting for in 2012

As a professor of government and politics, people expect me to have my finger on the pulse of things like the current election cycle. After feeling around with said finger I’ve determined that all of these mainstream candidates are lifeless. But now I’ve found a pair I can support.

Piper Bayard and Kristen Lamb are not only candidates for office, they’re also friends and, if everything works out, will be letting me shoot guns in Texas later this year. So when I discovered that they were running for office I did what any friend of a political candidate would do–asked for a job.

So you’re reading the words of the future United States Secretary of EduClaytion. The fabulous femmes are here today to talk about our plans to take over the country and fix stuff. Let’s get to the interview.

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1.  Let’s start with the important stuff. As Secretary of Education, how many interns do I get?

Considering the precedent set in the Clintonian Era for the meaning of the word intern, we believe we should throw out that euphemism and simply call it what it is. Your harem. That way they can’t sue for sexual harassment because the job description is accurate. Our people are contacting Kate Beckinsale’s and Emily Blunt’s people even as we type. We’re sure they will volunteer for the job since they are both reputed to have crushes on you, and they’re used to the attention that will come with the job.

How Would You Have Answered These 2 Questions?

I recently helped one of my students out when she had to do an interview with a professor.

I told her I had to think about a couple of the questions and would reply via email later.

Here are the 2 questions:

1. If you could require a college student to read one thing before they graduate, what would it be and why?

2. What advice can you offer an undergraduate?

Those are pretty big questions. I could’ve answered a lot of different ways too. There are potential funny answers, lots of them. There are also plenty of serious answers.

I came up with answers I felt good about and sent them off.

I’m curious, how would you answer those two questions for a young student?

Politics and Religion: The Party Taboos

One of my favorite parts of being a professor is that I work in places where the open exchange of ideas is expected. They say you should never talk about politics and religion at a party, but I get to teach about that stuff in the academy.

The biggest reason these topics are taboo is that so many people get too emotional at the expense of intellect. But it shouldn’t be that way.

I like to think about these things, especially at a time like this when Time magazine makes The Protester it’s “Person of the Year.” That’s a great call when you think about how much the world changed over these past few months.

I have a lot of unpublished thoughts on all kinds of spiritual-cultural topics but try to use this space sparingly for much of that. In a few days I’m going to post about my new web presence coming in 2012 and will be asking you for specific ideas to help design the new direction*.

One part of that new web stuff will be a place to bring a different side of my brain to the internet discussion. I like the phrase that Donald Miller used in the subtitle of his phenomenal book Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.

I’ve written a guest post along these lines for my friend Kim Wilson about how Christians can look like ignorant protesters if we’re not careful. I hope you’ll head over there, check it out, and join the discussion.

*No, eduClaytion isn’t going anywhere, just getting a face lift.

8 Lessons from Chicago

A couple weeks ago I took a quick 24 hour trip to Chicago for a marketing seminar hosted by by my wonderful agency, MacGregor Literary. Here are some things I learned that weekend.

1. I still don’t know what creme brulee is, even after eating it. But it’s good.

2. Marketing is knowing where your audience is and standing in front of them.

3. At a ritzy hotel restaurant, seasonal fruit means two slivers of strawberry.

4. [Attributed to Carolyn See] The secret to a writer’s life is to write 1000 words a day and send a note of appreciation to someone.

World Series At Work

A lot of us have history right under our feet. Some of it changed the world while other events are just fun to talk about.

My hometown of Pittsburgh is loaded with historical landmarks and significance. A short walk through Oakland reveals markers and statues and great, old buildings where important things took place.

Today’s short video is timely as the World Series is currently going on between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals. I thought I’d show a little glimpse of one of my workplaces where one of the biggest moments in the history of sports occurred.

If you’d like to see the short clip of this historic blast click here. You’ll see what Forbes Field and Pittsburgh looked like a half century ago as the camera follows the flight of the ball through the air and over Yogi Berra’s head.

Do you have any cool landmarks near you?

Five Years Ago

It’s certainly a major anniversary weekend as we prepare to look back at the attacks of 9/11 from a decade out. For today, however, I’m remembering a man who made a major impact in my life.

He died 5 years ago today and is more responsible for me being a writer than anyone else in my life. I wish I could still pick up the phone and call him. He’d get a kick out of the good stuff happening this summer for my writing career.

Many of you have never read the tribute I wrote for him last year. I hope you’ll check out:

The Greatest Teacher I Ever Had

Handouts for Presentation: Before or After?

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

I need professional help. I mean, I need help about my profession from you today with a choice I must make for an upcoming speaking engagement. I was pleasantly surprised last week when the dean of my college asked me to give the keynote address at the fall faculty forum this month. It’s a wonderful opportunity and I hope to make my fellow adjunct professors proud because we just don’t get opportunities like this too often.

During the conversation, the dean asked me to provide handouts of my slides for the audience, basically the entire faculty of the college. I explained that I don’t use PowerPoint for this dynamic talk on student engagement. Prezi is my weapon of choice and doesn’t come in the form of slides. So he asked me to whip up something suitable for the occasion. No problemo, I said.

As I began to put the handout together I realized that I would be revealing all my best stuff on paper in advance of my talk. I kind of like the reactions to some of the best points and started to worry that a handout would give too much away. But I committed to getting the thing done so I set about the business of crafting a notes supplement.

Then I realized I didn’t know what to do so I visited the Google.

Good Teacher Quotes

I had the honor of being interviewed along with fabulous mother-writer-teacher Leanne Shirtliffe over at Ellie Ann Soderstrom’s site. How I get to hang out with two lovely ladies like that is beyond me, but I hope you’ll hop over to check out the wisdom we hath wrought.

The one and only Ellie Ann

Okay, so they provided the wisdom; I just cracked jokes mostly 🙂

Ellie wanted me to dish on my day job, so the interview questions reveal the secrets of teaching. Or at least what objects I like to throw at students. Go ahead and check out the Good Teacher Interview and drop some thoughts in the comment section over there.

If you’re a Twitterite be sure to follow Ellie and Leanne.

Back into the writing cave I go. Making progress and very thankful to whichever one of you has been sliding those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches under the door* every few hours. I will emerge this Sunday with a full beard** and 40-50 pages in hand.

*Apparently my cave has a door.

**That’s a lie. I am incapable of this.

Memorial Day Tribute: The Legend of “Bun” Troy

Americans set aside Memorial Day to remember the sacrifices of current and past servicemen and women. The last Monday in May also kicks off the summer season. So here’s a small tribute on a beautiful day.

Sorry about the loud wind for a few seconds early on. We were fighting some tough ambient noise.

The 1912 Detroit Tigers team that Bun Troy played on was notable for a couple reasons. First, Troy was teammate to Ty Cobb–one of the greatest and nastiest ballplayers who ever lived. During a May game in Manhattan that year Cobb charged into the stands after a fan who had been taunting and insulting him all afternoon. Cobb beat the man–a political hack named Claude Lucker–mercilessly and was suspended. The Tigers players went on the first baseball strike to protest.

1912 was also the first season the team played in Tigers Stadium. On April 20 that year, Shoeless Joe Jackson of Cleveland became the first player to ever score a run in that stadium.

Baseball is a game of statistics, so here’s one for you. In total, five Major League Baseball players died in World War I.

Americans served alongside brave fighters from many countries during those World Wars. England, Canada, France, Russia, Australia and more sent some of their best citizens to challenge aggressions and defend freedom. We all remember in different ways but universally appreciate the willingness of someone to sacrifice their life for others.

I wrote this Memorial Day tribute last year to honor a few men who went above and beyond the call of duty in ways that are nearly impossible to grasp. Check out their stories and find some more from the folks around you. They’re pretty amazing.

I’d love to see some more great tributes so leave any such links you have written or found in the comments below.

Who do you know that’s served? Feel free to leave their name here today.

Behind the Scenes at Gatorland!

I could have been eaten last week. That’s what I thought to myself as I prepared to walk up to alligators over twice my height (6’3″) and five times heavier than me. Why would anybody do something like that? Because it’s awesome! Would you turn down a chance to feed one of the fiercest creatures on the planet by hand?

My opportunity came courtesy of Dennis Chauncey at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida. I met Dennis as we entered the park. He offered to take me behind the scenes for a chance to go in with a couple of the stars of Gatorland. Those stops aren’t exactly on the tour. What a blast.

I’d love to tell you all the fascinating things I learned about those massive reptiles, but you can just see the footage for yourself and hear directly from my fearless guide.

There are a couple good things to know before you watch:

1. Gator wrestling began when ranchers had to clean out sparse watering holes so thirsty cows wouldn’t get eaten.

2. Florida natives are sometimes referred to as crackers, a term which came from the sound of those whips wielded by the ranchers.

3. If a gator chases you do not run zig zag. Run straight and fast. Or at least run faster than whoever’s next to you. As my host Ryan put it, “If you can run faster than your friends you’ll love Gatorland.” Ha!

4. Leucistic alligators are extremely rare. I get to go into the box with one in the following video.

See Clay Blog

What up nation? I got a guest post about teaching, zombies, and bringing students to life over at Lessons from Teachers & Twits of the always fabulous Renee Jacobson. I hope you’ll check it out!

Also, many of you know that I’m trying to rally in the Worst Movie Ever Tournament at Tyler Tarver’s site. In case you didn’t already vote, you can point and click for Battlefield Earth by going to the voting page.

Finally, you look really attractive today. That hairstyle totally works for you.

Related Articles

• PTP 7 ~ Cooking Fire Ninja (educlaytion.com)
• Lessons From a Pop Teacher & a Few Zombies (rasjacobson.wordpress.com)

How To Successfully Network

This is a companion piece to an earlier post called How To Create Opportunities.

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Weird things happen to me all the time. People who know me will tell you that my updates are rarely boring. Although I’ve experienced gobs of near misses professionally, some nice opportunities have hit and more continue to come along as time goes on.

I don’t believe in luck, and chance has zero power since it is not a thing. Every effect must have a cause. As Branch Rickey–general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s–said, “Luck is the residue of design.” I’ve had that statement clipped to my heartstrings since college.

We don’t have to take chances, but we don’t have to succeed either. As a great leader I know has said, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying.”

I fail plenty because I try things, sometimes stupid things. Some of you have witnessed this fact firsthand. That’s okay because there’s always a point in those missteps even if it’s just to figure out one more thing that doesn’t work. I am way more comfortable with screwing up than I am with never attempting anything.

A big part of this process includes what we call networking. Go back far enough in history and you’ll find that the word comes from ancient fishermen. Picture the disciples casting their nets over the side of the boat. That net was their greatest tool. They threw it out there consistently, each time hoping to successfully hit their target. Bigger nets gave those guys a better chance of snagging what they were after, but teamwork was vital to the operation.

How To Create Opportunities

Senator John Pippy (Image via Wikipedia)

I didn’t look like much at the age of 19. My tall, skinny frame sprouted into the floppiest mop I ever wore. Lord knows why I made an appointment with the congressman.

His name was John Pippy, a young politician who had taken out a local incumbent a few months earlier. The Pennsylvania representative took youth and energy to Harrisburg, but he also kept an office in my small hometown. I was a history major, so I stumbled in to check out his operation one day.

The secretary said he wasn’t in that day but could she help me? I told her I didn’t really need anything, just wanted to say hi to, um, Representative Pippy. I think we freaked each other out a bit, but she was paid to be nice to constituents no matter what they looked like.

“Would you like to make an appointment?” she asked.

“Uh, okay,” I asserted.

The following week I peeled myself from a friend’s floor to make my 10:30 a.m. appointment with the congressman.

“You’re going where?” my friend asked.

I told him.

“Why”

“I dunno. To meet him.”

A short time later I sat across from Representative Pippy. “What can I do for you,” he asked.

My Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Features

Two of the best pieces I’ve had published appeared as full page features in Sunday editions of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The first article highlights how Harry Houdini became the 1st international superstar and specifically details some of his appearances in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Amazing to imagine him leaping into one of the Three Rivers or hanging from skyscrapers in a straight jacket.

The more recent feature is all about using pop culture in education to better connect with students of all levels and disciplines.

Click on the links to check them out. I hope you enjoy reading them.

What’s A Pop Teacher?

I get to make a cool announcement today, and that is to introduce you to the first of a series of new websites being developed by myself and a gifted friend. So, I’ll keep it real short and leave a link in hopes that you’ll check it out and let me know what you think.

You know I’m not afraid of criticism either, so thoughtful suggestions are also appreciated.

The concept of Pop Teacher is to pull together ideas of creative folks who know how to use elements from our culture (entertainment, sports, books, etc…) to effectively communicate with students at all levels. You don’t have to be a working teacher to have great ideas though.

Have you ever watched a movie or TV show or heard a song and thought of some great point to make from the content? That’s the idea.

In addition to developing the new version of eduClaytion, we’re soon moving onto the next big site which I’m really excited about. We are going to be looking for writers, storytellers really. I can’t wait!

So check out the new site and tell me what ya think. By the way, you’ll also see a Forum where you can register to become a member if you’d like to be a part of that kind of community. Anyone who joins will also be entered to win a Starbucks gift card, so there’s that too.

You can link to PopTeacher.Com here.

So what d’ya think? We’re looking for contributors and will promote the snot out of you! Especially as the rest of our network gets going.

Are you a teacher?

Do you know any teachers?

Do you have any ideas?

We’re also looking for people who will share great experiences they had in a learning setting where someone used something from pop culture to teach.

Help us spread the word 🙂

Connect with us on Twitter @PopTeacher1

Give Pop Teacher a “LIKE” on Facebook!