I had a college professor who was a Mark Twain impersonator on the side. I went to UNLV in Las Vegas, so this whole impersonation thing is kind of normal there. Needless to say, he was a huge fan of Mark Twain and no matter what humorous literature we read, he claimed Mark Twain influenced it.
Mark Twain has also influenced this podcast episode because that’s who we’re quoting today.
Intro Music
Oh there’s plenty of quotes to choose from, but I thought I’d choose one that is relevant to education and our roles as teachers.
Quote: “Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It’s like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won’t fatten the dog.”
We all teach our students about the importance of education, but do we put our money where our mouth is?
How is your education? Are you still learning? Just because we no longer attend school doesn’t mean we should stop learning. The internet has made getting an education more accessible than ever. I have taken classes on digital media, digital marketing, and pickleball during the past year. Some of these I’ve paid for and some I haven’t.
I’ve even created a course specifically designed for ELA Teachers on how to create a semester’s worth of lesson plans in just a few days. So imagine having all your lesson plans done for the entire first semester or even the entire year on the first day of school.
I’m going to put a link in my show notes for anyone interested in checking out my video course, let you get a feel for my philosophy on teaching, lesson plans, etc. We’ll send you some free videos as well.
The course details how I create a short story unit plan, poetry unit plan, novel unit plan. It’s got tons of handouts, ready to use, and a checklist for creating all types of units.
Again, there’s a link in the show notes.
Classroom Application
I actually have a quick lesson plan right now regarding using Mark Twain Quotes, although you can use this lesson for any set of quotations from just about anyone.
I know it’s summer and you’re probably not doing literary analysis on the side while at the beach or in the mountains.
Ok, I do enjoy writing literary analysis in the summer and I figured you might as well use Mark Twain quotations to teach something–not right now, of course–just bookmark this and come back to it before you teach something by Mark Twain.
- Distribute a list of Mark Twain quotes. Instruct students to choose one and write an analysis paragraph.
- The first sentence should include the following: “Mark Twain once said…..”
- The second sentence should be a funnel sentence and state the writer’s opinion on whether or not the statement is logical, true, or accurate.
- The remainder of the paragraph should include an interpretation of the quote, examples either proving it or disproving it, and additional commentary.
Example: Mark Twain once said, “Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It’s like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won’t fatten the dog.” Despite this truth, that a lack of education often forces one to find alternative means to self-reliance, cash strapped states look to education cuts as the first remedy for budget deficits, not realizing that saving money on education in the short term costs them money in the long run. Education as a vehicle to self reliance shows itself especially during a national economic crisis–ironically, most common time for education cuts. According to CNN, the unemployment rate for college graduates is less than half of the rate for those with just a high school diploma. For those without a high school diploma, finding a job is nigh impossible. Make all the budget cuts you wish, governor, but make sure you use the money saved to build more prisons and welfare offices.
Life Lesson
I have never once complained about education budgets or teacher pay. I chose this profession and it’s blessed me and my family in ways I could never have imagined. I’ve taken a different approach than complaining about these topics. I decided that when I started I would do the best job possible and the money would come. And it has.
Now I’m not saying there’s no room for organized protests and legitimate arguments toward greater funding for education, but my first priority is utilizing the funding I get every two weeks to maximize learning in the classroom. And that attitude has helped me not just as a teacher but it’s given me opportunities to increase my pay.
So keep fighting the good fight for increased funding and increased recognition, but also let’s be the best educators we can be to improve our personal lot.
Links
- Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
- Mark Twain Quotes Blog Post
- Short Story Catalog at ELACOMMONCORELESSONPLANS.com
- Poetry Collections at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
Last Updated on June 9, 2022 by Trenton Lorcher
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