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Poem:  From the Epigrams, by Martial (First Century Roman poet)

You ask me why I have no verses sent?
For fear you should return the compliment.

The Falling Asleep in Class Podcast Episode

Section 1: What is Boredom, Properly Defined?

1. Definition by Dictionary:

boredom (noun) — the state of being bored; tedium; ennui.

bore (verb) (used with object), bored, bor·ing. — to weary by dullness, tedious repetition, unwelcome attentions, etc.

• Definition from the classroom:
  • disinterested in subject
  • unable to maintain concentration or attention even on a subject of interest
• Definition by examples:
  • Sleeping
  • Minimal effort
  • Exasperation
  • Pushing teacher to justify the subject – when we gonna use this crap?

Section 2: To quote a saint, There are no boring subjects, only bored students

1. Is Chesterton right? Justify… This sounds to me like “That doesn’t make sense” when they mean             “I don’t understand.” Also, let’s help Chesterton here. There are also bored teachers.
2. What are the contributors to “boredom”?
   1. Are some subjects naturally less interesting and we just have to take our medicine anyway?
   2. How much of this is our love of specialization – I just ain’t a math kind of guy
   3. The age of the image – are screens doing this to our students?  Should I have to turn my class into Fortnite?
3. Constant battle: moving with the times vs preserving virtue — the “kids can’t pay attention for more than 3 minutes, so I have twenty activities every class” vs. drill and kill embalming
4. Aristotelian “middle of the road” seems most likely

Section 3: What is the solution for boredom in the classroom?

1. Identify the factors: praxis, content, reception
2. Be willing to consider that it might be you, but don’t forget that this is an epidemic
3. Retraining the tastes of your students
4. Being attentive
5. Being curious
6. Being active

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Poem:  The Oxcart Man, by Donald Hall,

Statement of the Whole: When is it appropriate to tell a student they have not done well?  Are negative comments ever appropriate?  What should a student make of long flowing red rivers of ink on their papers?  Jason and Steve consider how to guide students to better work without their having to put up with being berated.

1. Reminder about the Distinction between Art and Science being Key
   1. Is all criticism negative?
   2. Should criticism be used as motivation?
2. War Stories
3. Avoiding the extremes – humane critique is somewhere in the middle
   1. Perhaps the old school was all harshness and correction
   2. But perhaps today we have over emphasized being positive, avoiding all negativity
4. What are the keys to criticism?
   1. Helping the student improve
   2. Aiming the student higher
   3. Raising their taste without crushing their spirit
5. When to hold back
   1. When student is emotionally vulnerable
   2. When the student is complacent and won’t hear you anyway
6. How do you help students to prepare themselves for criticism, to receive it rightly?
   1. Patience
   2. Consistency
   3. Criticism is a bad motivator, so don’t use it poorly
   4. Sort of a horse and water situation