Comments on: Question of the Week: Teacher http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/ LitPark Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:30:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: DCB http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5136 DCB Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:45:58 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5136 Wow! Another Lindley survivor! She was one of my teachers back at Gibbs in the late 80's - early 90's. Where you around the day she called in sick and came into work in disguise just to see what we'd say if we thought she wasn't around? ::SHUDDER:: That woman was a brutal control feak who taught through abuse. When Ileft the ATP program to work professionally, I swoe that if I ever directed I would do everything the opposite of what she did. Glad to say I succeeded. Wow! Another Lindley survivor! She was one of my teachers back at Gibbs in the late 80′s – early 90′s. Where you around the day she called in sick and came into work in disguise just to see what we’d say if we thought she wasn’t around? ::SHUDDER:: That woman was a brutal control feak who taught through abuse. When Ileft the ATP program to work professionally, I swoe that if I ever directed I would do everything the opposite of what she did. Glad to say I succeeded.

]]> By: Kimberly http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5135 Kimberly Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:01:25 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5135 That's so cool!!! I wonder if she knows how many people she's inspired??? Do you happen to know where she is anymore? How can we let her know?? That’s so cool!!! I wonder if she knows how many people she’s inspired??? Do you happen to know where she is anymore? How can we let her know??

]]> By: Anon http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5134 Anon Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:53:39 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5134 Oh man, there were many many of her students who went into theatre, not just you. Off of the top of my head: Chrissy Hall Stacy Highsmith John Cecil Shawn Willet Barry Steele Mike McGreevy Heidi Schwartz I know there's more, like I said, that's off of the top of my head. --Anon Oh man, there were many many of her students who went into theatre, not just you. Off of the top of my head:

Chrissy Hall
Stacy Highsmith
John Cecil
Shawn Willet
Barry Steele
Mike McGreevy
Heidi Schwartz

I know there’s more, like I said, that’s off of the top of my head.

–Anon

]]> By: johnguzlowski http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5133 johnguzlowski Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:44:48 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5133 A writer/teacher who really shaped my life and writing and thinking about writing was Paul Carroll. He was a poet and a critic and a guy who found it easy to offend a lot of people. But he was also a fellow who taught me some important lessons about writing. One of the lessons that never left me was that all poets are brothers and sisters. I wrote a poem about him and what he taught me. It's written in his style: TITLE: Ode to Paul Carroll, dead these many years but still singing in Heaven with the Irish angels and the Chinese saints who drowned in their love of poetry Remember me, Paul? I wrote those weird poems that bad summer of '69 about Jesus burning the prostitutes up with His exploding eyes and about being a mind blistered astronaut with nothing to say to the sun except, Honey, I'm yours Remember? You were the first poet I knew the one who told me to believe all poets are brothers and sisters and poetry is all the poems ever written and that if you're lucky enough to still be writing poems when you're fifty then you'd know the true grace of poetry Do you remember that guy in the red plush beefeater's hat? He said in class the revolution would send old farts like you to the camps with the other assholes proud of their money and their dick pink ties and all you said to him was "Maybe you won't be able to get it up tonight because you're tired or drunk-but someday there will be weeks and weeks when your penis will just stay a penis and then, there you'll be" We were young and nobody knew what you were talking about, running riddles past us like some Irish Li Po from the back of the yards I still don't get your Ode to Nijinsky, its blank staring page And what's behind it? The lesson that poetry and art Disappear/vanish before we can see their dance? But surely that's not the lesson you wanted to teach us You always had faith in poetry and poets, called them your pals, even the dead ones like Wordsworth and Milton Dickinson and Yeats, pals sharing a ragged pencil nub and sneaking smokes between visions of angels and teacups and Picasso bald and 80 among the true Chinese poets Our brothers and our sisters You'd tell us stories about poets drowning in their love of poetry and you'd lick your lips And say, Yes, Yes, and Yes As if some great meal Had just been served When you died I read in the Chicago papers that your last days weren't so lucky your wife gone, you drinking too much and searching for James Wright in the yuppie bars around Division and Clark When I read that I thought maybe you were wrong about how Yeats's Chinese grace could keep a man alive and a drunk sober But reading your last poems again last night I saw you were right So I went to the library and stole a copy of Odes, your first poems and read your Nijinsky poem again ## john guzlowski A writer/teacher who really shaped my life and writing and thinking about writing was Paul Carroll. He was a poet and a critic and a guy who found it easy to offend a lot of people. But he was also a fellow who taught me some important lessons about writing. One of the lessons that never left me was that all poets are brothers and sisters.

I wrote a poem about him and what he taught me. It’s written in his style:

TITLE: Ode to Paul Carroll, dead these many years but still singing in Heaven with the Irish angels and the Chinese saints who drowned in their love of poetry

Remember me, Paul?

I wrote those weird poems that bad summer of ’69

about Jesus burning
the prostitutes up
with His exploding eyes

and about being a mind
blistered astronaut
with nothing to say
to the sun except,
Honey, I’m yours

Remember?

You were the first poet
I knew

the one who told me
to believe all poets
are brothers and sisters
and poetry is all the poems ever written
and that if you’re lucky enough
to still be writing poems
when you’re fifty
then you’d know the true grace of poetry

Do you remember that guy
in the red plush beefeater’s hat?

He said in class the revolution
would send old farts like you
to the camps with the other assholes proud of their money
and their dick pink ties
and all you said to him was

“Maybe you won’t be able to get it up tonight
because you’re tired or drunk-but
someday there will be weeks and weeks
when your penis
will just stay a penis
and then,
there you’ll be”

We were young and nobody
knew what you were talking about, running
riddles past us like some
Irish Li Po from the back of the yards

I still don’t get your Ode to Nijinsky, its blank staring page

And what’s behind it?

The lesson that poetry and art
Disappear/vanish before
we can see their dance?

But surely that’s not the lesson
you wanted to teach us

You always had faith in poetry and poets,
called them your pals, even the dead ones
like Wordsworth and Milton
Dickinson and Yeats,
pals sharing a ragged pencil nub and sneaking smokes
between visions of angels
and teacups and Picasso
bald and 80 among the true Chinese poets

Our brothers and our sisters

You’d tell us stories about poets drowning
in their love of poetry
and you’d lick your lips
And say, Yes, Yes, and Yes
As if some great meal
Had just been served

When you died I read in the Chicago papers
that your last days
weren’t so lucky
your wife gone, you
drinking too much and searching for James Wright
in the yuppie bars around Division and Clark

When I read that I thought maybe
you were wrong
about how Yeats’s Chinese grace
could keep a man alive
and a drunk sober

But reading your
last poems again last night
I saw you were right

So I went to the library and stole
a copy of Odes, your first poems

and read your Nijinsky poem again

##

john guzlowski

]]> By: johnguzlowski http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5132 johnguzlowski Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:31:37 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5132 Hi, David, I knew Nell and her husband. They were great teachers. I taught at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for 30 years, and saw many of her students. They were sharp, motivated, and lovely people. Hi, David, I knew Nell and her husband. They were great teachers. I taught at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for 30 years, and saw many of her students. They were sharp, motivated, and lovely people.

]]> By: SusanHenderson http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5131 SusanHenderson Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:38:51 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5131 Vonnegut has (had, I guess) an amazing look! Maybe you'll get an iPod for Christmas! I'm the only one in my family who doesn't have one, but I'm fine with iTunes for now. Vonnegut has (had, I guess) an amazing look!

Maybe you’ll get an iPod for Christmas! I’m the only one in my family who doesn’t have one, but I’m fine with iTunes for now.

]]> By: SusanHenderson http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5130 SusanHenderson Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:36:35 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5130 Welcome! Anyone who pops over from Kimberley's blog is cool with me! I'll have to check out this music you listen to; it's all new to me. Welcome! Anyone who pops over from Kimberley’s blog is cool with me!

I’ll have to check out this music you listen to; it’s all new to me.

]]> By: SusanHenderson http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5129 SusanHenderson Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:34:58 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5129 Ooh, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting look really good! Ooh, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting look really good!

]]> By: David Niall Wilson http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5128 David Niall Wilson Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:26:46 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5128 Yes, critics are bad, but this was worse. I meant the fear of the reaction of other high school students to anyone actually trying hard to do well in a class...because it makes them look like they are NOT trying...writing poetry wasn't exactly high on the cool meter, even in the 1970s... D Yes, critics are bad, but this was worse. I meant the fear of the reaction of other high school students to anyone actually trying hard to do well in a class…because it makes them look like they are NOT trying…writing poetry wasn’t exactly high on the cool meter, even in the 1970s…

D

]]> By: Ric http://www.litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5127 Ric Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:25:11 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/12/17/question-of-the-week-teacher/#comment-5127 High school English was a joke - wasn't until college that I stumbled upon Don Morse, who would hand back my carefully crafted papers with a big red C on them, until I tracked him down in his office and he said to stop handing in the first drafts. Life got much better after that - he introduced me to Vonnegut, whom he looks like and remains a friend still. I do not possess an I-pod so my 18 year old son shuffled and came up with this: Anti-Flag - Cellular Garth Brooks - Cowboys & Angels Bob Segar - Come to Papa Green Day - Jesus of Suburbia Sublime - Soundcheck (at least I've heard four of the five) High school English was a joke – wasn’t until college that I stumbled upon Don Morse, who would hand back my carefully crafted papers with a big red C on them, until I tracked him down in his office and he said to stop handing in the first drafts. Life got much better after that – he introduced me to Vonnegut, whom he looks like and remains a friend still.

I do not possess an I-pod
so my 18 year old son shuffled and came up with this:

Anti-Flag – Cellular
Garth Brooks – Cowboys & Angels
Bob Segar – Come to Papa
Green Day – Jesus of Suburbia
Sublime – Soundcheck

(at least I’ve heard four of the five)

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