(If there is a question missing from this list that you would like me to address, please let me know.)
Q: When is tutoring?
A: In Room 230 starting daily at 8 a. m. It’s also available during lunch as well as after school by appointment. (This info. as well as Mr. Bromberg’s other info. is at the bottom of every page on this website.) Keep in mind tutoring can be used for a variety of educational purposes; it is not solely about needing extra help with a particular concept (though of course it can be that). It can also be for makeup work, test corrections, simply extra time to focus on reading/writing, helping create a lesson, a brief check in, etc. Come on by anytime!
Q: How much should I/my child be reading everyday?
A: The more the merrier! I usually read multiple books every week, but it varies. Educational literature suggests that people who read at least a half an hour to an hour a day reap a lot of brain benefits and become better learners/self-educators. This seems like a good goal to start with. (It is possible to read too much and use reading as escapism, but that’s a different issue.)
Q: What should I read?
A: You should read what seems deeply worthwhile to you. Read for enjoyment; read for self-improvement; read to learn random facts. I’m a fiction fanatic, but I’ve gotten into more non-fiction books over the last few years (especially ones that deal with ethical questions/strategies that might be applicable to being a good teacher and a good friend). There are some great novels out there. There are compelling histories and biographies. There are inspiring magazines. Awesome graphic novels. Play scripts. A wealth of poetry. As long as you’re reading something that respects you as a reader and you’re actively engaging with it, then rock on! (scroll down for a look at some of my favorite books)
Q: What does it take to be a good writer?
A: It takes effort and writing. There is no secret formula. There is no set amount of hours or pages you have to write everyday (though I had college professors claim differently). Like anything else, the more you practice writing the better you are likely to feel about the writing you do. Confidence is important, and the truth is you are probably a better writer right now than you give yourself credit for. So write what speaks to you and then: You’re a writer!
Q: Is grammar really important?
A: Yes! It really is. However, there are caveats to this. Let’s look at it a little more closely. The great thing about grammar is that it is a unifying force for understanding what we write. It’s an agreement between the people who learn and use it to consistently follow certain rules, so their meaning will be clear to its readers.
Since it’s an agreement between people, grammar rules are not static. It evolves and transforms as our culture of reading and writing does (think texts and e-mails). Is it totally useful to know how to write a traditional complete sentence correctly and to be able to vary those up with different styles and phrases? Of course. Is it true that in fiction and poetry writers sometimes throw the grammar rules completely out the window? Of course! However, most of those writers know the rules and are subverting them purposely to create meaning, which can be pretty darn cool. Also, I have to say editing your own or someone else’s grammar to get a particular rhythm or meaning to a sentence can be pretty darn rewarding and even fun! Learn the rules, so you can transcend them.
Does grammar ever need to be perfect? No! There is no such thing as perfect (I make mistakes quite regularly, I assure you.). There are always other options. Do your best to have fun with grammar. (check out the links, games, and writing sections for some fun ways to approach grammar)
Q: What are Mr. Bromberg’s desert island books?
A: It changes depending on what mood I’m in, but here’s a smattering of books that are consistently near my heart. Fiction to begin, because, well, yes…
Harry Potter 1-7 by J. K. Rowling
The Harry Potter books have flaws. They’re also seven of the most immersive, fun, and rich books I’ve ever read. These characters become friends. They’re good books for readers of any age!
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
One of my all-time favorite first person narratives. Stevens, a nearly flawless butler, tries to make sense of his life, and it will break your heart… and you will be glad it did!
Middlemarch by George Eliot
My favorite 19th century novel. Great to read and re-read… but be critical lots of 19th century attitudes were not cool!
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Fantastic epistolary novel! It does include frank discussion of abuse and explicit passages, but it’s an overwhelmingly positive experience. (P. S. Avoid the movie version, which really has nothing to do with it.)
A couple of nonfiction books I’d prefer not to do without are…
Creating True Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has been working for world peace for the last fifty years. You don’t have to be Buddhist (I’m not) to appreciate his incredible wisdom.
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
A nonfiction classic that may seem aimed at women, but it’s relevant for us all. How can we let go of the superficial to truly connect? Wolf’s got some ideas. This book does deal frankly with eating disorders, sex, depression, etc.
P-p-p-p-poetry y’all…
Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith
Stevie Smith created a voice of her own, and Not Waving is probably her best known poem. For good reason: it’s universal!
Collected Poems by Langston Hughes
Powerful, musical stuff! And if you don’t like injustice all the better!
So those are some of my favorites. I’d love to hear about some of yours…
Q: Is there a greatest writer of all-time, and if so who is it?
A: Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
There is no greatest writer of all-time. This concept can only make us feel in competition with other writers (we are not) and believe that there is some impossible standard of ideal greatness that we can’t possibly live up to. It doesn’t help to think of a greatest, and it’s silly anyway. The writers we enjoy personally we choose subjectively. There is no objective, dogmatic criteria for what good writing is, and thus there’s no way to declare a greatest writer. Enjoy what you enjoy and feel good about it. I’d recommend that if you need to have a single favorite writer yourself would be a very good place to start. Really all humans have worthwhile things to express if they’ll let themselves, and we should do our best to appreciate everybody’s writing.
You might be asking yourself whether or not Mr. Bromberg has forgotten about that guy Shakespeare. I have not, and I’m well aware many people hold him up as the greatest writer ever (others who sometimes get suggested are James Joyce, Homer, Sophocles, etc.). I think people who suggest him as the single greatest writer are simply scared of expressing themselves. If someone’s already done something perfectly (Shakespeare decidedly did not), then they don’t have to try to express themselves. Shakespeare wrote some beautiful and at times even insightful poetry, but as someone who enjoys characterization as much or more than any other literary aspect Shakespeare is far from the greatest (Shakey also often left a lot to be desired in the ethical realm and spent a lot of time being superficial as well). Tracing well-written characters back to their earlier sources, we’d do a lot better to look to a woman who was not taken too seriously in her own time, Jane Austen.
Q: What about Jane Austen?
A: Well, let’s get this out of the way: her notions of gender roles are antiquated and often troublesome. That said, as a writer she was ahead of her time and has become a modern phenomenon nearly two hundred years after her death. Her novel Pride & Prejudice alone has spawned miniseries, multiple film versions, sequels, modernizations (think the Bridget Jones books), and most recently a webseries called the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. The characters resonate!
Q: To go back to Shakespeare for a moment, do you not love him because he didn’t really write his plays?
A: First, I do like some of his plays and poems quite well. I just think as an old dead white dude who has been safely part of the canon for a long long time he’s become quite overrated compared to other equally worthy writers. Second, that has nothing to do with my thinking he’s overrated because all evidence I’ve been taught in college and after points to the fact that he did indeed write his plays. We know more about Shakespeare than most writers of his era, and while he certainly copied his plot lines from various sources he wrote the plays. Arguments to the contrary tend to center on the fact that he was middle class and only a rich person could have gotten as much learning as he did in Elizabethan times. This is classist, disturbing, and of course untrue.
Q: Should I write on the computer or by hand?
A: Whatever you prefer. I do both. There is no formula for being a writer. Do whatever feels best to you in a given moment. Write poems with a stick in the dirt if you’re inclined to. Just let what’s inside of you come out, and you’ll be a happier person for it.
Q: I have writer’s block. What should I do?
A: You do not have writer’s block. There is no such thing. The best thing to do is just to start writing – even if it’s about how you think you have writer’s block. After a while, something you find interesting will begin to come out. Also, don’t judge whatever you’re writing, or worry about whether or not it’s super brilliant, etc. Let it flow, and you can always edit it later.
If you’ve really convinced yourself deeply that you can’t say anything/don’t have anything to say, there are lots of books/guides to help you get writing and journaling so you can tap back into your inspiration. One I’ve read is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and it’s got cool activities and has helped millions of people get their voices back. Find a good one for you.
Q: What can I read?
A: Anything!
Once you’ve practiced your reading skills enough, you’ll realize that all the world can be read, and you’ll begin decoding symbols, metaphors, and other meanings everywhere you look. It’s pretty neat!
Q: What is poetry?
A: Everything! Whatever you find poetic, that’s poetry. Don’t let anyone tell you your interpretation is wrong!
Q: Where are you going right now?
A: Well, I have some studying to do, so…. Hogwarts!
The wall really looks pretty solid. Definitely understand why Harry got nervous. Fun first day of school though!
Mr. Bromberg's World of Language Arts 