The Engleson Files

Paper clips. This tiny little invention is the soul foundation of my professional being as a teacher; it is what helps distinguish me from being a good teacher to that of a poor one, it is what helps the minds of the future locate their paths in life and forge success along their journey, and it is also what helps enable me to provide for my family. Yes, the paper clip. A little dramatic? Maybe. But for those of you who know me know that my organizational skills at work are somewhat lacking. My desk is usually a scattered mess and, without a word of a lie, the success of my classes as a whole truly depends on Mr. E sitting down, collecting himself mentally and then grabbing a handful of paper clips and organizing my work. The paper clip grounds my focus back to my classes needs and helps generate ideas for what I need to do next - I simply could not teach without them! So, I would like to take this time right now to thank Johan Vaaler for his wonderful invention that has allowed me to be successful in my career. Long live the paper clip!!

Yikes! This was the poem on the English 12 provincial exam this year and needless to say it absolutely destroyed our students here in China. Nice poem - but man - very, very difficult for our kids:

The Cargo Hulks

Exams start this Thursday, report cards are due on Saturday, marking must be done immediately!

So, I have finalized which is going to be my fourth and final graphic novel that I will teach in my class this coming December: Elektra: Assassin. In researching, this particular book has been deemed by Frank Miller himself to be his crowning achievement and I also like the fact it is a female hero as well; another aspect I absolutely love about this book is the artwork. So, in all, my graphic novel unit will consist of the following books - Hellboy #1, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen # 1, Batman: Year One and Elektra: Assassin. I haven’t finalized the unit plan yet, but the basic concept will see 4 different groups complete a series of assignments (written/oral/visual) to which I will be their basic facilitator. I have all of these books in a pdf file on computer (thanks to Steve Colvin!) to which I will give each student and then they will work on it from there. I am very excited about trying this out in the classroom and hope it is successful with the students - remember, ideas from all of you are still very much needed - I would also like to thank Mom and Dad and Judy for helping me out in getting the books over here to me in China. The countdown is on!

Wow. The other day a student came up to me and asked the question: what grammar book is the best one to read and study from? (to which I replied, none!) She then asked me about this Elements of Style book and whether or not it was a good one or not. I had never heard of it so I quickly gave it a glance through and was totally amazed by what was inside! Ladies and gentlemen, this book is the grammar book I have been searching for my entire career. The charm of this book is in its simplicity and direct applications to writing - the detail inside reads more like ideas a good writer should know and apply, not just boring definition of rules that never seem to make any sense. Another charm of this book is the fact that it is illustrated, which just gives it such a nice, relaxing feel as you flip through the pages. Elements of Style, which was originally pressed in 1919, reads like a book but all throughout it is useful and valuable information that can be easily applied. So, if any of you out there are dying for a top quality grammar book (and I know you all are!) pick this little beauty up and just watch your grammar skyrocket!

In my pursuit for graphic novels in the classroom, I stumbled upon the popular Hellboy series and bought a few issues for perusal - and I have to say that I have enjoyed it very much! The books have great story lines, very witty dialogue and wonderful artwork. I have not watched the movies as of yet and I am trying my best to avoid it all together. Look out grade 12’s, Hellboy is coming!

I have been grappling with a pedagogical concept (beauty word, eh?) for the past couple of years now: how can I incorporate comic books into the classroom? As a child I was a regular reader of comics and would classify myself a fan, and it has been years since I have devoted any time or energy to what has been going on with them. But as I continue to expand myself in the classroom the more I feel that comic books have a genuine place - a) I think the kids would love them (I know I did) and, b) comic books use and explore all the motifs/literary ideas we are regulated to discuss in the English curriculum (ie. characterization, plot structure, etc). In any day in age I think getting students to read (let alone enjoy it) is a real challenge and that is why I feel comics can be a great motivator for them into the world of literature. So, with all of this said, I have purchased a few of these new concept “graphic novels” and plan to incorporate them into my yearly teaching strategy. The other day I picked up Batman: Year One and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s got a great story, it’s edgy and it has fantastic artwork - 3 for 3!! Haven’t figured out what other comics I want to get but I have been hanging out a comic book store here in Victoria and getting some good advice. Not 100% sure exactly where I am going to go with the concept but the ideas are in full motion; so if any of you have any to throw my way please do. Anyways, I am pretty excited about this and just hope that the students enjoy it as well.

While the championship final game was a very hard fought battle, in the end Team Grey simply proved to be the better team and won the 2008 Dong Bei Cup by a score of 4-0 over Team White - yes, Cinderella left the ball without her slipper. Two quick goals in the first half seemed to put Grey in control and while White did have their chances Billy C just proved to be too good cementing the first-ever shutout in Dong Bei Cup history. Congratulations to Team Grey on their fine performance as champions, there is no question they were the cream of the crop in 2008!

The first semi-final game on Wednesday night was the top seeded Black team (3-0) play off against the last place Team White (0-3). In what all were considering to be nothing but a formality, this game proved to be a Dong Bei classic with Team White coming out on top 8-7 in overtime. Playing very similar styles, the scoring was very even throughout the game with Black never up more than two goals at any given point. With three minutes left in the game Blake Defieux scored to make it 7-5 for Black and all but assuring their advancement into the finals. But, Team White did not go away and with a minute and a half scored to make it 7-6 and then with a staggering 10 seconds left to go in regulation time Darren Seath shoveled the ball in to send the game into overtime. Then roughly five minutes in, Brad Helgason scored a beautiful top shelf goal to seal the greatest upset in Dong Bei semi-final action.

In what was a classic match-up in their last game of the round robin, unfortunatewly the semi-final rematch proved to be otherwise. Wednesday’s game proved to be far more defensive minded and Team Grey simply shut down Green’s top line of Beeke, Foster and Ng, thus nullifying their chances of victory all together. The final score was 9 to 3 for Grey and a date with Cinderella.

Week #2 saw the round robin portion of the tournament come to a close and cleared up the playoff scenarios once and for all. Tuesday afternoon’s game - Black vs. Grey - had 1st place bragging rights on the line to which Team Black came away with the obvious edge in a 5-2 victory. Adrian Conradi led the charge with a three point night for Black and goaltender Neil McIntyre played solid in between the pipes. On Wednesday Team Grey had to rebound and focus their efforts on a feisty Hubert Wong and Team Green. While this game ended up in a 5-5 draw, for all of those who watched it was a classic Dong Bei Cup game that offered everything a hockey game should: great saves, great passes, great goals and a lot of heart and soul. Then on Thursday the 0-2 Team White was pitted up against the 2-0 Team Black. While Engleson’s team did not get what they wanted, they did play a hard fought game in a 4-2 loss. So, with the round robin portion over we are all ready to go for the playoffs on Wednesday night where we will see all four teams play for their spot in the championship game next Friday. Individual achievements so far have Adrian Conradi, Cam Secret, and surprisingly, Shawn Forde at the top of the scoresheet battling it out for the Dong Bei Ren as the tournament’s top point getter. The top goalie looks to be solidified to Black’s Neil McIntyre but a strong last game by Grey’s Bill Colorado has given him a slight chance. Tournament MVP has not proven a clear cut front-runner although this reporter gives his nod to rookie Brent Foster for his strong performance so far; and after 6 round robin games it also seems to be consensus that no one has really stepped up to the plate to claim the Simon Kissinger Trophy for most heart and soul.

Semi-Final Action:

(1) Team Black vs (4) Team White

(2) Team Grey vs (3) Team Green

Well folks, week 1 has come and gone and the fifth version of the Dong Bei Cup is fully underway. Going into the tournament Team Grey looked as though they had the strongest team on paper and then decidedly put their stamp on that claim with an 8-4 victory over Team White. Then in game #2, the rain filled venue definitely caused problems with the style of play on the court but Team Black was able to defeat Team Green 6-4. Two players emerged from their first games with 6 points - Cam Secret (Grey) and Adrian Conradi (Black) - and both are hoping to see if they can continue on this pace for the Dong Bei Ren; a surprise second in overall points is Shawn Forde (Black) with a huge 5 point game. Then on a beautiful sunny day on Thursday, a rested Team White played a tired Team Green but was not able to come away with the victory, losing the 4-2 and rendering the White Tigers to a lowly 0-2 record thus far. Interesting note on Thursday’s game was the near shutout bid by Team Green’s Hubert Wong, who with 5 minutes remaining in the game, had no goals against and was looking to become the first goalie in Dong Bei history to record a shutout, only to have that snapped away by Darren Seath. Coming up on Tuesday, May 13th, will be Team Black versus Team Grey for what will most likely be bragging rights for the top seed in the round robin.

Standings after Week 1:

Team Grey - 1-0
Team Black - 1-0
Team Green - 1-1
Team White - 0-2

Yes folks, beginning on Tuesday, May 6th at 4:10 pm the 2008 version of the Dong Bei Cup will officially begin. This is the fifth anniversary of the Dong Bei Cup and I believe this year’s tournament will be hotly contested and (on paper) we look to have 4 fairly balanced teams. The colors we will be sporting this year are: Team White (Engleson), Team Black (McIntyre), Team Gray (Colorado) and Team Green (Wong). The Engleson Files have renewed their contract with the Dong Bei Cup Corporation and will be continuing their extended coverage of the big show - so if it happens in the Dong Bei Cup you will see it here first. With that said, I would like to wish all the competitors the best of luck and may the best team win!

Game #1: Team White vs. Team Gray

I am not going to go into any detail about it, but this past week has been one of the most intense and craziest times I have ever experienced at our school. Yes folks, we are involved in crazy, crazy times right now…