Let's try that again: Recess Thoughts 2.0

[benjamin haas]

To my friends:

I have spent the last few days since the announcement of the academic recess thinking a good deal about you, and our class. I hope that you are ok. I hope that you are whole, and that you and your families and friends are well. I hope that you are taking care of yourselves and your communities. We need each other right now far more than we need 1 more roll of toilet paper. (I have found this article really useful: http://birdsbeforethestorm.net/2019/12/how-to-live-like-the-world-is-ending/ ) and there is a podcast if you get real into it: https://live-like-the-world-is-dying.pinecast.co/

But I have also realized that in trying to figure out what I class was to be before Thursday, I was also being pretty selfish. I was spending a lot of time thinking about how I was going to make the class experience for you, instead of with you. From the beginning I have promised you that we would always be making this class together. (Remember on the first day of class I told you that you don’t need me, if in doubt read this: https://emersoncentral.com/texts/essays-first-series/self-reliance/ ) So in this message I want to share with you my thoughts about the class as a member of this community. And then I want to hear from you about what you want. And then we can decide together how to move forward.

Yes this means that it will take longer and that we are all responsible for what happens here. But that’s really always the case, we just so often like to pretend that it is not.

What I want:

I want you to feel like you get something out of the class, and like your agency is respected and honored. I want you to work on things that you are really interested in, and create projects that are meaningful to you and your life right now. I do not want to ask you to do anything that you think is a waste of your time.

I want us all to have time to process the experiences that we are having right now and in the future. Some if not all of us are going to experience trauma from these experiences, and I want us to be able to make space for not being ok sometimes too. I would also want us to know what resources are available to us in these times. NYC WELL is a resource that you can consider using for a variety of concerns via text, call, or online chat: https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/

I want us all to have our weekends off, And I really want my weekends off. My bike isn’t going to ride itself. And I generally want to find a way for this class (and all of your classes) to remain time bound, thus not taking up more of your days because of this digital move. So let’s make sure we keep these projects within reason.

I want to honor that some of you may not have very good internet access at your homes or any at all. Especially now that library access seems pretty limited. I also know that cell data is very expensive and so I want to honor that you have already paid for a lot in tuition. So meetings on platforms like zoom may not work for all of us, and if thats the case then I think we should look for alternatives. If you find yourself in this situation, do not fret. You will still succeed in this course and get the grade you give yourself. My grading philosophy does not change because we go online. And I want to help, let me know what you are dealing with, call, text, postcard or whatever. And I will do my best to figure something out.

If it would be easier to produce paper assignments I want to make that possible, or if you want to make a mail art project or something here is my school mailing address so you can send your work to me. If the postage is a problem let me know and I am sure we can work something out.

My mailing address: (I love mail and postcards so send me something even if its not the assignments I that would be amazing.)

benjamin haas

BMCC -Dept of SPEECH S628H

199 Chambers st

New York NY 10007

 

I want us to make great stuff. And to learn interesting and useful things. I will also keep updating a couple of resources we can create together: I would like to have an expanded (and ever expanding) list of possible course assignments/projects that would be both individual and group projects that people could be into.

I would also like to create a list of resources on how to learn new skills like videos or online classes in video editing or computer coding or hacking or whatever. (would it make sense for this just to be included on our riseup pad (https://pad.riseup.net/p/y2h2U7yG-TOZ6NdVjVLl-keep) ?

We have the class website: https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/utopia/ that has nothing on it yet. Should we make some resources and build a public speaking website? We could collect videos of great speeches and manuscripts too. We could write the textbook and share that, we could do a lot there, or blog our collective experiences or share our speeches? Is that the deal?

I think it might be fun to read books together. Like what if our class just became a book club? And we have bi-weekly or monthly meetings online? We could use books from library genesis (gen.lib.rus.ec) or audiobook bay (http://audiobookbay.nl/). If you would want to do this what would you want to read? Fiction? Comix? Radical Theory? How to Garden? Survival Manuals? Fermentation?

I can see that some of you still have not joined the OpenLab page is there any particular reason why? Is there another better way to communicate with you?

I also think everyone should read this speech, I think it is the perfect sentiment for my thinking about this semester. (I usually read it to my classes on the last day of each semester): https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ursulakleguinlefthandedcommencementspeech.htm

What do you want?

I have created a google form here so that I can be sure to have your best email address and you can speak to me about your desires for the class. https://forms.gle/CMsjaVzP5LVguXjAA (I know google is terrible, but its free and fast, I will look for an alternative for next time).

I would encourage you to copy and paste your response to the last question on the survey (What kind of work are you interested in doing fo the rest of the semester (individual, group, video meetings, book club, and/or etc?) )into the discussion board thread below this message:

How do you think we can best get through the semester and have you learning as much as possible?

What do you actually want to learn?

How can we help you do that?

[Angie]

1. I think we can get through this semester by reading on our free time, use time wisely, take good amount of decent notes while reading, follow good rules of writing, STUDY and polish those verbal communication skills.
2. I want to learn more about what’s happening around us in today’s world. For example: Corona virus, Global warming, Mass shootings, Social media, and etc..
3. Research or read/watch the news can be the best way to help ourselves learn.

[cleanna]

I think during this time we should we should learn more about different speeches,talk more on the updates on the virus, maybe talk about how the distant learning has effected us in a good or bad, and finally talk about what we hope for in the future career wise or maybe even hope for this sick to end and find a cure.

[Paige Lemek]

I think what I will miss the most about our class time was our group discussions and the insight we get from benjamin and I would love to still have access to that, so maybe, if possible, do a facetime/zoom program even just once a week optionally to still get human contact and conversation while we are cooped up. Given not everyone will have access to the resources needed to do so, we could share the topics, articles, and projects were are working on with everyone here. As far as topics, I think we all like to gain more knowledge about the current world around us. I especially appreciated the questions benjamin poses for us to question our environment and how we move through it. I think we could do a question to sit with every week ? And check in with each other about our thought processes. I think once we understand more, we are more inclined to be vocal about said topic. Finally, I am still rethinking/brainstorming how to present my projects for the semester.

[Pablo Pena]

<p class=”p2″>Hey Benjamin, hope you and your family are doing well.</p>
<p class=”p2″>I like your idea of expanding the class website. We could have multiple sections such as great speeches with discussions underneath them, a section to share our speeches on all topics, and many more things.</p>
<p class=”p2″>I’m not the biggest fan of reading but if its a book you think we should read then I would be more than happy to. I trust that what you suggest us to read would be interesting to us.</p>
<p class=”p2″>I’m interested in learning about politics, I realize that I don’t know as much as I would like to but I think we should all write down topics we would like to learn about or discuss and go from there. Maybe create small groups we can join with people that have similar interests and discuss projects we can do.</p>

[Tirike Schouten]

Hello Professor and class. I hope you all are well. I feel as long as I learn something about public speaking it doesn’t matter to me how it is done. I  thought that the class would change to a group call on Facebook since it is a speaking class but I understand that not everyone has the resources to do so. I am ok with any other alternatives.

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