Monday, February 1st

A Super Important Note from Ashley:

Dear students,
You can tell that I am not here today as the adult in the classroom looks quite different than I.  I am sorry to abandon you in your time of need and miss you all like a little German boy misses his Aunt Helga's schnitzel when she had a mid-life crisis and decided to go on a cruise in the Caribbean and ended up meeting a car salesman from New Jersey and moved away from Berlin for good.

But I digress. The point is to let you know that today's lesson plan is a hoot! You've got a fun 2 hours of Humanities before you. It may take a little bit of resourcefulness and your focus on my DP below, but I trust you will all pull through.  The reading called "Catastrophe of Success" is awesome (and not too long) and was written by this amazing playwright, Tennessee Williams, you became quite famous and "successful" in the eyes of society. But again, WHAT IS SUCCESS? His essay you'll read and discuss today calls into question the definition of success and provides an (inspirational? thought-provoking?) alternative. Soak it in kids!

Starter #13
Step 1:  Listen to Episode #5: Alain de Bottom's Success Podcast: "What's a Kinder Way to Frame Success?"

Context to Alain de Bottom:

• Alain de Botton is a Swiss/British writer, philosopher, television presenter and entrepreneur, resident in the United Kingdom.
• Frenetic: fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.
  
  

Step 2: Respond to these three questions
1. While listening, take notes on Alain's main points about mainstream definitions of success compared to how he suggests we should redefine success on our own terms.

2.  Which of the podcasts most connected with you?

3. If you had to distill your own definition of success into a "question- title" for this podcast series (like these examples) what would it be? WHY?  Explain your title.

For your reference- brief summaries of main points of each podcast:

• Tony Robbins - don't let your story define you, follow your passion as drive is the key to success
  
  
• Angela Duckworth- grit is the key to success, growth mindset helps one have grit
  
  
• Ron Gutman- Smiling makes one appear more successful and there is a correlation between one's smile and one's success in life
  
  
• Mike Rowe- Don't follow your passion if it makes you unhappy; ideal is to blend what makes you happy with what makes money; people with dirty jobs are perhaps the most successful

• Alain de Bottom-  Our current definition of successful sets people up as winners or losers so we should redefine success in a way that is kinder and more compassionate.  You can't be successful in all realms of our lives.  You have to make  a choice between being successful in work or life.  We must make a choice as to in which realm of our life we want to be successful. It is a personal choice-- must decide for yourself.  There shouldn't be a one-size fits all definition of success. 

​
Class Biz
1. Honors exhibition TOMORROW at the Steaming Bean from 5:30-7.  Please come support your classmates
2. Do y'all want to have class at a coffee shop on Friday?

Agenda
1. Share responses to today's starter

2. Underneath today's starter, write "LEGACY JOURNAL"
In TWO solid paragraphs, answer the following questions

• Do you think it is important to leave a legacy behind  you when you move on from a place like Animas, College, your career or life in general? In other words, is having a strong/positive legacy a marker of  a life well-lived? Why or why not?
• Regardless of whether or not you think it is important, what do you think your legacy WOULD be? In other words, how would people remember you after you left _________(choose one of  the places mentioned in the previous question).  For instance, what might your classmates and teachers say about you a year after you graduated from Animas?

​
3. Read  "The Catastrophe of Success" 

• When done, jot down some notes to the discussion questions at the end (be prepared to turn these in for a completion grade at the end of class)
• Discuss  the questions in table groups
• Turn in your notes to the tray. Put your name on it.

4. Lit Circle Time:

• Confirm who the discussion director is and what page you are supposed to be at for tomorrow
• Read lit circle books and prepare for tomorrow's meeting (review the guidelines on the white board) Keep tracking your hero's journey!!!