Excerpt from music to my ears
john devine

5when i graduated from college i thought for sure i had left such academic gobbledygook behind me. silly me. no sooner had i started teaching than i realized that education was no more immune from gibberish than medicine or poetry. i still remember my first faculty meeting. the principal cleared his throat and said, “teachers, it’s time to embrace mastery-focused higher-order thinking.” i remember the phrase after all these years because it was responsible for the biggest headache i ever had. and i’ve had some doozies, believe me. at our next meeting he asked us to "cultivate interdisciplinary content." by the time he invited teachers to "streamline child-centered learning styles," i found myself growing nostalgic for student slang.

by the time he invited teachers to "streamline child-centered learning styles," i found myself growing nostalgic for student slang.

which statement best explains why the writer is "nostalgic for student slang"?
a) the writer does not get along well with his principal.
b) the writer prefers student slang to educational jargon.
c) the writer has retired from teaching and misses his students.
d) the writer does not believe in "child-centered learning styles."

Create a well-crafted essay of 1-2 pages outlining a likely theory of king tutankhamun’s death at the age of nineteen. your goal is to convince peers your age that this is the most reasonable theory according to the evidence. incorporate the subjunctive and conditional moods within your writing. use the following rubric to guide your writing. remember to check your spelling (by using a spell checker and also against the original text) to ensure the proper spelling of names and places in king tut’s world. reminder: spell checkers are great, but they’re not always right. think about terms specific to egypt or even tutankhamun’s name. a spell checker won’t know if you’re spelling these correctly, so check with the reading to keep consistent. rubric criterion exceptional capable developing beginning points earned ideas & content main claim supporting details sources are cited clear, focused, interesting ideas with appropriate detail, sources are cited evident main idea with some support which may be general or limited, sources are mentioned main idea may be unclear; supporting detail is vague or off topic, some source information used central idea or theme is not stated; supporting detail may be nonexistent, no sources mentioned organization structure (claim/counterclaim) introduction conclusion strong organization; seamless paragraph transitions; effective and engaging intro and conclusion organization is appropriate but conventional; attempt at introduction and conclusion attempts at organization, inappropriate use of lists or bullets; introduction and conclusion are not developed no introduction or conclusion; no clear organizational framework or transitions voice personality sense of audience appropriate to audience; expressive, engaging, sincere voice is appropriate to topic, but inconsistent or dry voice may be inappropriate; writing may seem mechanical writer’s voice is inappropriate or nonexistent word choice precision effectiveness imagery broad range of descriptive words; creative examples, vivid details and images language is functional and appropriate; descriptions may lack detail or be overdone words may be correct but simplistic; no attempt at detail, description, or examples word choice is limited, words are often misused; supporting detail and examples are nonexistent sentence fluency rhythm, flow variety easy flow and rhythm; good variety in length and structure sentences are appropriate but lack variety and length awkward phrasing and structure, similar patterns and choppy language sentences are incomplete or difficult to follow, language is confusing conventions age appropriate spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar strong use of correct conventions; errors are few and minor most writing conventions correct; occasional high profile errors frequent errors; most do not interfere with readability frequent errors interfere with readability