I taught 4th and 5th grades for ten years and now train teachers to use technology and constructivist methods. I have to agree with Trubek. The overemphasis of handwriting has got to end. Teachers spend valuable time every day focusing on nothing more than handwriting. Those same teachers are clueless as to why their students don’t perform well on standardized tests and why some students hate to write. My theory was that if I can read it, it’s fine with me. Let’s focus on the content, not the form.

I realize that we are still very dependent upon handwritten work, but that is changing. Whole novels are now written on cell phones. States like the one in which I live (Missouri) are committing more and more money to improved technology in classrooms.

Besides, the last time I checked, doctors have the worst handwriting, and they’ve made out OK.

I love to print my own xmas cards, though I have no photos (yet) of my tools. Here were my results last year.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/8345011@N06/501413905/]Xmas Cards[/url]

1. Run Devil Run (Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins) – Soft, soothing old-county harmonies urging the devil to take off.
2. Satan Gave Me A Taco (Beck) – A lost indie classic that still makes me giggle and rock out with equal ferocity.
3. (Antichrist Television Blues) (The Arcade Fire) – Not so much about the Devil, but the imagery of not wanting a job downtown with planes crashing into buildings is eerie.
4. Satan Said Dance (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) – Dance song of the year!
5. Let The Devil In (TV On The Radio) – Eighties drum machines mixed with a tribal drum beat and choral hollering makes the head bob. And that bass groove is just plain evil.
6. Devil Town (Bright Eyes) – I prefer this version to Daniel Johnston’s original. DJ is like the unappreciated Bob Dylan of indie.
7. Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones) – Cah, cah! Oo, oo! Classic.
8. Devil’s Train (Crooked Fingers) – Pretty guitar licks open as Eric Bachman’s menacing voice soothes.
9. Satan Is My Master (Ben Folds Five) – Hilarious outtake from a live show.
10. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band) – I remember this song made me think that country music was alright. There’s a plot pitting good vs. evil in a fiddle duel for the ages. What more could you ask for?
11. Bus to Beelzebug (Soul Coughing)* – Takes me back to my college days. Apparently Beelzebug/Beelzebub is Satan in mosquito-form. He flies through your window at 3 in the morning to keep you awake and to make your life a living Hell…or at least an awake one.
Side B
12. Devil’s Haircut (Beck) – Radio hit from Beck’s best album (unless you prefer Sea Change or One Foot in the Grave)
13. Devil In The Details (Bright Eyes) – A Bright Eyes’ filler that reminds me of a lot of the stuff the Flaming Lips are doing at the present.
14. White Devil’s Dream (Quasi) – I looked and looked for some hip-hop in my collection that had a white devil reference in the title, but I was unsuccessful. Thank God for Portland liberals.
15. Tribute (Tenacious D) – If the song they actually played for the devil is half as good as this tribute, it would be….half as good.
16. Monkey Gone To Heaven (Pixies) – Rarely do you hear a singer scream that “the devil is 6″ tree straight times that is not featured at Ozzfest. (Actually, I think Black Francis screams it five times, but who’s counting?)
17. A Fable With No Moral (Quasi) – The second Quasi track is one of my all-time favorites. He sells his soul to pay the rent? Why didn’t he just go to one of those check-cashing places?
18. In The Devil’s Territory (Sufjan Stevens) – A reference to the devil from the most Christian of the group.
19. Devil’s New (Sparklehorse) – Filler.
20. Hell Is Chrome (Wilco) – Old-timey and raggedy, this Wilco track takes the band to their most Beatle-esque.
21. Lucifer (Jay-Z)* – Head bobbing galore! Makes me feel so gangsta’!
*cassette only

The hard copies will be in the mail.

You forgot “Zurich Is Stained” by Pavement.

You beat me to my idea! I like the list a lot. I’ll just go back to my original plan of an all-Satan mix.

I taught 4th and 5th grades for ten years and now train teachers to use technology and constructivist methods. I have to agree with Trubek. The overemphasis of handwriting has got to end. Teachers spend valuable time every day focusing on nothing more than handwriting. Those same teachers are clueless as to why their students don’t perform well on standardized tests and why some students hate to write. My theory was that if I can read it, it’s fine with me. Let’s focus on the content, not the form.

I realize that we are still very dependent upon handwritten work, but that is changing. Whole novels are now written on cell phones. States like the one in which I live (Missouri) are committing more and more money to improved technology in classrooms.

Besides, the last time I checked, doctors have the worst handwriting, and they’ve made out OK.

I love to print my own xmas cards, though I have no photos (yet) of my tools. Here were my results last year.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/8345011@N06/501413905/]Xmas Cards[/url]

1. Run Devil Run (Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins) – Soft, soothing old-county harmonies urging the devil to take off.
2. Satan Gave Me A Taco (Beck) – A lost indie classic that still makes me giggle and rock out with equal ferocity.
3. (Antichrist Television Blues) (The Arcade Fire) – Not so much about the Devil, but the imagery of not wanting a job downtown with planes crashing into buildings is eerie.
4. Satan Said Dance (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) – Dance song of the year!
5. Let The Devil In (TV On The Radio) – Eighties drum machines mixed with a tribal drum beat and choral hollering makes the head bob. And that bass groove is just plain evil.
6. Devil Town (Bright Eyes) – I prefer this version to Daniel Johnston’s original. DJ is like the unappreciated Bob Dylan of indie.
7. Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones) – Cah, cah! Oo, oo! Classic.
8. Devil’s Train (Crooked Fingers) – Pretty guitar licks open as Eric Bachman’s menacing voice soothes.
9. Satan Is My Master (Ben Folds Five) – Hilarious outtake from a live show.
10. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band) – I remember this song made me think that country music was alright. There’s a plot pitting good vs. evil in a fiddle duel for the ages. What more could you ask for?
11. Bus to Beelzebug (Soul Coughing)* – Takes me back to my college days. Apparently Beelzebug/Beelzebub is Satan in mosquito-form. He flies through your window at 3 in the morning to keep you awake and to make your life a living Hell…or at least an awake one.
Side B
12. Devil’s Haircut (Beck) – Radio hit from Beck’s best album (unless you prefer Sea Change or One Foot in the Grave)
13. Devil In The Details (Bright Eyes) – A Bright Eyes’ filler that reminds me of a lot of the stuff the Flaming Lips are doing at the present.
14. White Devil’s Dream (Quasi) – I looked and looked for some hip-hop in my collection that had a white devil reference in the title, but I was unsuccessful. Thank God for Portland liberals.
15. Tribute (Tenacious D) – If the song they actually played for the devil is half as good as this tribute, it would be….half as good.
16. Monkey Gone To Heaven (Pixies) – Rarely do you hear a singer scream that “the devil is 6″ tree straight times that is not featured at Ozzfest. (Actually, I think Black Francis screams it five times, but who’s counting?)
17. A Fable With No Moral (Quasi) – The second Quasi track is one of my all-time favorites. He sells his soul to pay the rent? Why didn’t he just go to one of those check-cashing places?
18. In The Devil’s Territory (Sufjan Stevens) – A reference to the devil from the most Christian of the group.
19. Devil’s New (Sparklehorse) – Filler.
20. Hell Is Chrome (Wilco) – Old-timey and raggedy, this Wilco track takes the band to their most Beatle-esque.
21. Lucifer (Jay-Z)* – Head bobbing galore! Makes me feel so gangsta’!
*cassette only

The hard copies will be in the mail.

You forgot “Zurich Is Stained” by Pavement.

You beat me to my idea! I like the list a lot. I’ll just go back to my original plan of an all-Satan mix.