Changes...

Students,
As you may notice, there have been a few changes to the blog! I'll be keeping it up-to-date, as well as linking it to my personal blog soon. Please read the most recent entries below (be sure to click "Read More"), and click on the tabs at the top for special notes for my two periods, 2nd and 6th. As always, feel free to comment, or take the conversation back to Facebook (there's a "Share" tab on the right, now!), where I hope to have my privacy invaded by Jake. (I'm kidding, Jake. Seriously, though, no more stalking.) I hope you're all having a wonderful summer, and I wish you all the best in the fall!
Sincerely,
Mr. Franklin

World Lit: Our Last Lecture, pt. 1 ("My Vocational Journey")

To My Sophomores:

As I prepare to embark on an amazing adventure abroad, I can't help but reminisce on the year we had together. It was challenging in many ways, and a great deal was learned; what you may not realize, though, is that I was challenged and learned as much, if not more, than you. Nevertheless, I want to leave you with some last thoughts, and encourage you to stay in touch--I will be keeping the blog up and running during my travels, so feel free to stop in and cook the rice with me. 

What I'm including below is actually a lecture from a symposium I taught several years back to a group of Santa Clara University students who were

World Lit: Our Last Lecture, pt. 2 ("Questions, and Some Answers")

Questions (and some Answers):

What do I wish I had known about life after graduation? That it doesn’t start or end, it just continues. There was no “real world” to enter outside of college; I was already in it. Nothing changes but the hours you keep and taxes.

What are 3 key ingredients to a successful and fulfilling life? 1) Passion (see below).  2) Leisure/Rest in labor. Understanding that time spent taking care of the personal needs (ie, for rest and relaxation) is time well spent. When a car engine begins to run hot, you don’t put in more coolant and hope for the best; you actually take time to let it cool down. In other words,