They call it the Dark Ages because it was always knight...

Serfs, knights, and lords, lend me your ears!

Today, we jumped into the world of the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, Medieval Times (just kidding, that's a restaurant), whatever you want to call it. The world of the Middle Ages is more complex than we know of it as first. We tend to simplify it into glamorous knights and castles, but it's so much more than that. Specifically today we began discussing the feudal system, defined as a complex system of customs, rights, and obligations that bound warriors (lords, knights, vassals) to each other and peasants to them due to Western Europe's political fragmentation. In very very simple terms, the people in power rely on the labor and manpower of the peasants, and the peasants rely on the lords and their knights for protection. Tomorrow we'll talk more about serfdom and feudal obligations!

This makes me giggle.

The life of a Jasper teacher.

In other updates, our CE for you to read to-knight (sorry, I had to) is over President Obama's Farewell Address from last night. Did you watch it? If not, here's the full speech; I would really encourage you to at least watch some of it. Whether you love Obama or not, he is an incredibly gifted orator; I'm not ashamed to say I ugly-cried when he talked about Michelle, his girls, and his "brother" Joe Biden.

My book of the week is one that has topped almost all of 2016's Best Books of the Year lists, so I figured I would give it a try. Commonwealth is a story that weaves the story of two families together over years of loss, pain, and tension.  Let's just say, I devoured this book in less than twenty-four hours, the kind of reading experience where I kind of wanted to be left alone until I was done (which is really hard for me). My favorite kind of books are those with rich characters, and this book is no exception.

So check it out, and don't forget to be working on Chapter 19 and your timeline. Happy Wednesday friends!  *Credit to Hayden Smith for the puns.