The Ruff Bureaucracy

Today's the first day of September...which is an amazing month.  It's birthday month for Ms. Virdin, Ms. Moreno, and Mr. Roelofs.  I think we should eat cake everyday in honor of their birthdays.  Did today feel like Thursday to anyone else? Anyway, today in class we defined bureaucracy and looked at it as a way in which Early Modern rulers consolidated their states. If you need to revisit the definition or any of the examples, check out the class website for the PowerPoint file.

The example that stood out most to me was that of the English Privy Council...mostly for their "coffee filter collars".  So I decided to read into them.  Apparently, the collar is called a ruff. According to Wikipedia, they're still currently worn by some members of the Danish clergy.

Freshmen, yearbook pictures are happening tomorrow during class.  If I could, I'd totally take my picture wearing one of these sweet neck accessories:

This ruff almost looks like some kinda cone-of-shame.

So we've been posing larger questions or discussion topics to the whole class and only hear from the students that are quick enough to raise their hands or blurt out a response.  Often times we fail to hear from our more introverted students.  Please know we know you know things!

For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.

- Jonathan Rauch

I shared with my 7th period today that I took a quiz a while back to determine which character from the Harry Potter series I most am like (I don't entirely remember why this was brought up), and somehow angered the gods of the Internet to get Dolores Umbridge (seriously, I would rather be Voldemort). If you need a study break, take the quiz yourself. 

See? I told you she's way worse.  Is it because I like cats?

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui