#the sad thing is as a longtime tutor you know which teachers in town are competent and which ones suck ass and there's nothing you can do

[sheirukitriesfandom]

I've taught so many students who came to me thinking literary analysis was all about deciphering The Meaning wanted by the teacher because ???.

It's not.

Writing at its core is the manipulation of language and narrative towards a desired goal (this can be evoking an emotion, getting a message across, etc.). Literary analysis is the opposite side of the medallion:

It's spotting those manipulations, those techniques.

For example, if a speech has an aggressive tone (I usually ask my students if they're getting any specific vibes from a text), there is a reason why. So let's find out.

By learning how language and narrative are used in different mediums— which patterns can occur, which connotations and stylistic devices can create which effect, etc.—students will be able to spot those manipulations of language/narrative all around them. Including in contexts where it really matters, like the news.

However, at least in my experience, literary analysis is never taught that way and it leads to students randomly listing stylistic devices just so they get a few points on task two.

It’s sad how much of what is taught in school is useless to over 99% of the population.

There are literally math concepts taught in high school and middle school that are only used in extremely specialized fields or that are even so outdated they aren’t used anymore!

[zebrawuzhere]

Super cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix to make holiday AUs out of or just to watch

So, I ADORE holiday aus and these movies are just so fucking cheesy that they make great fanfiction. Also, even if you don’t write fanfiction, they’re great 1 am binge movies (I know from experience). FYI, these are all straight couple movies, buuuuutttt.... that’s what fanfic is for! Here are a couple of my personal favorites, and I’ll add more later. Please spread this across the fanfiction community, I want this to be seen! (Also, if you end up using these, please send me the links, I want to read them!!)

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

Despite her vain stepmother and mean stepsisters, an aspiring singer works as an elf at a Christmas tree lot and finds her own holiday miracle. 

It’s basically a vine girl meets this rich boi and they’re like “ooh hoo hoo I like youuuuuuuu but i don’t know who you truly are hmmmmmmm”. It’s amazing.

A Christmas Prince 

When a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love - but will she be able to keep up her lie? 

These three are my personal favorites, they’re just.... pure fanfiction material. Like, royal AU, sass, a cousin who’s a bitch, and plus.... two sequels!!

A Christmas Prince 2: The Royal Wedding

A year after helping Richard get to the throne, Amber is about to become his wife. But is she really made to be queen? 

(Spoiler alert: she isn’t) This one... is great. All of them are great. But, weddings are really hard to write (at least in my experience), so...

A Christmas Prince 3: The Royal Baby

It's Christmastime in Aldovia, and a royal baby is on the way. Amber and Richard host royals from a distant kingdom to renew a sacred truce, but when the treaty vanishes, peace is jeopardized and an ancient curse threatens their family. 

This one is cool because there are 2 plots, the baby and the cuuuuuurse!!! Fun!!!!

The Knight Before Christmas

A medieval English knight is magically transported to present-day America where he falls for a high school science teacher who is disillusioned by love. 

This one makes a truly fantastic AU, I mean, time travel?? Her not believing the knight and then he disappears, and she’s like “oh shit he was telling the truth oh well, now I can’t tell him so sad alexa play all by myself” then poof poof love love ahahaha

Christmas with a Prince

Pediatric specialist Tasha Mason is focused on keeping the kids in her ward as healthy as possible. But when the handsome Prince Alexander Cavalieri breaks his leg on a nearby ski-slope, Tasha is forced to allow him to secretly get well on her floor, and she's furious that a spoiled Royal is interrupting the precious healing time her kids need. Soon, however, Tasha learns that some tough love and a lot of Christmas spirit could turn this royal pain into a knight in shining armor. 

Medical AUs, let’s go!! Plus, childhood friends, a crush spanning like 20 years, what’s not to love?

Holidate

Fed up with being single on holidays, two strangers agree to be each other's platonic plus-ones all year long, only to catch real feelings along the way.

Welcome to cliche-land! Complete with people thinking they’re weird, fake betrayal, love confessions loudly in-front of other people, and their family members shipping them. This basically is me, but without the romance.

Hometown Holiday

Krista is starting this New Year with a new business and a resolution to be more selective with who she dates. When Krista meets Ryan Rourke, an entertainment lawyer from LA, the two really hit it off. Ryan is in her hometown to sign a local rancher turned viral signing sensation as his new client. Now with Krista also in Rust Creek, maybe there is more of a reason to stick around. Both are holding onto things from their past and are forced to make some decisions if they truly want to be together.

A flower person, and an Entertainment guy meet-cute, what’s not to love??

Christmas Wedding Planner

Wedding Planner, Kelsey Wilson, is about to have her big break: planning her beloved cousin's lavish and exclusive wedding. Everything is going smoothly until Connor McClane, a devilishly handsome private investigator, shows up and turns Kelsey's world upside-down. Hired by a secret source, Connor quickly disrupts the upcoming nuptials but wins Kelsey's heart in the process.

OOH HOO HOO DO I SMELL DETECTIVE HOLIDAY AUS?? MY FAVORITE!! No, but seriously, this movie is greaaaaaaaaaat.

A Christmas Catch

A small-town policewoman falls for a suspected diamond thief at Christmas time.

Aw yiss more detective aus. This one is great because it’s just so fucking awkward, with the detective constant being watched and told what to say, as well as Sir Oblivioso.

The Holiday Calendar

A struggling but talented photographer inherits an antique holiday advent calendar, the contents of which seem to predict the future. Will this magical calendar lead her to love this holiday season?

Oh yeah, magic au, with them not believing it and constantly denying it, and I mean the romance isn’t the best, but oh well.

Midnight at the Magnolia

Longtime friends and local radio hosts Maggie and Jack fake it as a couple for their families and listeners in hopes of getting their show syndicated.

Fuck yes, the “we’re pretending to be lovers, when we’re just friends trying to deny our desire to actually be lovers” au! Woohooooooo!!!

Christmas With a View

Secret aspirations between a failed restaurateur and a celebrity chef threaten their blossoming Christmas romance.

Ah yes... the classic chef au. Lovely.

Christmas Inheritance

To be the CEO, an heiress is challenged by her dad to deliver a Christmas letter in person to his ex-partner in their hometown - traveling by bus, incognito and with only $100. Will she learn something from the people there?

Basically, weird, spoiled rich girl meets this guy who’s just trying to be nice to her, but she’s like “i don’t know how to survive ugh daddy help me”

Holiday in the Wild

Jilted by her husband on the eve of embarking on an African safari, a woman travels to the continent alone where she meets an elephant conservationist.

Divorce, wounded elephants, meet-cutes, what’s not to love??