Matthew M Cornett

Tag: teaching

  • Stay Gold

    I’m sure at some point every generation has said this, but if I hear that “these kids today are worse than they have ever been,” the Kentucky boy in me just might have to make an appearance. Seriously. It’s getting old and honestly, that comment is only a reflection of yourself. I know that sounds harsh but it’s the truth.

    The problem, and the worst thing that any adult working with children can do, is to forget. When we forget, we make assumptions that those kids are there for the same reasons we are when the fact is they are not. We have different priorities than they do and that’s just a fact. We want them to learn while they just want to have fun. But you don’t remember that for some reason, do you?

    Be honest with yourself for a moment. When you were their age, what was the last thing you were interested in? I know that when I was in high school, the last thing I cared about was what was going on in the English classroom, except for maybe the girls across the room. Grammar? Boring. Literature? It wasn’t anything I wanted to read, so again, boring. And writing? Ugh. None of it appealed to me but I did enough of what I needed to do to keep the teacher and my parents off my back. I would have much rather been hanging out with my friends, listening to my music, or honestly anything other than what my English teacher wanted me to do. 

    So why is it that when kids act and feel the same way we did, we say “these kids are terrible and worse than ever?” What makes them so terrible? The fact that they are just like you were? It goes back to my point: that we forget what it was like and when we do that, it shades all of our interactions with them and they know it. They can feel it from you and it’s damaging to the learning environment.

    Now, ask yourself, what could have made that classroom a little better for you, if anything? I’m not saying I have the answers but maybe we as the adults can do something different. For one, we can at least act like we want them to be there. I like my students, no matter how idiotic and goofy they can be. Trust me, them saying “67” every time they turn around could be so much worse. They could be saying some of the more inappropriate things we used to say. At least they’re just being goofy kids, which is what they are. Take my advice: jump in there and be just as silly from time to time even if you are the butt of the joke. They will see a whole different side of you and it may impact that classroom for the better.

    Also, remember this. Most of the stuff we want them to do is completely boring to them. Being bored with our stuff doesn’t make them the morons you think they are. It makes them kids and as the adult in the room, you need to find ways to make it connect with them. If you can’t, you’ll only compound the problem. Never change the learning priorities but at least try to make it fun and be the idiot who tries to connect with them. Build a relationship with them and have fun doing it. Trust me: they get so much of the opposite from other adults, at least they’ll be slightly entertained as you are trying to teach them and that connection will pay off, I promise. 

    One of my favorite poems by EE Cummings says (technical errors intended if you know anything about him as a poet:

    Children guessed(but only a few

    And down they forgot as up they grew

    That’s one of the saddest lines ever to me. It reminds me that we are cursed to forget as we grow up and that just stinks. That breaks my heart for them and for us as adults but what can we do? I say fight it. As Johnny told Ponyboy and our generation: “Stay gold.” I really do believe that’s the key. 

    These kids are worth it. And you are too.

  • Lesson from The Iliad

    I’m going to hold off one more week discussing my book. I have to admit that teaching and being back in the classroom is dominating my mind again this week and that’s not a bad thing.

    Being back in the classroom has been an amazing experience. Teachers had kept telling me that Covid changed everything and that teaching wasn’t the same, but thankfully, I’m not seeing that. From what I am seeing kids are still kids and I am loving being back and part of their lives. From my quiet group that look at me like I’m crazy with all my silly ways, to my fun and rowdy crew that make me feel like Mr. Kotter. Seriously, I might as well have Vinnie, Juan, Washington, and Horshack in that classroom and they are just as entertaining! I’m having a blast.

    But something hit me the other day. We are having an event this month focusing on reading, and our instructional coach asked us to list our favorite book and submit a photo of ourselves from back then. I found my 9th grade yearbook, took a pic of me back when my hair was as dark as could be, and submitted my favorite book (Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides). I had to walk to the front of the building for something and saw the associate principal of my house. I said something like, “Man, I hope I don’t regret that picture I submitted of myself to the Admin.” He paused for a second and was confused. I didn’t realize he was caught up in something at that moment, but he stopped and said, “Sorry, Mr. Cornett. I’m dealing with some things right now.” I immediately apologized but then said “No, I’m sorry” and told me three very serious things he was dealing with right then and there. I told him how much I appreciated all he does for us and went back to the workroom.

    As I was walking down the hall, it stuck with me. There I was existing in my wonderful little teacher world thinking about something silly like an old photo of me that the kids will be seeing and most certainly giving me a well deserved hard time over. I spend my planning time thinking about what I can do that day to make the classroom a little more fun and engaging. I love to find a little video clip or a song that helps the kids connect with the content and stuff like that is always on my mind.

    But you know what’s not? The kind of stuff the Admin has to deal with every single day so I can stay there in my little teacher land. People often say that teachers are there in the trenches every day doing the hard work of helping students learn and grow and I agree with that completely. But do you know what makes that possible? It’s the line of administrators who are constantly bombarded with negativity day after day protecting us and keeping those things at bay the best they can. They are the phalanx line that makes our work possible.

    I get to teach The Odyssey this year and can’t wait for that unit, but if I’m honest, The Iliad is my favorite of the two. I have always been fascinated with Warfare and Literature. I’d say it comes from watching those kinds of movies with my Dad. In the 80’s, he took me to see Missing in Action, Rambo, First Blood II and plenty of other movies like that. But it was 1986’s Platoon that gave me a different perspective. Combined with discovering Apocalypse Now on late night cable, I became very interested in the ways that warfare affected the boys and men who were called into battle. In Grad School, I wrote my Thesis on Fourteenth Century Warfare and Rhetoric in Arthurian Poetry, so it’s kind of my thing.

    In the 16th book of the Iliad, Achilles gives a speech to Patroclus and the Myrnidions (his soldiers) to get them ready for the coming battle. Homer writes that after the speech, “With these words he put heart and soul into them all, and they serried their companies yet more closely when they heard of their king. As the stones which a builder sets in the wall of some high house which is to give shelter from the winds-even so closely were the helmets and bossed shields set against one another. Shield pressed on shield, helm on helm, and man on man..” His descriptions sound like the Greek Phalanx, where the soldiers stood in close formation with shields and spears creating an almost impenetrable unit. The idea was basically this: stand together, protect each other, and overcome. The Greeks didn’t invent the Phalanx but they used it to great success and in some historians’ minds, perfected it.

    That’s the image that came to my mind. Me standing in the comfort of my classroom with my students, all made possible because of the protective line of administrators doing the real heavy lifting. I’m not saying that teaching is all rainbows and unicorns; yes, we have our challenges, some more than others, and if you don’t have a supportive administration like I am blessed to have at my school, I completely understand your frustration. In my opinion, that school district needs to get its act together and put the right people into those positions.

    But, remember this, and I only know this because I flirted with administration early on in my career and realized it wasn’t for me. If all you did day in and day out was deal with nothing but negativity, how long would it take you to burn out? I know that I couldn’t do it. Nope. I am blessed to be able to have the next fun learning activity as my biggest worry most days.

    I went back to my administrator on Friday and told him he was gonna be the topic of my next blog. Initially, he looked at me strangely, but when I explained and then thanked him for all he does to make my job possible, he was truly thankful for the compliment. I hope it made a difference in his day.

    And I hope this inspires others to do the very same, no matter what your job. We all have people above us working behind the scenes to keep everything going.

    A little appreciation can go a long way and I’m glad I was reminded of that.

  • Solsbury Hill

    For this week’s blog, I need to take a break from talking about my book.

    This past Wednesday, while driving to work, a song came on and I have to admit that I teared up. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though. In fact, it was quite affirming. Let me explain.

    If you don’t know by now, I am going back into the classroom. For the past five years I have worked in hospice. In January of 2020, I walked away from 24 years of teaching high school English in Lexington, KY, to run a hospice here in South Carolina. During those five years, I worked with many families in this area and even wrote a book about those experiences. By May of 2025, it became very clear to me that it was time to move on and on June 2nd, I walked away from the past five years of my life. Two weeks later, I interviewed and was offered a job with the absolute best high school in this area.

    The past few weeks have been about onboarding with the school district, attending New Teacher Orientation (feeling like Billy Madison sitting with the younger students), and then district PD, learning very quickly that things have really changed in the world of education especially in terms of technology. But learning all of the new stuff has been fun and exciting and I am ready to get started.

    So what was up with the morning drive on Wednesday? Well, I was letting my Spotify DJ pick the music that morning. About halfway to the school, Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” came on and it was perfect. If you don’t know, that song is about Gabriel leaving the band Genesis. He helped cofound the band in 1967 and finally left in 1975. Looking back, it makes complete sense. Both Gabriel and Genesis went on separately to even greater accomplishment and fame, but leaving terrified Gabriel at the time. 

    “Solsbury Hill” tells the story of a man who climbs Solsbury Hill, sees an eagle, and has a spiritual experience. He hears a voice and with his heart beating furiously, the eagle finally speaks to him and says “Son, he said, Grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.” After the experience he resigns to keep quiet about it but realizes that he was “in a rut” and something had to change. By the end of the song, he finally states “You can keep my things, they’ve come to take me home.”

    In the Billboard article “10 Reasons Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill is One of the Greatest Songs of All Time,” the writer states “The story of “Solsbury Hill” — of personal epiphany, of hard decision-making, and of breaking free — was unsurprisingly interpreted to be inspired by Gabriel’s split from his old group, and the singer-songwriter has explained, “It’s about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get, or what you are for what you might be. It’s about letting go.”

    I’m dorky enough to have already known this and that’s why listening to that song made me emotional on that drive, but it didn’t stop there. At 9:30 am that day, we had Freshman and New student orientation. I met so many young students and their parents and both groups seemed terrified but I had the opportunity to smile, connect with them, make them feel better, and reassure them that everything will be alright. Teaching truly is a noble profession and I am honored to be part of it. 

    Like Gabriel, coming back to this point was about hard decision making and letting go but when I walk onto that campus tomorrow, I won’t just be walking into a new school, and a new classroom, with new students to teach. No. I know exactly where I’ll be.

    I’ll be back home. 

    Billboard Article

    Solsbury Hill New Blood Version

  • Themes, part 3

    I’m a little weird academically because in a lot of ways I am very traditional but in others, I’m probably a little profane. The other night we went and saw comedian John Crist who had a bit in his show where he talked about having “these thoughts that just pop in out of nowhere.” He gave some funny examples and as we were laughing my wife leaned over and said ‘you do that all the time.” I couldn’t deny it because it’s true. I like trying to think for myself and have no problem asking questions most English teachers wouldn’t. For example, take The Great Gatsby. It’s an amazing work or art and not even his best if you ask me. But if you’ve ever had to study it, inevitably, you came to the discussion about the green light Gatsby sees off in the distance. Much has (deservedly so) been made about that light and what it represents. For me though, I remember thinking “what if the city got a really good deal on green bulbs that year? What if we are making way too much out of this?” I mean, if it had been red, what would we be saying? I’ve always wondered about greatness in the literary world. How much of it is intended and how much is what we make it out to be? I know…I’m not supposed to have those kinds of thoughts but I do. 

    Writing the book If We Never Meet Again was a very interesting experience for me. I can honestly say that there are things I planned and things that just kind of developed as it went. And in retrospect, I do love how it all came together. Honestly, it all started out of me telling stories about the people I encountered in hospice, but as the book began to take shape and grow, it became so much more for me. And the weird thing is how things just fell into place as if they were part of a greater plan all along. There are many things about the book that I love, but the first and biggest hint toward what I feel is a primary theme of the novel is the cover. I even had to fight for it and I’m glad I did because for me, it would be a very different book without that cover.

    On January 6, 2020, at exactly 7:10 am, I took that photo on my phone at Huntington Beach State Park (a little south of Murrells Inlet). That was my first official day of work in the world of hospice. I was staying with my in-laws (we wouldn’t officially move to the area until February 1), got up early before heading to the office, watched the sunrise, and took the photo. I loved it so much, my wife had it enlarged into a canvas that we have in our bedroom. When it came time to design the book cover, I was adamant that it had to be that picture. Initially, my publisher said no because it didn’t have a high enough quality (dpi) to be the cover. They assured me that they could find a similar stock photo but I said nope, did some quick research, and found a site that allowed me to increase the picture quality. I sent them the new version, they said it looked good, and I got what I wanted. 

    Why was it so important? First of all, it’s a sunrise and not a sunset. If it had been the sunset, it would be something totally different. And to be honest, it would have worked given the stories. Perhaps a sunset could have represented our patients and their passing. But that’s not what I intended. I have always said that it’s not a book about death. Yes, that happens a lot in my book but that’s not the focus. For me, the focus is the lives they lived in their final moments and the lessons that they each taught me. I state this pretty clearly at the end:

    “Each of the people on these pages have impacted me in their own unique ways and I will never forget them. While I may have had to change their names and certain identifying characteristics, they are forever imprinted on my soul and have remade me into who I am today. As Dylan once said “He not busy being born is busy dying.” I always liked that line but now I think I finally get it. That’s what this entire experience has been for me (135).” 

    After all, my book is a memoir about the experiences I had and the lessons I learned from the individuals I met in the world of hospice. For me, the book is all about my own “journey of becoming” and rebirth. Yes, the sun eventually sets. But my hope is that the inevitable sunset will always inspire a new sunrise in each of us the way my patients did for me. But that’s only my take on it. And don’t for a second think that I haven’t wondered what if I had got up late that morning and never taken that picture. We would be having a totally different discussion now wouldn’t we? 

  • Themes, part 2

    I was a high school teacher for 24 years and had some great experiences all along the way. For the last 14 years of it, I taught Dual Credit English (ENG 101 in the fall and ENG 102 in the Spring). The curriculum determined that we had to write 3 specific types of essays each semester. The textbook was divided into chapters that discussed the essay type and then provided examples that could be discussed and analyzed. When it came time for my students to write their essay, I never dictated the topic. For me, they could write about whatever they wanted as long as it was the type of essay required. 

    I always tried to make my classroom a fun place. For me, it was my home away from home so I decorated it to reflect my interests. The walls were covered primarily with my main interests- literature, film, music and art. I had quotes from classic authors, movie posters, classic rock albums, and art posters I picked up from various art museums (mostly Van Gogh but others as well). To be honest, I loved that classroom and most of that stuff is now hanging up in my garage. I enjoy going in there and reminiscing about the “good old days.” 

    Everything in that room had its purpose and I designed it as such. When it came time to write a specific essay, something in the room on the walls provided a jumping off point for that essay. My favorite essay was the Rhetorical Analysis from the Spring Semester and I tried to make it as fun as possible. Rhetorical Analysis is simply an analysis of the text of any work where you explore the various things used by the author to shape that text. For example, in my MA Thesis, I analyzed 3 Aurthurian poems from the late 14th Century, and discussed how each poet used the concept of Medieval Warfare to shape their own vision of King Arthur and his knights. It was kind of dorky but I loved it.

    To make the Rhetorical Analysis essay more interesting for the students, I developed a unit where we analyzed popular song and I even had a research article to back the approach up. Essentially, I had the students pick a song and analyze it rhetorically. To get them started, I gave each of them a song of my choice (which none of them had ever heard) and told them to determine its meaning. I forced them to go through three stages: Interpretation, Context, and Authorial Intent. First, I told them to listen to it and then guess what they thought it meant. Then, I had them dig into the background- who the author was, when was it written, and what events were going on at that time. Then finally, I had them look and see if the author ever stated what they intended. 

    By the end of the assignment, we had some great discussions. Some of the best ones were how things can be interpreted in so many different ways depending on your own experiences, how works can speak to new generations beyond their own place and time despite their own limitations, and how something can take on its own meaning beyond what the author intended if they ever stated it in the first place. It was always fun helping them realize that the world was a much bigger place than they ever imagined yet they also had a voice to contribute.

    When it comes to discussing the theme of any work, we are immediately faced with a problem. How do you determine “the theme?” First of all, there are always multiple things going on in any work. On top of that, how do you really ever know? Also, as an author, do you really want to dictate what that theme is, especially when readers will interpret it based on their own experiences? I know what I intended, but if you get something else out of it does my intention change that? For me, not at all. We all bring ourselves to any work and if a work can speak beyond its intention into an entirely different area, that is the beauty of any art. I love how a song can mean something to me the author never intended and I can only hope that my book could ever do the same.

    If you want to know what the theme of my book is for me, start with the cover. More on that next time.