Author Archives: ericnentrup

Holidolatry. To catch up to the story about folks angered by Starbucks’s 2015 new paper cup, I read this story — and it was a fluke that it was on Fox News. I just wanted to understand what was causing the controversy. I found two quotes that were interesting here. Firstly: "Starbucks has become aContinue reading “Holidolatry.”

Recently, I reconnected with one of my own high school English teachers. We found each other on Facebook and I enjoyed our quick back and forth. However, calling her by her first name still caused a hitch each time I typed it. It’s amazing how ingrained it is to have that “Mr./Mrs. LastName” inclination evenContinue reading “Teachers Yesterday. Teachers Today.”

https://soundcloud.com/eric-nentrup/the-daily-commute

Me at the FNL News Desk, 1995 I came to education by way of a career as a writer-producer. That career began at 19 when in college I became a staffer for a Saturday Night Live-styled variety show we produced every month or so in between term papers. It was there that I learned toContinue reading “A Quixplanation.”

Social Media Inventory 2015 Occasionally I like to do a social media inventory of sorts to see what holds up, what needs to be let go, and what I need to try to pay attention to in order to stay fresh and connected. MAINSTAYS: Facebook—warts and all—stays in rotation for me. Though, I imagine, myContinue reading

This weekend I saw AMERICAN SNIPER (AS) and THE IMITATION GAME (TIG). Here are my conclusions: • TIG is a superior film about a superior story. The filmmakers told the struggle of Alan Turing with greater fidelity than Eastwood did for Chris Kyle • Whether or not someone is a war hero is entirely contextual.Continue reading “Alan Turing is the War Hero We Were Looking For.”

This essay is an attempt to make sense of the conflicting perspectives I’ve encountered regarding the events surrounding law enforcement and people of color. The names have been changed where necessary to protect the perspectives of my current and former students who have entered into this conversation with me. “Mr. Nentrup, did you see theContinue reading “Black & White…or Gray.”

Reading @RabeckaKrill’s recent post for @SchoolKeep, I got to thinking about the need for  all involved in today’s education system to be able to speak with fluency, both online and face-to-face modalities of teaching and learning. For today’s online instructors and program managers, what’s most important now, but will eventually dissipate, is the challenge ofContinue reading “Oye Como Va”

Considering the devolution of Facebook commentary into polarizing topics that never yield meaningful debate, I’m curious about what we can do to use that space for interaction as an incubator of good things. Is it possible we can stay connected with each other in the present and NOT talk about such topics, yet do soContinue reading “On A Positive Note.”