Original Creative Writing, First Attempt

Throughout this quarter, students have been creating and sharing original creative work with their peers.  The topic and genre guidelines are open; students can write in any way, shape, or form they choose.  For some, the lack of structure is initially frustrating, but today, a student told the class that he went from being completely uninspired to full of ideas.  I believe this shift is largely due to students sharing their writing with each other, rather than simply sharing it with little old me, the dear old teacher. Often, there doesn't seem to be time or interest for reading original writing aloud in class, but I am beginning to think it is essential.  Students are motivated to impress their audience and share something unique and true to themselves.  Further, as listeners, students are eager to hear their classmates' creative voices.  Like children listening to our mother read us a story or fans pushing against the stage of a favorite band, we are carried along as the writer draws us in.  In most academic spaces, formal, argumentative essay writing is valued and practiced.  However, as another student commented today, "We are stretching new muscles."  It's true.  I am fascinated with this process, and I am looking forward to finding meaningful ways to integrate and share creative work.

Writing Prompt- How we spend our days...

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

Yesterday's writing prompt reminded my students and me to be mindful of the choices we make and the passage of time.  In my own writing, I reflected on the practice of reading passages about spirituality and living in my daily life.  This practice is something that I should do more often because the passages help to recenter me, emphasizing fleeting nature of time.

Many of my students wrote about how they like to be busy because they like to be productive.  Others explained how high school forces them to live in a boring way.  Comments included:

"I think about this (Dillard's quote) all the time.  I think the time spent sleeping is a waste of time."

"My whole life is structured."

"I really dislike structured time.  If I do the same thing over and over, I get claustrophobic."

"I am horrible at time management.  I waste time by doing what is unnecessary."

"I like being structured so I can be productive, but I need a little time to myself everyday."

After listening to these refrains, I wondered- What do they consider as a waste of time?  Is being productive always the preferred use of time?

I wrote:
Sometimes  it is helpful for me to purposefully schedule unstructured time.  It's like, if it is on my calendar, I use my unstructured time in a fulfilling way.  Fulfillment does not necessarily need to productive, like getting a task done; rather, fulfillment can be achieved through the act of the task itself.  Whereas, I feel productive when I complete tasks that I don't necessarily enjoy doing.

This was an interesting prompt because I think high school is a unique time in a person's life.  When I look back at my planners and journals from high school, I notice how crammed my schedule was!  I had something after school every day, events on the weekends, and tons of homework!  I honestly don't know how high schoolers do it.  That is not my life anymore.  I think after high school, time starts to spread out as individuals have more freedom to create their own schedules.

In high school, I wrote this in my journal: "My mom told me today that time moves really fast through high school and college.  And that things keep moving really fast until after you find the person you want to spend your life with and have children.  Then it slows down."

For the most part, I think she is right.

Landlines

Quote of the day: "You look exactly like my stepmom."

Wow. 

So, students are growing noticably more comfortable, and I, generally speaking, am glad for that.  Today's writing prompt asked students to reflect on a luxury that they would never want to give up.  I wrote about coffee, revealing that my two and half year old regularly requests to go to the coffee shop around the corner because he knows how obsessessed I am.  Most students chose to write about their phones.  I remarked on my longing for a return to landline culture.  How just last night I was (re)watching the season one pilot of Sex And The City and I drooled when Carrie answered her corded home phone with "Hello!  This is Carrie."  And Charlotte replied, "Hi Carrie!  It's Charlotte!"  I mean, really, that never happens anymore!

As you can see, a simple writing prompt can quickly transform the room.  This early in the year, it is a pleasure to get students talking, sharing obsessions and recommendations.  Later, the real task becomes getting students to shift gears and focus on the day's activities and learning targets.  But, for now, I view the random conversations and anecdotes as essential ingredients for building a caring and enthusiastic class community.

Sharing Is Caring

"Who is to say that robbing a people of its language is less violent than war?" -Ray Gwyn Smith

This quote is the inspiration for the first writing prompt of the year.  I ask students to reflect on its implications, the questions it raises for them, and their stance on Smith's position.  After giving them five minutes or so of silent writing time, I ask them to share.  Somehow, every year, I tend to forget that students aren't eager to share on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.  It comes as a surprise to me when the room is dead silent.  I have to remind myself that I am returning to my classroom with the end of year relationships and discussions still lingering in the back of my mind, last spring's exhuberance and passionate claims haunting me.  I have to remind myself, "Don't worry, we'll get there." 

A few courageous students volunteered responses about the connection between language and identity and the role violence can play in destroying or defending one's language.  I managed to eek out a few more responses when I encouraged students to make nominations.  I figured a student was more likely to speak if the "river otter" (a stuffed beanie baby- my "spirit animal") was in their hands.  More students participated this way, but it was far from perfect system.  Many voices still went unheard. 

I wonder about this fine line between "forcing" students to share versus only hearing the perspectives from the regular student volunteers.  Teachers- any ideas or practices that you recommend?

A Dose Of Teaching Vitamins!

On August 7th, my collaborating teachers raised their eyebrows when they heard me announce: "I am ready to teach tomorrow!"  My readiness for the transition from summertime to the first day of school varies each year.  Obviously, this summer, I am bubbling.  Simmering, you could say.

It isn't that I haven't had a fulfilling summer.  In fact, my summer was satisfying balance of adventures with my son, running on mountain trails and river paths, and a three week writing and teaching institute with the Minnesota Writing Program. Apparently, this combination is my jam!  I am at a tipping point of inspiration and joy that will carry me, I believe, into the start of the school year.

The Minnesota Writing Program Summer Institute created opportunities for me to actively write, teach, and learn...and to reflect on each of these acts.  I was a member of a five person writing group.  I observed and participated as a student in thirteen best practice teaching demonstrations.  I presented my own best practice teaching demo on podcasting with students.  I read, discussed, and presented on Kelly Gallagher's book, In The Best Interest Of Students.  I shared completed and developing writing with my peers, and I even published a finished piece in a Minnesota Writing Program publication (maybe I will share it here in the future!).

I believe that the deep reflection on my identity in these three realms (writer, teacher, and learner) will boost my own teaching this coming year.  I seriously feel like I have been injected with a shot of teaching vitamins- English and Language Arts Complex A+!

Take a look at some of my teaching goals this year, if you please!

• In every lesson, I will create meaningful and frequent opportunities for student constructed and led learning.  As a student/learner during the summer institute, I realized that how frustrated I became when the instructor kept talking and talking!  I have always been an eager learner, but I didn't realize how (what I deemed to be excessive) "teacher talk" drove me nuts. As a teacher, I want to be more conscious of the amount of time I spend talking, and swap as much of this time as possible with opportunities for students to learn through small and large group discussions, individual writing, digital media projects, and hands on activities.  

• Throughout every week, I will provide writing prompts with the objective of discovery.  Too often, teachers assign only academic writing with a firm purpose.  I want to balance this type of writing with writing for discovery.  Writing as way to start thinking about something and end up thinking about something else.  I think this is valuable because all people need space to be reflective.  Everyone needs time to consider multiple perspectives before settling on a firm opinion (Although, I think this is especially true for adolescents- I am tell students that it's all about changing one's mind!  It can be freeing and powerful!).  Writing for discovery can be used as a creative outlet as well as a way to explore ideas about a particular topic or theme.  

• I hope to make learning more rewarding and authentic through the incorporation of real audiences (as opposed to just lil' ol' Ms. V. reading and commenting on an essay with a degree of doubt about whether the student writer will even read her feedback).  I plan to engage real audiences in a number of ways including read-arounds (students reading their work aloud to the rest of the class...scary, but powerful and empowering!), publishing work online, sharing work with other teachers and parents, and finding opportunities for students to publish work in the school literary magazine and outside publications.  I will also organize student writing groups starting midway through quarter 1 or at the beginning of quarter 2.  The writing groups will share writing and provide feedback weekly.

The last goal that I will mention here is to post in this new teaching blog- Duly Noted Classroom.  My goal is to post every school day, even if it is just a quote, a lingering thought, or a question.  On days that I have more energy, I will post longer reflections about a lesson, a discussion, a best practice, or a discovery.  

I hope you find joy and inspiration in my writing!