GVWP 2014 SummerWrites

Top 10 Things We Learned from Morning Reflection

by a Curmudgeon, an Optimist, and the Realist

11          Turf Fienz: Hoodies don’t make a hood.

10          Everything sounds cooler when it rhymes; ask Bill Shakespeare.

9            Be thou not afraid of improvisational language.

8            Exceptional people are exceptional; the rest of us will need to go to college.

7            If you can’t say something nice, you’re not trying hard enough.

6            Teaching is not a solo performance.

5            Best learning comes in groups; schools call this cheating; time for a change.

4            Language should not be used as a sword or a fence.

3            Praise must be authentic; kids’ BS monitors are finely-tuned

2            If I treated you all the same, I would be denying your individuality.

1            BRING AN UMBRELLA EVERY DAY

Getting to Know You...



“But that was last summer. Every summer we try again… with hope of renewed relationships.”

-Marissa Nicholson, from “The Old Battle Axe”



Through Marissa’s raw and humorous tale of her grandmother, her love of family becomes clear- food, vacations, and even shared turmoil links her with siblings, parents, (and for better or worse) her grandma. As a special education teacher, Marissa faces daily challenges of understanding students who (like family members) communicate differently. Just like her reoccurring vacation effort shows her commitment to family, it demonstrates a dedicated personality. Each school year she tries again, renewed with hope to connect/understand/influence those around her, be it in the classroom (or a cabin in the woods).

-Molly Hickey



“As the day continued, the hikers began to spread out as some stopped to look at wildlife while others plowed ahead at a quick pace.”

- Jennifer Phillips, from “Camp”



I have learned that Jennifer is a very thoughtful person. She likes to take all the information from the writing project and think about, then present her ideas. There is a sense of caring and doing what’s best for her students. - Kathy McCarthy



“My eyes aren’t open yet, but I know the events that are taking place.”

- Kathy McCarthy, from “Small Moments”



By reading Kathy’s work, I learned that she values family and relationships. She is motivated to understand how connections to people, things, and feelings influence how people act and see the world. It made me think how every person, group, family has a story that can be read through the eyes of each other and the surroundings that are reflected in their eyes.


Her story highlighted the power of the past. Everyone takes all that they have known, learned and felt to inform their decisions. Her eyes are not open (in the quote). This is like not having learned but having a sense of knowing, intuition, and the want for answers and education.


I see this reflected in the classroom. It is our mission to open the eyes of others through education, to challenge and broaden while understanding the benefit of predictability and the comfort in routine. Predictability and routine take the load off of processing and allow for the focus to be on new learning.
 - Marissa Nicholson


“Looking at the flame colored hues of the rising sun, Clemmy remembered. She hustled to the garden digging with her hands, scraping along the dirt and revealing a large bundle. Unsure of what was happening, James and Virginia held their distance.”

from “A Story of Civil War Courage” by Molly Hickey


Molly’s children’s book revealed to me many of her qualities and talents. This rich family story, accentuated by a family heirloom passed down through the generations, illuminates Molly’s connection to and passion for history as well as her ability to bring it to life for her students.
 -Jennifer Phillips




By sharing our stories, we have had the pleasure of being able to glimpse into each other’s lives, which has opened up dimensions of personality and values of our group mates that would not have been exposed through discussion alone. It also showed us the strength and inspiration gained during the writing process from having collaborative feedback and an authentic audience. It reminds us of how much we can learn about our students by reading their writing and how much they gain from sharing their writing with an audience.


Written by: Marissa Nicholson, Molly Hickey, Kathy McCarthy, and Jennifer Phillips

Remarkable

I knew of course that we'd be writing, but the amount of key clicking and pen scratching in the first half of SI is remarkable.

Grateful

Today's feedback from colleagues as I described my module planning makes me recall my friend Brian's comment that NWP TC's are the faculty he's always wanted to work with. I'm grateful.

Scared, and Grateful

Today Kathy's reflection object encouraged us to do something scary every day. Well, just listening to the news this morning was scary, what with Gaza violence --- a "crescendo of vituperation," I think ---, and the assault, assault, assault on the recently-divorced mother of 3 boys...makes me grateful for not being scared, like the Israelis, Palestinians, and all those under assault whose stories, but for NPR, would remain secret.  

Summer Institute Reflection

I always look forward to participating in some way during the summer with the GVWP  Summer Institute and enjoy being able to coach and touch base again with the group.  This year, however, was especially rewarding because I was able to participate fully in the 3 week Summer Institute.

The opportunity to collaborate and share experiences with like-minded teachers is perhaps the best part of the experience for me.  While I work closely with my colleagues in the Creative Writing Department, there are few opportunities during the school year to really share with many of my other colleagues at School of the Arts.  The Summer Institute also provides an opportunity for me  to  learn about some of the challenges other teachers face at different grade levels and in different districts.  

This summer also provided a great deal of writing time which, at first, was daunting for me.  I found myself simply playing around with some poems I had written during the past year, but really not getting anywhere at first.  After hearing Melissa read the beginning of her short story and seeing how the group enthusiastically gave her feedback and encouragement, the idea of trying to write a short story became less intimidating for me.  So I sat down, gave myself a “Natalie Goldberg” ten minute writing prompt and began a short story that I would become obsessed with for the next three days.  I guess that’s how the writing process works sometimes…and  I  actually enjoyed the process so much that one morning , on the “long walk” from Park Lot, I was so absorbed with a particular aspect of the story that I didn’t even remember how I managed to arrive at LeChase.  I was just walking on autopilot, lost in the paragraph I was writing in my head.

So I am grateful  for the time to share and the time to write.  Grateful  for delicious morning treats and super salad luncheons. Grateful  for “put-ups” and “treasure chests.” Grateful  for Kseniya Simonova’s sand animation, Stephen Fry’s  kinetic typography, Scary Mary and the Piano .  Grateful  for another morning stop at Freedom School to share in Harambee and to remember why I have taught in the same urban school for 25 years and can’t wait to go back in the fall.

Thanks for morning reflections, module-making, tips and tools, resources, open mike, and so much inspiration!

 

Reflections on GVWP Summer Institute

     As teachers, most of us got into teaching because we fell in love with learning. Education, at its core is about learning - not about the system, the method, the curriculum - the pure joy of learning. Putting the pieces together in a different way and seeing how this relates to that and that to this in a way that makes it understandable and glorious and new. Most teachers discovered this joy in childhood by experiencing life; seeing the play of light on a butterfly's wings, messing around with a magnifying glass, damming the river in the back yard or by reading a book that changed them. Most teachers did not find that joy as a student in the classroom. Sure, there were teachers and experiences that made our lives out of school richer, deeper and more meaningful, but schools, for the last 150 years have essentially been places where information was measured out and stuffed into student receptacles. Most teachers were enchanted by the idea of letting a new generation of children in on the secret, if they hadn't’ discovered it themselves, and chose to go into teaching. Where else was there to go for someone who wanted to revel in stardust, exponents and sonnets? Where else was there for someone who saw the connections between music, math and history? Unfortunately, that place may not exist, except in fairy tales.

     School is not that place. At least, not in its present form.

     Yet, there are teachers that remain true to the dream and strive and push and resist the mandates that bind us.  Teachers that want to provide their students with real experiences. Teachers that are not content to mail it in. Teachers that see the potential in every student. Teachers that despite the best efforts of the system, still get up in the morning determined to make a difference.

     I find it so refreshing to enjoy the company of my colleagues in the National Writing Project. Their clear vision and strength refreshes me time after time and gives me courage to enter the classroom or question an administrator. Whether it's building a module that pushes the fringes of the Common Core, sharing our creative writing, or quietly musing after morning reflection, it's good to know that this community exists. For this, I am so thankful.