With Love, With Patience, and With Faith

       

       Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a book I have been meaning to read for a few years now.  A friend of mine first told me about it a couple years back, texting me a picture of the Natalie Merchant lyrics on the opening page.  I have been listening to Natalie Merchant since my mom first bought her album Tigerlily in 1995.  The inclusion of her words was enough to make me want to read the book, but very soon after I heard tons of praise for the book.  I am so glad to finally have the opportunity to read it myself!

    One of my favorite aspects of this book was how well Palacio captured the experiences of childhood, specifically in middle and high school.  August’s shock at the beginning of the book when he realizes both his parents have met with Ms. Tushman regarding his admittance at Beecher Prep.  This reminded me of when I was younger and one of my teachers had advised my parents to have me tested for Attention Deficit Disorder.  Randomly one day, they sat down and asked me a long series of questions which I answered on a scale from one to five.  A couple of weeks later they told me the reason for doing that and that they had been meeting with a doctor, who they now wanted me to meet with as well.  I remember feeling so befuddled.  Three people, two of which were the people I was closest to in the world, had been meeting to discuss me and I was just now finding out about it.  Obviously my parents, and August’s, were looking out for my best interest, but it felt like they’d gone behind my back in doing so.  August’s reaction mirrors my elementary school feelings.

 
I really love how the author uses different forms of media (movies, song lyrics, books, etc) through out the story to demonstrate a theme or give something a greater meaning.  When I was seventeen I read Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time and it instantly became one of my favorite books.  The protagonist Charlie is a high schooler and the author describes each book he reads during his high school English class.  After reading Perks, I read many of the others mentioned (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and The Catcher in the Rye).  Knowing these books gave Perks a deeper and richer meaning and I got to see a book I already loved in a new light.  Palacio does this on a middle grades level by weaving in references to “Star Wars” and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as many quotes from classic literature.  I loved getting to see this achieved in a different way.

All in all, I thought Wonder was a great book.  Many students in my practicum classroom have read it and I have loved getting to talk with them, as well as teachers’ who have used it for book clubs and read a louds.  The same way Perks of Being a Wallflower recommended J.D. Salinger and Harper Lee to me, Natalie Merchant recommended I read Wonder, and it did not disappoint. 

8 Minute Writing Challenge

This time last year, I participated in Sarah Arrow's 30 Day Blogging Challenge--one month, thirty posts, a lot of writing.  I wrote about comic books, local business, and issues important to me personally. Sometimes I had trouble choosing what to write about, other times words flowed naturally from my finger tips and onto the screen.  What's important here is that I was writing.  And daily!  After this exercise, I tried to continue the habit, but received less than desired results.  I tried to keep a "chore chart" type record, rewarding myself weeks I wrote 150 words everyday, but nothing worked.  Since then, I've fallen out of my habit of journaling, the blog I was writing and editing for has gone kaput, and I find myself less excited to share my words with the world.

Then I discovered Monica Leonelle's book The 8 Minute Writing Habit: Create A Consistent Writing Habit That Works With Your Busy Lifestyle.  I want to write!  I have a busy lifestyle!  I have $17 in my bank account, but the book is free on Amazon!  Gimmicky, "You too can be a great writer!" aside, it seemed like the perfect fit.  The book is a quick but meaningful read outline Loenelle's nine strategies for writing all based around her idea that if you put aside eight minutes each day to write, you will write in a truly meaningful (and enjoyable) fashion.

I hope, for the next eight days, to follow Loenelle's model.  I hope it does help me as a writer.  I hope that I provide meaningful material that is a pleasure to read, as well as a pleasure to write.

I've set out several rules for myself in order to achieve these goals:

• Anything I write during my eight minutes I will post to this blog.  However, that is not to say I will post something everyday.
• Leonelle suggests that if you are writing a book or story, you read writing from the genre you hope to achieve.  Since I am writing, I will take this time to read and revisit some of my favorite books about writing.
• She urges her reader to attend events regarding writing and books, or at the very least stepping foot in a bookstore.  This will be easy as I will never pass up a chance to visit Avid Bookshop.
• Leonelle advises you to visit with friends or colleagues who originally inspired you to write.  I will set aside time to share my project with those who originally inspired me to write.  
• Because, I am writing from the perspective of a pre-service teacher and future elementary educator I will also revisit the author who originally made me fall in love with reading and writing, Roald Dahl, by reading Michael Rosen's biography on the great writer.
• If I miss a day in the challenge, I will not stress over it.  I will just give it a go the next day.

So, follow me on this week and some change long adventure, as I try to fall back in love with one of my favorite pass times.

CELEBRATE!

In Exploring Inquiry as a Teaching Stance in the Writing Workshop (2006), Katie Wood Ray describes her observations of an inquiry lesson on journalism and op-ed writing.  One of my favorite pieces of this story was Ray's use of the word "celebrate" when describing the teacher and her students' actions after completing their first op-ed pieces.  It was definitely something worth celebrate!!  They had spent so much time working on them, they deserved to relish in their completion before moving on to the next assignment.  So often we hurry on to the next thing, but our students deserve that moment in the sun.

Writing With Your Students

Today while at school, I lead a writing lesson.  After going over the mini lesson and their assignments for the day, it was time for our work period.  I decided, after getting the idea from Writer's Workshop: The Essential Guide, that i would sit down and write alongside my students.  The results were incredible!  Their looks of shock and glee when I pulled out my own writer's notebook were irreplaceable.  It truly made them more interested in the task at hand.  At the end of the period, we each go to share a bit about our pieces and they were so excited to talk about their work.  Working with your students, a simple and enjoyable task, can truly make a difference.

Now Hiring

One of my favorite ideas in Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide (Feltcher & Portalupi, 2001) is the chart described on page eighteen, showing students where they could go (among their peers) for help with certain topics.  In the classroom I am currently in, I am learning a lot about delegating tasks to students and giving them responsibilities within the classroom.  It’s such a beneficial relationship for both the students and the teacher.  The students are given a role and authority within the classroom, something they can give back to the classroom community.  Plus, they undoubtedly grow through helping each other, while the teacher can watch and nurture this relationship as well as use the time to complete other tasks or aid a student who specifically needs instructor assistance.

Real Writing?

One of the headings in NCTE Beliefs About the Teaching of Writing reads "People learn to write by writing."  The authors state "Writing...should not be viewed as an activity that happens only within a classroom's walls."  I could not agree more with this point!  I love to write.  I have kept a journal since I was in middle school and believe this is one of the best habits I have made for myself.  I think it is important that there is a focus on academic writing, as well as the self-sponsored writing done outside of the classroom.  For example, e-mail etiquette and letter writing.  These are two skills that I am happy to have had focused lessons on.  While writing an academic essay or fictional narrative are important, I write e-mails and letters on a daily basis.

Recently, I heard NPR correspondent Glen Wheldon talking about a resolution he made for himself.  He wanted to spend less time posting on social media like Twitter and more time on "real writing."  When revisiting this resolution a year later, he felt he had been somewhat harsh towards social media postings.  A well written essay is always gong to be more respected, but if you can use one hundred and forty characters to get your point across, there's something to be said for that too.  Ins short, I think it is important to expose your students to as many types of writing as possible.  You never know what one student may excel and it could be that skill which allows them to view themself as a writer.