Writing with My Students

Writing with my students. That's why I've F-I-N-A-L-L-Y returned to my blog. I really do want to write consistently. I miss writing. But I would also miss sleep. And playing with my two girls. And eating healthy meals. All of these things I love, and a few things that I love have been let go. However, returning from maternity leave almost a month ago, I am seizing opportunities of joy with reading and writing with my students. 

Yes, I have papers to grade.

Yes, I have lessons to organize.

Yes, I have paperwork to do.

Many days, it is hard to pull away from those responsibilities to write with my students. Writing with my students feels like cheating because I enjoy it so much. I guess I forgot that it's great for me to love my job. If I don't invest in the parts that I love, I cannot demonstrate and show how literature and writing has enhanced my life or fully encourage my students to do the same.

What have we been writing? Let me share some of my work with you! (In the future, I will maybe see if any students would let me share their work. That would be fantastic.)

In my Young Adult Literature class, we read Sharon Creech's verse novel Hate that Cat so that we can analyze authors craft and emulate poems written by protagonist Jack. Currently my student aid is helping me print and prepare their favorite poems so we have created a class chapbook. Here is my inspired poem that I submitted:

        December Bedtime

            So much depends

                 Upon

                                An open children’s

                                Music book,

        Wrapped in purpley 

                Pink treats

                                Brightly singing the

                                Nutcracker.

            So much depends

                Upon

                                A dancing, grinning

                                           Toddler;

            Swaying, marching,

                Twirling toes

                                 Beside a gleeful

                                Kicking babe.

This blog post is coming from my Creative Writing class, which is my baby. I proposed it. Now I get to "teach" it. Really though, this is a class about self-discovery. My goal is to provide students with opportunities to create and have the freedom to pursue their interests without academic risks.

During our lengthy National Novel Writing Month, rather than pursue a novel, I wrote excerpts inspired by, "Tell me you have a toddler without telling me." These writings may serve only me and bring me joy. And possibly embarrass my daughter at graduation in 16 years.

To finish off this perseverance of writing, we wrote our own pep talks! Here is an excerpt of my unfinished introduction:

Congratulations! You have decided to embark on a grand adventure that may leave you bruised, pulling your hair out, practically in tears with sore finger tips, but...but… you can take pride in participating in a writer’s marathon. That’s what it’s all about: Working through the pain and frustration (physical, mental, and/or emotional) to achieve something that you didn’t believe you could. And just like a marathon, it’s about completing it that’s the accomplishment.

Finishing a marathon is often not pretty. You’ll finish with salt crystals dried to your forehead, sweat in places you didn’t know could sweat, your legs feeling like you must drag them one painful foot after another. But. You. Did. It.

That’s what NaNoWriMo is all about. It’s fighting through the writer’s block. It’s fighting through the unhelpful muse in your head saying you don’t know what you’re doing. Or reminding you that it was a good idea a couple of weeks ago even though now it doesn’t seem like it. It’s pushing through that terrible, terrible, and I mean TERRIBLE dialogue to finally get what your character really wanted to say. Then you take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’ll go revise that later.

We must take pride in doing hard things. Hard things allow us to: Build our own perseverance. Discover how to problem solve. Give permission to not be perfect. 

Right now, our class is working on writing projects that we consider "nontraditional." Take a look at the choice board my students helped me create!

I may be a teacher you know nothing about. This may be the first (but hopefully not the last) time you have come across my blog. But here's your reminder to keep demonstrating the joy and excitement that your content brings to you. Our students are watching.

As I like to tell my students:

Stay safe. Make smart choices. Read a book. 📚

COVID-19 Pandemic Journaling

I am back to share with you the journaling that I have asked of my students during their own time of uncertainty: the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.

Continuing to be inspired by the work and tweets of Kelly Gallagher, I assigned my students to begin a journal during our distance learning experience as their warm-up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

What was assigned?

As their directions, I posted my own COVID-19 journal and continued throughout too. Here's a screenshot of my opening:

I had several students returning to my journal as an example, as "seeds" to begin their own thoughts, and just to see what I was up to. However, just like many of them, I wasn't always consistent, and that's ok.

Why do this? What objectives exist?

This is a piece of my students' personal history. One day, it could even be a primary source!

Journaling is a social-emotional tool. Many students (and adults) benefit being encouraged to share their thoughts through writing.

And if need be, there are writing standards that call for a variety of writing styles, length of writing, and different voices.

How will this be assessed?

We still have instruction this week and will wrap up distance learning next, so I haven't completed this stage yet. However, I did quick "checks" by having students share their journals to show they've started, once counted the number of entries, and done periodic video reminders. I have not read any journal entries unless my students have requested it.

In the end, I have planned a self-assessment through a Google Form that allows them to reflect on their thought, effort, and usefulness of their journaling. This will also be feedback for me as I reflect on how to continue the use of journaling with next year's teaching, whether back in our classroom or distantly.

If you're interested in the feedback I plan to receive, here's the link to a copy of the form: COVID-19 Self-Assessment

What might I change?

In the future, I may intentionally post "seed" prompts for students to help them get started. These could be articles, video clips of speakers or the news, or personal interest prompts.

I'll leave you with what I've been ending posts and conversations with my students:

Stay healthy. Make smart choices. Read a book. 📚

Separate is Never Equal ~ Using Diverse Picture Books

Retrieved from Amazon.com

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation is a true story written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. The illustrations incorporate mixed media to enhance the depth of the images. Tonatiuh wrote that the book "is inspired by conversations I had with Sylvia Mendez in October 2012 and April 2013", and he utilized shortened dialogue from court transcripts to share an authentic retelling.

Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) is often viewed as the landmark decision by the Supreme Court regarding segregation in public schools; however seven years prior to this Sylvia Mendez's family filed a law suit against Westminster School District of Orange County (California) to challenge remedial schools for Mexican students.

Sylvia Mendez offers this short interview regarding her experiences: 

Sylvia and her family had moved to Westminster, CA for her family to own a farm. As a 3rd grader, she was a US citizen and spoke English, but the closest school to their home would not allow her and her siblings to enroll. Instead, they were directed to a remedial Mexican school that had a less stable building, fewer academic supplies, less qualified teachers, and domestic curriculum. Sylvia's father advocated for his children to attend the school closer to their home by addressing various administrators, but to no avail. Eventually, he was advised to file a lawsuit. Here is a book trailer from Texas Bluebonnet Award:

This story is important to share with students who are learning about the Civil Rights Movement because it adds an additional perspective. Some students have a misconception that the Civil Rights Movement promoted equal rights for only Blacks, but there are also the marginalized voices of those who were considered lower class during that time period: Hispanics, Native Americans, and others. It is also important to share with students that this case would have provided a precedent for the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. In this interview, Tonatiuh also explains that it's important to share this story because even though segregation is not allowed in public schools, there are still divides in education that make this story relevant. By sharing this book with students of all ages, we create an opportunity for students to not only learn a new perspective but also begin a dialogue of where they may see divisions in our education system.