Reflections on the Teche

Slice of Life: Where’s the Hope?

June 14, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.

As many of you are, I am having trouble getting my head around another mass shooting. What scares me most is the rhetoric that surrounds this tragic event. The talk of intolerance that perpetuates racism and fear.

I decided to look for hope. In the midst of tragedy, we must have hope. Hope is not denying the fear or the sadness. Hope allows for something new to come forth. Hope is like opening a window and hearing the cardinal singing. Hope is smelling the fresh air after the rain and knowing a rainbow is up there somewhere. Hope never fails.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acceptance speech at the Tony’s gives voice to what I am feeling.

We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope
and love last longer
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
cannot be killed or swept aside.

From a letter written by R. J. Palacio, author of Wonder, to the school district of Round Rock on disinviting Phil Bildner to their schools:

The truth is, I’m tired of intolerance. I’m tired of the unkindness that breeds intolerance. I’m tired of the ignorance that fuels it and the fear that spreads it. We must all—authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, and school administrators—work together to stop intolerance in its tracks when we see it. Kindness can never grow where intolerance has taken root.

If all you did was watch TV news or scroll through social media, you may think that our world was in dire trouble. Terrorism, racism, hatred, intolerance…

But I look to my students, my own children, my colleagues, my friends and I see love, hope, and light. Please, please, please look for the light. Find the helpers. See the good in others. Hope is everything, my friends. Hold on tight to that feather.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged #Orlando, kindness, Lin-Manuel Miranda, R.J.Palacio | 9 Comments »

DigiLit Sunday: Sharing our Lives

June 12, 2016 by margaretsmn

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Into every day,
a cloud must come.
Here’s hoping all your clouds
are this filled with light.

How often do you post on social media? Once a day? Once a week? Occasionally?

I am curious about what makes us connect and why some share more than others. And when I read a post, on Facebook or Twitter, who am I really seeing?

If I am honest, I am a pretty free sharer of my life. I probably post at least once a day on Facebook. I’m not as active on Twitter or Instagram, but I have a presence there. And then there’s this blog right here.

I am partial to my blogging space. I feel safe here. I open the draft and spill out onto the page whatever is on my mind.

I’ve been reading Katherine Bomer’s book The Journey is Everything: Teaching Essays That Students Want to Write for People Who Want to Read Them. In Chapter 4, Living Like an Essayist, Katherine makes a case for the Writer’s Notebook as a place to think and generate ideas. While I am determined to give this a good shot next school year, trying it out myself was not easy. I have gotten better and better at typing and backspacing, type, delete, copy, paste, highlight, spellcheck.

The notebook has lost some of its usefulness to me, at least for writing rough drafts. I still take notes in a notebook and apparently this is good for my brain. NPR posted an article about the advantages of hand-written notes in college. But unless I need those notes for something I am writing, they get lost in the pages of my notebook.

From this chapter, I gleaned five ways to make use of notebook time. (I think I’ll call it Notebook Time in my classroom.)

Write daily for 12-15 minutes: Free writing that may lead to a good essay topic.
A thinking space for slow pondering, not rushing toward an end product.
Share notebook writing with a partner or small group. Reading aloud what you have written can validate or deepen thinking.
Writing leads to more writing. Ideas lead to ideas. Allow for this free range thinking time.
Write what is true. This space should be used to explore the deep dark corners of our lives. Shake it all out. Don’t write only what makes you look good. Be authentic on the page.

I truly believe in sharing our lives. By putting our true selves out there, we can find connections in new and exciting ways. As I read and think about what I want for my students, I am more convinced that writing your truth makes you a stronger person, reaches out to others, and creates a caring world community.

DigiLit Sunday will be on hiatus for the next 6 weeks as I will be traveling. We will be back on July 31st. Have a wonderful summer!

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Posted in Blogging, Digital Learning, Teaching, Writing | Tagged essay writing, Katherine Bomer, Notebook Time, writer's notebooks | 6 Comments »

Poetry with Allan Wolf

June 11, 2016 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday round-up is with Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink.

Allan Wolf…
Just like the animal
Allan Wolf…
Just like the animal

We chanted these words back and forth in a delightful performance at the Lydia library. Allan Wolf performs and teaches about poetry with pizazz. He makes poems sing, shake, and shine.

I invited my students to join me in seeing Allan Wolf’s performance at the library. Four of them came. I loved seeing them and catching up on what they are reading and doing this summer.

Allan Wolf engages the audience. Through singing and dancing, he demonstrates how poems are musical. We all wiggled, made sound effects, and echoed to participate in the fun of poetry.

In this video he is showing kids how nursery rhymes are our first exposure to poetry, and they work because they rhyme. But mostly, the kids are just enjoying his humor when he gets the words wrong.

My students write a lot during the school year and for Poetry Month, they write a poem every day. Kaiden wanted to share his favorite poem “Wonder” with Allan Wolf. After the performance, Allan continued to engage with my students. Erin told him about our Slice of Life challenge and how she hates having to write an SOL every day.

Allan turned to a box on the table that he hadn’t used in the performance. He was sharing a secret with just us. He opened it to show two vials, one looked like water, the other thick syrup. He explained the process of getting syrup out of the tree sap. The sap must be boiled down. Then he showed them a gallon jug of tree sap. “It takes this much sap to make that much syrup.” That’s how writing is. You have to write and write to get the best, sweetest writing.

Allan Wolf did more in that metaphor moment to bridge the summer to next school year than any summer program could. His performance was fun, but the time he took to interact with my students and me afterwards was invaluable. Authors are my heroes.

At the beginning of his performance, Allan points to words on a makeshift clothesline to introduce himself. When he talks about the word “author”, he pronounces it with two gestures: “Aw” with sweet eyes and soft voice, and “Thor” with a raised arm as if he is holding a torch and a strong voice. Because authors are both sensitive and brave. Allen Wolf is a true “Aw-Thor”!

A selfie with Allan Wolf and Sami Sion, the best librarian ever!

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry Friday | Tagged Allan Wolf, Iberia Parish Library, poetry performance | 16 Comments »

Reading, Writing, Judging

June 7, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.

Reading, reading, reading…

The unmistakable voice of my daddy checked me out of the Anxious Hotel and back into reality. Elizabeth Tow, 8th grade

In the midst of the stacks of student-written stories about monsters and disasters and parents dying in car crashes, there were a few gemstones.

Monday was the annual LA Writes judging at my home. Teachers gathered around fruit and muffins and coffee to read 622 entries from Kindergarten to 12th grade writers from around our state.

Amidst the state standards and curriculum mandates, we writing teachers hold out hope that someone is cultivated creative writing in their classrooms. Interestingly, most of the best writers came from only a few teachers. Either these are the teachers keeping writing alive or these are the teachers who take the time to enter students in contests.

I have been coordinating the LA Writes contest for a dozen years, and I look forward to this day every year. I get to see some of my favorite teacher-friends and share my home with them. We talk and read, read and talk.

We find favorite lines. My friend, Nettie picked these lines to share.

The radio comes alive like low heeled boots. By Lily Adam

Alone together in a room for all
A kiss meets lips like stroking midnight buds. by Jasper Koelbel

Resting on the back of a goose wing, trying to blend into the cream colored feathers. By Rangasri Narayanamoorthy

When we started this contest, we created an acronym for our judging criteria with the word VOICES.

Voice
Originality/ surprise
Imagery/ figurative language
Clarity
Economy
Significance/ insight

As a teacher, I am in tune to these elements and encourage my young writers to reach not only for clear and precise writing, but writing that sings and makes the reader look at something in a new and surprising way. These elements are hard to teach, but we all know good writing when we see it. My students know good writing. They don’t always know how to name it, but they know it when they see it.

Yesterday we culled the stacks and stacks of writing down to 5-10 in each category in each grade-level division. It was hard work. It was good work. We will send these finalists on to our author judges, authors from our state including our new state poet laureate. We hope that they will see the gemstones that we saw and enjoy the looking.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged judging writing, LA Writes | 7 Comments »

DigiLit Sunday: ReImagine Space

June 5, 2016 by margaretsmn

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The past few days I have been cleaning out an upstairs “art studio.” I put art studio in quotes because that is what I call it, but it has become a gathering place for stuff. Usually artsy stuff, but the stuff was turning into clutter.

Recently I read a blog post co-written by Kari and Christina. They outlined five essential questions for cleaning out your classroom. They asked their readers to post before and after pictures to Twitter with the hashtag #ReImagineEd. While my classroom was packed away a few weeks ago, I decided to participate with my studio. It needed doing.

As I cleaned out the cabinets, I listened to podcasts. Podcasts make me feel smarter. I love listening to Penny Kittle talk about her experiences as a writing teacher. I also enjoy Krista Tippet with On Being.

In the clutter, I found a few treasures: old pictures, a bookmark made by my youngest daughter, and birthday cards. I saved some paintings I thought I could re-work. And I made piles: trash, classroom, and give-away.

A serious donut maker, my daughter in pre-K or Kindergarten.

There is something reflective and valuable in cleaning out. You see stuff in a different way. Is it useful? sentimental? creative? Does it bring me JOY?

Reflecting on the things we hold and store is cleansing, renewing, and relaxing. I can look up at the loft and see space for re-imagination.

Where in your life can you de-clutter and re-imagine? Join in the conversation with Kari Yates and Christina Nosek at #ReImagineEd.

Art studio Before

Art studio After

Post DigiLit Sunday posts here:

Posted in Digital Learning, Writing | Tagged Christina Nosek, de-clutter, Kari Yates, ReimagineEd | 6 Comments »

Celebration: Let the Dust Fly

June 4, 2016 by margaretsmn

Geno Delafosse

La Poussiere means “the dust.” The dance hall by this name in Breaux Bridge, LA was so named because the original floor was dirt, so when Cajuns danced a jig, the dust would fly.

Geno Delafose and the French Rocking Boogie sing a song entitled “She Makes the Dust Fly.”

Last night, my husband and I were Zydeco dancing to Geno at La Poussiere.

Twenty years ago, Geno would not have been welcome in La Poussiere. There were strict unwritten rules against black people entering the club. In 1996, The New York Times featured an article about a lawsuit that required La Poussiere to drop its policy and open its doors to black patrons, even on Saturday night. Comments from locals stated that this was the way it’s always been. There was an undercurrent of acceptance of racial discrimination. However, as Breaux Bridge became more of a tourist area, these traditions came in to question.

Today, blacks and whites not only dance at La Poussiere, they often dance together. The cultures are becoming mixed and more accepting. Last night, there was a Cajun man playing the triangle on stage with the all black band.

Yesterday, my friend Tara Smith posted about addressing civil rights issues with her students. She teaches in an affluent, mostly white area. She said, “As I have found in years past, none of my students had ever heard of Emmett Till, a boy not much older than they are, who lost his life to hatred and racism. Few history text books seem to mention Emmett Till, and we can now add the names of Travon Martin and Tamir Rice (to name just two) to our country’s long legacy of racism and the heartbreaking violence it breeds. But, teaching history demands that we seek the truth so that we can do better.”

Teaching demands that we do better. We all need to do better. We need to look at our neighbors as persons worthy of respect and honor whether we are dancing, having a meal, going to church, or driving on the highway.

Dancing and music are great equalizers. We are all comrades enjoying the parade. Turn up the music, hear the beat, and remember always, always to be kind.

Posted in Celebration Saturday | Tagged Breaux Bridge, Geno Delafose, La Poussiere, racism, teaching, Zydeco | 6 Comments »

Slice of Life: Are you Bored Yet?

May 31, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.

I just got off the phone with my mother-in-law who asked me if I was bored yet. I laughed. Well, I did clean the grout on the bathroom floor. Does that mean I’m bored?

Actually, my summer list is long and growing. This morning I accomplished one of my goals, blueberry picking. I do this every year the week after school gets out because this is the time when the blueberries ripen. In 2014, I wrote a poem about this ritual that begins with…

Some things wear their becoming,
like this blueberry, for example,
plump and perfectly indigo
surrounded by pinky-red brothers and sisters,
it boasts to be chosen
falls easily into my palm
joyfully plinks the plastic bucket.

See the rest of the poem here.

My friend Suzanne came along. She couldn’t believe she had never done this before. It was fun to share the joy of fresh blueberries with her. Here is the Facebook page for Bayou Blues Blueberry Farm.

A Painteresque view of me picking blueberries.

Blueberry sky

Kitchen brightened by fresh fruit and fresh flowers.

Slowing down, enjoying simple things, and savoring summer days. No, I’m not bored yet.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged blueberry picking, summer | 16 Comments »

DigiLit Sunday: Perspective

May 29, 2016 by margaretsmn

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

I have taken a few art classes. In art, perspective is important and obvious to the eye. One of my favorite artists is Georgia O’Keefe. A series of her paintings focuses in on the center of a flower. Looking closely changes the perspective. Seeing the center without white space to guide your eye makes the image more focused.

wikiart.com

My school year ended ten days ago. This period of time I have worked hard to relax and be present. I have actually avoided thinking at all about school. However, teaching is never far from my radar.

Today, I can see more clearly the white space. I understand the structure of my year and have some perspective on things.

At the center of focus is always literacy. Writing is an important component in my class. We wrote daily about our lives, about our reading, sprinkled with poetry.

But as I look forward and begin to shift my perspective to the horizon line, I see where my focus should be next year. I will have the same students. In many ways this makes the transition to a new grade level much smoother. They know what to expect. They know me.

Because of this, I will have to be intentional about changes and make them happen early on. I am reading Katherine Bomer’s book, The Journey is Everything. The intended audience is teachers of middle grades 6-8. The highest grade I teach is 6th, but I can see ways to incorporate her ideas in my lower grades as well.

While we need to pay attention to structure in the essay, that is not the purpose. I will continue using blogs as the main format for writing. A few points of perspective their writing will take are 1. writing to discover and 2. writing to explore language.

I want to be more aware of my students’ perspectives and allow them to discover them safely in our classroom. When we focus on the single poppy in the field, we can see more clearly the unique individual. We can honor their voices and work toward developing authentic, valuable writing.

In order to prepare to teach essay differently, I am experimenting with my own writing. I am trying out “writing for discovery” and “exploring language” with more intention in my blogging.

Perspective as a writer gives me a clearer lens for teaching writing.

Please add your blog post link below:

Posted in Digital Learning, Writing | Tagged digital literacy, Donald Graves, essay, Katherine Bomer, reading, writing | 12 Comments »

Celebrating Connections

May 28, 2016 by margaretsmn

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

I have discovered that I value connections. When we are willing to be vulnerable, we can trust others with our stories. Trusting someone with your story takes courage, but the reward is love. Making connections through story creates a bond, not only with the other but also within yourself and your own self-worth.

On Sunday, I made a connection with words from the Bible. Part of the reading from Romans was this, “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” Romans 5:3-4

I am writing a verse novel with the working title of “Hope is our Song.” Immediately when I read these words, I chose them as my epigraph for the book. I spoke with the young priest after the service about his sermon. His words resonated with me and will connect with anyone who has suffered.

I am unable to give you an answer as to the why of human suffering. I cannot answer the age old question why do bad things happen to good people?However, I see in the Trinity how we get through such suffering- we get through such suffering, we make such suffering meaningful, because of our love for each other.–Seth Walley

Love is communicated through connection, through our shared stories, through our empathy toward one another.

My friend shared her new favorite book, Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas by Rebecca Solnit. I had just that morning been listening to On Being, an interview with Rebecca Solnit.

Again, the word hope pops up and these words from Rebecca Solnit speak to me.

I wrote a book called Hope in the Dark about hope where the — where that darkness was the future, that the present and past are daylight, and the future is night. But in that darkness is a kind of mysterious, erotic, enveloping sense of possibility and communion. Love is made in the dark as often as not. And then to recognize that unknowability as fertile, as rich as the womb rather than the tomb in some sense..

In talking to my friend and making the connection between the Bible verse, her new book, the podcast I was listening to, our conversation was rich with meaning. She advised me to pay attention. The universe is speaking to me. This blog post is my way of taking note and paying attention. I celebrate connections.

Posted in Celebration Saturday | Tagged Hope is our Song, On Being, Rebecca Solnit, Romans 5 | 8 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Joy

May 27, 2016 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday round-up is with Julie at The Drift Record

Photo by Kim Douillard

The Butterfly

touched my outstretched hand
for only a millisecond,
yet left behind
a tingle

on my sensitive,
scarred skin.
I kept my arm
outstretched
waiting,

watching
this fluttering yellow kite
dart through the goldenrod
Daddy grew from seed.

How could he have known
when he sowed and watered
that at this moment
when I needed it most

A butterfly would
leave Joy
on my outstretched hand?

Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

Reflection: Yesterday, I wrote about touch. I saw this amazing photograph on Kim Douillard’s post this morning. All day the gift of touch has been on my mind. Even the slightest touch of a butterfly can wrap us in a moment of Joy. What else is there?

Posted in Photography, Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged joy, Kim Douillard, nature poem | 9 Comments »

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