Reflections on the Teche

Attention

January 8, 2015 by margaretsmn

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Holly leads the Spiritual Thursday blog round-up. Many of us have chosen a word to guide us for the year. We will be writing each week about a different blogger’s OLW. Holly’s word is Focus, so today we are writing about focus.

I get a few daily inspirations in my email. One of these is Eknath Easwaran’s Thought of the Day. Recently, he wrote, “As an experiment, try to work cheerfully at some job you dislike: you are training your attention to go where you want it to go. Whatever you do, give it your best concentration.” As somewhat of a New Year’s resolution, I decided to be more friendly to service people like the Walmart or grocery clerks, those people who we take for granted each day. These people have a thankless job to do and usually I am either in a hurry or distracted by worry when I am checking out. Lately, though, I have said, “How’s your day going?” or started a conversation. For some people, this comes naturally, but I am an introvert. I prefer to stay in my own little shell. But as Easwaran’s advice says, I should turn my focus on others. I need to focus on the job at hand and do it with joy and generosity. This little act of attention makes everyone’s day brighter.

I am an Episcopalian. My church is a liturgical church. Our tradition is for vested clergy to lead the service that includes community prayers such as The Nicene Creed and The Lord’s Prayer, lighted candles, and a shared Eucharist or communion. Within the liturgy, I find solace. While saying prayers that I have said all of my life, I can focus in a meditative way, keeping Christ at the center. Focus during this service may seem like distraction. My mind will wander. I often reach for a little notebook in my purse to write. This week, I jotted this question from the sermon, “What is your instrument of hope?” My attention, my intention to focus.

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing | Tagged Episcopalian, focus, OLW, spiritual journey | 11 Comments »

Reaching for Creativity

January 6, 2015 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

Poetry forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change.
–Audre Lord

PHOSPHORESCENCE. Now there’s a word to lift your hat to… to find that phosphorescence, that light within, that’s the genius behind poetry.
― Emily Dickinson

My poetry light to my OLW:

Rise to the novelty
Eager for the rising
Arms stretched overhead
Calling for strength
Happy to hold the sunlight.

–Margaret Simon

If you missed DigiLit Sunday, I posted an Emaze presentation you can use with your students to make their own One Little Word resolutions. I presented this on Monday, and my students began working on their word webs and Canva designs. I wanted to share a few with you today.

Julie Johnson wrote about the importance of design. She wrote, “I think some would ask if it’s important to teach our students these skills when they are crafting digital compositions? I believe it is. Our students are composing and consuming texts very differently in today’s world. I believe it’s my responsibility as a teacher of writers to help my students be able to produce thoughtful quality products.” Full post here.

Thinking about Julie’s post, I talked to my students about design. “How can you use design of the image, the color, and the font to communicate what your word means to you?” In Kielan’s image above, she was very thoughtful about her design. She chose the word Merry. Many of the other students were thinking about “Merry Christmas,” so instead of changing her word, she used an image to describe what she meant by the word. She wants us to feel the calm, peaceful beauty of the word Merry.

I like the way Emily used synonyms for her word, Unique, to express her word.
Reed used a white board to share his word web around his word Light. I love how the design of the word web looks like a light.

When I was working with a first grader, I showed him how to use Thesaurus.com to make his word web. After we did this together, I realized how much this would help all of my students. So for my afternoon group, I suggested they try it. Put your word into the thesaurus and click. Find another word you like, click it, and so on, until a word web is built around a central word. This led some students to new words they could either select as their OLW or use in a poem. I look forward to seeing more student words. This activity not only gives students an opportunity to set goals and reflect on themselves, it also uses 21st Century Skills, the C’s of Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Communication. Feel free to use the Emaze to work with your own students on OLW.

http://app.emaze.com/@AOFLCWZL/one-little-word

To make your own images with Canva, click here.

Posted in Digital Learning, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing | Tagged 21st Century Learning, acrostic poetry, Canva, One Little Word | 16 Comments »

Finding your One Little Word

January 4, 2015 by margaretsmn

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

The Cyberspace Teacher Blogging space is full of Little Words. This is a wonderful tradition that I have been doing for three years. I want to pass this one to my students. I found Tara Smith’s OLW lesson for her 6th graders and put it on an Emaze to use with my students this week. I also used Mary Lee Hahn’s acrostic poem as a model for my students.

http://app.emaze.com/@AOFLCWZL/one-little-word

I plan to use this lesson on Monday and have the students Slice about their words on Tuesday at our blog site. You are welcome to use this presentation as well with your own students. Let me know if you do.

I made a Tagxedo with my word using all the synonyms that came up for me. I chose the tree as a symbol because the oak tree was my inspiration for my word.

I encourage you to try these activities with your students. Please join in the DigiLit round up with your link.

Posted in Blogging, Digital Learning, Teaching | Tagged acrostic poetry, Emaze, OLW, One Little Word, tagxedo | 13 Comments »

Celebration Resolution

January 3, 2015 by margaretsmn

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

I chose Reach as my OLW for 2015. The recent gift of an Amaryllis bulb reminds me daily to reach. It has quickly grown about 2 inches in 2 days, reaching up to be a blossom.

I am reaching out to other writers, sharing my work and encouraging theirs. A recent writing partner was introduced to me by Gae Polisner of Teachers Write and the author of two YA books, The Pull of Gravity and The Summer of Letting Go. Linda Mitchell and I have been exchanging poems for a few months. She is not blogging yet, so when she told me she had chosen her OLW, I asked her to write a poem about it. Here is her poem about the word Nourish. Love this word because you can nourish yourself as well as others. Her writing and advice nourish me.

New Year Resolution 1.1.2015
The women residing in me– but not limited to:
Daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend,
teacher, student, poet.

Whereas limited time is granted daily
by our creator and selfish choices;

Whereas desire to express meaning
is hindered by our ability to grasp
the essence of the language;

Whereas our attention and focus
is worn away and eroded
by frivolous pursuits;

Whereas our hope is to achieve
peaceful and mutual understanding
with our world;

RESOLVE, THAT the verb and action nourish
fortify all work, play and spiritual activity
January 1 through December 31, 2015.

And as such,

Be it resolved that we commit to:

Promote growth

Provide sustenance

Train, build and raise up

Ourselves, our loved ones
and our communities
beginning with prayer,
contemplation, word,
silence and
meaningful action
whenever and wherever
possible.

–Linda Mitchell, all rights reserved.

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Teachers Write, Writing | Tagged Gae Polisner, Linda Mitchell, OLW, Reach | 16 Comments »

Round One CYBILS Poetry

January 2, 2015 by margaretsmn

Find more Poetry Friday at Tricia’s place, The Miss Rumphius Effect.

I am proud to announce the finalists for the CYBILS Award in Poetry. Being on this panel was such a privilege. I worked with Sylvia Vardell, Nancy Bo Flood, Kelly Fineman, Tricia Stohr Hunt, and Bridget Wilson. Jone MacCulloch was our fearless leader who kept us on task, even during the holidays.

The books are not in any particular order. All will proceed to the final judges.

Water Rolls, Water Rises: El Agua Rueda, El Agua Sube by Pat Mora, published by CBP

In a series of free verse poems in English and Spanish, our most precious natural resource takes center stage. Water rolls, rises, slithers, hums, twists, plunges, slumbers and moves across the Earth in varied forms and places. Mora’s three-line poems are filled with imagery and emotion. “Water rises/ into soft fog,/ weaves down the street, strokes and old cat.” (In Spanish: “El agua sube/ formando suave neblina/ que ondula pro la calle, acacia a un gate viejo.”) The lyrical movement of water described in verse is accompanied by Meilo So’s gorgeous mixed media illustrations highlighting 16 landscapes from Iceland, to China, to Mexico, the United States and more. Back matter includes an author’s note and information about the images in the book. A joyous, bilingual celebration, this collection brings water to life.

Tricia Stohr-Hunt
The Miss Rumphius Effect
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com

Dear Wandering Wildebeest:and Other Poems from the Waterhole by Irene Latham, illustrated by Anna Washam, published by Millbrook.

In Dear Wandering Wildebeest, Irene Latham’s poetry bounces with the impala and peeps like the meerkat. With childlike illustrations by Anna Wadham, Irene Latham takes us on a journey to the water hole of the African grasslands. Each poem is accompanied with factual information that will inform even the oldest readers.

To All the Beasts who Enter Here, there is word play with “Saw-scaled viper/ rubs, shrugs,/ sizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzles,” form experiments in Triptych for a Thirsty Giraffe, humor of “Dung Beetle lays eggs/ in elephant poop,” and even danger, “Siren-howls/ foul the air./ Vultures stick to task.” Children and adults alike will love the language and learning that wanders in this book along with the animals of the watering hole.

Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche
https://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com

Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, published by Candlewick.
Prolific anthologist Paul B. Janeczko brings the old and the new together in Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. The collection of 36 poems contains poems by classic poets such as Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. Intermingled with these are poems by well known children’s poets including J. Patrick Lewis and X. J. Kennedy. Firefly July takes readers through the seasons beginning in spring and ending with winter. The poems take readers to different locations as well. Both city and country settings appear in the poems. As the subtitle states, the poems are short, but the images they evoke are almost tangible. Melissa Sweet’s mixed media illustrations are colorful, playful, imaginative, and whimsical. They draw readers into the poems. Firefly July is a stellar collection that will likely be a family favorite for years to come.

Bridget R. Wilson
What Is Bridget Reading?
whatisbridgetreading.blogspot.com

Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Chuck Groenink, published by Carolrhoda.

Who knew that among his many talents, Santa was an expert at writing haiku? In this collection of 25 poems using the 5-7-5 format, Raczka brings us Santa’s many observations, some about his job: “Wishes blowing in/from my overfilled mailbox–/December’s first storm” and others about the weather, the time of year, and Christmas preparations: “Clouds of reindeer breath/in the barn, steam rising from/my hot chocolate”. A fun read all at once, or one per day in anticipation of Christmas, some of the haiku work for winter in general as well: “Just after moonrise/I meet my tall, skinny twin–/’Good evening, shadow.'”

Kelly Ramsdell Fineman,
Writing and Ruminating
http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com/

Voices from the March: Washington, D.C., 1963 written by J. Patrick Lewis and George Ella Lyon (WordSong/Boyds Mills Press, 2014) is a historical novel in verse that focuses specifically on the momentous march on Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech. Six fictional characters (young and old, black and white) tell their tales on this historic day in cycles of linked poems alongside the perspectives of historic figures (the “Big Six”) and other march participants for a rich tapestry of multiple points of view. It’s been fifty years since the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, when discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin became against the law, but as recent events attest, we still have progress to make as a nation. In this powerful work, Lewis and Lyon tackle issues of racial and social justice in 70 lyrical poems that reflect the perspectives of young people and adults struggling with taking action for positive change in peaceful ways. In addition, extensive and helpful back matter includes a guide to the fictional and historical voices, bibliography, index, and list of websites and related books.

Sylvia Vardell
Poetry for Children
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com

Brown Girl Dreaming written by Jacqueline Woodson, published by Penguin Group, Nancy Paulson Books, 2014, is many things in one rich collection – memoir, history, biography – and lyrical, exquisite poetry. Events of the author’s personal and family history provide the framework for a series of individual poems. Woven throughout are key events of the Civil Rights journey and also personal effects of racism and discrimination. In this beautiful and powerful tapestry of verse, one hears the poignant reflections of Jacqueline Woodson, “one of today’s finest writers,” who kept on dreaming through tough times and good times and who keeps on writing in “mesmerizing verse.”

Nancy Bo Flood
The Pirate Tree; Social Justice and Children’s Literature
www.thepiratetree.com

Hi Koo!: A Year of Seasons by Jon J Muth, published by Scholastic.

Inspired by his twins, Muth wrote a haiku book that doesn’t followe the often used three line, 5-7-5 syllable form. This made this title a stand out among other haiku books.
Readers take a seasonal journey from summer through spring by Koo the panda. (Thus the pun in the title: Hi Koo!) Beginning with a simple observation about the wind: found!/ in my Coat pocket a missing button/ the wind’s surprise, to the last haiku: becoming quiet/ Zero sound/ only breath, Muth offers to young readers a new way to experience haiku.

The watercolor and ink drawings complement the text. The subtle alphabet theme adds another dimension to the book.

The author’s note at the book’s beginning sets the tone: “…haiku is like an instant captured in words–using sensory images. At its best, a haiku embodies a moment of emotion that reminds us that our own human nature is not separate from all of nature.”

This book of poetry will help readers to slow down to appreciate the small moments of nature and daily happenings.

Jone Rush MacCulloch
Check It Out
http://maclibrary.wordpress.com

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged CYBILS award | 12 Comments »

Light on a New Word for 2015

January 1, 2015 by margaretsmn

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Collect of the Day, Dec. 28, 2014.

I am struggling to find the just right word for 2015, my One Little Word. I scribbled on a nearby notepad all the words I wanted to consider. Then I went online to Canva and found an image I liked. I typed out all the possibilities. The little word is in there somewhere.

I am attracted to both Bloom and Reach. Both can be interpreted to mean “Be the best you can be.” A friend gave me an amaryllis bulb yesterday, so maybe that is a sign. I’ll watch the bulb grow and bloom while I try to live my OLW. However, Bloom can shine too brightly, focus too much on itself. While Reach can move outward toward others.

I took a walk out in the new light, the sun high in the sky warming the cool day, and I looked up into the live oak. These trees are so much a part of my life. They give me strength and hope. The sun was shining through the evergreen leaves clinging to the branches. In that moment, I knew I had to be one of those branches REACHing for the Light.

Posted in Spiritual Growth | Tagged One Little Word, spiritual journey | 22 Comments »

A Year of Open

December 30, 2014 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I don’t remember where I first read about choosing a single word for the year rather than making a bunch of resolutions that never happen. Lots of my blogging connections do this. My 2014 One Little Word has been Open.

Open became a mantra for trying something new. I tried some new writing workshops. I tried some new art techniques. I even opened my heart to new friends. My openness helped me apply for and win the Donald Graves Award. Open felt like the just right word.

This word choosing is harder than you might think. I am looking for signs for my new 2015 word.

Is the sign in this little statue my husband gave me for Christmas? My Berry Queen name is Queen of Good Will. He said this goddess reminded him of that. She is Guanyin (or Kwan Yin), the Goddess of Mercy. She is made of soft wood and her cloak is wrapped tightly around her. She seems to be carrying a book.

I like that others see me as merciful and giving. However, this is an outside view of who I am. My One Little Word needs to be one that I will internalize, one that will inform my work in the world. My OLW has to be mine, not given or assigned to me. I’ll keep looking for signs. I believe it will be revealed to me soon.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged Guanyin, One Little Word, Open | 15 Comments »

Bridge Picture

December 27, 2014 by margaretsmn

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

Simon cousins 1995

When my father-in-law was alive, he was an amateur photographer. He and my mother-in-law would go on birding trips, she with her binoculars and he with his camera. Years ago he had a darkroom set up in the laundry room. His 85th birthday would have been on December 21st, the winter solstice. He died ten years ago this November.

Papa would annually pose the cousins on a small wooden bridge over the creek (or coulee in South Louisiana) in their backyard. My children being the oldest cousins remember this fondly. My youngest daughter announced on Christmas that she wanted a “bridge picture.” Two of the cousins are missing, but five of them (my three and my sister-in-law’s two) lined up on the bridge for a 2014 photo. Today on this Celebration Saturday, I celebrate the memory of Papa and the love of family, especially cousins.

Simon cousins 2014

Posted in Celebration Saturday | Tagged celebration, cousins, memories | 6 Comments »

Finding Fall Gallery

December 26, 2014 by margaretsmn

Find more Poetry Friday at Holly’s blog, Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Carol Varsalona sent out an invitation to all poets to submit to the Finding Fall Gallery. I had the pleasure of meeting Carol in person at NCTE. She has an enthusiasm that is contagious. I know she spent all Christmas Day putting together her FInding Fall Gallery. I know because I was getting emails and Tweets about it. She has graciously featured my students and myself. Please treat yourself to a walk through the gallery of poems. It’s a beautiful space to be in. Thanks, Carol. Link to Finding Fall Gallery.

My fall poem with an image chosen by Carol.

Emily’s fall zeno poem.

Vannisa’s fall poem.

Kielan made an Animoto video with her fall poem.

Don’t forget to link over to Carol’s site for more beauty and words.

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday | Tagged Carol Varsalona, fall poems, Finding Fall Gallery, Nature poems, poetry | 7 Comments »

God’s Smile

December 25, 2014 by margaretsmn

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

The house is quiet.
There is the faint smell of gumbo from last night’s dinner.
An echo of voices from family and friends lingers.
The dogs are pacing. They know this day is different. Someone else is here.
The presence is palpable. The gifts piled high under the tree, all touched by loving hands hoping this is the one special gift. Waiting.

I am still singing the carols from last night’s Christmas Eve service. St. Nicholas made his annual surprise visit during the children’s sermon. He left candy in all the shoes outside the red door. Greetings from extended families, hugs all around.

As the years go by, Christmas changes. The girls are in their twenties now, so they sleep most of the morning. I am an early riser. I’ve finished coffee number two. The stockings are all filled and waiting. Even though there are changes, there is one thing that remains, love. Christmas is love. Christmas is receiving the love of Christ into our hearts.

Our priest expressed it well last night. As he held a baby in his arms, he talked about how the mother must smile at the baby for her to learn to smile. God smiled on us in the form of Jesus. His smile sends love into our hearts. May you feel the warmth and love of God’s smile today and every day.

Posted in Spiritual Growth | Tagged Christmas reflection, spiritual journey | 2 Comments »

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