The top 5 lessons I learned were:
1. I learned the purpose of the Internet was to share reading and writing and blogging is not the enemy of education.
2. I learned the catharic effect of sharing one’s writing and the bravery it inspires.
3. I learned teachers know a lot about life.
4. I learned authenticity in the classroom is important.
5. I learned I knew something most others didn’t. I was able to teach my fellows about the I-search. I had something to offer to a professional community.
Dear Weblog Reader,
I am beginning to see myself and my work differently since the SI began. As a teacher in a small a district, I often feel isolated, on my own. I have been awe of the impressive, excellent work I have seen my fellows present. I also have had much time to consider what inspires me to teach and write.
That is what inspires me to teach. Interesting stuff – amazing books full of soul and conflict, poetry brimming over with imagery and “meaning,” and cool techniques that open windows to knowledge. I would like to say I do it for the kids and sometimes I do, but, if it were just the kids, I’m not sure I would make it through second semester. Fourteen year olds are endearing on rare occasions. However, through much reflection, I have discovered how much I enjoy the learning experience of being a teacher. I find it irresistible to watch them learn, to actually see knowledge take shape, to have the physical proof of their thoughts before me. As a graduate student in education, I once had a professor ask us to put ourselves in groups according to why we wanted to go into education. One group, small I might add, declared they wanted to impact the lives of students. One group thought it was a wise career move since they had heard of a coming teacher shortage. The largest group, of which I was a member, acknowledged that were simply in love with their subject area. That is why we each spent four years immersed in it. Our professor nodded. This was what she had expected. She said good teachers get into education because they have a love affair with learning and stay because they want to see that love blossom in others. I love my subject area and I believe it is important. Language is the basis of all culture and communication- practically what separates us from the animals. Learning to manipulate language effectively is an art. So many students take their own language for granted, misuse it, under use it, do not recognize it for its potential. Teaching English is important because it is learning to communicate, to enter into discourse with one another and the world- time and space irrelevant. This is what pushed me towards education and the other, “doing it for the kids,” slowly, steadily grows inside of me.
What inspires me to write? Nearly the very same notion. I am fascinated with the ability of something so mysterious and symbolic as language to become concrete words on paper (or screen). To take an idea looping around in one’s head and begin to shape it through the act of writing is constantly mind blowing. I am inspired to write by images I find in my mind. I feel driven to attempt to communicate those emotions or ideas or pictures. I want to make you see it, feel it- the isolation of punishment, the awe of deer on a snowy Christmas Eve, a perfume bottle 1,700 years old. Whether I ever get there or not is another story. That is also why it is important- communicating what was popping and crackling among the synapse of one brain to those of many others.
The collegiate aspect of SI has been the star on top of the tree- or better- the big present underneath. Since our very first sessions I have been gathering ideas large and small that I cannot wait to use in my classroom. I have found more focus for some things and understand now why what I am already doing is really best practices. How much easier not to have to come up with it off the top of your head! Through my sacred writing I’ve discovered that I sometimes really do have something to write about. My excuse for not writing on a regular basis is that I don’t have anything to say. What a cop out! I wouldn’t take that excuse from a student. But through this constant freewriting or wild writing, I’ve found that I do have a few things I need to say and that I really could develop further. I’m not much of a poet (i.e. see perfume bottle piece), but I’ve been willing to give it a try. I’ve discovered I use masses of words and enjoy delving into the sea of synonyms or cracking words open to see what hides inside. In the future, I am going to attempt to practice more of what I preach- to write myself, maybe even to use as modeling. I may even try blogging. Maybe . . .
No doubt that my teaching practice will see the effect of SI long term. Although my teaching practices were haphazard in the beginning panic of what to teach and continually influenced by OGT, I attempt to create a student centered, writing immersed classroom. I use freewriting and reflective writing on a nearly daily basis. I find this essential to the practice of teaching- keeping in touch with where my students are in their learning. Through the teaching demonstration my fellows presented, I now have a greater understanding of the mechanics of the metacognition that takes place during these writings. I have also recognized the importance of creating authentic learning experiences for students. Although, upon reflection, I see that the I-search research project fits into the authentic learning paradigm. I hope to create or tweak other units to include more authentic work. I also strive to prove that I can use my teaching practices to prepare my students for the OGT and all other standardized test that loom in the future, meet the standards, and make learning meaningful.
I have chosen the following pieces to include in this portfolio:
The Silent Wall: This is my personal piece. It grew out of a sacred writing prompt about mentor teachers. This memoir-like piece explores a small, but tragic experience I had with a teacher in the second grade. I feel this piece was important to include and write because its consequences have haunted my psyche for years. I began writing about this experience as a junior in high school and have often come back to it as my most significant educational memory. Through this writing experience, I was able to explore in detail the event and its consequences on my own career.
Ethnography June 29, 2009: My ethnography was done in the form of a letter from camp. It was interesting to become an observer-participant, wearing two hats. I took four pages of notes in order to prepare this account. Most of this I did not use because I was worried I would go on and on. It forced me to pay careful attention to my fellows and leaders as they went about the business of SI.
What I Learned from Writing: Finding the Writers In Front of Me: This is my professional piece. I was very concerned about writing the professional piece because I had no idea what it was supposed to be or how to create it. No amount of explanation from Hilde or Peggy or anyone else seemed to help. I stumbled upon this focus again through sacred writing in combination with my demonstration. It merges my experience as a reader, student, and teacher into that as a learner.
Putting the I in Writing: My Search for the I-Search: This was the title of my demonstration, which focused on the I-search paper I do every spring with my sophomore students. This project was enlightening even though its focus was on a project I have been doing for three years. I had never stopped to consider the best practices reflected in this unit or why it works exactly. I confess that I had only ever read one chapter from Ken Macrorie’s landmark book before embarking on this project. Reading the papers he reproduces were reason enough to read it. The actual reviewing of the literature proved to be difficult since Marshall did not directly own any article dealing with the I-search, yet, once I began reading the material, I could not stop writing about why the I-search is such an awesome cognitive tool and excellent for student empowerment and authentic learning. Through this project I became more aware of my own teaching practices.
Small Child Voice’s Obituary: This is a deep revision of my personal piece, “The Silent Wall.” The idea for the obituary as an alternative genre came from William Strong’s book Writing for Insight. It was an interesting experience taking a lengthy piece and compounding it into its essence as one’s life is in the newspaper on Sunday. It only hints at the story behind the life.
My Less Formal Writing consists of the following pieces:
Technology Piece: Technology in My Classroom and Professional Life
Technology Piece: Will Richardson’s Blogs Wikis and Podcasts Activity
Technology Piece: Digital Storytelling Reflection
These technology pieces begin with my rant against technology in the classroom. I bemoan the overbooked computer labs, lack of equipment, and governing bodies. I move to the realization that the Internet was designed to facilitate reading and writing therefore fit for educational uses. I end admitting I could think of several ways to use the technologies of blogging or digital storytelling in my classroom although I still have not overcome problems with allowing this technology usage to take place.
Noun Poem a la Lorie’s Demo
Eulogy to a Comma
Both of the above pieces were produced during demonstrations of my fellows. I enjoyed writing the noun poem the most because I love my chocolate lab Buster Brown. Only the day before writing this did he chew through the wooden gate while my husband was off gathering supplies for my demo. Besides being cute and dear to my heart, it gave me ideas of how to get even low level students writing poetry in my classroom. The eulogy piece is actually something I could use in and of itself within my class. Despite J.D.’s belief that students are only afraid of math, I know many harbor ill feelings toward English grammar. A short activity like this will allow them to stretch their creative writing muscles while they vent and begin to put the knowledge they do have into words they can understand. I thought it was kinda cute, too.
Ekphrastic Poetry
I chose to include this piece because it was my favorite of our field trip writings. It also went through a deep revision of sorts. It started as a jumble of freewriting and morphed slowly into the lines of clumsy verse. I was drawn to the ancient perfume bottle. I saw a mystery in its beauty. I wanted to hold it and know where it had been.
A Christmas Memory
This piece also began as part of a sacred writing. I jumped around in childhood memories before the memory of this night struck me. I fell into its magic and the dream of a child’s Christmas. It is an awe I cannot remember experiencing since. I wanted to grab that moment in time and make it permanent.
The Lean, Mean, Green Machine Narrative
This is the narrative of my digital story. It was a change to write to images. I imagine a script usually comes first in movie making, but I enjoyed the challenge of fitting words to existing images, to tell the story and feelings behind them. I also stretched my imagination in the voice of the car itself- not my usual topic. The car is not me, it’s my husband, but the voice I gave it was its own. It felt legitimate.
Digital Story: The Lean, Mean, Green Machine
This is my pride and joy. When the digital story project was announced, I thought there was no way I could do it. But I did and it was pretty great- in my dad’s eyes anyway. He showed everyone that came over on the Fourth of July.
