Morning Pages 3.31.16

Technology in classrooms is truly a "hot button" topic. Personally, I think it will always be, simply because technology usage in schools should always be evaluated on a situation-to-situation basis. Many factors need to be considered while trying to decide if certain parts of technology are best fit for different groups of students. I have observed classrooms where students are distracted, withdrawn, submerged because of the technology they have at their fingertips - but I have also watched classrooms where students thrive while self motivating themselves through working with technology. Basically, to sum it up, I truly believe the issue of technology in classrooms needs to continuously be a unique decision based on the unique learning styles of students. Technology can be a helper if guided and instructed to be used correctly, but it can be a huge hinderance if not controlled. 

Morning Pages 3.29.16

We wait for the next vacation, the next paycheck, the next good meal. We don't live near our families, so we wait to see them once or maybe twice a year. We have these dreams we wait on - to write the next great American novel, to start our own business, to become a yoga instructor, to learn to cook, to live in the beautiful place we've always wanted. But do we go out and pursue them? No; because we are a society who is constantly being told we are thriving when we are simply just surviving on impalpable, fleeting dreams. We work day in and day out at a job we hate, to pay for the expensive house we love but never get to enjoy living in. As we work we imagine, hope, and wait for the day when things will be different. But the catch is - things will never be different. By living on dreams, we are forgoing sustanence. We are deceiving ourselves. Our dreams and wishes will never happen unless we conciously quit the cycle. Stop waiting for the important things in life to get dropped on your doorstep, tied with a bow. Stop living 800 miles away from your family. Stop pushing back that calligraphy class you want to take because the lie "you don't have time" keeps overwhelming you. Stop living only for those few days of vacation you get a year. Stop telling yourself you can't write that book until later. You CAN do it right now. Stop allowing life to control you - go out and control your life. 

I'm done waiting; I'm going home. I'm going to convert these dreams I've been waiting on into reality; put an end to this game we all play. I am going to be happy now, pursue my ideas now, be healthy now. And I absolutely can't wait to experience a life absent of waiting.

UGP Reflection

While looking back on the time I spent working on my Unfamiliar Genre Project, I can see how far I have come. We as a class have come far! I think that while you're in the moment working on the little tasks that make up this Teacher as a Writer badge, you tend to get lost in the stress of finishing little details without remembering the bigger goal. For me, I know that was the case. Looking back now though, I am extremely happy with my genre I chose, and how I finally achieved my goal and got there.

My genre was short story, and little did I know that I would run into so many small (but confidence shaking) wobbles along the way. I found that once I finished all the pre-writing prep, that it was difficult for me to sit down and simply write it.  I was worried, and a little intimidated, and I kept putting it off. I wobbled with the should-be-simple task of how to begin. For some reason, sitting down and starting this project was most daunting. I think I was slightly intimidated by the genre I picked, seeing as I had never been successful at it in the past. One day, I decided that I needed to tackle it, and so I did. I went to my favorite coffee shop, sat down in a nice quiet (but not too quiet) corner, and wrote. Something that really surprised me was that my entire short story came out in one sitting! I guess the part that was stressing me out was the fact that all my ideas were swimming around in my head, and once I put them down on paper everything felt more organized. I enjoyed writing it, even though it was difficult at some points.

I wanted this short story to be able to be read by teachers and young students alike, so I strived to make it simple and shorter. I assumed that would be easier to do than trying to make it more complicated and lengthy, but I was wrong. After I got in the groove with my writing, I didn't want to stop. I also struggled with my vocabulary that I was using, because I tend to want to use bigger words, but when writing a short story for younger students, usually the big words need to be left at home. To include a full story inside a confined amount of three pages was hard because I then had to figure out a way to develop characters, conflict/resolutions, ect. all in three pages as well. Fitting a whole plot was hard to do, which surprised me. I had to keep my goal in mind the whole time - creating a short story that can not only be read by adults, but young students too.

Because it ended up being such a simple story, I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. When I read it over, I thought that it was far too simplistic, short, and easy. I thought it was decent, but no piece of art! After re-assessing and talking with my writing group about it, I came to the conclusion that it was completely fine to be all of those things, because they fit my purpose. I think we as a society put pressure on writing and writers to be "stunning, amazing, wonderful, perfect!", when in reality, a good writer simply needs to fulfill the purpose, goal, and task they have at hand.

I also wobbled with writing dialogue between my characters. I really didn't need much, but still it was necessary to include some. It was difficult because I have never been taught how before, nor have I ever attempted it. I knew that it was going to be difficult for me, but it was more than I expected. After my first attempt at creating dialogue, I had to delete what I had written, take a break, and start again. It was extremely frustrating in the moment, and honestly I am still not %100 percent thrilled with how it came out. At first, every line sounded far too scripted and cheesey; then it started to get slightly easier. The positive that came out of the dialogue experience is that now I know something I need to work on and learn more about. I want to grow in my writing abilities, and dialogue is an important aspect of that.

Overall, this project challenged me not only while writing in my genre, but it also challenged me to form and solidify certain opinions I have on the world of education. In my short story, I got the opportunity to get into the mind of a sixth grader. After spending so much time trying to develop my character, I began to sympathize with her. Participating in this project helped me to create an even stronger opinion and belief to back up my pre-existing touchstones on education that I am passionate about.    

Morning Pages 3.3.16

Ideally, I am not too picky when it comes to who reads what I write. In fact, I'm working on trying not to mind as much, and just open my ideas & words up to anyone who wants to read them. But in a perfect world, I would consistently choose my sister and my boyfriend as the first two people to read something I create. I choose them because my sister has a mind very similar to mine, and she always understands what I am trying to say. She appreciates my ideas, and enjoys reading things I write. I also like having my boyfriend read my words, because he comes from a different perspective. He is (obviously) a boy, and his brain is more inclined to science and math rather than language and literature. When he reads what I create, he responds with a new perspective that I would have never thought of on my own, which helps me to grow and open my own mind up wider the next time I write, and so on. I enjoy being the reader for others, because I just love hearing everyone's unique ideas. I think it is amazing that we humans have 26 letters in our alphabet, and depending on how we arrange them we can create such different and personal works of art. I even enjoy simply editing papers for grammatical and formatting errors, simply because I enjoy organization and am somewhat of a perfectionist. Many of my friends frequently ask me to edit their papers and read them over before they turn them in, and I don't mind helping out with that at all. By having two different perspectives on my own work, it helps me to expand and work on my own ideas.    

Morning Pages 3.1.16

Why Write What is Unfamiliar? 

Last morning pages centered around "why I write", and this time I want to focus on why I desire to write what is unfamiliar alongside my tried & true favorites. Of course writing in my journal is comfortable; I think it is as comfortable as I get while writing. Most likely because I don't have to filter what I want to say, I simply lay down all my thoughts on the page. Writing on my blog is a little less comfortable because all of a sudden I have an audience and a filter is needed. 

It may be tempting to simply stick to the genre or aspect of writing that you know, love, and feel comfortable in, but how are you going to grow? Learning is a curve, not a straight line; you cannot stay stoic and continue to learn to your greatest extent. We need to push ourselves to become greater, expand our horizons & clean up our talents. We need to realize what we struggle with and meet it head on, with full intentions to conquer it to the best of our abilities. 

As future teachers, we cannot loose our own desire to learn simply because we ourselves are not in school anymore. We need to be open to learning about things that interest us, as well as learning from our students. An open mind is key, and teaching that way will also allow your students to see that learning truly is a life-long process. They will see that learning should be a part of everyday life, if their teacher sets that personal example.