Quick Writes

August 30, 2012
"...One essential characteristic of being a good teacher of writing~ that you have to love the learning journey." ~Katie Wood Ray

Yesterday as I was having coffee with one of my good friends, we were talking about Graduate School prospects and about how our role as students. We shared that we both really enjoyed the role of being students because we get to be in a place of continual learning. As I think about how this applies to my writing, I realize that I enjoy looking back on my work and reflecting on how I have improved as a student, a teacher, and a writer (through personal journaling and educational assignments). I love that writing can always be a place where I can grow and express myself along my journey through life.

September 6, 2012
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." ~Roald Dahl

I think that this statement has a lot of truth to it because there are so many children who choose to not uncover or utilize their talents. As teachers, we have the potential to encourage our students to look deeper into their world and help them to see some of these great "secrets" that they can share with others (whether that be a diverse culture or home life, special memories or experiences, etc). I think that when students are inspired to see these aspects of magic in their everyday lives, they have a more optimistic outlook on the world.

September 13, 2012
"One day I think it's the greatest idea ever that I'm working on. The next day I think it's the worst that I've ever worked on~ and I swing between that a lot. Some days I'm very happy with what I'm doing, and the next day I am desperate~ it's not working out!" ~Eric Carle

I think that one of the best aspects about creating a piece of writing is that we can begin it and choose to stop if we feel like we are no longer inspired to continue. The best intentions for a piece can result in a grand finished product, or can fall by the wayside if we lack expressive detail or have not thought through the overview and purpose of the piece. I think that when students engage in Writer's Workshop, many of them begin with a lot of ideas and have trouble organizing them, so when they pick up the next day, they might feel discouraged and confused. At this point, I think that my role as a teacher would be to help them select the main parts that they want to focus on and encourage them to expand as much as they can on details that interest them on that particular day.

September 20, 2012
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." ~Mark Twain

I can really identify with this quote because from the time I was young, I have always loved using new and challenging vocabulary in my writing and everyday conversations. When I write a paper, I almost always have thesaurus.com opened up so that I can find synonyms for words so I can avoid redundancy (BIG pet peeve of mine!) It makes me feel accomplished to find a different way to say something and when I find the word that I am looking for, I feel like I am making a stronger and more poignant argument.

September 27, 2012
"When I was a kid, I had certain chores I had to do. The first one was..."

When I was a little girl, the first chore that my mom showed me was how to make my bed. She told me that I was old enough to select my bedspread and choose the type of pillows that I wanted to put on it, therefore I was old enough to learn how to make it look nice and neat. The first time I made my bed, Mom and I went into the linen closet and she let me pick out my favorite sheet set (usually The Little Mermaid ones). Once she had put the fitted sheet on my bed, she let me fling the lightweight top sheet over my bed before she showed me how to tuck the sheet and blanket under the bed before we spread the comforter over the top. I enjoyed smoothing the comforter and putting the decorative floral pillows on my bed just the way I liked them. Even though this task seems like an annoying chore to most people, I always felt (and still feel) that making my bed gets my day started off in the right way.

October 4, 2012
"It is only through risk-taking and experimentation that our writers will continue to grow and become better writers tomorrow than they are today." ~Dorfman and Cappelli

I think that a lot of people begin writing stories and poetry on topics that they are comfortable with because do not want to be caught off-guard or unable to come up with enough details to support their main idea. Personally, I am the type of writer that ideally does not want to edit ANYTHING after I am proud of a piece that I have composed. However, some of the best teaching moments I have experienced was when my teachers or peers have encouraged me to try writing from a new perspective or try utilizing a few poignant describing words rather than "filling" my papers up with extra details. Having someone critique my work is a risk, but a humbling experience that will be worth it as I develop as a writer.

October 11, 2012
“A good storyteller doesn’t have to be a good writer, but a good writer must be a good storyteller." ~Dorfmann and Cappelli

This quote was really interesting to me because I never thought about how a nonfiction piece could be made more interesting through the use of anecdotes or narrative writing. Both of these styles and/or writing techniques provide more of a personal and appealing perspective because they make the author of the piece more relatable to his or her audience. I think that the writer has a chance to engage their audience and be intentional about providing a great amount of detail so that expressions, emotions, and scenes are easily conveyed. They have a very important job to do; they need to anticipate their audience's questions and concerns and answer them in the course of the story, whereas a storyteller could just add in details as they go along with the story (if people seem confused or have a conflicting thought)

October 18, 2012
"Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other." ~Paulo Friere

I think that Friere is challenging us to be constant learners by questioning the world around us by encouraging us to not be complacent in our academic endeavors. Living in community with people is one of the best ways to glean a new perspective on the world around us and I think that it makes us more sensitive to the ways that they interact and learn. As we deepen our relationships with some people and also broaden our interactions with diverse groups of people, we will begin to break down some of the pre-conceived knowledge that we have and become more aware of the new possibilities that exist through inquiring about topics.

November 1, 2012
"She was sure this was where he had disappeared..."

Claire had always known that going into the woods was never a good idea. She had always been a bit of a fearful child, never wanting to stray farther than where she could still see the lights of her house. As she grew up, she still had a healthy fear of the woods and was not about to follow her friends into the

November 8, 2012
"It's choice- not chance- that determines your destiny." ~Jean Nidetch

I believe that I have the ability to make choices that will impact my future, which in turn is my destiny. However, I think that chance opportunities will come into play that might cause me to change my initial perspective (or choices). The ability to make a choice, no matter how large or small, is a blessing and a gift that I am excited to show my students how to do effectively. I think that owning up to one's choices is the best way to embrace your life; this prevents us from blaming others or depending on them for our happiness.