Sunday, March 6, 2016

Reflections on week 1 of SOL


I've been writing every day for a week, and so far...

1) I'm reminded that I'm not as private as I think I am. I am an introvert. If given a choice, I will usually pick solitude and quiet time over activities that require social interaction. It's not that I don't enjoy interacting with friends; I just need down time between interactions to return to equilibrium. There is no downtime in teaching, hence weekends are all about recovery for this introvert. On Friday nights I'm most content at home, in my pajamas, recovering from the cumulative toll of the sensory overload of the week. So naturally when I learned that blogging was a required part of the Slice of Life challenge, I balked. Can't I do this in a private journal instead? 

Once I made the decision to leap into the challenge, I reconnected with something I've always known. The best writing requires that we go to the heart of a story and write from that place, to paraphrase Penny Kittle.

So yes, in real life, I consider myself a very private person. But as a writer, my best work requires brutal honesty. And exposure. I have to trust that, if I write and rewrite, rewrite and write some more, the story that is inside me will come together. And it's then that I remember that good writing can't be done if I want the safety of calling myself a private person in order to avoid taking risks.


2) Comments have been delightful to read! As much as the writing itself, I've looked forward to reading comments others have left for me. I know, I know, it's so basic, but this has been the biggest surprise for me in the SOL challenge. (And yes, Kim told me about this, but I thought it was a bunch of hooey until I experienced it myself!) 

As a writer, I thrive on comments and find them so motivating. Sadly, many of us do not have the conditions in place in our teaching lives to offer our students timely and specific feedback--the kind we know will help them grow as writers, not the "corrections" so many of them arrive to class expecting. 

And it is so fixable. Here's how: 

  • All writing teachers need to lead a writing life. (Check out Write Beside Them, by Penny Kittle.)
  • Schools should either cap writing classes at 15 students OR reduce the teaching load of writing teachers. (In the high school I attended in suburban CT, English teachers taught one less class than others and used that period to conference with students.)
  • All administrators and school committee members should participate in the SOL challenge so that they have firsthand experience from which to set policy and with which to evaluate teachers. 

3) I look forward to reading my colleagues' daily entries and have already learned things about them that I'd otherwise never have known. Belonging to a writing community matters. I want to find ways to build this into my classes. 

4) My physical set up needs work. This chair hurts. The ergonomics of my writing station need tweaking. 

5) I'm having so much fun and learning a ton.




12 comments:

  1. I can't resist commenting on point #4 (ergonomics). I have chronic back pain and I created a DIY standing desk, which includes a cushioned floor mat, and a hydraulic high chair to balance standing with sitting -- a healthier body makes for a healthier mind for writing!

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  2. I miss teaching and working in my school library. I miss the colleagues and interaction. I also miss giving my opinions on how to improve learning. Keep forging ahead. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I appreciate your post so much - how you explained in #1 about being an introvert, and having to recover from a week of teaching on the weekend. I actually wrote a post about this yesterday, but I love the way you explained it even more, thank you!
    I love that you used the word hooey!
    I also think all admins and teachers should do a writing challenge. Every teacher and person who works with writing teachers should experience a writer's life!

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    1. Thanks for your comments and I just read your entry from yesterday and can so relate!

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  4. I am new to the writing scene as I have not been an ELA teacher long and it was not by choice that I was given this position. I took on this challenge to actually see if I could improve my writing. Thank you for this post. It has given me some guidance.

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    1. You are amazing to leap right into a writing challenge despite being in a position that was not your choice. Definitely read Penny Kittle's book Write Beside Them. So much useful information in there. Her other book, Book Love, is wonderful too. It has transformed how I am teaching.

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  5. Your post clearly delineates key points of reflection. Yes for Fridays in pajamas to recover from the week! I do the same. Thank you so much for highlighting Kittle's advice about the "heart of the story." You are so right. Comments help motivate writers. If we did not receive a single comment on Day 1 or 2, we might have lost motivation. My writing class includes 24 students now. I have made sure the community of learners in the room each have the ability to read and comment on peers' work. I remind the students that they are not writing for "my eyes only." Thank you again for your thought-provoking ideas.

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    1. OH I love that reminder... not for "my eyes only." Natasha, can you imagine the culture of our school if more teachers and administrators lead a writing life? GASP!

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  6. You described me (introvert) exactly! How do introverts wind up as teachers anyway???
    I agree with you about how wonderful it is to get comments. That interaction with readers is the best part of blogging -- even for those of us who are introverts.

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    1. Lisa, check this out. http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/why-introverted-teachers-are-burning-out/425151/

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    2. I think it was a great idea to stop and reflect on last week. My days are packed, and it's hard to make time for reflection during the week. Like you, I'm usually crashed on the couch on Friday night. I love your idea of capping English classes at 15-- makes perfect sense to me.

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