OWP06

Book Review #4

Stephen King:  On Writing
by Deborah Handman

I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen King’s largely autobiographical book on writing.  I plan to purchase this book and include it as part of my own personal library.  Excerpts from several of his chapters would also be ideal to share with my high school classes to provide tips and examples on writing.  As a side note, however, make sure if you use excerpts in the classroom that you preview them well because King uses the F-word liberally.  Although this may be colorful, it's not worth losing your job over, so use with caution.

In the beginning of the book, King shares about his own childhood and development as a writer.  On a personal level, I found this part of his book very engaging because he provided so many rich stories that illustrated the power of good writing.  I will never forget King’s story about wiping himself with poison ivy after relieving himself in the woods.  The ensuing misery this caused him was told in a manner that was both humorous, but also strangely touching.

As an educator, the section of his book entitled The Writer’s Toolbox was the most helpful.  King focused on the vital components of writing.  Every writer needs an extensive vocabulary that is used in a straight forward, honest manner.  King includes his own “pet peeves” which I personally tended to agree with.  For example, he suggested completely avoiding the passive tense avoiding adverbs if necessary.  I felt his tips were helpful in improving my own writing and these sections could be shared with students to help them improve their writing.

I highly recommend this book to both teachers and educators.  Not only is King’s writing helpful to writers, but he also encourages writers to continue in their endeavors.  King had many struggles of his own before his career finally began to pay off for him financially when Carrie was published.  However, through reading the book it becomes evident that King was never became a writer to become rich.  The writer writes because it is his passion.

Literature Units from Perfection Learning

A Web Review
by Deborah Handman

I highly recommend the website:
www.perfectionlearning.com

As a first year teacher with at least 3 new preps and sometimes 4 every semester, I was completely swamped under the work load.  I confess there were days when I was about one day ahead of my students in our readings.  It's a scary place to be.  Things would have been much worse for me if it wasn't for the perfection learning website.  The website provides the chance to order ready made literature units for grades 6-12 on thousands of different books including classics and more contemporary literature.

These units are well done.  They include a ready made final test, vocabulary, and critical questions and activities to lead students to higher learning.  I incorporated these units with my own ideas and used them to help beef up my units.  It was a great help and a great source to pass on to other beginning teachers or teachers who need a little help in preparing for a literature unit.

Paper 4- Letter to Senator Smith

Senator Gordon Smith
United States Senate
404 Russell Bldg
Washington DC 20510
Attn:  Steve Wymer
Legislative Assistant

                                                                                                                July 18th, 2006

Senator Smith,

I am writing to express my gratitude and appreciation for your support of the Oregon Writing Project on behalf of educators across the State of Oregon.  I am an English teacher located at Sweet Home High School in Sweet Home Oregon and am privileged to have the opportunity to bring the joy and fulfillment of writing to young people everyday.  Educators, however, often live in a lonely world.  We are consumed by our work and the desire to create interesting and inspiring lessons on a daily basis for our students.  As a result, teachers often have little time to collaborate with other teachers on ideas and teaching methods.  During the school year, I easily work about 50 hours a week and maybe 60 hours when I have grading to do or new courses to plan.  Although I love my job, there are moments when it’s difficult not to feel drained or “burned out”.  Without time to rejuvenate, reflect, learn, and correspond with other teachers, one can lose their own joy and excitement for their subject.  Sadly, this can translate into the classroom environment and teachers can become less than what they should be because they are overworked and exhausted and perhaps have lost a little of their own love for learning in the midst of the chaos of administrative duties, planning and orchestrating lessons.

Jump Steak

Jump Steak

by Deborah Handman

When you live in another country, you quickly learn to be adaptable when it comes to eating habits, especially if you are a missionary.  Food lies at the center of most social events and our church in Japan was no different.  We were often invited to the homes of our parishioners and there were countless potlucks, bazaars, and other events.  These potlucks were always colorful and international.  My mother would make a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and place it proudly among the dishes prepared so daintily by the Japanese women.  On colorful china plates and cherry wood platters would lie what looked liked edible art in an array of colors and intricate slicing.  The traditional foods were often almost too beautiful to eat.  There were vegetables cushioned by rice and seaweed, sprinkled with black and brown sesame seeds, or the entrées: beef sliced thin, marinated in wafu sauce framed by mint leaves and water cress or raw fish lying on a bed of bean sprouts sprinkled with soy sauce and scented with ginger.   

Book Review #3 Writing To Create Ourselves

Book Review #3: Writing To Create Ourselves

by Deborah Handman

T. D. Allen’s Writing to Create Ourselves was a huge help to me my first year of teaching.  I had to buy the book in an old used book store because it is no longer in print, but the search was worth the effort.  Allen taught for many years in a Native American school where many of her students were unmotivated and underachieving.  They struggled not only with the complexities of the English language, but also the cultural differences which added even larger barriers in the road to successful writing.

Wacky We-Search Reports--Book Review #2

Book Review:  Wacky We Search Reports

by Deborah Handman

Barry Lane’s Wacky We-Search Reports was an entertaining read.  I expected the book to be targeted toward a teacher audience, but instead it was written to students as a tool to help inspire them to research using humor.

Lane provided several insights which I enjoyed for their humor and creative value and I could also see myself using these techniques in the classroom.  He stresses the idea that research is essentially fascinating and if one can use humor in their writing, the humor can help bring the research to life.  In order to create humor, Lane provides students with a toolbox of helpful suggestions that help the research writer gain focus and find inspiration. 

He gives specific examples of how to use art, publication, drama, and television to apply research to life and add a spark of life.  I liked the suggestion of writing a research paper from the perspective of a historical figure and then using stilted language to discuss extraordinary events that took place in that person’s life.  I also appreciated the myth blasting idea on how to give facts about the devastating effects of cigarette smoking or soda pop that directly undermine the ad campaigns that glorify these activities.  His illustrations really drove the humor to a new level that I think would help students to find pleasure in their fact finding.

I appreciated Lane’s effort to jazz up the traditional research paper.  As a teacher, I certainly appreciate it when a student uses humor to add spark to his/her paper.  I did find some difficulties in the eclectic lay organization of the book, which made it a little less teacher friendly.  The majority of activities also seemed targeted toward shorter research assignments rather than a detailed, research paper.  However, I am drawn to Lane’s enthusiasm and his obvious passion to make writing an enjoyable activity for kids rather than a torturous one.

The River Snake

The River Snake
by Deborah Handman

What I remember the most about my childhood is a sense of freedom.  I’m sure my parents loved us and must have been watching over us, but all of my memories are of my brother, sister, and I climbing over jagged rocks, jumping over tea bushes, and getting into trouble.  Broken bones and injured limbs aside, we have all grown now into almost normal adults.

   

Writing Down the Bones

Writing Down the Bones

Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones was one of the most useful and inspiring books I have ever read on the topic of writing.  A part of me has always viewed writing as an academic process, but Goldberg soon cures you of this notion.  For Goldberg writing is an internal and meditative process.  Writing is as ordinary as breathing, but also as vital.  Goldberg says, “When we know the name of something, it brings us closer to the ground.  It takes the blur out of our mind; it connects us to the earth.”  Writing is not academic, but physical because it ties us to the physical world.  If the process is truly meditative, it takes you out of yourself or “the ego” and forces you to acknowledge your humanity and your connection to others.

Catfight

Catfight
by Deborah Handman

We were mission school kids.One might suspect that we were sweet, angelic, and innocent; we were not.In fact, hardened criminals have nothing over 7th grade girls.The ego of a 12 year old girl is fragile.Cruelty is the most secure and natural reality.We all learned to accept violence in much the same way one might acknowledge a mild change in the weather.After an hour of memorizing Bible verses and learning the importance of remaining abstinent until marriage, we would walk into the halls to our lockers in the ruse of getting textbooks and pencils for our next class, and the tortures would begin. I was no different from the rest.