OWP06

OWP Reflection

“Wow.” If I had to choose one word to describe how this writing workshop has influenced my thoughts about teaching writing, it would probably have to be expansion.  My feelings, my knowledge, my thoughts, my abilities have all been expanded. 

My feelings have grown in the way I believe the workshop intends for us to have our students grow in their feelings about writing.  I am more confident that I am capable of writing something others would want to read.  The positive feedback of our revising and editing groups has made this a reality.  My students will have the same chance in their revising and editing groups. 

Prior to my Oregon Writing Project experience, I did not give much thought to the importance of turning students on to writing.  My priorities were state assessment scores and students having the ability to communicate clearly.  Ability is not enough.  Now I also want to be sure my focus is on making writing fun and enjoyable. Revisions are just expansions to make  the written communication what it is…the reader being able to picture what the writer is seeing in their mind. 

My knowledge has grown from the teacher presentations.  There is nothing like in-the-field experts sharing their success stories.  A breathe of knowledge has been exposed!  My mind is spinning with the possible alterations and applications that exist. 

My thoughts, as you can see, have been somewhat altered by OWP06.  A teacher needs to be concerned about how a student reacts to writing.  The student needs to experience the highest rate of exposure to successful writing that is possible.  This success will bring about more interest and motivation in becoming a better writer.  Intrinsic need is the best kind of motivation there is.  Each student has  a different background and different reasons for needing to become a better writer - reasons the student may not realize.  Making writing fun and enjoyable allows the student to feel their innate instinct to want to feel proud of better communication skills. 

My ability to teach and write has and will continue to expand.  Each time I write, I extend my own writing capacity.  Feedback from others facilitates this occurrence.  For future reference, I have the OWP website to lean on forever.  “OWP by the Sea” will allow future growth also.  What is essential is that I will now be a member of an elite group – OWP alumni – a group that wants to increase our world’s ability to communicate clearly and effectively with one another. 

Writing is not the big omen I sometimes visualized it to be, prior to the workshop.  I now realize it really is possible to teach writing in a fun manner.  None of the instruction has to be just tedious drill.  There are many approaches out there to use.  Incorporating these will increase my student’s enthusiasm and confidence about writing.  Out of this will grow a natural increase in their skills and interests for writing.  State scores will still increase - just not in such a painful manner!

Book Review – After the End

Author: Barry Lane
Review: Glenda Zimmer

After reading the first fifty pages, I returned the book to the OWP shelf, went out, and purchased it!  The book contains practical ways to get students to expand their writing, even when they think they have nothing more they can do to their writing.  I do not know how many times I have heard, “But why do I need to write a final copy.  My first writing is perfect.  I do not need to do anything more to it.” 

In the first fifty pages, I came up with at least two ideas that I will definitely put into place in my classroom this fall.  After skimming the remainder to see if it was just as good, I quickly decided this book was worth keeping.  Now after reading the remainder of the book, I feel as though I could set up my curriculum for the year following Barry Lane’s advice.  Students can write more “after the end”. 

My favorite idea from the book is to have response groups listen to the student read their writing, then ask the writer questions to increase their understanding of what the writer wants the reader to picture.  This helps the writer see the weak areas of their writing from a reader’s point of view without the teacher having to point it out. 

The Uninvited Guest

By Glenda Zimmer

There was a misty haze in the air. The full moon showed overhead. The air had a chill. No one was on the desolate road. How many miles had he walked without seeing any signs of life? Next time he will be sure to start off with a full tank of gas. How could he have gotten himself in such a predicament?

Up ahead this now desperate man could see the outline of what appeared to be a building…a house perhaps. His veins were filled with excitement. As he worked his way nearer, the outline became clearer. It was a house. Hopefully someone was home and could help him.  

However, it seemed to be a vacant house. Getting close, he began to feel braver. Looking through the windows, the view gave the impression the house was abandoned. What now? He couldn’t stay outside all night in this kind of weather.

With great courage, he stretched his hand slowly out and grasped the door handle. It turned with ease. Upon opening the door, a dusty, yet lived-in home, lay before his eyes. It was as if a family had just left one day, weeks ago. Anxious, he entered. At least this would be shelter for the night. The idea of staying exposed to the elements was not inviting at all.

As the night wore on, he settled in. There were logs, tender and matches by the fireplace. Soon he had a warm blaze glowing in the room.  He found warm, inviting blankets and a soft, fluffy pillow near the couch. Before long, he was cozy and comfortable. The adventures of the night had worn him out. Almost immediately his body drifted off to sleep.  

Abruptly he was awoken by the sounds of footsteps on the pavement outside the window. The steps were headed towards the door. His heart was pounding; he was sure he saw the doorknob turning. Just as he reached for the fire poker for protection, the door began to open.

As the door opened a shocked group of people burst through the door. Almost instantly a tall, slender gentleman and shorter blonde-haired woman stood protectively in front of two young, wide-eyed boys.

“Who are you?” the still startled couple demanded. “And why are you in OUR home?”

Distressed and trying to recover from his interrupted sleep, he managed to express a sincere apology. Still dazed and stammering, he explained his presence. After a few exchanges, both parties began to relax and trust each other’s presence.

“I guess we left the door unlocked when we left a few weeks ago in such a rush. We were in such a hurry to get to my wife’s mothers that we did not even double check the door. Her mom had had a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital. We just threw everything into the car and left.  I cannot believe we left it unlocked - lucky for you though, I guess. There is no one in the area for about twenty miles. We are out in the middle of nowhere,” the tall, slender guy reflected, trying to make sense of the puzzlement in his mind. 

The uninvited guest felt grateful when his startled hosts extended their home to him for the remainder of the evening. In the morning, he received a ride to town for gas then continued on his previous journey. A night he would not soon forget!

Web Review: Correct Grammar Site

By Glenda Zimmer

I have found the internet site http://www.webgrammar.com/grammartips.html to be helpful in answering those uncertain grammar questions we run into during the teaching day. Some examples are: the difference between using i.e. and e.g., when to use ‘to’ and when to use ‘with’, and how to diagram sentences.  

Many times there are links to other useful sites embedded in this site. For example, the diagramming sentences section refers you on to three handy sites.

Book Review: Writers Express

Text written and compiled by Dave Kemper, Ruth Nathan, and Patrick Sebranek
Review by Glenda Zimmer

This book has it all.  If you are looking for a handy secondary level reference to give you fairly detailed information on almost any language arts skill, this is the book.  It covers everything from planning a portfolio of writing, to selecting a topic to write about, to modeling master writers.  In-depth coverage is used for all the steps of writing.  The terms, such as metaphors, similes, and sarcasm find themselves defined with easily understood examples.  The book even covers how to write a play, how to effectively use an encyclopedia, how to give a speech and ways to build your vocabulary, amongst other topics.

I found the layout of the book to be easy to use.  There are colorful graphics, sketches and pictures to motivate young writers to want to use it.  The table of contents and index are user friendly, using color-coding heavily throughout the book. 

As if the first three hundred pages are not enough, the last one hundred and fifty or so pages are a detailed almanac with a wealth of information covering map skills, math knowledge, conversion charts, and more.  This book would definitely be a handy tool for every teacher’s classroom.  I am adding it to mine. 

Book Review: Write Source 2000

Written and Compiled by Patrick Sebranek, Verne Meyer and Dave Kemper

Review by Glenda Zimmer

This book could actually be used as a textbook in a high school level language arts course.  The colorful layout help make it user friendly.  Examples appear throughout the book.  The only draw back I see is the small print, which could be overwhelming to some students.  There is much to read about in each section.

To start the book, the process of writing is exposed, and then forms of writing are covered.  Just about every tool for writing is included in this in-depth book.  At the back, there is even a handy almanac for other subject areas. 

I think what I appreciated most about this book, was the amount of examples and clear explanations given.  Students would not just pick this book up and read it cover to cover, but used in a classroom setting it would be an effective textbook to read and discuss in class.  Students would find the reference sections extremely handy to refer back to for help in the different stages of writing. 

Sixth Grade Tug of War

By Glenda Zimmer

Sixth grade is a time when you are trying to stretch and become more confident and grown up, yet you want to hold on to your childhood innocence at times too!  My sixth grade experience was no exception.  There were many times I found myself feeling like I was in a rope-pulling contest - pulled into trying new things only to then tug back, not wanting anything new in my life at all.

I was a top dog now in a school that exclusively contained fifth and sixth graders.  We actually felt privileged and grown up.  We got bused fifteen miles out into the country to gain independence and self-assurance.  Unknown to us though, we were self-contained to avoid the negative influences we might share with the younger students.

My first shock was to find out my homeroom teacher was also the principal of the school.  Boy was I scared to have a principal for my teacher.  He seemed nice, but….the principal….no one wanted to have a principal for a teacher.  Over the year, through his guidance and wisdom, I learned a lot about being me.  I now think of him as my favorite and most influential teacher of all times.

Ah, yes, the sixth grade year.  Friendships formed that year.  Vicki and I had homeroom together.  Early on, we clung to each other’s friendship because we had so much in common; we were always the last picks for teams!  As our friendship bonded, Lesa (also in our room and one of the last picks) found her way into our ring, further expanding my group of friends.  Cathi was our sworn enemy.  Through the heaves and hoes of the pre-teen years, and the help of our wise teacher, she finally made it into our circle of friends and cemented what was to be our solid high school crowd.

Finally, I had made it to the last day of sixth grade - Field Day.  I remember some of the events of the day clearly.  Classrooms were competing against each other in baseball games.  My class had made it to the final game.  Knowing I was absolutely awful at sports, my classmates stuck me as far out in outfield as a team member can be placed.  Unaware of the rules and goals of the game, I basically stood there and just watched the others play.  Occasionally I faked an attempt at catching the ball.

It was the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs, their team up to bat.  We were ahead by one run.  (But I had NO IDEA what all of this meant!)  The batter hit the ball with a loud crack.  I remember it arching high into the air. There was a horrified silence as everyone, including me, realized it was heading straight in my direction.  Suddenly everyone was yelling at me to put my hands up to catch it.  Still dazed, I raised my unmitted hands without having a clue of what I was doing.  The next thing I knew, I was clutching the ball in my still stinging hands and being hoisted up onto the shoulders of my classmates, surrounded by shouts of joy.  We had won the championship!  Moreover, I had survived the pushes and shoves of being a sixth grader - whew!

Book Review: 51 Wacky We-Search Reports

Author: Barry Lane

Review by: Glenda Zimmer

This book is not what I thought it would be - fifty-one ideas for new twists to spice up report writing.  In fact, had I not continually forced myself to keep delving into what the purpose was that Barry Lane had for writing this book, I would have walked away feeling extremely disappointed.  I do not now have fifty-one report ideas, but I do have a bit of clue of what I think Barry Lane was trying to get across to his readers. 

In the first thirty pages, I feel he covers the crux of what he is trying to stretch teacher's to keep in mind while teaching writing.  The rest of the book seems to just give ways to carry out such an endeavor.  Admittedly, I found myself skimming through the pages after the first couple of chapters, finding a few neat suggested activities here and there that can be changed up fairly easily for different ages.

It seems that Lane would love to see writers and teachers develop a sense of humor in writing and make writing more enjoyable.  The ten tips for using humor in chapter two are well worth exploring and keeping in mind.  In fact, I plan to illustrated a few of these on bulletin boards this year in my high school resource room.  Getting students to stretch into this form of writing can really be motivating to some reluctant writers - sometimes they have a natural sense of humor, but they are not sure of how to go about using it.  Lane gives some straight forward suggestions to make this happen. 

Overall, I probably will not use much of the information given in this book; however, the use of humor with writing styles is an important one to explore further!  Mr. Lane is correct is reminding us to have fun with writing! 

The Phone Call

By Glenda Zimmer

My daughter took the call from my sister while I was out taking care of last minute details for our Memorial weekend getaway. “It’s important that you have your mom call me back as soon as she gets home, but do not have her call now….tell her to call as soon as she gets home.”  She called me on my cell phone to relay the message and said, “It sounded important, but you are not to call until you get home.”

Nothing prepared me for the news I was to receive.  My mother had been in a one-car accident.  No one else was injured…she did not survive…she died instantly…”

No, how could this be…she was to arrive in my home in three weeks…I had just confirmed the tickets…we were going to invite her to move up here…this just can not be true.   The thoughts flew quickly through my mind.  My eleven- and thirteen-year-old daughter and son were watching every move I was making and listening intently.  I quickly got off the phone as the three of us collapsed on the couch shaken and crying as I disclosed the details of their grandmother’s death. 

Amazingly, details quickly fell into place.  With the support and strength of our husbands and children, my sister and I were fully able to coordinate the family and friends notifications and funeral details completely by phone.  You see, my mom had been living near my sister in Texas, I had just moved to Oregon, and Mom had always told us she wanted to have her body rest in Iowa, next to her two children that had passed away as infants. 

It is surprising how many specific instructions our mother had given us over the years preparing us for her death.  We just did not realize it at the time.  Just that past year, she had given me a copy of her will and information on her life insurance policies.  The week prior to her premature death, she had for some reason paid up all of her rent and utilities for the month.  Other details just seem to fit in perfectly. 

Many of the events and intertwining stories surrounding my mother’s death have led us to know that it was simply God’s will and that His hand was guarding over the entire situation.  I will attempt to share some of the more significant ones, just to give you an idea of what led us to this conclusion. 

Construction workers witnessed her driving erratically a ways back from the scene of the accident.  They said she looked confused.  They tried to stop her and get her help, but it just was not possible.  Mom then evidently pulled into a parking lot not being sure of where she was.  She got out and got back into her car, not putting her seat belt back on, which is so unlike her - she ALWAYS wore her seat belt.  Mom then pulled out from the parking lot behind a young girl who was pulling out of the high school parking lot. Mom sped up to 65 mph in a very short distance (we believe her diabetes finally caught up with her and that she was having a heart attack or stroke causing her foot to freeze down on the foot feed).  She managed to somehow pull out around the girl, pass her, and not hit any oncoming cars.  When she pulled back in she overcompensated and went off the side of the road, causing the car to go down into the ditch and hit a culvert, be tossed into the air, hit a telephone pole, fly forward (ejecting Mom), and take out 40 feet of fencing.  Miraculously, no one else was hurt or involved in the accident.  Mom died instantly when her car hit the telephone pole.  She was in a state of confusion at the time of the accident, so she most likely never knew what happened. 

Mom’s younger sister, was eating at a restaurant in Jefferson, Iowa, (our hometown) with her friend at the time that we were trying to get in touch with her to tell the news of Mom’s death.  She unexpectedly thought about and commented to her friend that she wondered where my mom would want her burial site to be, since her two children rested in Jefferson.  Would it be in Jefferson or down in Texas?  Later, when her daughter reached her to let her know Mom had died in a single car accident at approximately 1 p.m., she could not believe she had just been wondering about her burial requests. It amazes me still the way God prepares and buffers us for shocking news and disturbing events. 

The event accomplished many feats.  The young girl, a senior in high school getting ready to graduate in a few weeks, was the witness to the accident.  The firefighter that arrived on the scene was her father.  Her parents had been divorced for a few years, and the father/daughter relationship had suffered.  They had not spoken or seen each other in a few years.  The father came over to the daughter as he always does to witnesses to be sure they are all right.  After confirming she was fine, he went back to the scene, unaware that he had just spoken to his daughter.  One of his co-workers at the scene came up to him and asked him if that was not his daughter.  He was understandably overwhelmed. To make a long story short, the father and daughter then spoke at length, he came by afterwards to see her, and attended her graduation.  After many nights of restless sleep due to witnessing the tragic accident, the girl told her mom, “Mom, maybe God took the girls’ mom away, to give me my dad back.”  The two are still in contact.

If this is not enough, when my sister went in to deal with Mom’s finances, the banker that handled Mom’s accounts was the mother of the boyfriend of the girl who witnessed the accident. She and my sister were able to exchange the above information, and my sister was able to offer our sincere support, and let her know we hope all is well with the upcoming graduate. 

In addition, Croley Funeral Home that serviced the scene of the accident just happened to be the one that had its own jet plane that could fly Mom’s body directly into Jefferson, Iowa’s airport and into the hands of staff from Slininger Funeral Home. Though perhaps a small detail, it was of huge comfort for us at the time to know that the transfer would be such a smooth and guarded one.

Once back in Jefferson, no longer knowing the Methodist minister or if the church and minister were available, we followed the funeral home staff’s suggestion.  The current female Methodist minister was highly recommended.  She turned out to be perfectly suited for the job.  She collected information from us in less than two hours, and she assured us that she would go home and pray about how to give the service and what to say. God guided her words perfectly. She did an absolutely terrific job of talking to the six grandchildren twice before and once after the service.  She also talked to the adults, including our Dad and stepmother to be SURE we were ALL in the healing process. You see, my mom’s life had been one of much turmoil; however, the minister handled it all with a grace only definable as divine in its origin. I have never witnessed a more beautiful and fitting funeral service.