Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

Our first day began with a fantastic feast of sausage biscuits, biscotti, margarita fruit bowl, sparkling grape juice and much more provided by the smooth-talking, water-writing Jevette Page. Thank you, Jevette for starting us off on the right foot and with full tummies.

John led us into the day by introducing himself through the artifacts he brought for his writing space including, but not limited to, a picture of his wife and daughter encased in a frame with the words “Good Dog” written across its dog bowl base (he made up some excuse that had to do with fearing that a nicer frame might break), a key to his honey moon suite, and a martini glass. We went around the table and provided interesting facts about ourselves to get to know one another. Here’s what we learned: I have ice cream for breakfast in bed with Ruthie every morning, Lori Johnson grew up a few miles from Helen Keller’s birthplace, Yvonne has been known to party with the Righteous Brothers, Jevette is a boy scout troup leader, Ivy has two beautiful grandchildren (Blue and Duchess: her daughter’s pit bulls), Amy caught a 60-pound halibut while vacationing in Alaska this summer, Jennifer soloed an airplane before she got her driver’s license, Lori built her own house, Vicki married her cousin’s high school sweetheart, Robbi loves crime shows and stories, Holly shared a story about how she and her husband met (think: the Family Stone), Michael led the 2007 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and Alyson’s favorite food is halibut. Jerry wasn’t around to share his interesting fact although we did see him frolicking about with a new lady friend.

We began our first morning of writing with an opening by John. He read a passage from Zig–Zag by Tom Ramano where he describes the first feeling he had of being a writer. John invited us to write about the first time we felt like a writer. Thank you, John, for reminding us that each of us has a writer within that we need to nurture with time to write.

Since we got a bit of a late start on morning writing, the Teacher Inquiry Workshop start-up was cut short, so we picked back up with it after lunch. As everyone worked to put together their essential questions and lesson design charts, the air was filled with a singular energy that can only be described as kinetic and that is unique to the buzzing of teacher inquiry. 

The day ended with reading workshop. We were blessed with a closing that brought our day full circle with the sharing of writing by Yvonne and Lori, two beautiful and talented writers. Thank you, Yvonne, for capturing the spirit of the day with your writing. And thank you, Lori, for sharing with us the beginning of a story about a house, a life, and the “safe times” that keep us sane and happy. 

We are looking forward to a wonderful, thoughtful, writing-filled summer! 

An Elk a Day Keeps the Editors at Bay

Hello Sun Belt Friends!

I’m writing you from the NWP Professional Writing Retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  In an unexpected twist of fate (or perhaps a simple clerical error), I was asked to be one of the facilitators of this year’s retreat, and unless I get fired (and, of course, I’m minding my P’s and Q’s, but yes, I’ll probably get fired for spending too much time soaking in the hot tub and not enough time writing), this is a four-year position until I’m rotated off and the next lucky little son of a gun gets to fill my small little shoes.

(Mornin,’ ya’ll.)

“How does this concern me, John?” you ask.  Well, that’s a rude question, first of all, and you’re not making your momma proud by being so cantankerous.  Anyway, I just want to share some of my enthusiasm for the writing retreat while I’m here in the moment, in the hopes that some of you might be interested in applying next year. 

(Scenery that inspires masterpieces, like this blog post.)

I should mention that I attended the retreat as a participant in 2001.  (I have Alyson to thank for twisting my arm and encouraging me to apply, and for writing a totally undeserved letter of support.)   It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but also one of the most rewarding.  First of all, I feel uncontrollably drawn to the desert, so I have a personal connection to this portion of the country.  If I had to choose an ideal place to write, it would be here.  We’re curently experiencing the most ferocious thunderstorm I’ve seen in my 38 years, and I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.  The retreat takes place about 12 miles south of Santa Fe in a retreat center that is absolutely perfect for combatting writer’s block.  (Check it out at www.sunrisesprings.com.)

There are two concurrent retreats.  Retreat “A” is for those writers with an idea for a piece of writing or the beginnings of a piece.  Retreat “B” is for those writers with completed articles, chapters, or books looking for final editing help.  At the retreat, participants have time to write, share in response groups, work closely with facilitators (that’s me!), and get the invaluable assistance from a professional editor (as well as some editors from the NWP office.)  In 2001, Art Peterson was the editor I had the pleasure of working with, and I’ve never learned so much from a writing coach as I learned from him in our two short meetings.  This year, the guest editor is Todd Goodson, editor of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and author of a well-read editorial that you might recognize: “Teaching in the Time of Dogs.”  He’s brilliant.

(The retreat center.  Zen, baby!)

Of course, there’s also time for swimming, eating, wallowing in the hot tub, and enjoying this incredbile piece of real estate.  In the last 24 hours, I’ve edited a piece on teacher inquiry, written a piece about why I love NCLB (don’t ask), eaten elk for dinner (really!), went for a swim (my muscles glistening in the New Mexico sun), read a poem at an Open Mic, watched a colony of ants in a scene reminiscent of Thoreau’s Walden (but Walden wasn’t feeding the ants tortillas as I was), consumed gallons of water to combat the effects of the altitude and dry air, and awoke to temperatures of 52 degrees in June.  Participants are kept busy from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm, but it’s that kind of wonderful exhaustion that makes you feel like you’re doing a good thing and will be rewarded in heaven (or in the English Journal when you get published).

(I’m tasty and nutritious!)

Sounds fun, eh?

In case you’re interesting in participating, I’ll be sure to post an announcement to the Sun Belt listserve when applications are available for the 2009 retreats.  You’ll need to propose an idea for a piece of writing that’s professional in nature, which generally takes one of the following forms:

     * Writing about school reform
     * Writing about school practice
     * Writing about professional concerns

The application process is highly competitive, so if you need help getting your application in order, ask me or another trusted TC for help.  (Of course, it probably helps that I’m on the committee that reviews the applications and selects the participants, so if you slip me a 20, I can definitely get you in.)  Alyson will also need to write a letter of support, but Alyson is — of course — incredibly supportive.

Well, I’m off to dinner.  I wonder what they’re serving up tonight.  Lizard burgers? 

I can’t wait to see everyone on Monday morning.

John

 

Posting a Post, a Comment

The blogs have been quite busy in the past 48 hours. Hoorah! Given the recent rise in traffic, I wanted to explain a few things about blogging that I probably should have demonstrated during Boot Camp. Here are some tips and explanations of the main features of a blog:

First, there is the POSTING. Here’s how you do it.

1. Log in to your account through http://wordpress.com
2. Once you’ve logged in, you should see the name(s) of the blog(s) that you can POST to.
3. Click on the name of the blog that you want to post to.
4. This will take you to the blog’s “dashboard.” (This is the behind-the-scenes version of your blog where you can find out how many people have visited your blog, change the design of the blog, POST to the blog, or manage comments.)
5. Once you’re in the dashboard, you will see the word “Write” underneath the title of your blog. Click on that and it will take you directly to the place where you can write and edit a POST.
6. You’ll want to give you post a title (in the “Title” box).
7. The big box below the “Title” box is where you post.
8. Once you’ve typed your post, you have to click on the button that says “Publish” in order for the post to show up on the blog. (This button is in the gray box to the right of the box where you typed your post.)

If you want to assign a category to your post, you can do so by following these steps:

1. While you’re posting, you can scroll down the page until you see the word “Categories.”
2. Click the box(es) for the categorie(s) that apply to your post. If there aren’t any that apply to your post, simply click “Add New Category” and type in the category you want to use. 

Let’s say that once you’ve written your post and published it, you read over and find *GASP* an error! No problem. Here’s what you do:

1. If you are in the “dashboard” section, you can push the button that says “visit site” to see your blog the way visitors to your blog see it. (This button is located at the top of the page right after the title of your blog in “dashboard.”
2. Your post will have the word “edit” in small letters usually under the title of the post. 
3. Click on “edit” and it will take you to the same page where you wrote the post in the first place so you can make the changes you want to make.

**Please don’t edit other people’s posts.**

Now let’s talk about COMMENTS. Most of you who have posted already have posted a COMMENT to a POST. This can be done by clicking on the word “Comment” at the bottom of a post. Comments are less formal than posts. They are usually shorter responses to what a person has said in a post. I think it would be helpful if we followed these guidelines for POSTING and COMMENTING:

When to POST:

• When you’re writing about your book.
• When you want to say something that’s related to your book group but not exactly in response to what someone else wrote. 
• When you find a cool link and want to explain why you liked it and why your group might be interested in it.

When to COMMENT: 

• When you’re responding to a post. An example: “Wow, John! I’m really looking forward to hearing more about how you use this book to inform your teaching style.” or “Wow, John. I had no idea you were thinking of going into the porn industry.” or, simply: “Wow, John! Well said.” 
• When you want to ask the person a clarifying question about the post. An example: “What does the author say about teaching grammar?”
• When someone has commented on your post and you want to acknowledge that you’ve read their comment and thought about it (a common courtesy in blogging). An example: “Hey, Jevette! Thank you for your input… I hadn’t thought of that before.” or, “Jevette, you’re comment has given me a new focus for my reading. Thank you.” or “I’m not sure. I’ll have to look into that… Thanks for pointing it out!”

If you’re wondering if what you have to say should be in a post or a comment, go ahead and write it as a post. Posts are easier to navigate and they are easier to read. You can’t see comments unless you click on the post’s title.

Whew! I hope this is helpful for you guys. If you have questions, please write your questions as a COMMENT to this post rather than emailing me so that we can all benefit from your questions. Also, if you have anything to add, please write that as a comment to this post as well.

And now, a comic that will make everyone feel comfortable with his or her own technological skills:

I was disappointed to find that most comics regarding people who are “technoglogically challenged” depicted women, but this one actually made me laugh out loud since I have certainly been this woman before! We are all learning about this together… I am relatively new to blogging as well. Most of the time, I spend an hour or two tinkering on wordpress.com before I can come up with an answer to a question about it. I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please, if you have any information that might be helpful to us all, do share!

 

Synchronize your watches

Last weekend, I spent several hours gingerly turning the pages of photo albums that my Nana maintained throughout her life. The ones that fascinated me the most were those that captured the childhoods of my mother and my beloved Aunt Sue. The picture that seems to have burned itself into my memory is the one that depicts two young girls, elbows propped up over the side of the public swimming pool, squinting into the sun, their hair swept back into thick bathing caps each adorned with a single flower that looms over one ear, threatening to throw off their center of gravity. This picture is proceeded by another that reveals only two pairs of legs kicking over the surface of the water. My mother later explained to me that she and Aunt Sue were prone to engaging in synchronized swimming attempts during their trips to the local pool. 

To be honest, synchronized swimming has always stirred up quite a bit of confusion in my mind. For one, Ihave never understood how they manage to keep their make-up on during such performances. Overall, I would have to say that I am generally baffled by what it is that motivates synchronized swimmers to become synchronized swimmers in the first place. However, the thing that blows my mind completely out of the water is their ability to be synchronized. Just imagine: one errant leg or arm throws off the entire performance. Don’t even get me started on all of the work that’s happening under the water so that the performance appears effortless to us, the ignorant and wowed audience. The point is this: Synchronized swimming is about working together. 

This notion of togetherness is central to the Summer Institute experience. The Writing Project is about recognizing the hard work of fellow educators that is often concealed behind seemingly “effortless” performances. It is about lifting each other up spiritually, emotionally, and academically so that we can all move forward together. We are a learning community with a wide range of singular experiences, perspectives, and working knowledges to pull from as we work toward enriching our own writing lives, our teaching lives, and, by extension, the writing lives of the students we teach. The synchronization of our talents, ideas, and perspectives can only result in an elegant and graceful success. 

The sharing of those talents, ideas, and perspectives begins with the book groups. Fortunately, we have but two weeks before we meet again! We also have some reading and writing to do before we come together on June 23. 

First, try to get with your group members to choose a name that suits your group. Sun Belt Book Group 1, 2 and 3 is rather boring. Your name might some from a conversation or online exchange that you have, a favorite quote about reading, or you might simply name the group for a mascot that you feel represents some desirable quality that is important to your group. Once you get your name squared away, start making these blogs your own. As a contributor, you have the power to change the design of your blog, change your blog’s name, or even…

              wait for it…

                               wait for it…

                                               POST something brilliant of your own!! 

I can’t wait to read about the books that you are reading together. You are a truly dynamic group of educators with many experiences, perspectives, and ideas to contribute to our learning community. So c’mon and take a dip in the blogging pool… the water is delicious!

As always, please contact me if you have any problems posting. I am more than happy to help.