Let's get to know each other!
This is the place to enter your weekly journal writings. Aim for at least two posting each week and do not be afraid to play around with style, genres and plain old musings. You may also respond to others who post.My first prompt or suggestion is for you to introduce yourself to the rest of the class by adding a comment to this post. Include your name as the title to your introduction. I have started by posting a biography about myself.
If you have not done so, remember to join the class as a follower, post a picture and include a short statement in your own profile. You can view my profile as a sample.
As a thirty plus year English teacher, I enjoy both writing and the teaching of writing. I am a graduate of Colorado State University (BA) and Middlebury College, Oxford (MA.).My teaching career began in my home state of Colorado where I taught Head Start and elementary school. Most of my Alaskan years were spent at Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School. I taught a wide range of literature courses, drama, journalism, media and college-prep English, as well as the required classes for 7-12.
ReplyDeleteFor the past ten years, I have taught freshman English classes at the University of Alaska, Mat-Su Campus and facilitated classes and workshops chiefly through the Alaska State Writing Consortium (ASWC). I strongly believe writing is key to all academic success. I have been teaching classes online for UAA and ASWC since 2004.
One of the first things the careful reader may note is that my name can be spelled two ways! The correct pronunciation is "Sondra" but the official spelling is "Sandra" so you see the problem. I alternate spellings.
My home is Trapper Creek where I live in a log house with my husband and faithful border collie, Moss. We have a small farm where we have raised kids, pigs, chickens, rabbits and produce. This year we have scaled back and have only a small garden. I am writing this, however, on the sunny porch of a small place in Arizona where we escape for a few months each winter while I continue teaching online. I am starting to feel like this place is home as well.
The reason I have included a bird on the post is because my husband David and I are avid birders. We love to travel and most of our trips have include being in the countryside looking for exotic birds. I am fascinated by birds and have been bird watching on six continents. I also indulge in amateur photograpy so you will have to suffer through pictures from my travels on the class site.
I hope you are looking forward to our online adventure in writing as much as I am. Do not hesitate to email me with any questions as the class gets underway.
I have been teaching for 12 years, 11 of them in Alaska. I started my teaching career in Teneha, Texas, a tiny K-12 school in East Texas. I was fortunate enought to teach at that great little school the same year they won the State Football Championship. The whole town emptied out every Friday night as we followed the boys around the region and on to Dallas for the state championship game. I know I don't have to tell y'all what a big deal that was!
ReplyDeleteMy husband Chris and I moved to Nikiski 11 years ago. I teach Language Arts 11, Advanced Placement English, yearbook and assorted writing electives. Nikiski is a great school and I feel lucky to be a part of this staff.
We have two kids, Kincaid, 3, and Rainy, 1.
We run the Triumvirate Theatre in Soldotna, a 90-seat non-profit community theatre, which keeps us busy and creative. I direct and write plays as well.
I love literature and sharing that enthusiasm with kids. I look forward to lots of good discussions with all of you, my respected collegues.
Hi everyone! My name is Meghan Redmond. I am in my 4th year of teaching. My first 3 years, I spent teaching 3rd grade in Baldwin, Wisconsin. (YAY Packers!!!) This year, my husband Andy, my Golden Retriever Ash, and I made a big move to Twin Hills, Alaska. Twin Hills is located right on Bristol Bay, a 45 minute plane ride to the west of Dillingham. Twin Hills is a town of only 80 people. We have a post office and a clinic, and that is about it! In moving to Twin Hills, I cut my commute time from 45 minutes on an interstate to 10 seconds on a set of stairs. Our apartment here is in the second floor of the school!
ReplyDeleteIn Twin Hills, I am the only middle school teacher. This year, I have 3 6th graders and 3 8th graders. In addition to teaching all subjects to the middle school students, I am also teaching music to the whole school. One of my big writing projects this year with my middle school students is keeping penpals in Wisconsin.
My husband has been keeping busy subbing and doing maintenance for the school. We love to go fishing and hunting, so this place has been a dream for us! I also love to crochet, cross-stitch, and read with what free time I can find!
PS...My Golden Retriever Ash, joined me on our phone conference today, and he enjoyed meeting everyone!
Hi, I'm BC Kindred and I teach kindergarten at Eagle River Elementary. I have worked at Eagle River for about 18 years. I started as a crossing guard/noon duty and soon picked up hours as a classroom aide. For many years I worked half time in the office and half time as a special ed aide until (in their infinite wisdom) the union decided there could be no aides less than 5 hours per day. This well intentioned contract language was to be sure that all aides would get benefits but since I already got benefits because of the double jobs all it did for me was to cut my pay roughly in half. I had already been working nights as a swim instructor/lifeguard so I decided it was time to try to complete my college degree and get my teaching certificate.
ReplyDeleteI took classes at UAA until it became apparent that I would have to quit work in the daytime in order to finish my degree. My principal at that time passed on information she had gotten about Western Governor's University which is an on line institute geared especially for people in the Western States who live too far from a university to attend in person. It worked well for me and I was able to complete my degree, take a semester to do my student teaching, and then got hired back on mid-year at Eagle River Elementary.
I have worked with all grade levels pre-K through 6 as an aide and have taught 1/2 combination classes and kindergarten since completing my degree. This is my 4th year in kindergarten and I love their eagerness and energy!
My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary this June and we have four grown children and two grandchildren. I am an avid hiker and runner and am on a quest to complete a marathon in all 50 states. I did my first marathon at 44 and have finished 13 states to date.
My name is Brielle Good and I'm from the southwest corner of Wisconsin. We moved to New Stuyahok, a small village of about 400 on the Nushagak River, in July. My husband and I previously lived about 10 minutes outside of Des Moines for three years where I taught 1/2 time regular ed science classes and had basically a full-time roster for high school special education. My husband then and now works for Principal Financial group; only now he does it from home in our little two bedroom apartment. Prior to that I taught preschool in Madision, WI, for a year, realizing that my talents would be used best if working with children that can rationalize that it's not okay to make boats out of your shoes in the bathroom sink. Yes, that really happened.
ReplyDeleteI have a K-6 elementary education degree from Loras College, Dubuque, IA, and a 5-12 Instructional Strategist II (Mild/Moderate Sped) certificate from Upper Iowa University, Des Moines. I am currently a 6-12 special educator, teaching two sections of language arts (MS/HS), and two sections of math (MS). The rest of my day is spent supporting students and staff in the general education setting.
We have two adorable puppies: Daisy, an anti-social Terrier/Schnauzer mix that my husband adopted from the Animal Rescue League before we met; and Huxley, a four-month-old, six-toed Dachsund/Husky/Chihuahua mutt, that we fell in love with when we met him out here in the village. When they're not keeping us busy, we spend our time keeping up with coursework from the various online classes we're taking. After that, we usually have an hour or two in the evenings that we enjoy communicating with loved ones from home, cross-country skiing, or sharing conversation and movies with the neighbors.
I'm looking forward to gaining some instructional insight as to how I can better serve my students on the writing front. It's safe to say that reading and writing are huge areas of need for not only the sped population with which I work, but the student body as a whole. I've always been a writer and enjoy communicating with others this way, so I find myself struggling to find ways to motivate the reluctant writer to write, and even more so, make the reluctant writer revise what they've written so it makes sense. Many of our students are ELL, primarily speaking Yup'ik or "Village English," which is comprised of choppy, subject-verb-subject structure. Because of this, reading through their writing makes complete sense to them, making revisions difficult for them to identify and correct. I'm excited to hear from all of the teachers that are familiar with working with ELL students to see how they remedy similar situations.
Hi classmates,
ReplyDeleteI first came to Alaska in 1968 to teach swimming in Kenai Lake, and Bethel. I fell in love with the frontier state that we were at that time and have had a wonderful life full of adventures and various careers. I have been a cartographer (Anch), geographic researcher (Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada), historical researcher (Fairbanks and Anchorage), business owner (#1. Fur North - fur clothing for 9 stores around Alaska) and (#2. Brown Bear Products – Art publishing) and more.
I have two children. Erik David Behnke (33 years) is a successful artist with Down’s Syndrome and autism. We live together in Homer and our home is also his studio and the art publishing business. My other son, Christopher Behnke (28), is a student in Fairbanks and is in his senior year at UAF. He hopes to immediately start his masters program once he finishes his bachelor’s degree. He has also found school to be very challenging because he is a moderately hearing impaired. He fakes it good and most people are unaware that he understands only what he reads on their lips. For some reason, he hears enough music to play uilleann pipes and guitar wonderfully in traditional Irish bands around Alaska and the Lower 48.
Besides being an entrepreneur, I have been a teacher for 12 years at Homer High School. I teach intensive needs class of students (ages 14-21) that range from preschool to 5th grade academically plus I teach one Fashion and Design practical arts class which is my eye opening exposure to the other regular ed. students at our beautiful school.
Before Ho Hi, I taught at St. Mary’s School (7-12), Kaltag School (5-10), South Naknek School (K-5), Dillingham Elementary (2nd grade & Physical Education), Kenny Lake School (Preschool-12+ special education and PE) and finally Homer High (Intensive needs sped, Adaptive PE and now also Fashion and Design).
As far as writing goes, I love to write, but I will probably always need a good editor.
Also, I noticed that Carla Jenness likes to write plays. I am also interested in writing one. What writing program do you use to write plays?
Sincerely,
Linda Thompson
Linda,
ReplyDeleteGood old Microsoft word suffices for me, especially when most of my scripts are fishing based movie spoofs for our annual theatre dinner show fundraiser! This year? The Magnificent Salmon!
Hey everyone! I’ve been enjoying reading all your introductions! You all sound so interesting; I’d rather be chatting with you at a coffee shop, or having an intellectual discussion in a real classroom. However, this online forum is a worthwhile challenge. It will indeed require us to write! Sometimes I prefer writing to talking, as I can construct my thoughts slowly and methodically, instead of letting my tongue fly off its hinges with enthusiasm. I know I will learn so much from you all, and I look forward to spending time reading your responses (at a coffee shop, perhaps).
ReplyDeleteThis is my first year teaching. It’s been a long and enlightening road to get here! I first knew I must become a teacher when I was in high school, when I became so impassioned by the injustice I read about in books that I felt driven to work to make the young people smarter in order to prevent the seemingly stupid choices made by adults in society. I tutored students with emotional disturbance. I am now a Special Education Teacher, with ED and LD endorsements. While I may have known, deep down, that this is where I was destined to end up, my path did not unfold in a straight line.
I grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Sondra, where are you living?) When I was ten, my family moved to farm-country Minnesota, where my grandparents had retired. I earned my BA in Political Science from the University of MN, after about 6 years of changing majors, exploring jobs, and having adventures. Upon graduation, after working for a non-profit environmental protection lobby group for 4 years throughout college, I moved to San Francisco and became a stiletto-sporting, ruffle-rocking, multi-tasking, master receptionist at a prestigious architecture firm. It was grand. After a year and a half, I longed for work that meant more to my heart, and I missed the seasons, the friendships, the community, and one very special love in Minneapolis. So, I returned. Back, I found that my old friends had made fascinating new friends- a few of which were Special Education Assistants (paraprofessionals). I got the job. I worked for two years in a self-contained high school classroom for students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder, and for two years in a similar program for Kindergartners. It only took a few months before I knew it was my calling. I enrolled in graduate school at Augsburg College in Minneapolis straight away. Spring of last year, I completed my coursework, my licensure, my testing, and my meticulous portfolio. I marched into a job fair and floated out of it with a mesmerizing job offer. A week later, much to the shock of our friends and family, my husband and I decided not to pass up the opportunity for me to be the new 4th and 5th grade Special Education Teacher at Harborview Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska. We drove 3000 miles across Canada with our two extraordinary cat companions. Here we are. We are happy. All is well.
My name is Nicole Rasmussen. I am also from Southwest Wisconsin, right along the Mississippi River. I am a first year teacher, fresh out of college, teaching 4th and 5th grade in Manokotak, AK. Manokotak is a small bush village in Southwest Alaska, I guess I like going to place located in the southwest of a state. I teach pretty much every subject with my students including P.E. I am excited about this class, I think it will really benefit my teaching. I know that my students really struggle with writing and language skills so any help I can get in teaching them some of these skills will be welcomed.
ReplyDeleteMany of my students are ELL and primarily speak Yup'ik in their home lives. I have a wide range of students abilities in my classroom, with students who read at the 1st grade level all the way up to one student who reads at the 5th grade level. I struggle finding quality materials for teaching this range of students and would love some suggestions. Can't wait to get started with this class and I look forward to working with all of you.
I am from Fairbanks, Alaska. I moved there in 1973 with my parents during the crazy times of the Alaska pipeline, and have stayed in Alaska ever since. My husband and I decided to change careers and became teachers five years ago. On our “Tour of Alaska,” we have taught in Nikolai on the Iditarod Trail, Stebbins on the western coast, and currently, Nanwalek in Kachemak Bay. I have loved the opportunity to see so much of this beautiful state. These last five years have brought many adventures into my life: participating in the Iditarod, getting lost in the Alaskan wilderness, canoeing the Kuskokwim River, and Spring camps with the people of Nikolai. I have loved it all. Well, I didn’t love getting lost!
ReplyDeleteWe have five grown children, and five grandchildren. We are having a population explosion in our family—expecting four more grandchildren this year! It’ll be a busy summer.
I homeschooled my children, so it was natural to go into teaching once they were gone. I love teaching writing and am always looking for ways to improve my methods, especially when it comes to reluctant writers and improving the skills of struggling writers.
For my second posting this week, I want to tell you about something that makes Twin Hills unique, aside from only having 80 people and being in the bush of Alaska. :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things you will see if you ever come to Twin Hills is The Gull. The Gull is an old ship, which for Alaska isn't all that special. But rather than seeing The Gull floating in Togiak Bay or Bristol Bay, you would see The Gull 'floating' about a mile inland from Togiak Bay. In the marshy tundra it sits every single day, washed up during an earthquake-caused tsunami.
As The Gull sits and rusts, it is an amazing view for me to see and makes me smile every time I look out my apartment windows. I have taken pictures of it in every season and weather since we arrived in August, and I bet my family back in Wisconsin in bored of seeing it. I, however, appreciate the view every single day.
Hi everyone. This is my first writing class in many years, and I am excited about the on-line aspect of it. I'm also glad I have a neighbor and friend who is also taking the class.
ReplyDeleteI was an 8th grade English teacher (sounds like a movie - "I Was A Teenaged Werewolf!) in Anchorage for 9 years, when I up and moved to Homer about 2 years ago. I taught at Voznesenka (7-12 English) and now am at Razdolna. Both are Russian Old Believer villages 20-something miles east of Homer.
I've learned so much in the past couple of years about the Old Believer culture, and what it's like to teach many subjects and grade levels in a small community. I had the pleasure of setting up the secondary program at Razdolna, as those kids didn't even have a building last year. Most were on a home-school program called "Connections" and some had not exactly kept up with the work.
Now, we have our own building, an outhouse, a wee, tiny library, a laptop cart, and 19 wonderful kids grades 7-12. Bathrooms are almost finished, so soon we'll have indoor plumbing as well.
I love reading the stories of the many and varied lives we live. Looking forward to reading and sharing more throughout this class.
Part I
ReplyDeleteMy name is Suzanne Bishop. I am Lorraine’s daughter, sister to Craig and step-daughter to Richard, who is currently battling colon cancer. I leave on Friday for a week in California to be with my family and, in particular, support my mom. It’s an intriguing time in my life for me to write about myself. For many of us that live in Alaska and are from somewhere else, we seem to struggle between our love for our families and our rejection of their “Outside” lifestyle. Or at least that’s how recent conversations with my friends have led me to believe.
I moved to Alaska in 1993, after ten years in Montana. We’d moved to Missoula, Montana as a family and I attended all four years of high school there, before they all moved back to California. I choose to stay because I liked Montana: the lay of the land, the mountains, the hot summers and snowy winters, the ponderosa pines and the unexpected coolness of a cedar grove on a hot summer hike. I liked the people, too, the natural friendliness that I think we have in Alaska, as well.
Montana helped me develop a connection to place, something I didn’t realize until I had moved to Alaska. It was a pivotal moment, I was sitting on a river bank out in the middle of tundra south of Kotzebue reading This House of Sky by Ivan Doig. A beautiful memoir of sheep ranching and growing up connected to the land; for Doig, it was a long stretch along the Rocky Mountain Front. I cried buckets, partly because it’s sad (why, if there’s a dog, does it always have to die?), partly because I was missing Montana, and partly because I’d been out on the tundra for several weeks and was falling in love with the land and the people.
I find Alaska challenging and therein lies part of its attraction to me. My lifestyle seems to embrace those challenges, too. My school is called Kachemak Selo and is a Russian Old Believer community like Voznesanka and Razdolna. Selo, however, is not easy to get to. The first 26 miles east from Homer is mostly drivable with only one tricky hill. The last two miles are exciting, the road switchbacks in a descent of roughly 800 feet to sea level, then along the beach of Kachemak Bay before turning left into a low-bench and the village. Thus, days like today, I leave my house in my four-wheel drive truck traveling on snowy roads, hop on my four-wheeler for the last three miles and drive on ice in rain.
Part II
ReplyDeleteMy students are in grades 6 – 12. I get to teach both language arts and social studies, art and some PE. I work mostly with one other teacher, who does the whole math / science stuff. The students are delightful. For the most part, they like to read and we have a large fiction library. Traditionally, writing and English vocabulary are our weak areas; all students speak and are fluent in Russian. I’m not sure if it’s the second language thing or the teenage thing, but they tend towards wordiness and over explanations. This is my seventh year of teaching at Selo; before finding my niche here, I taught in the bush for a couple years, a year at the middle school and one at the high school in Homer.
In my non-working time, I like to be outside; walking, snow shoeing, or cross-country skiing with my furry companion, Pitt. When it’s not winter, I garden, hike, camp, walk the beach, sit in the sun. Homer is a delightful blend of outdoor stuff and culture. I frequently attend First Friday art shows, eat in some amazing restaurants, listen to live music. I’m also an avid reader and, in an earlier life, worked at our local bookstore. A vocation I hope to return when I retire from teaching. If I can’t be outside, I can’t think of anything better than being with books!
Books will help on my journey to California. I look forward to seeing my family, but I dislike the traffic, the rushing, the consumerism, the complete disconnect with nature and all that is wild. I will enjoy the warmer temperatures and will walk in my parents securely gated retirement community. It’s good to leave for a bit if only to return and revel again in my love of Alaska and my great good fortune in choosing this place as my home.
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteReading your introductions and “meeting” you all at once in this virtual classroom is fascinating! When I came to the United States 18 years ago, I could not imagine myself networking on- line with the teachers in different parts of Alaska. There was everything to learn about my new life in America!
I was born in central Russia, but grew up and spent most of my life in Magadan (Anchorage‘s Sister-City) in the Russian “Northern Frontier”. I followed my husband to Alaska, where I learned it is called “the Last Frontier”. In Russia, I had taught English as a foreign language to grade schools in Magadan and college students at Magadan State University. It was not without trepidations that I decided to continue my teaching carrier in America (where everybody speaks perfect English!).
You probably are familiar with that “special” feeling before the first day of school when agitation and anticipation mix into the “energy drink” that keeps us awake all night until we meet the kids the next morning. I still remember my first day at Campbell Elementary. A bilingual tutor, I felt extremely nervous, thinking, “everybody speaks perfect English”. Soon, I started my teaching at Robert Service High as an ESL teacher, working with the students from many different parts of the world who did not speak perfect English, who spoke a little English, and who did not speak English at all. That was the most invigorating learning experience of my entire professional carrier.
Currently I work with ESL teachers and bilingual tutors as a high school specialist with the English Language Learner Program in the Anchorage School District. I must admit that I enjoy the teaching component of my job much more than the paperwork that “comes with the territory”. I am looking forward to this class hoping to strengthen my own writing skills, to learn more about teaching students how to engage them into writing, and to share the new knowledge with other teachers.
Apart from professional realm, my life aspirations are rather subdued: to keep in touch with our children, family, and friends. Our son, an Army officer, is stationed in Germany at this time. Our daughter continues her post-graduate education in Reno, NV. We have a two-year-old golden doodle Jacques Pierre-Dog Extraordinaire who is irresistibly handsome and loving
Hello, everyone. I'm Stacey Woodward and I've been in Alaska for 11 years now. My husband and I originally came up as first year teachers, after having been wooed by an Alaska Teacher Placement recruiter who came to the University of Oregon campus. At the time, we were both finishing grad school, had a mountain of debt and student loans, and bush Alaska sounded like a great way to dig ourselves out of the hole we were in while having an adventure for a year or two, as well.
ReplyDeleteThat year or two ended up being eight years spent with the Lower Kuskokwim School District. LKSD is based in Bethel, but we were in three Yup'ik villages. Our first, Newtok, is located near the Bering Sea, about as far out on the tundra as you can get. After three years there, we moved closer to Bethel and lived in two villages on the Kuskokwim River. The first, Oscarville, we were in for three years, and the second, Napaskiak, we were in for two. We finally decided to move to Anchorage when we had a baby. Suddenly, having to wait for an airplane to bring supplies and medical care didn't seem so romantic anymore. It was just scary.
We've been in Anchorage for close to three years now, and I've been teaching at Bartlett High School since August of 2008. There are a lot of things I appreciate about living in a city now, but there are many things I miss from living in the bush, too.
Response to Reading
ReplyDelete“Nett-a-quit!”
Remember how we remind our toddlers the simplest words of common courtesy? -“What do you say, sweetie?” Similarly, teaching students rules and behaviors takes time and consistency. Setting expectations and modeling skills and behavior is not enough; teachers should give students time and place to practice.
Technology creates endless opportunities for instantaneous, mostly, informal communication and collaboration: blogs, forums, instant messaging, webinars, etc. However, like any social situation the in real life, the virtual world requires respect. It is a great “place” for students to practice how to be respectful, polite and courteous without face to face interaction.
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Amy Lloyd. I grew up in the Bay Area and moved to Alaska in 1996. Other than a brief return to the lower 48 from 2003-2005, I have lived in Southeast Alaska since then and I love it!
My husband is a teacher, too, and we have two daughters, Sierra (3rd grade) and Marina (1st grade).
I have taught at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School in Juneau for 9 years. Dzantik'i Heeni means "where the flounder gather" in Tlingit.
I love teaching middle school students! They are so wonderfully awkward, honest, and energetic. I appreciate this age group particularly because their analytical skills are growing and deepening noticeably from month-to-month.
I teach advanced Language Arts classes (one 7th and one 8th), and two mixed 7/8 World History classes. My student population this year is about 60-70% white, 20% Native Alaskan. Our district draws "boundaries" and our students tend to be socieconomically very high or very low; not too many in the "middle" bracket. Our school has "houses" of 150 students with 6 teachers teaching all subjects. My students are wonderful this year: curious, lively, inquisitive and sweet.
I am excited to see how this class can assist me in improving my writing program.
Greetings...
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting group! I only wish we could all meet face-to-face...
I feel right at home knowing that so many of us have bush/ELL/ESL teaching experience. I began my teaching career in Japan in the early 80's and since then have taught in Cheney, WA; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Haines, AK; Perryville, AK; and Igiugig, AK for a total of 20+ years (I have taken some breaks, but the time still goes by so fast!!). Currently I am the Curriculum Coordinator for Lake and Peninsula School District and work from our home in Haines.
As far as my career goes, my passions are figuring out how to tweak instruction to meet the needs of all students (especially those who with special language needs) and easing the working load of teachers by simplifying curriculum, providing resources, and offering assistance in any way I can. I enjoy my work immensely.
I also love my time away from work. I have a lovely husband, Mark, who makes me laugh a lot. Together we enjoy cross-country and backcountry skiing, kayaking, backpacking, traveling, and spending time with our friends. I also knit, weave, read (of course), and watch a movie now and then. As is probably true of most of us, my days are full, satisfying, and life is good!
Next fall I plan to lead a course similar to this one, so I am following along to learn the ropes from Sondra. I will be replying to posts and interacting with you as an intern for this course. So nice to be on board and to meet all of you through writing!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteMy trek to Alaska was initiated by my parents in 1966. I completed my last three years of high school at Homer High then journeyed back to Spearfish, South Dakota to attend college at Black Hills State. I earned my elementary teaching degree in 1975. I taught two years in Spearfish then returned to Alaska. I have been teaching sixth grade for 28 years here in Homer.
I have a son and stepdaughter that are both married. My stepdaughter has two children and I love my role as grandma. I have a grand dog on my sons side but am hoping that I will get the opportunity to be grandma someday.
I took my first ASWC Institute in 1987. I am excited about this class and learning new ways to engage my students in the writing process. The part of the process that has been a struggle for me is proofreading. Over the years I have been the major editor of my student's papers. This year I have finally relinquished that control to the students. It is a work in progress, but the students are showing growth in their abilities to be good peer editors.
It is great getting to know everyone through these posts!
Hello, all. My second post is based on the alarming realization that I've been neglecting my language arts roots this year. It's my first year teaching history, so with grades 7-12 history AND language arts, (oh, and art, PE and health) I've been focusing mostly on the history classes, and planning my language arts activities around them.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am OK with this learning-curve, and really have enjoyed the history lessons (sure hope the kids have too!), I am thrilled to be able to get all inspired again about just WRITING, about LOTS of things, and to write WITH the kids and get them inspired too. THings I remember doing when I was just focused on language arts. I'm finally feeling like I can be that good LA teacher again, because I'm feeling more comfortable with all the other subjects I'm teaching.
I, too, am somewhat challenged with the ELL issues, so I sympathize with those who have mentioned this in their posts. My kids speak "village Russian" and their English, while easily understandable, lacks the complexity that needs to translate into their writing. So I can relate to the "subject-verb-subject" dilemma. It works, and it is understandable, so what's the problem?
And yet, I need to get these kids ready to graduate, ready to problem-solve, communicate effectively, fill out applications and even create essays for college. The other dilemma about Russian village life is often that kids already see themselves in the future as fishermen and housewives, and a lot of school, to them, is irrelevant. So that's an on-going struggle as well. When they're engaged in learning, they are brilliant! I hope to find new ways to inspire them to achieve... to find new ways to engage them even more!
Thanks for the great posts so far!
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Keri and I've been teaching for about 30 years. I took the writing class years ago, and this is my first online class. I teach 7th grade gifted/highly gifted language arts, and my kids are all a lot more tech saavy than I am! I am excited to take the class, and yet apprehensive that I might not have all the tech skills needed. I've been in the ASD school district the entire time, and I think our district has done a really good job in offering lots of opportunities for us to encourage and promote writing with our students. I know it's easy to rely on our "stand bys" that work pretty well, but it's always good to jazz things up a little with new ideas and motivational ways to get kids more interested in writing. I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone.
I am lengthening my personal introduction because I feel like explaining why I am interested in the social implications and professional obligations of writing, as a lover of words and a teacher.
ReplyDeleteWe pay attention to proper English in professional settings. Rhythm, sound, and feeling are for the poets and the singers. Yet, the combination of accuracy, clarity, and beauty is a noble intention. It takes care, of course, which takes time. In the special education profession, much of our writing is informative. Many documents: summaries, reports, measurements, plans, protocols, correspondence (as well as forms to fill out) are composed. Usually, they are not meant to be poems. Yet, the craftsmanship of writing with skill is at all times expressive.
I believe that writing can be judged correct or incorrect, pleasant or unpleasant. Word choice is a vital part of effective communication as well as a creative form of expression. As you all know, when we write, we interweave meaning and voice. I am fascinated by the many subtle ways we do this. Obviously, “accept” means something very different than “except,” just as “ain’t” signifies something seemingly different than “am not,” “is not,” or “are not.” It may be apparent at times that one is a mistake and one is a choice. In this way, word choice may signify things about the writer or speaker: that he or she does not know, does not care, or does not bother to use “proper” English. Or chooses not to. Rules and regulations of written language are indeed social constructs, and evolution creates new norms. For example, take texting, one of fastest and least formal modes of communication we so commonly use. Between friends with whom I have established understanding in speech, I may use “yr” to mean “you are,” (I never use “ur” which is phonetic, I suppose, but I find it ugly.) whereas I would be embarrassed if I mistakenly used “your” incorrectly in any other form of writing. We chose our words based on culture, socioeconomics, ability, and interest (not to mention audience and purpose). I believe that writing –for purpose as well as for pleasure- is a vital skill. I am eager to learn the best ways to harbor this belief in my dear students.
To teach these principles, I believe that the cherished words- of classic literature, classroom favorites, movie quotes, and songs of any kind- should be shared with students frequently, intensely, and with a sustained duration. It is the love of words that motivates us to use them the right way. Along with direct instruction and guided practice in usage and mechanics, direct experience with excellence and beauty is needed to learn to love words and use them well.
I’d like to open my second post with a quote from Shirlie:
ReplyDelete“Over the years I have been the major editor of my student's papers. This year I have finally relinquished that control to the students. It is a work in progress, but the students are showing growth in their abilities to be good peer editors.”
Shirlie, I am dying to know how you are doing this. One of my major struggles when I am tackling a writing project is how to get my students to not only edit, but also revise their work. My students have a definite “one and done” attitude when it comes to writing. The do not (for the most part) want to go back into one of their papers and look for ways to make improvements. What strategies are you using, if you don’t mind sharing, to get your students engaged in the editing process?
And to Eleanor:
I completely agree that we need to be fostering a love of language in our students. When they are small, all kids seem to be fascinated by language. They love jokes, puns, tongue twisters, poetry, song lyrics...My daughter is 5 and she engages in word play all the time. My question is, are we doing a good job of fostering this in schools? I know from my own experience that I don’t always do a good job of pointing out beautiful turns of phrase, etc. because I am so focused on what needs to be “covered” in the curriculum. Your post really made me stop and think. I need to take more time identifying, re-reading and really relishing powerful language in my classroom, so students see examples of it and may be more inclined to try to include some of it in their own writing. Thanks.
I was born in Maine, but raised in Michigan. My parents moved to Michigan when I was three. We moved to a town thirty miles west of Detroit that Time magazine once described as resembling “one of those dreary mid-England factory towns.” I certainly liked going back to Maine on family vacations better than living in Michigan. I met Lisa, my best friend and spouse of over forty years at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, We were theatre majors. My emphasis was in lighting and scene design. Upon graduation, I was hired by the university’s auditorium as a stage technician. Whenever I accumulated enough personal leave, we’d head to the East Coast. Returning from a week on Cape Hatteras during year three at the auditorium, we wondered why we lived in Michigan when we really wanted to be near the sea.
ReplyDeleteSeeking “something a little different,” I joined the U.S. Coast Guard. We spent twenty-three exciting and challenging years raising our six children and doing “the king’s work” in New York City; Port Townsend and Seattle, Washington; Miami,Florida and Juneau. Alaska. The Coast Guard gave me thirteen years assigned to various ships on the East and West Coasts and I was fortunate to command Coast Guard cutters in Miami and Juneau. I also evolved into a foreign affairs officer near the end of my career. In 1996, I was facing a transfer to Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. after seven years in Juneau, Alaska. My wife had finally become tenured in Juneau School District and our children loved Alaska. I retired so that my wife could finally establish her own career, rather being re-certified in multiple states and going through the hassles of the hiring process every two or three years as she faithfully followed me in the pursuit of my career.
I formally retired in November 1996 and entered the UAS MAT program the following summer. As our class was completing our final courses, the principal at the former Alyeska Central School offered us temporary work correcting summer school correspondence courses. I continued with ACS until the 2005.
In 2006, I was hired by Juneau School District to teach in the Detention Unit at Johnson Youth Center, a State of Alaska Youth correction facility. It’s an interesting assignment: I never know during the morning commute how many students we’ll have. The average student stay is 7.9 days. Our students range from 12 to 19 years of age. We do a lot of life skills classes, exposure to art, history, and remedial English and math. When people ask what we do, I usually reply that we try to plant seeds, seeds of knowledge, that hopefully will germinate in the future. We try to develop a love of learning, and the relevance of school courses to adult life. I’m fortunate to work with a wonderful para educator, Julia Black, who complements my perspectives, teaching style, and areas emphasis.
Lisa and I finally realized a dream that we had when we first met in 2003 when we bought our sailboat MAJECK (the first letters of our children’s names) in San Diego. With the help of our sons, two of whom are professional sailors, we sailed and motored nearly two thousand miles to Juneau that summer. We spend our summers cruising Southeast Alaska and occasionally we head south to Puget Sound.
Six years ago, Lisa started what has become a tradition with her kindergarten and first grade classes, Saturday sailing in May. She divides the class into groups of six to eight students. Each student must bring a parent and a life jacket. We take each group for a two-to-three hour sail and sometimes we even see humpback whales. Although we’re really tired at the end of the day, we love exposing the kids and their parents to the joy of sailing.
We love teaching, we love sailing,and we love being with our children and grandchildren.
"You like the sea, Captain?"
ReplyDelete"Yes; I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of your poets has said. In fact, Professor, Nature manifests herself in it by her three kingdoms--mineral, vegetable, and animal. The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquillity. The sea does not belong to despots. Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws, fight, tear one another to pieces, and be carried away with terrestrial horrors. But at thirty feet below its level, their reign ceases, their influence is quenched, and their power disappears. Ah! sir, live--live in the bosom of the waters! There only is independence! There I recognise [sic] no masters! There I am free!"--Ch. 10
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
"Sea-Fever"
I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
By John Masefield (1878-1967).
(English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967.)
Jules Verne's birthdate is February 8. I discussed it with my students and read the above quote to them. I brought copies of his better known works to "show and tell" and hopefully, I generated some enthusiasm for this foresighted and creative futurist's novels.
While discussing Jules Verne, I thought about why as a boy I was so attracted to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. My father took me to see the wonderful Walt Disney movie version when it was released in 1954. I was six at the time and enthralled with the submarine Nautilus and the mysterious and beautiful world under the sea. I've read the book several times and even got into trouble in seventh grade for reading it when I should have paying attention in class.
I began to reflect on my own life's journey and why I'm so drawn to the sea. The second poem, John Masefield's "Sea Fever" defines in words much better than my own my lifelong obsession with being on water. Growing up near Detroit, I always felt incomplete. I was happiest when we went back to Maine to visit relatives. Even there, I wanted to ON the water, not seven miles inland at my grandfather's house. When I was five, I was sent to my room. It was a dreary early spring Michigan gray-drizzle day and I stared out the window at the wood frame skeletons of subdivision homes under construction where the apple orchard had been. I wished that a retired sea captain would move into one of those homes and he would tell me stories of life at sea. I devoured books about the sea and learned to sail when I was twelve.
I joined the Coast Guard and loved being underway and learning the ancient trades of navigation, boat and ship handling, and seamanship. During my Coast Guard career, I served aboard six ships and navigated most of both coasts, the northern Caribbean, and Alaska.
We spend as much time as possible sailing and motoring throughout Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and Puget Sound. When we retire, we plan to head off to distant seas.
The sea is never still and there are times when it is mighty in its power and majesty. Those times can be difficult for sailors. I've been in storms in the Bering in which I've looked up at fifty foot wave tops. I was nearly swept over the side one very dark and stormy night in the North Atlantic. The sea has many moods, and fortunately, isn't stormy very often. Falling asleep on a vessel with four to six foot quartering seas is like being back in the cradle.
Hi, My name is Michelle Borland and I teach 9, 10, and 12th grade English at Homer High School. This is my first year of teaching at Homer, I have been teaching Social Studies and English at Kenai Central High School for the last 5 years. Prior to that, I spent one year at Central Middle School in Anchorage teaching 7th grade Social Studies.
ReplyDeleteSocial Studies is definately where I am most comfortable, although the more English classes I teach, the more I like them. I have a History degree from Gonzaga University and a Master's in History from Arizona State, and finally finished up the M.A.T. program at UAA to get my teaching credentials. It seemed like a good idea at the time to get the English endorsement added to my teaching certificate, although now there are days when I think I must have been insane to think I could pose as a "real" English teacher. Especially when students see me screw up grammar or spelling.
I grew up in Anchor Point (about 20 miles north of Homer), and except for three years of middle school in Kodiak and college Outside, have lived and worked on the Kenai Peninsula ever since. My husband, Randy, and I are expecting our first child in May (I told the seniors I get to graduate early. . ). We're excited, and happy to be in Homer around our friends and families as this new chapter in our lives commences.
I find I tend to focus on Literature and not on Writing in my classes. I would like to make my classes more balanced between the two. The other thing I'd like to work on is getting students feedback on their writing, because I often feel that once they turn something in it gets graded and then I don't ever continue the process or give meaningful feedback.
Here is a silly poem for my favorite recipient of poems…my husband
ReplyDeleteEven on Valentine’s Day…2011
He wanted someone who would say he was perfect
He wanted someone who would climb tall peaks
He wanted someone who would chase rare birds
He wanted someone who would never complain
Instead he got me
I am such a disappointment alas
Yet our love has a harmony
Only slight out of tune
In syncopated time
(I’m usually a beat behind )
I smile when he tells a joke
No matter how many times I hear it
I follow him on winding paths
No matter how long it takes me
I seek strange and exotic birds
No matter how many I misidentify
I hold my tongue once in a while
No matter how much I still nag.
I am sure he’ll finally agree
Even if I am not completely perfect
Even if I have a wrinkle or pound to spare
I have served my time, gosh darn ,it
And in the end, I really, really do care
With love on Valentine’s DAve
(Just my school life)
ReplyDelete18 years and counting, I cannot believe it. It seems like yesterday that I started my first year of teaching at Government Hill Elementary. What a year. In so many ways, every year is a first year, as new classes come in it always seems like starting over.
I have taught 2nd grade through 6th grade in Title 1 and loved it and hated it. now I teach 4th grade in a high achieving program and feel the same. Our district has moved to using Houghton Mifflin and I feel I have lost that loving feeling towards reading and writing. I am taking several classes right now to try and find my way back. My students love to write but need direction in honing their craft and I am hoping I will get the inspiration to guide them.
In my day, I have limited time because I have two groups of students, I need to figure out how to inspire and have them produce quality writing as well as covering all the other materials. My biggest struggle is taking pieces all the way through to the end of the process. I also struggle with the assessment piece and an going back to six traits to work on that.
I really believe that by focusing on my writing and the whole process I will be inspired to work on writing more with my students and inspire them to be writers too!
Zan
Zdrova jsheeveeosh! (the Russian Old Believer traditional greeting meaning Great Living to you!) I am Katherine Serge-Hoeschen, a JH/HS Language Arts teacher at Voznesenka School which is located at the headwaters of Kachemak Bay.
ReplyDeleteVoznesenka, as Razdolna and Kachemak Selo, are public schools within the Kenai Peninsula School District that are populated by 100% Russian Old Believer students. These communities are located “off the beaten path” in remote areas that can be challenging to travel to in the winter months; however, if you can find your way there, you will be amazed—it’s like travelling back in time. The Russian Old Believers have preserved their traditions amazingly well: their dress, subsistence lifestyle, language, and family traditions offer a stark contrast to the modern world. This group of people immigrated to the US in the 1960s after travelling around the world fleeing religious persecution, migrating from Russia to Siberia to China to South America; later they were sponsored to the United States by then President Kennedy. Most of the Old Believer villages are in isolated areas where the community members are sustain themselves through the land; here in Alaska, the primary source of income is from commercial fishing. Here there exists a tug of war between the old and new. One can see it in some of the teenagers who wear belted, traditional embroidered shirts atop baggy jeans. There exists a tension to preserve the past while living in the present.
As far as writing/reading, I tell my students I judge books, movies, and their writing by how I am moved emotionally. If I chuckle, weep, tremble, express an “aha!,” or internally scream, they have done well. This doesn’t apply to all types of writing, but it helps them get the idea that writing can/should move the reader to a deeper understanding of the author, the topic, or the thought process.
I recently ventured back into the world of music after taking a decade-long break. I play the flute and am learning the guitar. Music is another form of written expression that can be performed note by note without the emotional undertones---as writing can be all perfect conventions and no expression. The best, of course, is a combination of both.
A few notes about me: I hail originally from Wisconsin (Door County) and am a die-hard Packer fan…and proud of it as they won the Super Bowl! I graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a double major in literature and education. I love languages, knowing bits and pieces from several. I moved to Homer almost twenty years ago, operating a B&B out of our dovetail log home for 13 of those years. I am a remarried widow, giving thanks for having two such wonderful men as husbands. Last year I took a year’s leave of absence to care for my parents, a bittersweet time as I was blessed to have that extra time to spend with my daddy before he passed away in April. Valentine’s Day is the anniversary of my teaching career at Voznesenka, now 12 years. I find pleasure in fishing, skiing, biking, aerobics, hiking, reading, travelling, and learning. Like all of us, I am still discovering more about myself as I journey through life.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt has been fascinating reading everyone's bios, and I must admit that I feel a little short on life/teaching experiences after reading those of my classmates! However, here goes. I was born and raised in Alaska and still live here! After graduating from college, I got married and moved to Japan with my husband to teach English. It was quite the life experience living and working in Japan, and upon returning to Alaska I decided that I liked teaching so much that I went back to school to obtain a teaching certificate from APU. Ironically I was hired at the same elementary school that I attended as a child, and I am now in my third year of teaching at Sand Lake Elementary in Anchorage. I spent my first two years teaching in third grade, and then moved up to fifth grade this year. My position is unique because I teach in a Japanese Immersion Program, which means that I teach primarily the Language Arts and Social Studies to two groups of students throughout the day (as opposed to teaching all of the subjects to one just group of students).
ReplyDeleteNow some thoughts more specifically related to writing... I believe that reading and writing are so strongly connected, yet somehow it seems as though writing always gets thrown by the wayside instead really being taught and fostered... Yet I am part of the problem. I constantly feel as though there is never enough time in the day, and while I love writing it seems as though I hardly even have the time to do it myself, let alone have time to do it with my students! How do I get them all writing and find the time to conference with them as well as bring them through the writing process to a finished piece?!
I am looking forward to this class but I’m a little apprehensive as well; I‘m finding already that it is quite the time commitment just scrolling down and read everyone’s posts, as well as to start making a connection to who everyone is and where they are from and so on. Looks like I will be checking it a little more often from now on ;)
khoeschen, I graduated from UW-Eau Claire too! Crazy! Go Pack Go!
ReplyDeleteWhile I have joined the class as a "follower," I still have yet to figure out exactly how to respond to a specific person's post...so, I will open this post with a quote from khoeschen's post:
ReplyDelete"As far as writing/reading, I tell my students I judge books, movies, and their writing by how I am moved emotionally. If I chuckle, weep, tremble, express an “aha!,” or internally scream, they have done well. This doesn’t apply to all types of writing, but it helps them get the idea that writing can/should move the reader to a deeper understanding of the author, the topic, or the thought process."
I loved the way you phrased this, and I don't think I could have said it better myself! I am often trying to get my students to see or understand what makes a piece of writing interesting or good in an effort to help them produce and edit more of it to fruition, and this way of phrasing is a way that I think my fifth graders would be able to grasp/understand.
I am sorry that this is LATE WORK. Now I know how it’s like to be a student in my class, since I ask them to write “Late Work” when they are turning in assignments late. Since this class is starting, I have been just getting hang of on-line class and I will do better as I do more!
ReplyDeleteThis is my 5th year being a parent, 7th year living in Alaska, 11th year teaching, 19th year living in US. I originally am from Japan, but I have lived in Chicago long enough to call it my home. I am currently working at Sand Lake Elementary School’s Japanese immersion program in Anchorage. I team-teach with Sara, who is also taking this class. For most of the part she teaches L.A./Social Studies in English and I teach Math/Science in Japanese. Sondra mentioned at our last teleconference that she will look for the information specific for ELL students and that would be very helpful for me, too, since almost all of my students are immersion language learners.
Besides my teaching life, I love cooking. I can be very passionate when it comes to healthy tasty food! My dream when I finally grow up is to start a food stand or a small eating place (not a restaurant, since that would take too much of everything!!) that specializes in healthy and tasty kind of food of some sort.
Through this class, I am looking forward to get myself familiarized with the strategies for an on-line course.
Argh, just kicked me out. I'm sitting in the Business Center of the Aspen Hotel in Soldotna trying to blast off another entry before 5. . .oh, procratination!
ReplyDeleteWhat I did have to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, is that I've spent the day grading Analytical Writing Assessments. Lots of funny, awful, average, and sometimes brillant peices of writing from freshman around the Kenai Peninsula. I'm curious to see how the students in my classes come out in the mix.
Its an interesting process, scoring essays for two days straight. It really allows me to calibrate my expectations for what/where my students are in their writing.
As a kindergarten teacher I definitely have a different perspective on teaching writing than many of the class who work with much older students. You may, however, appreciate our very first steps in using technology in our writing. During our computer lab time we have been practicing making text boxes and typing. In just a few weeks the kids have progressed from copying a sentence from the board to copying a short poem they composed in class to composing a short sentence on the computer screen. When they composed their own sentence they were fascinated by the red line under some words. I told them that that meant their word was spelled using "kid spelling" (which is always OK in kindergarten unless the word is a "word wall" word that I expect them to spell). Today they composed their own sentence and then made an attempt to edit their work to get rid of any red lines. Not bad for a group of 5 and 6 year olds!
ReplyDeleteIn my last posting, I didn’t include my thoughts about teaching writing. To be honest, writing is the weakest area for me in the elementary curriculum. I can teach math, science, reading, and social studies, but writing… mostly in my class, we write about something students like. I am not equipped to help them write about something they are not interested in, but I do want to learn how to, so I can incorporate more writing in math and science.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, from reading the postings by our classmates (who are teachers with great variety of backgrounds and experiences) and our weekly assignments, I already am learning some key words and concepts that will help me to teach writing better! Thank you.
Some "new found poetry"
ReplyDeleteThe Test
prompts once in awhile
assess students' writing
or
focus heavy heavy on prompts
a sense of control
of keeping on track
PREPARE
write with purpose
write with voice
elaborate on ideas
use language that inspires
move students forward
Balance
Stacey
ReplyDeleteI decided to make peer editing/response a goal this year. I did some modeling with some copied stories. I had students turn and talk after editing to compare their corrections then we compared our corrections as a whole class. Next I required students to have 2 peer edits before it came to me for a teacher edit. Well I discovered that nothing much was changing and I was still doing lots. I needed to have a way to hold the peer editors accountable so I literally dreamed up my peer response/edit sheet in my sleep. Came in, put it together, went over it with my students, and now require 5 peer edits including 2 read alouds before the teacher edit. Once I started holding the students accountable their editing improved. As they continue working on this skill they are getting better and better. It was tough making this leap but once I made the commitment it has really paid off. I am glad I finally let go and wish I had done so years ago. All my students type their rought drafts on the computer so the revision process is less cumbersome than if they
had to rewrite everything by hand. Using google docs is also a great way to get students involved in the process. This is the short version as there were many other activities that I used to start my students on the path of becoming better editors of their own work as well as others.
I am waaay behind in this class and don't know that anyone will read this, but here goes. I was born in Phoenix, AZ and grew up in Tucson. My mother died when I was four, so I was raised by my father and older sister. My father was a doctor and a lawyer. Obviously I received a good education and education and intellect were highly prized in my family. When I was a Junior in High School we moved to Newport Oregon, and due to the size of the school and town abd the academica difference between Tucson and Newport, I graduated as a Junior. I then went for two years to Lewis and Clark in Protland and then Graduated from UCSB with degree in developmental psychology. I drifted for a year or two and then decided I wanted to be a veterinarian. So I went back and took all the hard science classes I had avoided in college and aced them all, wondering what all the fuss was about physics. Then I saw a notice looking for a singer in a rock and roll band, and off I went to join the circus. After almost 20 years of touring the lower 48 and Alaska, my husband's health declined and I needed another job. So I went to UAA in Anchorage and became an elementary school teacher. I started teaching in 1997 at Fire Lake Elementary and am still at that school. I am still in a band although we play rarely, and my husband passed away 8 years ago. I do love to teach fifth grade, although I have taught 1-8.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much me in a nutshell.
Suzie