Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Last Day!
Last day teaching at Oakland Asian Cultural Center. We workshopped two pieces. The workshop went well. I am glad that I have accomplished one of my goals: teaching helps me overcome my fear of public speaking. Yes! Practice makes perfect!
Monday, April 19, 2010
First Class
I taught my first class at Mercy Retirement Center last week. It was an amazing experience. I was warned that there might only be three or four people there, but there were about ten. Even people who could not physically write came.
They all want to tell some aspect of their history be it their own story or their families story. I love hearing these tales they can tell such wonderful stories about the bay area, like when Hayward was just farmland, or ferries went across the bay, but would regularly catch fire!
That said, it will be a challenge to get them to tell one story at a time. This last week I had them write about their names. I did not set strict standards for this assignment, but almost every person managed to outline their whole life history in the space of ten minutes, except for one woman who outlined her entire day. :>
This week I think I will work on having them tell one story. I met many of them previous to the first class and heard bits of their stories before. They all seem to come back to one event in there life that they want to write about. I am thinking about asking them specific questions about these events just to focus them on something. Later I think I might use Jin's lesson about sensory details.
Does any one have any suggestions about how to get the students to focus on one story?
Right now it is really fun getting them writing. Charlie, who is one of the activities directors there said he was impressed with how open people were and was very touched with the stories they told. One of the other program directors had said that they had tried doing a creative writing class before but people were very uncomfortable telling their stories. That does not look like it will be a problem with this class. It is quite a job to make sure there is time for everyone to talk.
My other challenge are the students who cannot physically write. They have a whole variety of reasons from sight to arthritis to pre Alzheimer issues. Last week I transcribed for one of them and Charlie did for another. It was not until after the writing assignment we found out another woman could not write. For last week, she told the class a story, but I am not sure what to do about the coming week so that she can fully participate. Mercy has limited staff and I only have so many hands.
I also realize that so much of my library is about younger people. I want to find some books about/ by people a little older to take my readings from.
They all want to tell some aspect of their history be it their own story or their families story. I love hearing these tales they can tell such wonderful stories about the bay area, like when Hayward was just farmland, or ferries went across the bay, but would regularly catch fire!
That said, it will be a challenge to get them to tell one story at a time. This last week I had them write about their names. I did not set strict standards for this assignment, but almost every person managed to outline their whole life history in the space of ten minutes, except for one woman who outlined her entire day. :>
This week I think I will work on having them tell one story. I met many of them previous to the first class and heard bits of their stories before. They all seem to come back to one event in there life that they want to write about. I am thinking about asking them specific questions about these events just to focus them on something. Later I think I might use Jin's lesson about sensory details.
Does any one have any suggestions about how to get the students to focus on one story?
Right now it is really fun getting them writing. Charlie, who is one of the activities directors there said he was impressed with how open people were and was very touched with the stories they told. One of the other program directors had said that they had tried doing a creative writing class before but people were very uncomfortable telling their stories. That does not look like it will be a problem with this class. It is quite a job to make sure there is time for everyone to talk.
My other challenge are the students who cannot physically write. They have a whole variety of reasons from sight to arthritis to pre Alzheimer issues. Last week I transcribed for one of them and Charlie did for another. It was not until after the writing assignment we found out another woman could not write. For last week, she told the class a story, but I am not sure what to do about the coming week so that she can fully participate. Mercy has limited staff and I only have so many hands.
I also realize that so much of my library is about younger people. I want to find some books about/ by people a little older to take my readings from.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
4th Class
Let’s try something different today, I said to the class, then asked my friend Joyce, who was sitting beside me, to write two sentences (which I took from my student's work) on the whiteboard: “I run curving over the lawn out towards the street. I fly and fly, my blood starts pumping, and my teeth clench with the thrill of being chased.”
By looking at these two sentences, I said, what else can we add to draw the reader into the character’s world? Look at the list on the board. I pointed at the list next to the two sentences:
• physical setting that invokes one of the senses (hearing)
• dialogue
• first-person point of view
• action that provides a sense of real time (night or day, etc)
• detailed physical character description
We can add two or more of the senses, right? I said. What are the five senses?
Touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing, one student said.
How about adding smell? I said. We know there is a lawn.
The lawn might not smell pleasant, another student said. Since it is night time, the lawn might not smell fresh.
What does this tell you about the air the character is breathing? I said. What about the sense of sight? We know there is a street. We can assume there is a streetlight, right?
They nodded. If there is a streetlight and if it casts a shadow of a tree over the character’s feet, I continued, what does that tell you? They just looked at me, then at the board. What I am saying is that you don’t need to say it directly to the reader that there is a tree somewhere near the character. The streetlight casting the tree shadow says that already. It is all shown through the character’s surroundings.
Afterward we went over the last item on the list. I was glad that they had digested the technique that makes up a scene and applied it to our workshop. Hooray!
By looking at these two sentences, I said, what else can we add to draw the reader into the character’s world? Look at the list on the board. I pointed at the list next to the two sentences:
• physical setting that invokes one of the senses (hearing)
• dialogue
• first-person point of view
• action that provides a sense of real time (night or day, etc)
• detailed physical character description
We can add two or more of the senses, right? I said. What are the five senses?
Touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing, one student said.
How about adding smell? I said. We know there is a lawn.
The lawn might not smell pleasant, another student said. Since it is night time, the lawn might not smell fresh.
What does this tell you about the air the character is breathing? I said. What about the sense of sight? We know there is a street. We can assume there is a streetlight, right?
They nodded. If there is a streetlight and if it casts a shadow of a tree over the character’s feet, I continued, what does that tell you? They just looked at me, then at the board. What I am saying is that you don’t need to say it directly to the reader that there is a tree somewhere near the character. The streetlight casting the tree shadow says that already. It is all shown through the character’s surroundings.
Afterward we went over the last item on the list. I was glad that they had digested the technique that makes up a scene and applied it to our workshop. Hooray!
Monday, April 5, 2010
3rd Class
I love teaching! I was into the mode of teaching. Although I set my lesson plan down on the table, I did not look at it even once after the class started. My lesson plan was in my head. We were checking in. I asked the class how they felt about their second assignment. Two female students said it was hard to narrate a “slice of their lives.” Yeah, it is not an easy assignment for sure. One participant, who I assumed is an ESL student, wrote half a page with lots grammatical errors.
Another, the one who “stole” the technique from Amanda Davis’ “Circling the Rain,” said, I am going to rewrite my piece. It was hard to focus just one moment, since there are many moments to write about.
It makes me think about, said another male student, the most memorable moment of my childhood, rather than just a memorable moment. It really made me think about it.
I don’t have high expectations of the class to write well because they just begin to learn the craft of memoir writing. I remember when I was an undergraduate I did not know how to “think small” until I wrote an essay about Adam and Eve. I wrote ten pages based on the five lines from Book IV in Milton’s Paradise Lost:
As the Vine curls her tendrils, which implied
Subjection, but requir’d with gentle sway,
And by her yielded, by him best receiv’d,
Yielded with coy submission, modest pride,
And sweet reluctant amorous delay. (4.307-11)
Yes, it was a very close reading assignment. And I had to pull my hair out in order to finish the paper up and became very exhausted at the end of Spring 2007. I wrote that essay because it was challenging. If fact, it was a very good stimulated exercise. I often find that I don’t have writing sample to imitate. I think it is best to learn by seeing how other people write. That is why I provided the class with my 1000-word writing sample (about my childhood). Two out of five students have so far kind of known how to write a slice of their lives. I am satisfied that all of them are trying.
My students are interested in writing but they are not fully revealing what they wanted to write about their lives. It is very personal, the “Circling-the-Rain” imitator said, it's hard to share it with strangers. You know.
What she said rings true to me. It is hard to build trust—especially in this five-short-week-course community.
Instead of giving the class a writing prompt, I tried something different this time. Yes, Elmaz. It is one of your teaching tricks again. It is in my pocket now. Write a list of things you owned, I said, when you were seven years old. I go first. The class looked at me. Then I said quickly: I had a bamboo stick, slippers, and a sling shot. I gave them five minutes to do this exercise. When the class was done with their list, I said: Let’s share them.
I had a blanket, Jenny said, which I am still using now, I had a teddy bear, a dog, a notebook with stories I copied from books, a library card, a pink backpack, Lego toys I used to play with my brother.
What does the dog tell you about that kid, I asked the class, when she was seven years old? They looked at me. That child was an animal lover, right? After we finished this exercise, I said: The purpose of this exercise is to guess what family background this person comes from, whether she was a playful, smart, or responsible kid, etc, etc…. by using the list Jenny shared with us.
Show rather than tell, Pamela said.
You got it, I said. See. You don’t need to say it directly in your story. Your reader can gather all the details in your story. We want craft. Writing is about craftsmanship. They all jotted down what I had just said.
This time we workshopped 2.5 pieces. Toward the end of the last piece, I think I made a mistake saying in a soft voice: Don’t ever write didactic statement like that. It might offend the reader. I shouldn’t have said that in the first place because I had no rights. The student explained to the class: The statement is talking about myself. I mean I only have one life to live…
My mistake reminds me of what L’Engle said in “The Domain of the Word”:
Human beings are the only creatures who are allowed to fail. If an ant fails, it’s dead. But we’re allowed to learn from our mistakes and from our failures. And that’s how I learn, by falling flat on my face and picking myself up and starting all over again. If I’m not free to fail, I will never start another book, I’ll never start a new thing. (Csikszentmihalyi’s Creativity, p258)
I will pay more attention to what I am going to say this week. If fact, I am going to use the above quotation as one of my teaching tools. I am learning how to teach, just like other first-timer teachers. I have sent my student an email apology.
I was still energized when class was over. Now I think I am getting used to teaching a class. I am sure this teaching experience will prepare me for the 2010-11 graduate assistantship at Mills. Yes, I am going to teach again! More to come!
Another, the one who “stole” the technique from Amanda Davis’ “Circling the Rain,” said, I am going to rewrite my piece. It was hard to focus just one moment, since there are many moments to write about.
It makes me think about, said another male student, the most memorable moment of my childhood, rather than just a memorable moment. It really made me think about it.
I don’t have high expectations of the class to write well because they just begin to learn the craft of memoir writing. I remember when I was an undergraduate I did not know how to “think small” until I wrote an essay about Adam and Eve. I wrote ten pages based on the five lines from Book IV in Milton’s Paradise Lost:
As the Vine curls her tendrils, which implied
Subjection, but requir’d with gentle sway,
And by her yielded, by him best receiv’d,
Yielded with coy submission, modest pride,
And sweet reluctant amorous delay. (4.307-11)
Yes, it was a very close reading assignment. And I had to pull my hair out in order to finish the paper up and became very exhausted at the end of Spring 2007. I wrote that essay because it was challenging. If fact, it was a very good stimulated exercise. I often find that I don’t have writing sample to imitate. I think it is best to learn by seeing how other people write. That is why I provided the class with my 1000-word writing sample (about my childhood). Two out of five students have so far kind of known how to write a slice of their lives. I am satisfied that all of them are trying.
My students are interested in writing but they are not fully revealing what they wanted to write about their lives. It is very personal, the “Circling-the-Rain” imitator said, it's hard to share it with strangers. You know.
What she said rings true to me. It is hard to build trust—especially in this five-short-week-course community.
Instead of giving the class a writing prompt, I tried something different this time. Yes, Elmaz. It is one of your teaching tricks again. It is in my pocket now. Write a list of things you owned, I said, when you were seven years old. I go first. The class looked at me. Then I said quickly: I had a bamboo stick, slippers, and a sling shot. I gave them five minutes to do this exercise. When the class was done with their list, I said: Let’s share them.
I had a blanket, Jenny said, which I am still using now, I had a teddy bear, a dog, a notebook with stories I copied from books, a library card, a pink backpack, Lego toys I used to play with my brother.
What does the dog tell you about that kid, I asked the class, when she was seven years old? They looked at me. That child was an animal lover, right? After we finished this exercise, I said: The purpose of this exercise is to guess what family background this person comes from, whether she was a playful, smart, or responsible kid, etc, etc…. by using the list Jenny shared with us.
Show rather than tell, Pamela said.
You got it, I said. See. You don’t need to say it directly in your story. Your reader can gather all the details in your story. We want craft. Writing is about craftsmanship. They all jotted down what I had just said.
This time we workshopped 2.5 pieces. Toward the end of the last piece, I think I made a mistake saying in a soft voice: Don’t ever write didactic statement like that. It might offend the reader. I shouldn’t have said that in the first place because I had no rights. The student explained to the class: The statement is talking about myself. I mean I only have one life to live…
My mistake reminds me of what L’Engle said in “The Domain of the Word”:
Human beings are the only creatures who are allowed to fail. If an ant fails, it’s dead. But we’re allowed to learn from our mistakes and from our failures. And that’s how I learn, by falling flat on my face and picking myself up and starting all over again. If I’m not free to fail, I will never start another book, I’ll never start a new thing. (Csikszentmihalyi’s Creativity, p258)
I will pay more attention to what I am going to say this week. If fact, I am going to use the above quotation as one of my teaching tools. I am learning how to teach, just like other first-timer teachers. I have sent my student an email apology.
I was still energized when class was over. Now I think I am getting used to teaching a class. I am sure this teaching experience will prepare me for the 2010-11 graduate assistantship at Mills. Yes, I am going to teach again! More to come!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Anthology Submissions!
Tonight, the students’ Anthology pieces were due, but by the beginning of class, only three of the students had emailed me their work (I felt a bit like Elmaz waiting for our blog posts in Theories of Creativity ;)
So I improvised and scraped the formal lesson I had planned in order to give the kids nearly two hours in the computer lab to type up their pieces and review them with me before turning in final versions. The fact alone that they showed up on their spring breaks to participate tonight was enough to make me proud of them, but the work they turned in was wonderful and all work they could be proud of—I was surprised at how much it was universally about love and pain. The eternal subjects, no? But also sad to realize these kids have already undergone such hurt. I’m grateful they could express it and thanked them for being brave and honest on the page.
I decided pretty early on that I wasn’t going to be giving much beyond positive reinforcement to these kids. They are so young (14 and 15) that I don’t want to squash any enthusiasm before it has time to really bud and grow. Whenever students read aloud, I comment on what stood out or ask the class to do the same. But I keep things positive.
Tonight, since I was looking at work on paper, I had the chance to ask more specific questions, such as what a student might have meant by a certain line. I also showed them how to make the writing itself clean and grammatically correct for the Anthology and helped them brainstorm titles for their pieces. However, I knew we were out of time in terms of letting the kids work on these any more at home or make any massive revisions. While three students were able to do so successfully, the rest clearly could only work on these productively during class. Hence, the last-minute shake up!
It was well worth it. By the end, all eight students had submitted one or more pieces (I told them to submit up to five. Why not?!). One girl, Keneisha, is already going places. I noticed that she’s already been posting/organizing her work on writers-network.com, and she just writes with a sophistication and maturity beyond her years. She’s also the only Junior in the class, and I’m thinking that might be an age-group I’d like to work with in the future.
As for my computer lab discoveries, Facebook will be our undoing! Most of the kids were on it whenever they thought I wasn’t looking. And cell phones were buzzing constantly. I don’t know how teachers tolerate those distractions these days.
Bottom line though: they did it! They attended a six-week course and submitted to the Anthology. I’m still waiting on one kid who couldn’t make it tonight because he’s on a college tour (can hardly fault him that), but otherwise we’ll be at 100 percent participation!
I’ll return for a seventh wrap-up class next month, whenever the Anthologies are ready to distribute. I can’t wait to show the kids their work! Their names! In print!
So I improvised and scraped the formal lesson I had planned in order to give the kids nearly two hours in the computer lab to type up their pieces and review them with me before turning in final versions. The fact alone that they showed up on their spring breaks to participate tonight was enough to make me proud of them, but the work they turned in was wonderful and all work they could be proud of—I was surprised at how much it was universally about love and pain. The eternal subjects, no? But also sad to realize these kids have already undergone such hurt. I’m grateful they could express it and thanked them for being brave and honest on the page.
I decided pretty early on that I wasn’t going to be giving much beyond positive reinforcement to these kids. They are so young (14 and 15) that I don’t want to squash any enthusiasm before it has time to really bud and grow. Whenever students read aloud, I comment on what stood out or ask the class to do the same. But I keep things positive.
Tonight, since I was looking at work on paper, I had the chance to ask more specific questions, such as what a student might have meant by a certain line. I also showed them how to make the writing itself clean and grammatically correct for the Anthology and helped them brainstorm titles for their pieces. However, I knew we were out of time in terms of letting the kids work on these any more at home or make any massive revisions. While three students were able to do so successfully, the rest clearly could only work on these productively during class. Hence, the last-minute shake up!
It was well worth it. By the end, all eight students had submitted one or more pieces (I told them to submit up to five. Why not?!). One girl, Keneisha, is already going places. I noticed that she’s already been posting/organizing her work on writers-network.com, and she just writes with a sophistication and maturity beyond her years. She’s also the only Junior in the class, and I’m thinking that might be an age-group I’d like to work with in the future.
As for my computer lab discoveries, Facebook will be our undoing! Most of the kids were on it whenever they thought I wasn’t looking. And cell phones were buzzing constantly. I don’t know how teachers tolerate those distractions these days.
Bottom line though: they did it! They attended a six-week course and submitted to the Anthology. I’m still waiting on one kid who couldn’t make it tonight because he’s on a college tour (can hardly fault him that), but otherwise we’ll be at 100 percent participation!
I’ll return for a seventh wrap-up class next month, whenever the Anthologies are ready to distribute. I can’t wait to show the kids their work! Their names! In print!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
2nd Class
It was an awesome teaching experience! I was not nervous at all; perhaps Gina was there to help me out. I really appreciated her help, since I couldn’t write on the whiteboard. We co-taught a little. Honesty it was very fun to co-teach. We both took turns to explain to the class some of the questions they had about the letter of intent:
• What is the through-line of the story
• What are the style elements and how do you preserve them
• Is this story accompanied by other stories or chapters that provide plot and character information outside of it
Yes, Elmaz, I “stole” these questions from your syllabus. Although they said it was stressful to write a 2-3 page paper (along with a letter of intent) about American Dream, they appreciated what I offered them: a taste of what it is like being at a graduate workshop level.
My student Cyndi asked me: Is Oakland Word going to offer a second memoir writing class soon? I said I don’t know, and told her to comment on her online evaluation after finishing our five-week session. I guess she really wants to learn more about creative writing. She has some knowledge about creative writing. She wrote a piece Most American, which is about immigrant experience. Here’s a copy of my feedback letter to her:
***
Cyndi,
You did a very good job of presenting the American dream through the games played by the characters. You deployed an interesting way to develop your topic by juxtaposing “dream” and “game”: a goal one hopes and attempts to achieve, often with sincerity, is parallelized with insincere and playful games, which creates an ironic effect. And the tragic ending of your story enhances the ironic effect.
You’ve done a good job in presenting your topic. There are some imperfections I would like to point out:
Irony is an effective means to enamor your readers, yet the voice of your narrator does not carry an equally ironic tone. One way of achieving the ironic effect is to present your characters’ thoughts or actions through the narrator’s speech such as dialogue or monologue. It would be helpful to look at Jane Austen’s works: her technique of free indirect speech proves successful in creating ironic effects. You could learn from her by just reading a chapter of Pride and Prejudice to see how an ironic effect is achieved through the speech of her narrator.
Also, detailed descriptions of scenes as well as your characters’ actions and thoughts will make your story more interesting. Think about a specific object/clothes/posture that will convey your characters’ “Americanness” or their obsessions with it and work on portraying the specific object/clothes/posture.
You should also have the plots of your story in mind when writing a story. How does it relate to your topic? The first game played by the characters doesn’t seem quite relevant to the American dream. One would question how this part of the story relates to the rest and what institutes it to be “American”?
Another imperfection in your story is the lack of transition between paragraphs. For instance, the opening sentence in the third paragraph seems to be an abrupt introduction of the second game, failing to smoothly bridge the ideas between the two paragraphs.
Good job! Thanks for sharing! Keep pushing! Look forward to reading more of your work.
Jian
**
I gave the class a writing prompt: “Food? What do you like to cook for dinner? Write down a list of recipes before doing this exercise.” The discussion went smoothly. I was glad. The purpose of this writing exercise was to make their writing easier, without wandering around on the page. My approach was that listing the recipes would make them focus and stick to the food topic. It worked, all of them said, it was much organized this way.
We went over Amada Davis’ “Circling the Rain.” I chose this piece because I wanted to show them how nonlinear structure represents the human working mind on the page. In fact one student “stole” the nonlinear structure technique from this piece. She imitated it well in her first assignment. She has some training in creative writing. I advocate for those who love to “steal” other authors’ techniques/styles/structure, etc.
We also went over some basic rules about writing a story, which three participants didn’t understand, and which I told them needs a beginning, middle, and ending. But a story always starts in the middle, I told them, of something that has already been going on. They were not clear of what I meant, so I used an analogy. When we are born, we are in the middle of an event or one of many wars. See. They got it.
Think small when doing you next assignment, I told the class. I said this because two of my students introduced many themes in their first paper, without narrowing down to a memorable moment of their past. One wrote a piece that reads like a summary-essay, though she has a rich family history. She is in her late fifties or early sixties and graduated from college but has no former training in creative writing. Choose the most memorable moment, I said, of your childhood or adulthood. They were much clearer after I used a writing sample, of which we each read a paragraph. I did not tell them the sample was mine. I don’t like to show off what I know. As always, be humble, right?
Before we started workshopping, I said: “It's easier to give (and hear feedback) when using literary terms like, the author, the narrator, and the character, rather than "you.” Does this sound familiar? Again, I “stole” this statement from Faith Adiele. ;-) What I have learned is what I am going to teach. And the class digested it slowly. I was happy about it.
Yes, Elmaz, I also “stole” some of your teaching tricks from our workshop (hahaha!): Appreciation, attention, and action.
I wrote feedback letters to the five participants and we workshopped 1.5 piece. Again we went over a half hour more: 2 hours. I think they all look forward to their next workshop.
More to come!
• What is the through-line of the story
• What are the style elements and how do you preserve them
• Is this story accompanied by other stories or chapters that provide plot and character information outside of it
Yes, Elmaz, I “stole” these questions from your syllabus. Although they said it was stressful to write a 2-3 page paper (along with a letter of intent) about American Dream, they appreciated what I offered them: a taste of what it is like being at a graduate workshop level.
My student Cyndi asked me: Is Oakland Word going to offer a second memoir writing class soon? I said I don’t know, and told her to comment on her online evaluation after finishing our five-week session. I guess she really wants to learn more about creative writing. She has some knowledge about creative writing. She wrote a piece Most American, which is about immigrant experience. Here’s a copy of my feedback letter to her:
***
Cyndi,
You did a very good job of presenting the American dream through the games played by the characters. You deployed an interesting way to develop your topic by juxtaposing “dream” and “game”: a goal one hopes and attempts to achieve, often with sincerity, is parallelized with insincere and playful games, which creates an ironic effect. And the tragic ending of your story enhances the ironic effect.
You’ve done a good job in presenting your topic. There are some imperfections I would like to point out:
Irony is an effective means to enamor your readers, yet the voice of your narrator does not carry an equally ironic tone. One way of achieving the ironic effect is to present your characters’ thoughts or actions through the narrator’s speech such as dialogue or monologue. It would be helpful to look at Jane Austen’s works: her technique of free indirect speech proves successful in creating ironic effects. You could learn from her by just reading a chapter of Pride and Prejudice to see how an ironic effect is achieved through the speech of her narrator.
Also, detailed descriptions of scenes as well as your characters’ actions and thoughts will make your story more interesting. Think about a specific object/clothes/posture that will convey your characters’ “Americanness” or their obsessions with it and work on portraying the specific object/clothes/posture.
You should also have the plots of your story in mind when writing a story. How does it relate to your topic? The first game played by the characters doesn’t seem quite relevant to the American dream. One would question how this part of the story relates to the rest and what institutes it to be “American”?
Another imperfection in your story is the lack of transition between paragraphs. For instance, the opening sentence in the third paragraph seems to be an abrupt introduction of the second game, failing to smoothly bridge the ideas between the two paragraphs.
Good job! Thanks for sharing! Keep pushing! Look forward to reading more of your work.
Jian
**
I gave the class a writing prompt: “Food? What do you like to cook for dinner? Write down a list of recipes before doing this exercise.” The discussion went smoothly. I was glad. The purpose of this writing exercise was to make their writing easier, without wandering around on the page. My approach was that listing the recipes would make them focus and stick to the food topic. It worked, all of them said, it was much organized this way.
We went over Amada Davis’ “Circling the Rain.” I chose this piece because I wanted to show them how nonlinear structure represents the human working mind on the page. In fact one student “stole” the nonlinear structure technique from this piece. She imitated it well in her first assignment. She has some training in creative writing. I advocate for those who love to “steal” other authors’ techniques/styles/structure, etc.
We also went over some basic rules about writing a story, which three participants didn’t understand, and which I told them needs a beginning, middle, and ending. But a story always starts in the middle, I told them, of something that has already been going on. They were not clear of what I meant, so I used an analogy. When we are born, we are in the middle of an event or one of many wars. See. They got it.
Think small when doing you next assignment, I told the class. I said this because two of my students introduced many themes in their first paper, without narrowing down to a memorable moment of their past. One wrote a piece that reads like a summary-essay, though she has a rich family history. She is in her late fifties or early sixties and graduated from college but has no former training in creative writing. Choose the most memorable moment, I said, of your childhood or adulthood. They were much clearer after I used a writing sample, of which we each read a paragraph. I did not tell them the sample was mine. I don’t like to show off what I know. As always, be humble, right?
Before we started workshopping, I said: “It's easier to give (and hear feedback) when using literary terms like, the author, the narrator, and the character, rather than "you.” Does this sound familiar? Again, I “stole” this statement from Faith Adiele. ;-) What I have learned is what I am going to teach. And the class digested it slowly. I was happy about it.
Yes, Elmaz, I also “stole” some of your teaching tricks from our workshop (hahaha!): Appreciation, attention, and action.
I wrote feedback letters to the five participants and we workshopped 1.5 piece. Again we went over a half hour more: 2 hours. I think they all look forward to their next workshop.
More to come!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Revision
Tonight was exciting to watch. I dedicated this class to revision, as our Anthology deadline is next week, and I wanted to make sure the kids had time to revise and ask me questions. Even before class, one student brought me his poem to review for him. He had already had the Program Director look it over as well, which showed such dedication. The poem was impressive and conveyed deep, often sad emotion (Yes, Elmaz, he used the word “abyss,” but he’s only 14!) Coming from the “class clown,” this was amazing to witness. This student, Xavier, shared in the last class that his best friend had been killed recently—so tragic and terrible and no wonder his poem conveyed such bleak sadness. I’m glad he could release some of his grief down onto the page.
To teach revision techniques, I led class with an exercise where I had them read a page of draft of a story of my own, but didn’t tell them I had written it. I asked them how the piece might be improved (via dialogue, stronger images, etc.) and they chimed right in! I was impressed that they could transition so quickly to wearing their editor hats. It was also a great way to incorporate the craft terms we’ve been learning: dialogue, point of view, setting, etc.
And they were playfully shocked when I told them I had written it! I know I wouldn’t have gotten such great honesty out of them had I told them so originally. I also did it this way to show them that I, too, was willing to share rough work with them, as they have been willing to share their first drafts with me and the rest of the class. And on cue, one girl, asked, “Can we start writing?” I loved that! She wanted to get down to business.
While there were some hyperactivity issues tonight, I think I did a better job at getting the kids to listen to one another than I have in the past and to be a little relaxed about it. When Xavier took out his wallet to show another kid something, and I said: “Xavier, is your story in there?” implying that was the only reason he should have for going into his wallet, and it totally worked! I didn’t have to be super strict; I just acknowledged that I knew what he was up to and that it wasn’t in line with the quiet I had asked for during revision time. It felt great to kind of have the hang of a disciplinary moment, however briefly.
And the revision period went great. Students had lots of questions, some conferenced with me individually, and most everyone wrote studiously for the rest of class. One student, Yazmine, wanted to do new work, so I had her peruse my list of additional in-class writing exercises. She liked a rather sophisticated one about writing a story in a non-linear way, perhaps from multiple points of view (how great--I already have an experimental writer on our hands!) and she was just so visibly jazzed, asking, “Can I do this or this or that?” And it felt so great to say yes to all of her questions, to tell her to run with it, experiment, etc. She wanted to write about a school fight from the point of the view of the kids in the fight, the ones watching, the Principal, etc. (Violence is not far from these kids’ daily lives.) But when Yazmine showed me her first paragraph at the end of class, she had written all about love, presumably for one of the boys in the fight. It was a stunning point of view, and one I knew would contrast with others in the piece. And this was another reminder of the depth and the challenges these kids are navigating in life and in prose.
To teach revision techniques, I led class with an exercise where I had them read a page of draft of a story of my own, but didn’t tell them I had written it. I asked them how the piece might be improved (via dialogue, stronger images, etc.) and they chimed right in! I was impressed that they could transition so quickly to wearing their editor hats. It was also a great way to incorporate the craft terms we’ve been learning: dialogue, point of view, setting, etc.
And they were playfully shocked when I told them I had written it! I know I wouldn’t have gotten such great honesty out of them had I told them so originally. I also did it this way to show them that I, too, was willing to share rough work with them, as they have been willing to share their first drafts with me and the rest of the class. And on cue, one girl, asked, “Can we start writing?” I loved that! She wanted to get down to business.
While there were some hyperactivity issues tonight, I think I did a better job at getting the kids to listen to one another than I have in the past and to be a little relaxed about it. When Xavier took out his wallet to show another kid something, and I said: “Xavier, is your story in there?” implying that was the only reason he should have for going into his wallet, and it totally worked! I didn’t have to be super strict; I just acknowledged that I knew what he was up to and that it wasn’t in line with the quiet I had asked for during revision time. It felt great to kind of have the hang of a disciplinary moment, however briefly.
And the revision period went great. Students had lots of questions, some conferenced with me individually, and most everyone wrote studiously for the rest of class. One student, Yazmine, wanted to do new work, so I had her peruse my list of additional in-class writing exercises. She liked a rather sophisticated one about writing a story in a non-linear way, perhaps from multiple points of view (how great--I already have an experimental writer on our hands!) and she was just so visibly jazzed, asking, “Can I do this or this or that?” And it felt so great to say yes to all of her questions, to tell her to run with it, experiment, etc. She wanted to write about a school fight from the point of the view of the kids in the fight, the ones watching, the Principal, etc. (Violence is not far from these kids’ daily lives.) But when Yazmine showed me her first paragraph at the end of class, she had written all about love, presumably for one of the boys in the fight. It was a stunning point of view, and one I knew would contrast with others in the piece. And this was another reminder of the depth and the challenges these kids are navigating in life and in prose.
First Class
It was challenging on Friday. I was nervous rather than excited. I think it is normal for first-timer teachers. I had not had a good night of sleep the day before Friday. So I was not alert. Though I was prepared, my lesson plan was out of order; introducing ourselves came at the end of the class. Also, I went over the syllabus in less than half a minute instead ten, then told the class to take a look at it at home. Quickly I gave them a writing prompt about voices. Afterward the discussion did not last long—because most of them were uncomfortable talking in class; it was the first meeting—until after I gave them five writing samples about voices. The first half of the class was bumpy, the other half went smoothly. It was supposed to be a 1.5-hour class. But we went over half an hour more.
Before the class ended, we introduced ourselves, as someone in the class reminded me. How forgetful I was, for being nervous. All of my twelve participants were women. Ages ranged from early twenties to late fifties. I thought I was going to teach ESL learners. I asked them why they were interested in taking the class. One of them just wants to learn how to speak proper English, rather than writing. Three—one in a wheelchair—want to learn how to write well. Four who have stopped writing for a while want to get back to writing; they are still shopping around to see if this class motivates them. The rest—three historians, one young musician, all of whom have never been exposed to creative writing-are curious about how this class offers them the right tools to help enrich their own writing.
I don’t know whether they liked the class or not and I don’t know how it is going to turn out for our next workshop. I asked the class to send me their piece two days before our next workshop, so that I have enough time to prepare.
So far three participants have emailed me their assignments. I am sure I will get the hang of it. As you know, everything takes time. More to come this week.
Before the class ended, we introduced ourselves, as someone in the class reminded me. How forgetful I was, for being nervous. All of my twelve participants were women. Ages ranged from early twenties to late fifties. I thought I was going to teach ESL learners. I asked them why they were interested in taking the class. One of them just wants to learn how to speak proper English, rather than writing. Three—one in a wheelchair—want to learn how to write well. Four who have stopped writing for a while want to get back to writing; they are still shopping around to see if this class motivates them. The rest—three historians, one young musician, all of whom have never been exposed to creative writing-are curious about how this class offers them the right tools to help enrich their own writing.
I don’t know whether they liked the class or not and I don’t know how it is going to turn out for our next workshop. I asked the class to send me their piece two days before our next workshop, so that I have enough time to prepare.
So far three participants have emailed me their assignments. I am sure I will get the hang of it. As you know, everything takes time. More to come this week.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Dialogue and Conflict
The class is going well. Tonight I focused on dialogue and conflict, how they drive the action of the story, reveal character, etc. The two writing exercises were successful for the most part: I had the students write a phone conversation for dialogue and then had them write a one sentence story focused on conflict, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
At this point, after four weeks, I’m definitely noticing who volunteers and who doesn’t, and I’m trying to draw out the students who aren’t as much. Again, this is challenging as I only meet with them once a week and only after they’ve already completed a full day of school and half of their after-school program. But it’s nice to know everyone’s name now and to be able to call on students when needed. But some students are certainly on a role, always writing, always sharing, etc.
I’m also SO happy because the students unanimously agreed to come in over their Spring Break! I wanted to give them a week to revise the work they’ve been doing, to ensure they submit a piece they are proud of to the Anthology. And with the Program Director’s approval and encouragement, the kids agreed to come in just for this class so we can meet the Anthology deadline. I think that’s a testament to what they’re getting out of the class, but mostly I believe it indicates how powerful this opportunity really is—to see their names and creative work in print. To be published in high school will be one more accomplishment that I hope sets these kids apart when they are applying to college. Most of them are already under-resourced, so they need all the edge they can get. Most importantly, I hope this leaves them with an urge to continue to write on their own. A few have asked me if they can keep working on an assignment. I love that.
And I can’t wait to bring the Anthology to them as part of a wrap-up class, where we’ll talk about how it feels to see their names in print, what they thought of the class, how they self-identify as writers now, where they want to take their craft from here, etc.
I also learned a bit tonight from the way the Program Director disciplined the kids, who were speaking out of turn during a writing exercise he sat in on tonight. Since he sees the kids everyday, he is their main discipline figure and he owns his authority. He simply said something along the lines of: “I’m being interrupted in my thinking, and it’s not because of what I’m doing. That’s for all of you.” His expression was serious; his tone even and steady, not an ounce of pleading in sight. He addressed the situation, the kids apologized, and class progressed. I aim to use his example to improve my own command. I feel like there is this magical way to control teenagers, and I’m definitely still getting the hang of it.
How are other people’s placements going? Hope all are enjoying.
At this point, after four weeks, I’m definitely noticing who volunteers and who doesn’t, and I’m trying to draw out the students who aren’t as much. Again, this is challenging as I only meet with them once a week and only after they’ve already completed a full day of school and half of their after-school program. But it’s nice to know everyone’s name now and to be able to call on students when needed. But some students are certainly on a role, always writing, always sharing, etc.
I’m also SO happy because the students unanimously agreed to come in over their Spring Break! I wanted to give them a week to revise the work they’ve been doing, to ensure they submit a piece they are proud of to the Anthology. And with the Program Director’s approval and encouragement, the kids agreed to come in just for this class so we can meet the Anthology deadline. I think that’s a testament to what they’re getting out of the class, but mostly I believe it indicates how powerful this opportunity really is—to see their names and creative work in print. To be published in high school will be one more accomplishment that I hope sets these kids apart when they are applying to college. Most of them are already under-resourced, so they need all the edge they can get. Most importantly, I hope this leaves them with an urge to continue to write on their own. A few have asked me if they can keep working on an assignment. I love that.
And I can’t wait to bring the Anthology to them as part of a wrap-up class, where we’ll talk about how it feels to see their names in print, what they thought of the class, how they self-identify as writers now, where they want to take their craft from here, etc.
I also learned a bit tonight from the way the Program Director disciplined the kids, who were speaking out of turn during a writing exercise he sat in on tonight. Since he sees the kids everyday, he is their main discipline figure and he owns his authority. He simply said something along the lines of: “I’m being interrupted in my thinking, and it’s not because of what I’m doing. That’s for all of you.” His expression was serious; his tone even and steady, not an ounce of pleading in sight. He addressed the situation, the kids apologized, and class progressed. I aim to use his example to improve my own command. I feel like there is this magical way to control teenagers, and I’m definitely still getting the hang of it.
How are other people’s placements going? Hope all are enjoying.
Monday, March 8, 2010
3rd Class:
Tonight went well, but it didn’t sing like it did last week. I got through my lesson plan, which revolved around character. But the kids seemed tired (the class starts at 5:30 on Monday evenings, so they have every right to be tired after going to school all day!) or hyper-active. In other words, not the night to have the kids work in pairs as I planed! I was inspired by some recent reading from Colors of a Different Horse: Rethinking Creative Writing Theory and Pedagogy. The essay suggested having students work individually, in pairs, and in groups. So I tried out pairing up the kids to work on a character sketch, to imagine together a new character.
What was wonderful about this exercise—imagination run amok as the kids talked out possible names and histories and settings for these characters—also seemed to throw a little chaos into the mix. The kids got rowdy, and it took a little time to get them pack to center. A few were talking amongst themselves as one student read aloud, so I asked them to respect and listen to the reader as he had just respected and listened to them. It worked, but I sensed some resistance, and I realized that that’s part of the job too—getting kids back in line, not being so likeable all the time, demanding respect.
Any other suggestions for how to reel in a classroom? Because this is an after-school program, I’m not expected to be a traditional disciplinarian. Has anyone else worked with teenagers? Any advice? The class wasn't out of control or anything, but I did have to work a little harder that I did last week to keep it that way.
We also read an excerpt from “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, and thought about the symbolic and physical weight of the things the soldiers carry and what that reveals about character. I had the class list the things they carry every day and write about it. The kids offered impressive and sophisticated lists, which ranged from guilt and secrets to dreams and inspirations and lyrics and poetry. Very few offered traditional physical objects, so I loved that they were inspired to think symbolically.
A few also seemed more inclined to share than they had last week, which just makes me so excited for them—they’re growing more comfortable with reading their own work, no small accomplishment. I also noticed one kid kept who writing after the exercise was complete, as if he had to keep going. He asked to have more time. I love that. I could only give him so much class time, but I keep reminding the kids to take these home, to please NOT lose them as we have the Anthology coming up, and that they can always, always keep working on them and keep writing.
Huh, upon reflection, I feel that the class went a bit better than I originally thought tonight. I just hope they got as much out of it as I did in my analysis of it here.
Jennifer
What was wonderful about this exercise—imagination run amok as the kids talked out possible names and histories and settings for these characters—also seemed to throw a little chaos into the mix. The kids got rowdy, and it took a little time to get them pack to center. A few were talking amongst themselves as one student read aloud, so I asked them to respect and listen to the reader as he had just respected and listened to them. It worked, but I sensed some resistance, and I realized that that’s part of the job too—getting kids back in line, not being so likeable all the time, demanding respect.
Any other suggestions for how to reel in a classroom? Because this is an after-school program, I’m not expected to be a traditional disciplinarian. Has anyone else worked with teenagers? Any advice? The class wasn't out of control or anything, but I did have to work a little harder that I did last week to keep it that way.
We also read an excerpt from “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, and thought about the symbolic and physical weight of the things the soldiers carry and what that reveals about character. I had the class list the things they carry every day and write about it. The kids offered impressive and sophisticated lists, which ranged from guilt and secrets to dreams and inspirations and lyrics and poetry. Very few offered traditional physical objects, so I loved that they were inspired to think symbolically.
A few also seemed more inclined to share than they had last week, which just makes me so excited for them—they’re growing more comfortable with reading their own work, no small accomplishment. I also noticed one kid kept who writing after the exercise was complete, as if he had to keep going. He asked to have more time. I love that. I could only give him so much class time, but I keep reminding the kids to take these home, to please NOT lose them as we have the Anthology coming up, and that they can always, always keep working on them and keep writing.
Huh, upon reflection, I feel that the class went a bit better than I originally thought tonight. I just hope they got as much out of it as I did in my analysis of it here.
Jennifer
Monday, March 1, 2010
Second night, and feeling all right.
I love teaching! Tonight at College Track was just amazing. I was blown away at how comfortable the kids are becoming sharing their work--and at what beautiful work it is.
Tonight, I focused the readings and in-class writing exercises on Setting/Imagery and then Point of View. The class moved along swiftly and we were able to complete both exercises with time for students to read aloud. There was a big improvement in volunteered participation tonight, as compared to the first class. Some students volunteered more than once to either read aloud from a story or to read their own writing aloud to the class. As I'm learning the students' names, it's also much easier to call on folks when needed.
The program director came in about half way through class to sit in, observe, and participate in one of our writing exercises. Having worked with him for the past few weeks now, I remained comfortable with his presence in class. The kids stayed on topic, and didn't seem distracted or inhibited when they read their stunning work! I was so impressed and told them so, especially considering these are mostly freshmen and sophomores in high school. One new student joined the class tonight, a junior, and I can already tell what a difference even a year can make in an adolescent's maturity level in the classroom and on the page. She is a great addition to the class, writes beautiful prose, and might sharpen the rest of the class.
I also engage in the writing exercises along with the kids, which I think helps set the kids at ease. While I didn't share my work the first night, tonight the kids asked me to read at the end of class and I did. I think they liked knowing I was participating right along with them.
For anyone else's benefit, I found that the kids responded very well to the two exercises I did tonight, so I'll share them here:
1. An imagery/setting exercise:
- Give every student an index card. Ask them to use an image to write the first sentence of a story. Perhaps it introduces a fantastical world or one like our own.
- Shuffle the cards and pass them back out, asking the students to write a scene beginning with that first sentence, paying particular attention to description, imagery, and setting. DESCRIBE IN DETAIL.
2. A POV exercise:
- Describe a landscape seen by a bird. Use any point of view, but do not mention the bird.
I was amazed because both exercises got students writing in character. Last week I focused on memory exercises and personal experience, to illustrate how ripe our everyday lives are for material. And while that went well, I was blown away that the students so fluidly moved into exercises where they had to write from another point of view. Even in the image exercise, students involved one or even two characters in their scene. I love that!!
There was one student who wasn't starting to write as quickly as the others. I certainly understand that it can be intimidating to just have a prompt thrown at you and start like that. I wasn't sure if I should give him a little nudge in front of the class, but I just reminded everyone what Stri told us CTPers last semester about free-writing: to just keep writing, even if you have to repeat some lines, to try not to cross anything out, that there are no wrong answers, etc. Then I told him he could just write his image down again and again and go from there and that seemed to get him going. Any other tips on how to get kids started if they look hesitant?
Onward,
Jennifer
Tonight, I focused the readings and in-class writing exercises on Setting/Imagery and then Point of View. The class moved along swiftly and we were able to complete both exercises with time for students to read aloud. There was a big improvement in volunteered participation tonight, as compared to the first class. Some students volunteered more than once to either read aloud from a story or to read their own writing aloud to the class. As I'm learning the students' names, it's also much easier to call on folks when needed.
The program director came in about half way through class to sit in, observe, and participate in one of our writing exercises. Having worked with him for the past few weeks now, I remained comfortable with his presence in class. The kids stayed on topic, and didn't seem distracted or inhibited when they read their stunning work! I was so impressed and told them so, especially considering these are mostly freshmen and sophomores in high school. One new student joined the class tonight, a junior, and I can already tell what a difference even a year can make in an adolescent's maturity level in the classroom and on the page. She is a great addition to the class, writes beautiful prose, and might sharpen the rest of the class.
I also engage in the writing exercises along with the kids, which I think helps set the kids at ease. While I didn't share my work the first night, tonight the kids asked me to read at the end of class and I did. I think they liked knowing I was participating right along with them.
For anyone else's benefit, I found that the kids responded very well to the two exercises I did tonight, so I'll share them here:
1. An imagery/setting exercise:
- Give every student an index card. Ask them to use an image to write the first sentence of a story. Perhaps it introduces a fantastical world or one like our own.
- Shuffle the cards and pass them back out, asking the students to write a scene beginning with that first sentence, paying particular attention to description, imagery, and setting. DESCRIBE IN DETAIL.
2. A POV exercise:
- Describe a landscape seen by a bird. Use any point of view, but do not mention the bird.
I was amazed because both exercises got students writing in character. Last week I focused on memory exercises and personal experience, to illustrate how ripe our everyday lives are for material. And while that went well, I was blown away that the students so fluidly moved into exercises where they had to write from another point of view. Even in the image exercise, students involved one or even two characters in their scene. I love that!!
There was one student who wasn't starting to write as quickly as the others. I certainly understand that it can be intimidating to just have a prompt thrown at you and start like that. I wasn't sure if I should give him a little nudge in front of the class, but I just reminded everyone what Stri told us CTPers last semester about free-writing: to just keep writing, even if you have to repeat some lines, to try not to cross anything out, that there are no wrong answers, etc. Then I told him he could just write his image down again and again and go from there and that seemed to get him going. Any other tips on how to get kids started if they look hesitant?
Onward,
Jennifer
Sunday, February 21, 2010
In order to post...
...you will have to accept the invite I sent to your email address, so I can make you an author. As of right now, you will only be able to comment on posts I have made, which is fine for now if necessary, but please accept the invite so you will be able to post your own comments when you are ready. Thanks!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Welcome To Our Blog
Hey there folks!
Here is our blog. As Elmaz said, she'd like to blog after every workshop you facilitate in order to process your experience, share your challenges and success with others, and to create a forum for all of us to support one another.
I know that most of you haven't started your placements yet, but those of us who haven't, will be starting very soon, and reflection will enhance your experience. I look forward to reading about your adventures in facilitation and community empowerment and interaction!
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