"Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea soup kitchen"

At first reading this article, I couldn't figure out why I was reading it for an Education class and not a short story class. This piece seemed to have all the qualities of a short story that professors want you to read in your Freshman year course. But for some reason, I couldn't stop reading it. It was interesting and I don't know if it is because I love hearing about history, I love hearing about how others help others, or if I love hearing about religion and how over time things change. But all I know is that the author, Ian Frazier, captured my attention. He describes the set up of the soup kitchen so well that I feel as if I could walk outside my door and step right into it. It is interesting how you feel connected to these people. These writers, soup kitchen workers, and members of the church. You feel as though you could drive to Chelsea near the end of May on a Wednesday night and listen to these wonderfully different stories, poems, and excerpts of novels.

I love the way this article connected the idea of a workshop, which is what we have been talking and reading about so much in Nancy Atwell's book and other articles. Workshops bring people together; they allow people to open to talk about their backgrounds, their struggles, their heart aches, and their success. It is a community that bridges all types of people together and brings them back time and time again. I enjoyed the way Frazier ended his piece by saying, "you can imagine that the floor of the church, the pavement of Ninth Avenue, the asphalt in Chelsea Park, and the shiny surface of the Hudson River a few blocks away are all connected, one continuous terrestrial floor. As the evening advances and the sunset fades, the lights inside the church brighten. It's a benign time of the day to be in a church, or any public space open to the evening. For a moment, the whole city seems to flow in with the air." It is so poetic and insightful. It shows that the writing that these people do bridges time and space and people. It brings them together. Isn't that what we aim to do as teachers? Bridge our students together no matter their differences. Every one is an equal in a writing workshop. Everyone has fears and problems that they are forced to deal with.

Maybe I am reading WAY to into this but I was just inspired by the language, the mood, and the symbolism of Frazier's piece. It was beautifully written and I hope something I can use to inspire others.

In the Middle and The Future of Reading...they go so well together

I dreaded doing the reading assignments for class. I just felt like I had so much going on and reading a book about someone else's experience teaching just bored me thinking about it. Typically most books about educational practices are dull, irrelevant, and put me to sleep. But I was so very surprised that by chapter one I found myself wanting to read more. I even took notes (I know, I was shocked myself). I felt like dweeb because I found myself reading passages to my boyfriend over the phone or explaining to him some of her ideas. Being a former education major, he amused me, but I knew he wasn't thrilled. I then took the book into my co-op teacher he sounded as thrilled as my boyfriend. But once he started glancing through the text he was like "Oh wow, that is a cool idea. I wonder how that would work here?" I thought that was my glimmer of hope that maybe we can workshop in the spring when we do research papers, but I guess I'll have to wait and see on that one.

In the beginning of chapter one, Atwell quotes Glenda Bissex saying, "The logic by which we teach is not always the logic by which children learn." I think that is the best way to think of the whole Atwell book as well as the NY Times article "The Future of Reading". Long gone are the days where teachers read the same book year after year, for 35 years until they retire. Long gone are the days when each year papers, projects and tests are exactly the same because it was the "proven" way of doing things. Both Atwell and McNeil use techniques that are catching on across English classrooms, literature workshops. Allowing the students the chance to pick what they want to read, write what they are feeling in journals, and even write and have others in their class work with them are the wave of the future. I think this is the best thing that has happened to English classes. If every teacher were required to read and utalize Atwell's book they would see how simple yet succesful a workshop could be. Section II of her book, "Writing and Reading Workshop" is broken into sections of "Getting Ready," "Getting Started." "Minilessons," "Responding to Writers and Writing," "Responding to Readers and Reading," and finally "Valuing and Evaluating." This is the step by step process on how a workshop could work and how it can inspire students. How easy could it get?

Giving students the chance to have a say in what they do could make such a difference in education. Why force students to read and write about the same boring old topics? Why make the writing process not include others? If we allow the workshopping process we are giving our students the best we can give them. We are opening them up to helpful criticism and dialogue. We are allowing them to find their own voice, identity, and opinions, and isn't that what we as teachers are here to help do? I hope when I have my own classroom I can be like Ms.McNeil of Atlanta or Ms. Atwell, allowing my students to fulfill their ultimate potential and release their inner voice in their writing.

You can make a difference---Freedom Writers

Friday in class we had the opportunity to hear from a KSU alum who has made a difference in the lives of students who many have given up on. Ms. Pyle, a member of the Freedom Writer's, worked at the JDC, inspiring students and letting them know that there are adults in the world that believe in them. She read some excerpts from their book and give in sight to her classroom and how her students changed her. She allowed her students the chance to journal their feelings without worry that the guards or administrators would see what they wrote. One of her students wrote about the abuse he saw at home. His parents didn't want him, and when his grandparents got him they didn't want him. He was torn down constantly. Finally he got a puppy, something that showed him love unconditionally. But one day when his grandfather was yelling at his grandmother, the puppy got scared and had an accident in the house. The grandfather made the boy take his puppy outside; the boy knew he was about to lose his best friend. The grandfather made the boy watch as he shot his puppy. It is no wonder that this student never trusted adults when all his life adults failed him. That story just broke my heart.

I feel Ms. Pyles story of giving these students a chance to free their feelings through journaling, through class discussion, is something I want to do in my classroom. I have wanted to teach in an inner-city class and be able to do things like the Freedom Writers do. I want to inspire students, make a difference and teach them to write out their feelings instead of using violence.

One other thing I learned is how boring it is to read for an hour straight to students. I doubt Ms. Pyles did this to her students in the JDC; I am sure she had great teaching methods with them, however she was making some of us sleepy. It was early morning and just hearing her read was not helping the cause. I think maybe had she opened it up for more discussion, or did stuff to get us moving, while occasionally reading excerpts from her book, it would have been more rewarding for all.

Over all, this experience to hear from a Freedom Writer was an awesome opportunity that I think more teachers need to do. I would love to someday be a part of their organization .

Getting use to this

This is just a test post for me...I'm new to the whole blogging idea.

I am excited to discuss my thoughts and opinions usin this site. It seems like a great tool that I am more and more interested in using with my students.