I don't know just how far I am willing to go with this poem, but it welled up within me today, as I was listening to Austin Kleon today. Pretty much what I got out of the past two days from playwright Luis Valdez and Austin Kleon was very powerful. There is someone out there that may inspire us in some form or fashion. We don't realize the impact that we have on each another for the good. Those are very positive thoughts and worth much reflection. I thought about those aspects, but then I also thought about other views too. What about those negative people and influences in our lives that may cause us not to reach our potential? What impact will their voices have upon us? I know that there are wonderful people who inspire each one of us. Thank goodness because we have the negative and sometime this negative can come in the form of a person or persons, who may be quite knowledgeable, but lack something. They lack human compassion and carry this cloud of negativity that is vitriol for the soul. It definitely has the power to bring a person down, down, down. In some cases, these people that I call snoots, may have advanced degrees and take every opportunity to let others know about it, to fluff up their feathers. While they are busy tooting their horn so loud that you require earplugs, they appear to be "too good" for the rest of us peons in the universe. So they won't give a hoot about anyone "lower" than they perceive that you are are. They have their pre-conceived notions about what the intellectual pecking order should be and you are on the bottom. This is intellectual snobbery. It could also be called intellectual discrimination because person isn't judged by the content of their character or level of thought, but on the color of their letters after their names. So I thought about this insipid intellectual racism and wrote a little something. Time to stand up and be counted instead of discounted and downgraded to a tropical depression. No, this hurricane is ready to roar! Here goes:
Letters
Letters after the name,
For you
It is all,
all
that matters
Nah!
For me,
Throw them away
Superficial
in the worst way
Lame, lame, lame
Incredibly loco
Hopelessly insane
Being defined
Defining others
with letters
Scales are tipped
with those darned
letters
letters after your name
Those dastardly letters
Upper and lower case
What a stinkin' disgrace
How you treat me
and others
with those letters
of disdain
Superiority
You embody
There it goes again
Your snooty snout
in the air
for all to see
Cuttin' others down
Please!
Leave us be
Keep your letters
for all to see
For you--
who devour others
I would even bet
your mama,
sisters and brothers
They've got
no letters
Therefore
No mercy
No humanity
No letters
after the name
No entrance
into the game
Prohibition
Exclusion
Intellectual apartheid
no place to run
no place to hide
from your
letters
stupid letters
with your blatant
blasted
bogus
letters
after
your name
Seems to be
Seems to be
utterly despicable
rather
INSANE!
letters
letters
after your
name
Victoria Young's Power Point Grades 4 and 7 from the TCTELA Conference
I have provided a link called Victoria Young's Power Point for Grades 4 and 7 below. The same trends that she saw in English I, II, and III are pertainent for 4th and 7th. I sat in for both presentations and she could not reiterate enough have important it is that all grades devote time to writing instructions. When she showed us the increase in scores from English I and English II, we could clearly see what consistent writing instruction will do for all our students. There were increases that doubled in some cases. Consistency is the key.
She also reiterated this point in both presentations:
WRITING TAKES TIME! Amen sister! I agree. The problem that we face is in some cases, some people do not take the time to that is needed for quality writing instruction. If quality writing instruction, or any writing instruction occurs on a consistent basis, then our students will make great progress. The problem is that their growth is stunted. After all the blood, sweat and tears that 4th grade put into writing equity, sometimes it is not followed up until 7th grade. The students have lost all that great background knowledge and experience. Can you really make up for 2 years work? Our scores don't bare that out. When students are given consistent writing instruction for two consecutive years in English I and II, we see gains! Huh! I wonder.
We need consistent writing instruction in all grade levels. Teachers need to be trained in how to teach writing within the expository and the personal narrative. Victoria mentioned that in one place the teachers were not teaching how to write an expository essay because the teachers were not comfortable with it. Comfortable with it? Really? It's time to jump into the waters. We have be at this for three years now. I know that this is no prevalent, but I also know that more than fourth grade teachers need to know what is expected of our students in the lower grades, as well. There's no more time to waste.
Now I off my soap box for the time being.
There are some of my notes from the English I, II and III post below. They are applicable to 4th and 7th.
If there is one thread through them all, it was our lower scoring papers had problems on the word and sentence level. She kept mentioning "boundary" problems from comma splices, fragments and run ons.
I liked how she framed the writing performances:
She also reiterated this point in both presentations:
WRITING TAKES TIME! Amen sister! I agree. The problem that we face is in some cases, some people do not take the time to that is needed for quality writing instruction. If quality writing instruction, or any writing instruction occurs on a consistent basis, then our students will make great progress. The problem is that their growth is stunted. After all the blood, sweat and tears that 4th grade put into writing equity, sometimes it is not followed up until 7th grade. The students have lost all that great background knowledge and experience. Can you really make up for 2 years work? Our scores don't bare that out. When students are given consistent writing instruction for two consecutive years in English I and II, we see gains! Huh! I wonder.
We need consistent writing instruction in all grade levels. Teachers need to be trained in how to teach writing within the expository and the personal narrative. Victoria mentioned that in one place the teachers were not teaching how to write an expository essay because the teachers were not comfortable with it. Comfortable with it? Really? It's time to jump into the waters. We have be at this for three years now. I know that this is no prevalent, but I also know that more than fourth grade teachers need to know what is expected of our students in the lower grades, as well. There's no more time to waste.
Now I off my soap box for the time being.
There are some of my notes from the English I, II and III post below. They are applicable to 4th and 7th.
If there is one thread through them all, it was our lower scoring papers had problems on the word and sentence level. She kept mentioning "boundary" problems from comma splices, fragments and run ons.
I liked how she framed the writing performances:
- Very Limited Writing Performances is considered "wretched writing." Requires a do over.
- Basic Writing Performance is "bad writing." Requires major revision.
- Satisfactory is "pretty good." The piece can benefit from some revision and is getting there.
- Accomplished is a good piece of writing.
Have to's:
Must have movement from sentence to sentence, which will allow for depth and to build.
The best development is real, based on the student's experiences and thinking about the world.
Development cannot happen without progression.
Language establishes an appropriate tone
The more fluent the piece the more relatively free of errors it will exhibit.
Control begins at the word and sentence level..
If you would like the PPT, please use this link to my Box account or go to the TCTELA website.
Below you will find the link to Victoria Young's Power Point.
Victoria Young Power Point from TCTELA Grades 4 and 7
Below you will find the link to Victoria Young's Power Point.
Victoria Young Power Point from TCTELA Grades 4 and 7
Victoria Young's Power Points for English I, II and III
Here is Victoria Young's Power Point that she used during her update at TCTELA yesterday. If there is one thread through them all, it was our lower scoring papers had problems on the word and sentence level. She kept mentioning "boundary" problems from comma splices, fragments and run ons.
I liked how she framed the writing performances:
I liked how she framed the writing performances:
- Very Limited Writing Performances is considered "wretched writing." Requires a do over.
- Basic Writing Performance is "bad writing." Requires major revision.
- Satisfactory is "pretty good." The piece can benefit from some revision and is getting there.
- Accomplished is a good piece of writing.
Have to's:
Must have movement from sentence to sentence, which will allow for depth and to build.
The best development is real, based on the student's experiences and thinking about the world.
Development cannot happen without progression.
Language establishes an appropriate tone
The more fluent the piece the more relatively free of errors it will exhibit.
Control begins at the word and sentence level..
If you would like the PPT, please use this link to my Box account or go to the TCTELA website.
My Strange Addiction---Books...The Book Hoarder
Every time I come to a conference, I always say to myself, " This time you are not going to buy too many books from QEP! Only 2 or 3... max!" So what did I do? Steer clear of booth? Just walk away? Nope. Because I wouldn't be able to peruse the latest professional books and not be able to chat with the nice QEP ladies, I just had to go to their booth. Sadly, I went immediately, without hesitation. Beeline.Pathetic No self control? Yepper skipper, you got it! It all comes down to rationalization and little persuasion. As soon as I start conversing with the QEP ladies, I start this excruciating interior battle. "Should I? Well, you know you could use this one for this and that one for..." Then I am a goner! Done! White surrender flag in hand. There really isn't any arm twisting or coaxing because, with me, it doesn't take much. So then I succumbed to this strange addition to purchasing an inordinate amount of professional books. Books, books, books! You can never have enough. Maybe I am the Book Hoarder. Pretty soon I am going to have my own show on TLC. Donalyn Miller great book is called The Book Whisperer and I think I should author a self help book called The Book Hoarder! I am strongly considering forming a self help group called Book Hoarders Anonymous. It would consist of a 12 page program.I imagine it will go a little something like this: "Hello, my name is Maureen and I am the Book Hoarder," I would say. My recovering folks would respond in nice sweet voices, "Welcome Maureen. Now turn the page!" I just can't say no!
Ya know, if I am The Book Hoarder than the QEP ladies are my enablers. They have such inviting voices and show me the latest books. "Well have you seen the newest book from..?" That's when I become a helpless puppy. I am sure my buyers eyes dilate and I start to salivate. I must seriously look pathetic! Really pathetic. Such is my life as The Book Hoarder! I guess I could have worse additions like eating dirt, or carrying and sniffing Lysol everywhere I go. You know the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, right? Well, I am not totally there yet, because I am still rationalizing. I am not on page twelve. No sir!. I think it's more like page one. I am sorry did I mention pages? Is that a new book?
All kidding aside (am I though?), below you will see the books that I purchased today. I included a photo of the great enablers and supporters of my nasty habit, the QEP ladies! Seriously, they are very helpful and great to chat with all the time. Happy reading!
Ya know, if I am The Book Hoarder than the QEP ladies are my enablers. They have such inviting voices and show me the latest books. "Well have you seen the newest book from..?" That's when I become a helpless puppy. I am sure my buyers eyes dilate and I start to salivate. I must seriously look pathetic! Really pathetic. Such is my life as The Book Hoarder! I guess I could have worse additions like eating dirt, or carrying and sniffing Lysol everywhere I go. You know the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, right? Well, I am not totally there yet, because I am still rationalizing. I am not on page twelve. No sir!. I think it's more like page one. I am sorry did I mention pages? Is that a new book?
All kidding aside (am I though?), below you will see the books that I purchased today. I included a photo of the great enablers and supporters of my nasty habit, the QEP ladies! Seriously, they are very helpful and great to chat with all the time. Happy reading!
 |
| QEP Ladies |
 |
| I am super excited about this one! |
 |
| This one looks grand and it didn't cost me one! |
 |
| Cool little flip book on poetry with lots of examples! |
 |
| Can't wait to dig into this one! |
 |
| This one looked pretty decent! |
 |
| Loved his last on about students and poverty! Couldn't put it down! Can't wait for this one! |
 |
| When am I going to sleep? Too many good books to read! |
 |
| Another great read! |
A TCTELA Kinda Morning
 |
| Austin Kleon |
No comments:
Post a Comment