All four pieces are posted including my reflection!
My "I am from" piece is an extra for people to find out more about me!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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Reflection on Writing Pieces
Reflection Part 1: Why I wrote the pieces?
After looking at many of my writing pieces, I chose four specific writing selections to post on my blog. The first piece that I chose was Chapter One of our wedding story. This piece of writing was started after a demonstration lesson that Kris did during the first week of Summer Institute. The strategy was to develop a list of events from a special event that happened in our life. I chose our wedding…I listed approximately 25 events that occurred that day. Kris explained how we could start our writing piece by choosing one event in the middle of our list, and then move on from there. She also shared different ways to start writing. I choose to start with dialogue from that day. This personal narrative was so easy and fun to write because I still, two years later, have those vivid memories of that day in my mind! I choose to incorporate many details to allow the reader to feel as if they were actually there on June 18th. After posting this on the E-Anthology, I received many great suggestions on items that I needed to work on and parts I needed to clarify. I also met with my writing group and they gave me words of advice as well.
The second piece of writing that I chose to place on my blog is a story “Car Riding”. This was also done during a demonstration lesson, as well. Laurie’s lesson focused on showing, not telling as we write. Laurie shared a piece of writing that she wrote and she did a great job describing exactly what happened that day. It was so real to me. I especially liked the part in her story when she compared sitting in the back seat of a car to a 2 year old being placed back inside a mother’s womb. After Laurie shared her piece of writing, she showed us a video of the actual event. The video and her writing went so well together. She truly painted a picture for me! After this, were were asked to pick one picture to write about. I picked a funny picture of a family in a car, taken probably in the 60’s. This picture reminded me of my family and I could relate to this picture so well. I began writing, again starting with dialogue. I tried to focus on each individual in the car, making the narrator the child in the middle. While writing this piece, I laughed out loud several times, because some the characters in the car remind me of some of my family members!
The third piece of writing that I chose to post was my color poem. This poetry demonstration was done by Rebecca on our first day of the Summer Institute. I personally love color and when I think of certain ones, I can see different items very clearly in my mind. I actually did this activity with my children in my classroom but we focused on one particular color. They turned out really cute! I could have spent a lot more time on each color of the rainbow. I especially like the phrase…”sweet baby blue…the color of my daddy’s eyes”. Writing poetry is something that I don't do very often but I would really like to do more of! There are so many different types that are appealing to me and I look forward to working on during the summer!
For my fourth piece, I decided to post my proposal for the SCCTE conference this January. This will be used for my professional piece. I enjoy sharing ideas that work in my classroom with other teachers around the state. I also love hearing about other strategies that work in other classrooms.
The pieces I carefully selected to post on my blog were ones that I liked the most! I will continue posting pieces of writing during the summer.
Reflection Part 2: What revisions were done?
Many people responded to my wedding piece!
Revisions
Several revisions were made to the “Car Riding” piece as well.
Revisions
Only positive comments were made about my color poem. I decided to change some things after reading Cathy Alden’s “Colors of my Canvas”. These revisions were made.
Revisions
One comment was made to change how I address people in my proposal. Others read my proposal and gave me feedback on adding information about handouts and video clips. I made these changes.
Revisions
Reflection Part 3: What I learned from my classmates?
Meeting with my writing group each week was great! They gave me wonderful words of advice as well as my peers on the E-Anthology. Cathy, Erica, Dawn, and Jaime were such an inspiration. They could tell by the look in my eyes if I was stumped or needed help!!!!
I especially enjoyed reading Cathy Alden’s “Colors of my Canvas”. The way she described the actual color made me see the color more vividly instead of just saying blue. Her writing inspired me to change my color poem by describing the colors.
Nicole Walgate’s story “A Piece of Juicy Fruit” inspired me as well! She did such a great job describing the scene and the people! I really tried to read over my wedding story, making sure that my details were clear and painted a picture for someone, like Nicole did!
Erica Sweatman’s proposal for the SCCTE helped me with mine. I had a difficult time wording my proposal and reading hers made it all come together!
I have learned so much from all of my classmates! Every single person in our Summer Institute has a gift with words and I feel so blessed to have shared this time with them!
Our Wedding Party
First Kiss
Our Getaway!
Leaving for the honeymoon!
June 18th...A very special day! Chapter 1
“Jesus loves me this I know. For the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.” These were the words I sang quietly to myself as I sat in an old, rugged rocking chair, remembering this song during my childhood while I anticipated the leap into adulthood. As everyone gathered in the baby nursery of our church …the elegant music from the old, brown speaker moved everyone. A family heirloom garter, worn by over fifty brides, was placed upon my right leg, along with my mother’s. The soles of my ivory sandals were signed by all of the special girls in my life as they moved around quickly, touching up lipstick, gathering flowers, laughing, crying, waiting. Waiting until just the right moment to walk toward the front of the church.
“You look so beautiful”, my daddy whispered to me minutes before we walked down the aisle on a hot summer June day. The sky was the prettiest shade of blue, filled with massive, puffy clouds. As I stood on the steps of our church gazing toward the sky, I couldn’t help but remember the love that our grandparents were sending us from Heaven.
Circling around me were the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen, all dressed in petal pink, holding the tightest bouquets of white roses and hypernicum berries. Their gowns swayed from side to side as the summer breeze blew through. Ringlets of hair fell down near their eyes, as they stared, smiling at me.
My best friend since high school and college stood on one side of me, as she thought to herself… “In exactly one month, our places will change…I’ll be in white!” My future sister-in-law, with a diamond on her hand as well, looked at me and smiled because she was gaining a sister she never had. Another close friend looked up to me, after praying that this day would come after watching us date for over 10 years. My husband’s cousin, a sophomore in high school, took in every minute of this day, knowing that one day she would find a prince too. My sister stood the closest to me…trying her best to hold back her tears.
At 3:58, we entered the church, in silence and stood inside the vestibule. Hand bells rang four times, sending the message that the time had come. The processional began as groomsmen and bridesmaids gracefully walked to the front of the church. I felt goose bumps raise all over my body as my father took my hand, wiped a tear from my cheek, and prepared to walk me to the end of the aisle in our small, country church. As the violinist guided the bow across the strings, my sister waddled down the red carpeted aisle with another new life on its way. My heart fluttered.
Peeking through the door like a child, I saw so many people from every element of my life. I couldn’t wait to see the man that I would love for the rest of my life standing there in black and white. All of our past memories made my face turn three shades of pink, just like the bouquet of roses I was carrying. Remembering our lengthy talks on the phone, nights spent swinging back and forth on the swing at my parent’s house, hoping the night would never end. The memory of seeing each other at local rodeos, made my heart skip a beat. All of those wonderful times made me know how much I longed for this man. The church doors swung open, the congregation rose to their feet, and the sound of whispers took over the church. On our long journey down the aisle, I only heard the sweet sound of the organ. The guests were crammed in the pews, watching me! Mrs. Choice and Mr. Bill, dear elderly cousins of my father, looked at me, as if they remembered their special day 50 years ago as if it were today. I know that Mrs. Choice could describe her wedding gown perfectly, even though today, she couldn’t see it with her own eyes. My Granna stood in her periwinkle dress, wishing that my Grandaddy could be there to see his first granddaughter take this man’s hand in marriage . My seven high school friends stood together as if they were watching their teammate slide into home plate of engagement.
When almost to my destination, I felt my eyebrows reach for the ceiling, trying to hold back my tears. I quickly reached for my grandmother’s light pink handkerchief to catch the happy tears that fell. The last person I saw before I took my place was a remarkable woman that had such a positive impact on my upbringing. My sweet mother! In a vibrant purple gown, she was standing their watching her only daughter embark on a new stage in her life. I know that this day brought back so many memories of her wedding day to my father, thirty years ago.
When I got to the last pew at the front of the church, I saw my future father-in-law proudly standing beside my groom. Both “dressed to a tee”, they watched as I took my place next to them. It was then that I realized how wonderful it felt to be in the presence of God, taking these vows. Everyone that we loved surrounded both of us. God’s light shined through the windows ever so brightly, anointing us with his blessing.
My sweet daddy, sister, and me!
After our wedding...
My Two Mommas
My mom in purple~My mother-in-law in green
From my mother's garden...
Color Poem
Color...what would we do without it?
Firecracker red reminds me of tomatoes...juicy, salty, fresh!
Orange is the sea of color at death valley on a hot, fall day.
Sunshine yellow is the color of flowers around my mother’s house.
Bright green is the scent of freshly cut grass in the country.
Sweet baby Blue is the color of my daddy’s eyes.
Pretty purple was my favorite color as a child
Pink tastes like bubble gum and has taken the place of purple...
Dark, Dark Black is the color of the dark night sky at my house with oh...so many stars!
Brown is the color of chocolate melting in my mouth
Because of color...each day is like a rainbow!
Car Riding
This was the picture that began my funny story!
Car Riding...A short story taken from a random picture...almost finished!
“Let’s go! Everybody in the car!” my father hollered up the stairs to all of us. My mother was packing the last minute snacks in the kitchen. My brother, sister, and I were gathering some items that we thought we might need. Etch-a-sketches, word searches, teddy bears, and pillows were some of the things that were a must! My grandparents were waiting outside with their huge, old suitcases! My grandmother in her famous polyester outfit and my grandfather in his suspenders was the first thing that greeted me as I bolted out the door for our car. We were getting ready to go on a great family vacation to the beach! I thought I couldn’t wait. You see…I was only 8. All of my trips to the beach previously in my life had been great but I didn’t remember them all that well. All I really remembered was swimming and more swimming, with my huge swimmies on. I plopped myself between my mother and my father in our old, tan 67’ Crown Victoria. My father was an awful driver…he drove like an old granny racing in the Indianapolis 500. My mother constantly said, “honey” and tapped his knee, as her way of telling him to slow down. In the back seat, were my grandparents…oh my! I love them but they had this smell about them. My grandmother constantly rubbed peppermint oil on her temples because she had terrible headaches. This caused everyone else to be nauseated. Shoved between my grandparents were my brother and sister. They fought like cats and dogs, literally. Often screaming to each other, “you’re on my side” or “wait until we get out of this car”. This was a threat that my brother loved to give to us because he thought this would scare us. They made our trip quite miserable at times. My brother even brought his pet frog in a brown paper bag to torture my sister! While on our journey to the beautiful city of Myrtle Beach( not really), it started drizzling. My father turned on the windshield wipers and they weren’t really needed. I watched them go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, scraping the glass before me. He finally cut them off and as soon as he did…then the bottom fell out of the sky. It rained so hard that you couldn’t even hear my grandfather snore as he was sleeping…We weren’t even on Interstate 26 and he was already asleep. He was the loudest snorer I believe I have ever heard. We couldn’t see out the windows because of our body heat! Man alive…I couldn’t wait to put on my pink one piece bathing suit and get the sand between my toes! My father never slowed down though…he continued in the race for the beach. We were on our way to the beach…to have a blast, make memories, swim, build sandcastles, and eat lots of tomato sandwiches! What could be better than spending 5 hours in the car or a week with your family on the coast of South Carolina? And then guess what…we had to stop to go to the bathroom! That would be another interesting adventure!
Professional Piece: Abstract and Link to SCCTE Proposal
For my professional piece, I am planning on sending a proposal for my demonstration lesson, "Toe Tapping, Finger Snapping, Song Singing Writing" to SCCTE for their winter conference. Click here to view my proposal.
I am from...Poem
I am… From Summerville, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn
A true southern girl who loves sweet tea, tomato sandwiches, fried chicken, and banana pudding
The lively daughter of two loving parents I enjoy spending time with, reminiscing about old times
The sister to another red-head
An aunt to a precious little girl who loves her “Auntie”
The wife of a very sweet, busy husband who loves horses, rodeos, four wheelers, hunting, and dogs
The momma to three precious Labradors and many students that I've had in my classes
The lover of shoes, clothes, pocketbooks, and jewelry
The fixer-upper of our little house…I do love to decorate!
A magazine reader…love that Southern Living
A gardener who loves flower of all kinds and doesn't mind getting my hands dirty
The driver of lawn mowers and tractors since I was big enough to reach the peddles
A huge “Tiger” fan who loves to be in good ol’ Death Valley
A good cook who loves to find fun, new recipes to please my hubby
A girl who enjoys swinging on my parent’s front porch swing watching the cars pass by
A bargain shopper who gets so excited when a great deal is found
Crazy about Fripp Island and long for my feet to touch the sand all year long
A church going girl who loves to listen to my preacher and sing those awesome old hymns!
A morning person: after I have my coffee!
Sleepy when the clock hits 9
A cleaning fool…I love to clean my house and feel like I have accomplished something
A friend to many…I never meet a stranger!
A talker…sometimes my husband tells me that I could talk to a stop sign.
A student…I’ll be glad when September comes!
A “Dirty Dancing” and “Footloose” movie lover
A country music fan
I am a girl from South Carolina who loves life and looks forward to many more days with my family and friends.
1 comment:
I can totally relate to your southern I am poem. I was raised here too.
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