dialogue spring 2005

8/7/2019 Dialogue Spring 2005

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Teacher Leadership, Equity,and Education Reform:

A Dialogue

Makeba Jones and Kim Douillard

Inside...

Desire and Pleasure:Language and Poetryin the CollegeClassroom. . . . . . . . . . 5Wendy L. Smith

The Muse BoxMy Muse is Missing . . . 7Virginia RoaneSearchingfor my Muse . . . . . . . . 7Frank Barone

Young WritersCamp . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9Michela RodriguezAntoinette MarreroMatthew PetersonZoey ZoBellWayman G. YerdellMegan Hastings

Too Many Shoes,Too Many Shoes . . . . 10Regina Serbin

A Case for MakingWriting Fun Again:My Experiences asa Writerand a Teacher . . . . . . 12Romero Maratea

Also Inside:Project Notes. . . . . . . . . 11CongratulationsNew Fellows . . . . . . . . . 14PublishingOpportunities . . . . . . . . 15DialogueAnnouncements . . . . . . . 15

The Courage to TeachEdition

DialogueA Publication of the San Diego Area Writing Project Spring 2005

San Diego Area Writing Project (SDAWP) Directors, Makeba Jones and KimDouillard, have written an exchange around four questions they believe are very relevant to their professional lives as educators and to the work of the SDAWP. Theydecided to write a dialogue rather than an article for a couple of reasons. First, they wanted readers to get an idea of who they are as individuals and where they each stand onimportant issues such as equity, education reform, and teacher leadership within the SDAWPSecond, Makeba and Kimwanted readers to see how their individual responses are connected and

interconnected, and create an exchange where each response pushed their thinking and influenced subsequent responses to the questions and to one another. The result is a powerful and open exchang

where, by the end, they discover that their visions for education are shared and their passion for teache

leaders in education reform is strong.

What does equity in education mean to you?

Makeba:

Thats a loaded and layered question. It forces me to pause and think about how my conceptions of equity have changed over time. Until recently, Ive always thought of equity anecessary for those children and adolescents who are economically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented in colleges and other important societal institutions, and leaslikely to be well-served by public K-12 schools. Ive spent eleven years in graduate schooand working at UCSDs Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment, andTeaching Excellence (CREATE) working with theory, research, and practice to improveschools and classrooms where students of color are the majority. While teaching UCSDcollege students, most of whom come from advantaged backgrounds, in sociology and education and in freshman writing courses over the last few years, I discovered that equity permeated my pedagogy and, when possible, the curriculum. Ive always viewed teaching aa political act, particularly in the service of helping disadvantaged students of color accesthe tools necessary to compete in societys institutions. As a university teacher, I havelearned to understand the power of teaching in new ways. When I thought about teachingas a political act, I typically associated the act with white teachers in mostly urban schoolserving disadvantaged students of color. However, are teachers of color in predominantlyaffluent educational settings political agents as well? Yes! Equity is vital for everyone!


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ing successful pedagogy and cur-riculum for other teachers througha collaborative process that begins

with each teachers classroomteaching experience, and knowl-edge. As Ive reflected on my ownleadership, Ive learned thatbecause I believe teaching is a polit-ical act, I believe that teachers arepowerful agents of change. My role

is to help sustain a culture through-out SDAWP programs that sparksnurtures, and fuels teachers to takerisks in their classrooms andschools because of a passion forteaching, learning, and, mostimportantly, for students.

Kim:

Leadership is complex and multidi-mensional. It is complicated further

when teachers become leaders noonly at their own site, but also at a

district level and beyond theirimmediate work context. Teachersreceive conflicting messages abouttheir leadership. They are encour-aged to do more work but are notalways encouraged to ask the ques-tions and make the demands thatleadership requires. Teacher lead-

2

In Possible Lives: The Promise of

Public Education in America, Mike

Rose works against the negative

view of teachers and U.S. public

schools that Hirsch offers. Rose

does this largely by changing the

parameters of the discussion.

While he also uses anecdotal evi-

dence, he is careful not to univer-

salize the stories he tells. He uses

specific examples of teaching prac-

tices that work only to suggest pos-

sibilities, not to universalize these

anecdotes, and not to claim univer-

sal excellence. Hirsch, on the other

hand, uses anecdotal stories to

claim universal decline in U.S. pub-

lic schools; this may be compelling

to some, but it makes for sloppy and

irresponsible arguments. We need

to find more ways to understand

and expose this kind of argumenta-

tion. This is not to say that what

Rose is doing is not valuable and

responsibly developed--I think it is;

it is, however, to say that we need to

broaden the kinds of responses

made to such arguments. how

DialogueSpring 2005

Issue No. 16The Courage to Teach

Editors: Stacey Goldblatt Jennifer Moore

Page Design: Janis JonesWriting Angel: Susan Minnicks

Published by theSan Diego Area

Writing Project at UCSD

Director:Makeba JonesCo-Director:

Kim Douillard

UC San DiegoSDAWP9500 Gilman DriveLa Jolla, CA 92093-0036(858) 534-2576http://create.ucsd.edu/sdawp/

Dialogue, Spring 2005

Kim:

My view of equity has also changedover time. I grew up taking equityfor granted. My narrow view of the

world meant that the United States was the land of opportunity.Anyone could make their dreams

come true if only they worked hardenough. In my working class fami-ly, effort and persistence were thekeys to success. I wasnt aware ofoppression or inequity. In fact,

when I struggled in college I wascertain the problem was with me. I

never considered whether the uni-versity met my needs or even con-sidered my problems. I was quali-fied to attend, therefore, if I workedhard enough, I should succeed.

When I did realize that equity ineducation was not in fact a given, Inoticed that the term equity wasused only in conjunction with thoseexperiencing inequitymostly stu-dents of color and those who areeconomically disadvantaged. Acloser look at educational reformhas shown me that reform seems tobe only for schools whose studentsare not achieving at a high level(as determined mostly by standard-ized testing and college admissionrates). In my view, equity cannotbe achieved without an examina-tion of the entire system. Changingconditions of those who experienceinequity without attending to theenvironment that created the situa-tion seems futile. We must all worktogether if our desire is a moreequitable educational system.

Makeba:

I agree that the public educationsystem needs a dramatic overhaul.

Yet, I must admit that five plus years of outreach work throughschool-university partnerships hastaught me that trying to change anentire system is exhausting andoverwhelming when the system is

intricately flawed and, for manystudents, broken. I feel empow-ered, that is, able to take action thatcreates some kind of result, when Inarrow my focus on contexts wherechange seems more possible andtangibleclassrooms and schools.The actions of teachers and stu-dents in classrooms, or of adminis-trators, can be in the service ofequity-minded education reform.How can we all work together inour every day professional livestoward an equitable education sys-

tem without feeling beaten down bythe system (particularly in an age oftesting)?

Kim:

I also agree that expecting andenacting overall change isoverwhelmingand discouraging.Classroom teachers are more pow-erful than they realizeit seemsthat the classroom is the place

where the most change can hap-pen. I think that teachers (and

administrators) need to find sys-tems of support to help them enactthe changes that will lead to a moreequitable system. Groups like ourteacher research group help teach-ers make small steps towardchange and work within the systemrather than fighting against it. Ithink teachers can make a morepowerful case for change bydemonstrating the effectiveness oftheir teaching rather than com-plaining about unfair practices.

What are your views on

leadership in the San Diego

Area Writing Project?

Makeba:

Leadership means many things andcan be enacted in many ways.Teachers are leaders in the waythey take the initiative to work withand support colleagues at theirschool sites. Teacher Consultantsin the San Diego Area WritingProject lead by teaching and model-

Classroomteachers are more

powerful than they

realizeit seems

that the

classroom is

the place where the

most change canhappen.

Kim Douillard


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3Dialogue, Spring 2005

ers often find themselves in an

intricate dance that requires the

knowledge of many roles and may

lead to stepping on others toes.

Teachers work with students,

which is what brought them into

leadership initially, is often the

piece that is first to go when they

take on more leadership. Should

our best teachers leave the class-

room in their quest to improve edu-cational opportunities for all stu-

dents?

Makeba:

That is a really tough question. Part

of me believes that if real educa-

tional change is going to happen in

ways sustained over time, the best

teachers need to grow into leader-

ship positions where they have the

power to negotiate for the best cur-

riculum, professional development,

and overall educational policy.

Academic research and policy-

making arenas need voices that

reflect grounded, experiential

expertise and not just theory and

written scholarship. Good superin-

tendents should be educational pro-

fessionals whove gone through

several stages of their careers and

still long for the classroom and

opportunities to interact with stu-

dents. And yet, its important that

every student gets the best teach-

ers. Is our thinking too narrow? Are

there other ways to view education

and the development of teacher

leaders that does not have to force

teachers to choose between teach-

ing and leadership?

Kim:

I think the way the educational sys-

tem is set up currently forces teach-

ers to choose between teaching and

leadership, but I don't think it has to

be that way. We need to be more

creative about the ways we envision

both teaching and leadership to

allow flexibility in scheduling and

in job definition. I truly believe thatit is the classroom and the time

with students that enables teacher

leaders to make curricular deci-

sions and understand the impact of

educational policy. There must be a

way to think about teaching and

leadership that are not contradicto-

ry but are instead complimentary.

Why is equity important

to the San Diego Area

Writing Project?

Kim:

I would like to believe that writing

projects are spaces that support

innovation and creative problem

solving. They are also one of the

few places where teachers from a

variety of settings come together to

share ideas and work through the

struggles inherent in teaching. If

our national goal is equity in educa-

tion, then writing project sites offer

opportunities to explore issues of

equity in new ways. Instead of a

focus only on those faced withinequities, SDAWP offers teachers

in San Diego a chance to interact

with others both alike and different

from themselvespersonally and

professionallyand to think about

equity more broadly. What can sub-

urban teachers learn from urban

teachers? What can urban teachers

learn from suburban teachers?

How are students similar and dif-

ferent across contexts? What

stereotypes do we hold that inter-

fere with teaching and learning?

How can we help our students gaina broader view of the world and

understand their role and responsi-

bilities in making change?

Makeba:

Yes, thank goodness for writing pro-

jects! They are spaces where we

can safely explore issues around

race, class, gender, and language in

schools and in our teaching.

Writing projects spaces are the only

professional spaces Ive experi-

enced where I take risks along with

others to collectively understand

how our personal lives and

upbringing inform our view of

teaching, learning, and students

That doesnt mean its easy; these

are topics that are difficult for many

people to talk about in public. In

writing projects, reflection and

need to grow as teachers and

teacher leaders are part of their

integrity. But change cannot hap-

pen without all teachers. How can

writing projects support teacher

who are uncomfortable takin

risks?

Kim:

I'm not sure that the writing project

can reach all teachers, but I do

think that teachers can learn to take

risks in a supportive environment

We have to help teachers see tha

change and growth are not the

same as failure. Our goal is not to

"fix" teachers or students but rather

to help them continue to learn and

evaluate their own progress. The

writing project doesn't have all the

answers, but it helps teachers con-

tinue to ask questions and to

explore possibilities as they search.

Makeba:

I am an idealist in many ways, and I

I think teachers

can make a

more

powerful case

for change by

demonstrating

the effectivenessof their

teaching rather

than complaining

about

unfair practices.

Kim Douillard

Yes, thank goodness

for writing projects!

They are spaces

where we can safely

explore issues

around race, class,

gender, andlanguage in schools

and in our teaching.

Makeba Jones


4/16


day professional lives. Fellows whoare currently teaching, for exam-ple, are agents of reform in theirclassrooms as they create curricu-lum that is meaningful, relevant,and engaging for all students,including disadvantaged students,English learners, and SpecialEducation students. Curriculum is

very political as textbooks and stan-

dardized tests define what countsas important knowledge that stu-dents need to know. Often, man-dated curriculum programs oradopted textbooks do little to pro-

vide meaningful and engaginglearning experiences for students,particularly for students whoseskills are below their grade level.

When teachers decide to blendmandated curriculum and text-books with curriculum they believeis important and relevant to stu-dents growth as learners and stu-

dent achievement, they are creat-ing change in education. In otherwords, when teachers do what theybelieve is best for all students, theiractions have the potential toincrease students access to oppor-tunities such as college prep cours-es and to change students views ofschool and students views of

whats possible for their futures.

Kim:

Reform can take a variety of forms,some more public than others. Ibelieve that SDAWP fellows areagents of reform in education.Some innovate in their own class-rooms and inspire students to learnin ways others haven't yet imag-ined. They touch students, fami-lies, and their local communities

with their work. They encouragestudents and families who may nothave found education a welcomingplace. Others share their expertisebeyond their classrooms. They gointo schools and districts differentfrom their own and listen to the

struggles that other teachers andother students face. They examinemandates and find ways to incorpo-rate the best of the mandates withpractices they know offer studentsopportunities and support. Otherspublish, through writing and/orpresenting to open their thinkingand their practice to a wider educa-tional audience. They let their stu-dents' stories and experiencesshape the work of other teachers.There are many ways to enact

changebut I think Ghandi said itbest when he said, "You must be thechange you want to see in the

world."

Makeba:

Ghandis words teach me that hopefor education reform thats rele-

vant, inclusive of teachers, and last-

ing lies within each SDAWP fellow

Our actions everyday string togeth-er into our professional lives, ascomplicated as they may be by thechallenges, fears, victories (big andsmall), passions, and politics.

SDAWP fellows may not always seetheir everyday professional livesand routines as actions in the ser-

vice of important education reform.I believe our interactions with stu-dents, colleagues, parents, andcommunity always carry the possi-bility of making a difference. Thatgives me enough to feel and thinkthat hope is present and strong.

Kim:

For me, the SDAWP is a communityof education professionals whooffer hope for the future. Reform isnot a something that magicallyfixes problems. Change is only pos-sible through the actions of the peo-ple involved. I know that smartcaring, and committed profession-als make a difference.

hold onto the idea that systemicchange needs us all to take risks byasking and exploring hard andimportant questions about educa-tion, teaching, and learning.Individual teachers who choose toparticipate in our programs havethe opportunity to begin theirsearch in a safe, professional space.But as a project, I think we too have

to be proactive and do what we canto reach out to teachers who stillview change and growth as failure.Doing so does not guarantee thatthose teachers will take that firststep. But weve done our best tocommunicate that the writing pro-

ject is here when they are ready.

How can Fellows of the

SDAWP be agents of reform

in education?

Makeba:

I believe Fellows of the SDAWP canbe agents of reform in their every-

I believe our

interactions with

students,

colleagues,

parents, and

community

always carrythe possibility

of making

a difference.

Makeba Jones

Project Notes...Karen Wroblewski(SDAWP 1989) is now principalat the San Diego High EducationComplex School of InternationalStudies.

Patty Ladd (SDAWP 1994) isnow principal at Keiller MiddleSchool in the San Diego UnifiedSchool District.

Sam Patterson (SDAWP1998) has had his article "HowMuch is Too Much? Effective andEthical Response to ApplicationEssays" chosen by The NACACEditorial Board for publication ina future issue of the Journal ofCollege Admission.

Kim Douillard (SDAWP 1992)has been chosen by the NationalWriting Project to be a coordina-tor for the upcoming ProjectOutreach 3.

TheSDAWP will host theNational Writing Projects UrbanSites Conference scheduled forApril 28-29, 2006 in San Diego.


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1.LXX.Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle

quam mihi, no si se luppiter ipse petatdicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti

in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.

-Catullus

70.No one says that my woman is not nubile,but to me,even if Jupiter himself reads this, she is a petal.

She loves it when I talk about loveand when I rapidly write about liquid openings.

-trans. Don Cheney,

The Qualms of Catullus & K-mart

70.My woman says theres nobody shed rather marrythan me, not even Jupiter himself if he asked her.She says, but what a woman says to a hungry loveryou might as well scribble in wind and swift water.

-trans. Carl Sesar

Exercise: translate the Catullus poem (below) from theoriginal Latin into your own language. Listen to the words,make random (or exact) associations based on sound,sense, whim, whatever. Play, interact with words andsounds and the physicality of the text.

Aut, sodes, mihi redde decem sestertia, Silo,

deinde esto quamvis saevus et indomitus:aut, si te nummi delectant, desine quaeso

leno esse atque idem saevus et indomitus.

2.There used to be a character on Gumby, the Groobee,

which was bee-like, except that with its hammer-shapedarm, it would hammer small wooden cages around every-one and everything. The Groobee hammered its cratesaround Gumby, Pokey, other animals (like a gorilla in mid-swing), plants, and, in one episode, another Groobee. TheGroobee was both a saviour and a nuisance at the same

time. According to Art Cloakey, the Groobee was anotherinstrument that Gumby could use to overcome obstacles.However, The only problem is that the Groobee did notknow when to stop. It would just keep on crating every-thing in sight until Gumby called it back into its little cage

with an ultrasonic whistle (gumbyworld.com).

3.As writing teachers, we have a common goal: teaching stu-dents to write better. We differ in our approaches, some-times to the point that we take up sword and shield todefend our practices. In Style: An Anti-Textbook, RichardLanham quotes an English commentator: On subjects likeAmerica and Prose ones mind cannot be made a blank (1).

I am not immune. I have strong feelings against formulaicwritingsome of these are my own preferences for writing,but some of these are based on my own training, experi-ence, and scholarship. My interest in scholarship on thisissue stems from the teaching of the five-paragraph essaynearly to death in my district. (Developmental writers must

write a tolerable five-paragraph essay in an hour in orderto go on to English 101. If they do not pass the test, theyreceive a D in the course, no matter how they were doingbefore the exam.)

The edge of the world, as far as formulaic writing is con-cerned, lies in the currently popular Schaffer Method, aset of pre-formed guidelines (called The Format) whichare specific to the point of telling students how many sen-tences to include with each paragraph. Jane Schaffer, like

a champion Groobee, says, We get kids who tell us that westifle their creativity. Her response is Yes, we do.

Meanwhile, our mailboxes are filling up with readers andrhetorics which include divisions by readings and bymodes.

Ive heard this: You cant dance the tango until youvelearned the box step.

In other words (to drag the dead donkey out of the ditchone more time): You must learn the rules before you canbreak them. The problem with the dance metaphor is thait assumes there are specific rules, that these rules do not

change and that we agree on them. It also assumes that thefive-paragraph essay is the basis for all other essays, whena quick skim through an anthology or newspaper opinionpage reveals that it is not.

To return to the dance metaphor, I would ask whether the

perfunctory essay writer could be compared to a dancerwho does a perfect box step but has no sense of expressionor connection to what she is doing or who really does notenjoy the even more basic act of touching others and

whirling them around the room.

What are the basics? Desire and pleasure, of course! Andmaybe a partner, too: an empathic (or resisting!) listener

who might think in a new and different way after readingwhat the writer has written.

Donald Murray says, There are no rules, no absolutes, justalternatives. What works one time may not work another

Desire and Pleasure:

Language Poetry in the College ClassroomWendy L. Smith, SDAWP 2001

Ive heard this: You cant dancethe tango until youve learned

the box step.


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6 Dialogue, Spring 2005

All writing is experimental (17).Recently, I have been experiment-ing with language play in my class-es. Free translation is an interest-ing example to focus on; the firststudents I tried it on were aghast!Some acted like this kind of lan-guage play was breaking the law.And maybe, in some ways, it was.

4.Free translation is a creative tech-nique employed by the surrealistpoets and more recently by lan-guage poets who strive to findhumor, new life, and surprisingmeaning from texts written in lan-guages more or less unfamiliar tothem.

Most of us would agree that freeplay with languagelike freewrit-ing or clustering, or brainstorm-

ingcan help writers muse and word-gather in order to decreasewriting anxiety, come up with ideas,and write more fluidly. Free trans-lation is only a variant on thistheme, except, unlike brainstorm-ing around a specific topic, it does-nt have a pre-set goal.

The exercise of free translationbrings the pleasure of the music oflanguage back to students, anaspect of writing often overlookedin our efforts to teach mechanicsand conventional form. When stu-dents have this pleasure with lan-guage, they also gain, theoreticallyat least, a greater desire to learn.

5.

In April, Rob Brezny wrote thishoroscope for Gemini: As we prep

you for a possible clash with dopeydemons and maladjusted ghosts,

we won't go for help to the world'smajor religions. Their holy booksare too serious and grave. None ofthem seems to have figured out thatthe number one weapon againstdiabolical spirits is laughter andtomfoolery. Among the more use-ful texts are the novels of TomRobbins. Let me quote an especial-ly sacred scripture from his

Jitterbug Perfume: "He'd grown

William Covino addressed the sameissue to college students in his 1990book Forms of Wondering: themost successful LSAT writers willbe those well practiced in the flexi-ble interpretation of texts. He pro-

moted intellectual dexterity,rather than obedience to stockforms. He also said that The pos-sibility were considering here isthat a clear, effective, immediate

written responsethe ability to beeloquent on demand is a likelyresult of dialectical/exploratory

writing(297).

Chukovsky would add that The

present belongs to the sober, thecautious, the routine-prone, but thefuture belongs to those who do notreign in their imagination. Not

without reason did the famouBritish physicist, John Tindalechampion fantasy:

Without the participation offantasy. . . all our knowledge aboutnature would have been limitedmerely to the classification of obvi-ous facts. The relation betweencause and effect and their interac-tion would have gone unnoticedthus stemming the progress of sci-ence itself, because it is the mainfunction of science to establish thelink between the different manifes-tations of nature, since creative fan-tasy is the ability to perceive more

and more such links.In other words, you have to breakthe rules before you can learnthem.

In 1997, poet Ron Padgett publishedCreative Reading: What it is, How to

Do It, and Why. Padgett introducesthis book by reminding us that It isthe view of a poet who prefers ideasand images when they first materi-alize, still trailing clouds of mystery

convinced that playmore thanpiety, more than charity or vigi-lancewas what allowed humanbeings to transcend evil."

Kathy Acker, experimental writeradds, Well, I think writing is basi-

cally about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basicmelody and then you just riff off ofit. And the riffs are about timing(Sirius).

I recently revisited an importantbook that I had not opened in a longtime: Kornei Chukovskys 1963book,From Two to Five. As a writer

of childrens stories and a greatobserver of children, Chukovskyposited the currently unquestionedtheory that children from ages twoto five are expert linguists becauseof their love of language and theirfearless play with it. He also notedthat nonsense in poetry, story, orsong is the way children learn lan-guage but also the way they learn tomake sense of the world

A critic of Chukovsky said thatreading and writing should be

about clarifying for the child the world that surrounds him, insteadof confusing his brain with allkinds of nonsense. Chukovskysresponse was that common sense isoften the enemy of scientific truth,to which I would add that the mod-ern world requires flexible think-ing: the ability to both solve andpose problems. In other words,language play is not the opposite ofcritical thinking; rather, it is a toolfor critical thinking. (See Desire, continued on page 14)

When students have this pleasure withlanguage, they also gain, theoretically atleast, a greater desire to learn.

In other words, you have to

break the rules before you can learn them.

...language play is not the opposite of criticalthinking; rather, it is a tool for

critical thinking.


7/16


THE MUSE BOX...

Feeling uninspired? We all lose our sense of creativitynow and then. Why not write about how hard it is towrite when your Muse disappears? Hopefully you will findinspiration in Frank Barones musings on his relationshipwith his Muse, or in the writing of Jenny Moores formercreative writing student Virginia Roane, as she writes

about her missing Muse.

Searching for My Museby Frank Barone, SDAWP 1977

4/29/04

I thought I had lost Her.Never before had She wandered too farnor stayed away for more than a short time.

I had searched for Herin all the usual places,the sunlit streets of my neighborhoodwithin the pages of booksthe melodies of symphoniesand the soft blue notes of jazzin the movement of silent starsthe gnarled hands of old peoplethe laughing eyes of childrenand lonely faces in crowds.In my searchI followed the flights of hummingbirds

and stared longlooking for Her in Monets Gardenand in Van Goghs Starry Night.Now here I standalone, neglected,empty of spirit,uncertain if I can ever againconjure up the wordsthat will bring Her back into my life.Then, surrounded by the silence in my room,I heard Her voice whisper to me.Trust yourself.

While you have been searching for meI have been waiting for youto come home form your journeyswaiting for you to tell meall you have seen and heard.Now write.Show me those sunlit streetsand silent stars.Let me hear the melodies of symphoniesand the laughter of children.Begin to put the words on the pageand when you doI, as always, will help you.I will listen to their rhythmand see if your words can still make picturesthat dance before my eyescan still sing songsthat touch my heart.If your words are honest and truewe will embracewaltz around the room and celebrateyet another collaborative act of divine creation.

My Muse is Missingby Virginia Roane,

Coronado High School 04

Ms. Moore, I know today is a Share Day, and were all sup-

posed to bring something to read aloud in class, but due to

some rather unusual and unfortunate circumstances, I dont

have anything to read today. I would have written something,

but I didnt, and I cant, because my Muse ran away. We had a

falling out on Sunday night. She told me she was tired of my

never writing down any of my stories, and my taking so long toget around to drawing things. She got right in my face and told

me that if I didnt appreciate her abilities, she was going to find

someone else who did. Now, she has a record of giving me

half-baked ideas and delusions of grandeur, so I didnt believe

her at first when she threatened to leave. Of course, I didnt

think she was serious, but she was.

My Muse left sometime yesterday afternoon, probably during

Physics class. When I realized she was gone, I asked my

friends if theyd seen her leave, but none of them had. Ive

been having a rather difficult time since then, because not only

did she take all my creativity and artistic ability, she took my

existing ideas as well. Now I cant think of anything to draw orwrite about, much less do something worth the paper its on.

When I got home, I looked all over the house for her, but I

couldnt find her anywhere. At least my Muse left me a note.

She wrote that shed come back once I fully appreciated what

she did for me. Well, by yesterday evening I was ready to

make up and tell her how great she was, and I stayed up later

than usual to wait for her, but she didnt come back.

She still wasnt back by this morning. Im growing worried that

shes actually found someone else. Anyway, I wrote this while I

was eating breakfast this morning, because I was waiting for

her before I started anything for Share Day today. So if any ofyou see a lone Muse wandering around Coronado, please tell

her I need her back as soon as possible. I dont think Ill be

able to get through the week without her, much less write good

college application essays by the end of the month.

Theres not much else I can think of to say now. I cant even

wrap this up properly. If only my Muse hadnt run away, I could

put a decent conclusion at the end of this really long excuse for

my not having anything to read in class today.


8/16


SkyByMatthewPeterson,

4thGradeTheskyexpressesallmyfeelingsSkyisbymysideCloudymeansImgloomy,andliketostayinside.

Morningsarealwaysgray,MostafternoonsmakemeburnIdontknowalltheweather,ButsomedayIwilllearn

AChristmasskyiscomforting,ThoughthereisntmuchtoseeIdontknowaboutsomeothers,buttheskysimportanttome.

Writing in the SkyBy Michela Rodriguez, 3rd Grade

Words are the stars. Paper is the sky. Letters are

the birds as they glide. Everything is peaceful,

everything is quiet as I sit in my room and write.

OdetoMusic

ByAntoinetteMarrero,

7thGrade

Flashingcolorsdancinglights,

Diversepeoplelikeonthetownnights

Highnoteslownotesinbetween

SomenotesreallyupsetmeSmootherthanchocolate

Softerthansilksubtlyswell

Likemothercowsmilk

Hotterthanheatcoolerthanice

Temperaturesinbetweenand

Everythingnice

Sharpascheesebland

Astoastsweeterthansugar

Saltysprayfromthecoast

Delicateasrosesharshas

Firesmellslikeanything

Yourheartdesires.

S

U

M

M

E

R

2

0

0

4

Y

W


9/16

Dialogue, Spring 2005 9

SleepyHead

ByZoeyZoBell,

6thGrade

HellomynameisJoe,

Iam9yearsofage

YesterdayIsawthestrangest

ThingIveseeninallmydays.

Iwaswaddlingdownthestairs

Whenitreallycaughtmyeye

Itwaswearingsomethingfuzzy

Withalittlepinkbowtie.

Ithadcrustiesinitseyes

Andbrownishfrizzyhair

Thatwasmessy,tangled,gross

Andstickingstraightupintheair.

Itwalkeddownthestairsquite

slowly,

Itsarmsweredanglingdown

Ithadhairylegsandabright

rednose,

Ineedtowarnthetown.

Itrubbeditsgreatwideeyes,

Andscratchedanastyblister,

ItwasthenIrealized,Whatarelief

Itwasjustmysister!

I Dont Know What to Write About

By Wayman G. Yerdell, 8th Grade

I am just sitting here waiting for something to write. I thought I should write

about me not being able to write about nothing so I guess I am really not writ-

ing about nothing I am writing about something that is nothing and nothing

that is something. Like when your dad asks you what did you learn in school

and you say nothing but you really learned that 2X2=4 and that George

Washington was the first president. Also that you finally learned how to spell

what. It is a confusing process I guess. So am still writing about nothing or

is this nothing that is something. If this is nothing then I wasted a page onnothing that is something. So maybe I should change the title into nothing that

is something. Then maybe this piece will turn into nothing that is something.

WritingIsByMeganHastings,

5thGrade

A worldofhopeManybellschimingabeautifulsong

A keythatunlocksalltheworldswondersA letter,aword,asentence

WritingisawaterfalloflettersrushingdownwardtowardariverofimaginationA smoothgempolishedtoperfectionWritingisasinglecloudinthesky

Writingis


10/16

Too ManyShoes,TooManyShoes


My four-year-old daughter and I

went to Target to buy a birthday

gift. The invitation to the party

required it.

As soon as we got there, she asked

me if she could try on some pairs of

shoes. Being completely surprised

and amused by her request I simply

said, Okay. I was surprised

because I saw myself in her: the

desire to try on something new. I

was amused because I had discov-

ered another layer in our mother-

daughter relationship: we were

true girlfriends. After about what

seemed to have been hours, she

was satisfied. All pink shoes in the

store, regardless of size, had been

on her feet for a while. We were

finally free to move on with our

task.

Upon our arrival at home with two

bags, one with a gift and another

with a brand-new pair of shoes for

her, my daughter remarked,

Mommy, I have five shoes but I

really only need two because I only

have two feet. I agreed with her

and went on to getting her ready for

bed.

But before I could let go of the sub-

ject, my daughter added, Mommy,

you have too many shoes. Can you

please give some away so I canhave space for mine?

Too many shoes, too many

shoes. This sentence kept echo-

ing in my head and I did not quite

understand why. Once I lay in bed

and closed my eyes, it all came to

me.

As a little girl, I too found myself

longing for pairs and pairs of shoes.

Being from a poor Brazilian family,

I soon understood that there were

many earthly possessions beyond

the means of my family. I wore the

shoes that once were my brothers.

The same was true for my clothes.

We never owned a house and we

had our first telephone when I was

fifteen. All my childhood toys fit

inside one white plastic bag. And

we rarely got birthday gifts, much

less bought them.

I dont quite know why, but shoes

are special to little girls. They were

special to me, too, and one of my

strongest memories is that of a

friend cat-walking in front of me

with her brand-new, sparkling, red

slip-on shoes. I can still smell their

rubbery scent. I wanted them so

badly. I dreamed about them almost

every night.

Ah, dreamsdreams are simply

dreams. They arent given the

chance to turn into anything else

when you are poor. So, as many of

us used to do, I would complain

about the uncertainties and unfair-

ness of life to my parents.

My father, poor and illiterate, but

wiser, would hear all of that and

swallow it. It was painful: the male

of the house, the provider, was notcapable of satisfying all of his kids

needs. His lack of luckand luck is

all you rely on when you are born

deprived in a developing country

had had such profound impact on

all of us. He had given us all he had

and all he could. Many times, his

macho pride was hurt.

However, he knew that it wasnt

enough. We wanted more: society

has many trends and products.

They are imposed on everybody

everyday independently of class

religion, political parties, etc. They

were imposed on us, too. Friend

and more affluent family members

did it unintentionally. The TV, our

only source of entertainment, did it

Mommy,I have five shoes

but I really only

need two

because I only

have two feet.

I agreed with her

and went ongetting her ready

for bed.

Ah, dreams

dreams are

simply dreams.They arent given

the chance to turn

into anything else

when you are

poor.

Regina Serbin, SDAWP 2004


11/16


on purpose.

After trying to persuade my broth-ers and me that there is more to lifethan material possessions, myfather remembered an old child-hood story that was meant to giveus some perspective. It goes likethis: one day a factory workerdecided not to go to his minimum-

wage job. As an excuse he decidedto say that he did not have anyshoes. But when he returned to

work the very next day, he cameacross a worker who did not have afoot. He felt small and regretful.

The moral that we were supposedto internalize was this one: dontcomplain so much. Things could be

worse.

At first, we all listened to myfathers story quietly. When adoles-

cence hit and the desire to consume was even more circumscribed byour lack of money, I felt the need torebel. I created my official answerto that story.

One morning, after our breakfast ofbread with butter and coffee, some-how the story came up again. Thattime, though, I was ready, Dad, theman without the foot didnt reallyhave a good excuse not to go to

work, did he? After all, he could notsay that he needed shoes, couldhe? In other words, dont even

bother to try, we are poor and wecant have what we want. The suf-fering of others wont console me.Too many shoes, too manyshoes. I couldnt stop thinkingabout this. What is the connectionbetween my daughter and my faraway past? I kept on regurgitating

that sentence as I dug deeper intomy history.

Time went by and things got betterfor us in Brazil because my broth-ers and I got jobs. Even though wedid not have health or dental insur-ance, a house or a car, my fatherand my mother struggled to main-tain us in a semi-private school. I

became a teacher, my older brotherentered the Navy, and my youngerbrother also became a teacher.Everything was calm and we wereliving a life in which dreams didindeed have a chance to come true.

We could afford our own shoes.

Until one day in July of 2001, whenmy father entered a public hospital

with a cut toe and left without a leg.His diabetes had taken control ofhis body. Kidneys, lungs, and heart

were severely damaged. His blood

pressure could not be controlled.All the antibiotics in the worldcould not help him overcome thepowerful infection he was dealing

with.

Chaos, anger, pain, uncertaintiesand mounting expenses regainedcontrol over us. We had beendeported back to our childhood andadolescent years. Our dreams wereagain clouded by the devastatingreality of having to care for a dis-abled man in a country in which the

word disability still is synonymouswith less.

How does one deal with a diabeticamputee then? With a lot of deter-mination, patience and hope. Mymother did all she could and couldnot to get free medication andinsulin syringes for my father andto transport him to his many visitsto the public hospitals and clinics.She spent endless hours in lines

waiting to receive a number toschedule a consultation for him.She went across city in hot, crowd-

ed buses after the necessary med-ical supplies he needed. She evenhad to run out nervously in middleof the street to flag down a taxi dri-

ver who would help her carry myfather to his cab so they couldescape the clinic they were at whendrug dealer from a nearby favela

(slum) had demanded the clinic beclosed.

In the meantime, my brothers and Ipaid for the nursing home and formedication not given for free by theBrazilian government.

My father was never able to walkagain and my mother could not take

care of him alone.

After a year and a half of constantsadness and pain, my powerlessdad gave up. His last sentence to my

mother was simple and clear, CanI have some water, please? And yetI cant help but to think about how

wise he had been again. What canbe more essential to a man than aglass of water when his body isbeing drained of life?

Too many shoes, too manyshoes. I finally got it too, Dad. Inever really needed more than afraction of what I wanted. Life canbe happy and full with only thebasics. It took the innocence of afour-year-old to bring out the truemeaning of your story to me. I con-nected my past and present. As I get

up to pray for you I hope that myenlightenment can help you rest alittle better now. And I also hope Ican pass on your message to mydaughter.

Too many shoes,

too many

shoes.

I couldnt stop

thinking aboutthis. What is the

connection

between my

daughter and my

far away past?

The moral that we

were supposed to

internalize was

this one: dont

complain somuch. Things

could be worse.


12/16

D


All the fun is in how you say a

thing.Robert Frost

Is it necessary to suck the life out ofsomething in order for students toproperly digest it? The actions ofsome educators would suggest thismuch; however, any teacher worthher salt can think back to an activi-ty that she did with her students andgo on and on about how everything

just seemed to click. When askedwhy, she will undoubtedly mentionhow interested the students were in

what it was they were studying.High interest leads to high motiva-tion, which leads to improvedeffort, which, in turn, leads togreater mastery and under-standing of the skill.

Writing is no different fromother areas of learning when itcomes to the importance ofgrabbing and sustaining stu-dents interest. Assuming thatthis is true, we must pose one

very important question: Wherehas all of the fun gone when itcomes to writing? It is vital thatteachers get students to enjoy writ-ing if we are to successfully teachthem how to write in a thoughtfulmanner. We need to build each stu-dents writers ego by bringing the

excitement back into what hasbecome the nemesis of studentsfrom the elementary school level upthrough the college ranks.

We are cups, constantly and quietly

being filled. The trick is how to tip

ourselves over and let the beautiful

stuff out.Ray Bradbury

My first memories of viewingmyself as a budding writer dateback to 1983. When I was in middle

school I was fortunate enough tohave a passionate language artsteacher, Ms. Florian, who sparkedmy initial interest in writing. Asidefrom the fact that she was the recip-ient of my first true adolescentcrush, she had the unique ability to

make writing not only painless, butalso meaningful and safe. The writ-ing exercises we completed in herclass were enjoyable because theyrelated to actual middle schoolexperiences: bullies, love (yuck!),fitting in, dorky parents, and otherissues to which we could relate.

In Ms. Florians class we kept jour-nals and submitted one piece of

writing per week. Our journals were ours. Occasionally she col-lected them, but she did not abuseour amateur scrawling with her red

pen. She encouraged us andpushed us to experiment with our

writing. At one point that year, eachstudent had to prepare a persuasivepaper and present it to the class. Ihad real trouble with this assign-ment because I could not think ofan argument to present. Afterexpressing my concerns to her, Ms.Florian turned through my journaluntil she came to an entry in whichI, a budding star on the baseballdiamond, expressed my disdain forprofessional athletes who claim to

Dbe underpaid. Voila! Topic in hand Icompleted a presentation I remem-ber to this day.

My seventh-grade language artsteacher also had genuine enthusi-asm for writing, and it was infec-tious. Her comments on our sub-mitted pieces were full of encour-agement and praise. When I wrote

about my life as a phone booth, she went on and on about hoimpressed she was with my creativ-ity and my use of imagery. Ms.Florian knew how to get the beau-tiful stuff out of us, and we enjoyedseeing it when it was out.

My aim is to put down on paper

what I see and what I feel in the best

and simplest way.

Ernest Hemingway

The love of writing that Ms. Florian

sparked and stoked into a miniinferno was quickly and unceremo-niously snuffed out by the drudgeryof high school composition. Withrare exceptions, high school writ-ing topics were painfully bland.They had no meaning in the greatercontext of a teenagers life. Even

worse, the steps to create effectivepieces of writing were portrayedas an abstract series of objectives

which were only achieved by aselect few: those who could readthe teachers mind and mimic

her style. Of course, my newlyacquired disdain for writing ledto poor efforts on writing assign-ments, which led to failinggrades on these assignments

which led to more disdain fowriting, which led to... Well, youget the cycle. I was never able to

overcome this as a high school stu-dent.

I remember receiving an F minuson a paper I submitted in eleventhgrade. Although I do not recall theexact topic, I remember that it wasassociated with the book we werereading at the time, T.H. WhitesThe Once and Future King. I alsoremember that in high school there

was no safe forum, such as the jour-nals in Ms. Florians class, in whichto take risks and further developmy voice as a writer. In fact, I clear-ly recall that my teachers musthave had a separate supply of redpens just for grading my papers. Ispent those high school years disin-terested in writing, frustrated that I

With rare exceptions,high school writing topics were

painfully bland. They had nomeaning in the greater context

of a teenagers life.

A Case for Making WritingFUNAgain:

My Experiencesas a Writer and a Teacher

Romero Maratea, SDAWP 2004


13/16

listed was an old blind man, CootieStarks, who had been playing thePiedmont blues in the area fordecades. I chose to interview and

write about him. I tackled thisassignment with relish, and to thisday it is probably the best piece Ihave ever written. Good enough to,once again, be published in TheTiger. Why? I was tremendously

interested in what I was writingabout, and I once again hada teacher willing to findand build upon studentsstrengths. My passion for

writing had been rekin-dled, but would not beproperly stoked until myparticipation in the WritingProject.

...either write something

worth reading or do some-

thing worth the writing.

Ben Franklin

Fast-forward to the present.Arguably the greatest hurdle to stu-dents becoming proficient writersis the overall lack of effort andinterest associated with writing.Many of my students hate to writebecause the process does not makesense to them. They have not beengiven adequate tools to writedescriptive, organized, thought-outpieces of prose. (Although, in some

cases they have beengiven too many tools with

inadequate instruction onhow to use them.) There isalso a prevailing lack ofinterest in writing becausemost writing assignmentsare not very interesting.My poor students are sub-

jected to writing assess-ment after writing assess-

ment with such stimulatingprompts as Compare and contrastTaco Bell and McDonalds. Suchdrab, uninspiring realms of writtendiscourse can only turn the most

inspired child into a disgruntledand frustrated writer.

You cant wait for inspiration. You

have to go after it with a club.

Jack London

As a teacher of writing, I aim toaccomplish several lofty goals withmy students. First, I hope to inspiremy budding authors to write abouttopics that have meaning to themand to write from the heart. The

most thrilling part of my job is when I read a students piece thacontains the authors own uniqueand inspired voice. Second, I wantto provide them with a variety ofstrategies through which they canmake sense of the writing processEvery writer has a preferredmethod/process for creating, and inorder for students to develop theirs

they must be exposed to different

strategies in order to choose thosewhich fit their needs. Third, I aim toempower them to draw upon theirown experiences when writing. Toooften, young writers set out to cre-ate writing that is dominated by

what they believe the teacher wantsto hear rather than their ownthoughts and ideas. Often times thisis done at the cost of excluding theirunique experiences and view-points.

Most importantly, I would like toinstill in them the sense of prideand excitement Ms. Florian gave tome. To make some headway onthese objectives, I require my stu-dents to maintain a writing note-book in which they address dailytopics. These topics and objectivescover a wide array of issues andideas, and are created by all mem-bers of the classroom communityIts not the silver bullet that willput an end to the bland writingassignments required by school dis-tricts and states, but it is a forum forthem to experiment and find theirown writing voice with no risk totheir writers ego.

If I can engage students through writing the way my seventh gradelanguage arts teacher did, I willconsider my classroom a place ofoverwhelming success.

If I can engage studentsthrough writing the way myseventh grade language artsteacher did, I will considermy classroom a place ofoverwhelming success.

could not meet the expectations ofmy teachers and too afraid to askfor help. When I began high school,I searched hard for the best andsimplest way to put my thoughtson paper. My experiences show thatI was not successful in doing so.

Everywhere I go Im asked if I think

the university stifles the writers.

Flannery OConnor

My college experiences with writ-ing were very similar to my highschool experiences, with one mem-orable exception. English 101, 102,202, 203 were a blur of turning inpapers on topics in which I held nointerest whatsoever, and receivinggrades that were satisfactoryenough for me to maintain myfinancial aid. I despised writing bythis point. I even went so far as tohave my roommate complete a few

assignments for me in return forpizza. But I signed up for a journal-ism class in order to avoid taking aspeech class. This would be theonly time in college that I wouldhave an experience to rival Ms.Florians class. From the first day Iknew this would be different.

My teacher gave us the objectivefor the semester and told us to getto work right away. For each class

meeting we would bring in ourinfant stories to be examined by thegroup. For my first assignment Ichose to write a review of a restau-rant that had recently opened near

campus. I enjoyed eating out, I hadbeen a cook for a number of years,and the assignment was a huge suc-cess. My story was published in theschools paper, The Tiger.

After completing several moreassignments similar to this, I pre-pared for the big project. We had alist of prominent people in the com-munity who we had to choose from.

We were to interview one of thesefolks and write a lengthy article forthe school paper. One of the people


The most thrilling part ofmy job is when I read a

students piece thatcontains the authors ownunique and inspired voice.


14/16

Congratulations to

New SDAWP

Teaching Fellows!

2004 Invitational Institute


Amy DegenfelderWestview HighPoway

Donna DuchowMesa CollegeSan Diego

Mara FigueroaSan Diego City CollegeSan Diego

Amber Goslee

Clear View Charter ElementaryChula Vista

Christine KanNubia Leadership AcademySan Diego

Angela KinlawMorse HighSan Deigo

Linda Knight-ValenzianoTubman Village ElementarySan Diego

Virginia Loh

Finney ElementaryChula Vista

Romero MarateaDel Dios MiddleEscondido

Gwen OsgardHoover HighSan Diego

Laura RadfordMission Bay HighSan Diego

Alicia Sandoval

Chula Vista

Regina SerbinBay Park ElementarySan Diego

Tiffiny Shockley-JacksonMuirlands MiddleSan Diego

Susan YonezawaUSCD; Crawford HighCREATE; San Diego

before the life gets squeezed out of them by codification. . . .The general aim of the book is simply to enlarge the possi-bilities of reading, by demonstrating ways to make readingmore flexible, various, and imaginative, and by suggesting anew, more inventive attitude toward the act of reading. Thenew attitude is one that encourages the integration of read-ing and writing. In one of his chapters, Padgett lists eighteentechniques for crea-tive reading. They have names like Line Looping,Transposing, Eye-Mind Split, Dueling Books, and, of

course Foreign Languages.

Padgett concurs with Chukovskys critique of the routineprone versus the playful:

Thats what happens too often in school: we have our stu-dents study reading for a while, then close their books andwork on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Whats worse we administer standardized tests that purport to measureprogress in quantitative terms. All too often, the test scoresbecome more important than what they were meant to mea-sure, and we begin to teach for the test. At the same time we break down reading and writing into smaller unitsknown as skills. . . . In the open system, reading is inte-

grated with writing, and the instruction honors the studentsinterests [and] students progress is measured by studentsenthusiasm for reading and self-expression.

ESL learners and basic writers and readers can benefit fromword play through free translation, as word play is an inte-gral part of learning language. Free translation improveslearners schema as they play with language in a fearlessway, in a non-judgmental environment. Language poetry isvery sound- and texture-oriented, as is any poetry, and, forthat matter, any rhetorical act.

When Im teaching in my utilitarian mode, Im like thGroobee, caught in a frenzied vortex of putting limits andboundaries on every classroom writing activity. If I had myown Gumby, however, Im sure he would call me back intomy cage, allowing play to balance my teaching life as itshould my psychic life. (If youve got a heart, then Gumbysa part of you.)

Of course, I do not suggest spending entire semesters ofdevelopmental writing on language play (interpretive dance,maybe!), or that departments revise course outlines. Merelyand meekly, I suggest that word-play be re-examined as apath to fluency, a way to develop a passion for language, anda tool for critical thinking.

Works Cited:

Brezsny, Rob. Gemini. Free Will Astrology. 25 April 2001.freewillastrology.com

Chukovsky, Kornei. From Two to Five. Trans. MiriamMorton. Berkeley: UC Press, 1968.

Covino, William. Forms of Wondering: A Dialogue onWriting, for Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1990.

Padgett, Ron. Creative Reading: What it is, How to Do It,and Why. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1997.

The Groobee. Gumbyworld.com http://www.gumby-world.com/memory-lane/memorylane/mem-

(Desire, continued from page 6)


15/16

Teaching, Testing, and Triumphs

Submission Deadline: July 1, 2005

Its a tough time to be a teacher.Political mandates, high-stakestests, overcrowding, underfunding,minimal professional develop-mentthe issues go on and on. And

yet there are countless examples ofexemplary teaching happeningevery day. Exemplary teachersknow how to help kids master state-standards tests without reducinglearning to test-taking skills Theyknow how to approach standards-based instruction with creativity and

excitement so that students learn tothink and question while masteringskills. In this issue, we share thatexcitement by focusing on exem-plary teaching. Tell us what you doto connect students to learning, tohelp them master state standards inexciting ways. Consider how profes-sional development has changed the

way you think and teach. Who led it,what was discussed, how long did itlast, how was it funded, and how

was it sustained after the workshopended? Tell us, too, how you involve

parents in education. Finally, let usknow how you network with col-leagues, helping one another staycurrent with best practices.

For submission guidelines:http://www.ncte.org/pubs/

journals/vm/write/110485.htm

Classroom NotesPlus, NCTE

Classroom Solutions

Do you have ideas for getting orga-nized, managing the workload,improving your classroom environ-ment, or coaxing the best from

your students? Send your tipsfor creative coping to Classroom

Notes Plus, 1111 West Kenyon Road,Urbana, Illinois 61801 or e-mail [email protected]. For additionalinformation, call Felice Kaufmannat 1-800-369-6283, ext. 3648.


DIALOGUE

Call for Manuscripts

FALL 2005One Student at a Time

Submission Deadline:

August 15, 2005

In Naomi Shihab Nyes poem, Valentine for Ernest Mann, she addresses a stu-dent who approached her and chal-lenged her to write a poem. This chal-lenge inspired the poem itself.

As teachers, our students are our poet-ry. They are a perpetual source of inspi-ration and challenge for us. How haveparticular students inspired you, chal-lenged you? Do you have students whotypify the challenges you face in theclassroom in light of recent policies?

Write your stories of inspiration andwoe regarding students who have cat-alyzed you to rethink and grow yourteaching practicesAnd let us know.

Writers love to get mail, and so do theeditors of newsletters for writing teach-ers! Dialogue would like to receive

your work or the work of your students.Submit a story of student success, astrategy for implementation, or a per-sonal essay on your teaching experi-ence. Send all manuscript submissions,suggestions, letters to the editor andProject Notes to:

Dialogue

UCSD/SDAWP9500 Gilman Drive, 0036La Jolla, CA 92093 - 0036Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES

Reading, Writing,and Re-presenting Research

Submission Deadline: July 15, 2005

English teachers value the teachingof research concepts and methods.Traditionally, we have translatedthat value into the research paperunit, a rite of passage dreaded byteachers and students alike. Yet,tradition has been challenged inthe past several years, especially byinnovative forms of presentation,such as I-Search papers, multi-genre research papers, and multi-media projects, State and national

standards reaffirm the importanceof research methods but do not dic-tate form. The proliferation of typesof information available on theInternet also challenges the tradi-tional content and presentation ofthe research paper. We are inter-ested in knowing how you addressthe challenges. How do you teachsecondary school students to readand present research? What con-cepts and skills do you teach? Whatinnovative means of presentationhave students used? How does the

form of the presentation shape thecontent of the project? How do youhelp students read and evaluate thematerial they see on the Internet?How do you approach the topic ofplagiarism in ways that studentsunderstand with strategies they canuse to avoid it? What do you teachstudents about copyright, and howdo they use that knowledge? In

what ways are research andresearching addressed throughoutthe curriculum? If you have worked

with other teachers in your build-

ing or district to design a develop-mental sequence of research com-petencies, what does that look likeand how does it work? How do youconsider cultural and linguisticdiversity in designing researchassignments? How have you usedtechnology?

For submission information:http://www.englishjournal.colostate.edu/infoforauthors.

htm#articles

English Journal,NCTE

Voices fromthe Middle

You cant order a poem

like you order a taco.Walk up to the counter,

say Ill take twoand expect it to be handed back

to you on a shiny plate....

...Maybe if we reinvent

whatever our lives give uswe find poems.

Check your garage,the odd sock in your drawer,

the person you almost like,

but not quite.And let me know.


16/16

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDSan Diego, CA

Permit No. 1909

San Diego Area Writing ProjectUniversity of California, San Diego9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0036La Jolla, CA 92093-0036

Calendar of Events

Invitational InstituteSummer 2005

University of California, San Diego

June 27 - July 1, 16 days8:30 - 3:30

Pre-Institute Day - May 14

Young Writers'Programsat UCSD

Young Writers Camp

Grades 3-10

July 26 - August 12

8:30 - 11:30Tuesday - Friday

($250 per participant)Student/Parent Orientation Meeting

July 26, 6:30 - 7:30

Writing the College Essay

Grades 11 & 12July 18 - July 22

8:30 - 11:30Monday - Friday

($225 per participant)

San Diego AreaWriting Project

DirectorMakeba Jones

[email protected]

Co-Director

Kim Douillard,[email protected]

Associate DirectorsKaren Wroblewski,

[email protected] Mendez (Imperial Valley)

[email protected]

Young Writers ProgramsCoordinatorsSam Patterson

[email protected] Roy

[email protected]

Christine [email protected]

NWP Technology LiaisonJohn Adams

[email protected]

Program RepresentativeCarol Schrammel, SDAWP Office

(858) [email protected]

Visit our website athttp://create.ucsd.edu/sdawp/

Open Institutesfor Teachers at UCSD

What About Writing? K-6June 27 - July 1Facilitators: Shivani Burrows-Goodwill

and Gabie Norton

Reasons to Write!

For Middle and High School

June 27 - July 1Facilitators: Jenny Moore

and Becky Gemmell

English Learner Summer

Institute, Grades 7-12July 25 - July 29Facilitators: Susan Minnicks

and Gilbert Mendez

Analytical Writing, Grades 7-12

July 11 - July 15Facilitators: John Adams

and Melissa Miller

(Each of the Open Institutes runs forone week from 8:30-3:00 each day

and is $325 per participant.)

Printed on Recycled Paper

dialogue spring 2005

Documents