Wisdom Teeth

I absolutely loath
the nauseating, drowsy,
out-of-my-head, "what
did you say?"
side-effects of
Medicine, almost
more than the
cringing, wincing,
deep breath-taking,
"don't kiss me",
after effect pain
of wisdom teeth
extraction.

Almost.

However, once the
excruciating, smile-
preventing, quagmire-
look-alike, tear-
streaming pain
ensues,
I succumb to the
pain, and
choke down
the horse of a
light-headed, catch
me if I faint,
"where is the toilet?"
"No, the bed,"
queasy, "I'd
rather the pain"
vicodin pill

only to repeat
this cruel schedule
when I awake.

Class Notes

Ranting to write poetry

Why in the world would you expect someone to learn English just because they had to come to America? Not everyone comes to America for a jolly-good ole time. Some come here as refugees. To escape injustice. Some come as adults. Leave their homes and families behind. Hoping to create a new home. Many immigrants don't come here with much in their pocket. Some come hoping for more for their kids. Working two jobs. Doing what others won't. And they are supposed to have time to attend a class to learn English, because it inconveniences YOU? Why don't you try to go learn a new language? You go uproot yourself and build a new life in a country who doesn't speak your language and treats you differently. I'm not saying that it is unnecessary to learn the language of a country you move to, but to be appalled and upset that someone has not learned English, shows no consideration of their lives.

America.
The land of dreams,
Equality and
Freedom
of
Speech.

American Pride
of
The BIG
Melting Pot
Where everyone
Does NOT
Speak
English.


"Can-you-say-English?"
And
Silence.
Appalled, I just
Stare.
And in this silence
my silent mind
Rages, no longer silent.
Lazy, Inconsiderate and selfish
Accusations and assumptions
Begin.
Accusations of a person
And their past.
Their life.
All before they
Approach the window.
Assumptions
of capability
Between jobs and kids


Story Corps through NPR

"For Eli"

It is not fair to prepare our children for utopia, unprepared for the hardship in the world. Students need to learn of these depressing topics that they do and will have control over, if even within their own community alone.

fair, present, yes, important regardless of age, wait til older, society issues, effect them later, family deals with, comforting people to talk to, not just them or family, forming opinions, know their morals, right and wrong,

exposed to the horror of world at all, no, more unfair to not be given chance to respond, chance to talk, relate, form opinion, to understand, desensitized youth,

not fair to leave the unprepared for the world. give them the idea of a utopia. you leave the school and enter the world. outside the four walls. that's a lot to take in if you weren't taught to repsond. discuss. talk. your family isn't the only family to go through those issues. even certain families feel they should not talk about certain things at school.

there will be a time when something taboo will come up and that's life. students need to be able to cope.

class notes

Learning About Butterflies : Children drawings from the Holocaust

Jotting notes about pictures.

First picture:
farm, family, home, grandparents, flying, somber cat, drinking, night, sick, medicine, town, colors, culture, small town, hard work, key?, sickly, help, angry man to the side, angel, spiritual, helping those in need, witches, owls, roosters, leading, a spiritual being?, leader, christianity, crosses

Perle Hessing: Paintings of her life. began painting later in life with cataracts and arthritis

"The Hungry Ones"

make three lists of painting: List of objects, actions, and events

objects
clock
dog
candles
pillars
table
linens
window
clock
cat
bird in cage
little chair
large curtain
chandelier
pulle dup hair
people outside the window

Actions
waiting
serving
sitting
laying
watching
burning
ticking
sound/music playing
smelling
breathing

Events
Dinner time
Special guest
Uninvited guest
During the holocaust?

Emotions
secretive
anxious
hungry
bored
nervous
content
relaxed
longing
amused

Possible titles for painting
The Wait
Group Discussion

The Awaited Guest

Possible Poem

A cloak of disguise
hiding the
hard
stained
scratched
oak that lies beneath,
tough and strained
as their life,
underneath
this flowered
distracting
cover.

Class Notes: 8

Centers!

Action words

Pick a poem and an action word. Action!

Magnet words

Using the magnets, create haikus, alliterations, noun poems... etc.

Reading center with drawing utensils

Current events center

fold paper, write words that stand out on one side, create poem on other.

Nature center

Touch and feel and write.

Listening Center

Art center

Create a collage from magazines and write a poem about the collage.

________________

Chapter 8 from A Note discussion

Learn about language and learn to use terms as writers and not being told to have to use them in a particular way.

Next week: Photography and poetry. Bring an evocative photograph with strong emotions or mystery.

April 5th: Art and poetry. Article by Grant. Full day immersion of one piece of art and what you can do with that. Great Exhibit at the art museum. Possibly going there instead.

April 19th: Poetry Slam. Reading poetry about social issues and performing them.

Class Notes: 7

Who was the woman who wore the hat?

by Nancy Patz

Pretend You're a Cat

Who was the woman to wear this diamond first?

Who bought it?

Why was it bought?

Was it worn on her ring finger?

Was it worn everyday or just for special occasions?

Why is it still in the family?

Why did I get it?

Who cut it?

Did she love it?

What did it mean to her?

Did she plan to pass it down to her daughter?

Was it in her will?

Why was it hidden in a compartment in a desk?

Why was it hiding?

Was it to prevent greed?

Was it to forget a past?

Was it admired?

Was it forgotten?

How many fingers has it been on?

How many times has it been worn?

How many reasons has it been worn?

Light shining through,

clear and vacant.

A glassy diamond

Poetry centers:

Using Practical Poetry and Awakening the Heart

Performance Center

Partner with a friend.

Choose a poem from the paper bag.

Choose a method from the second paper bag.

~Sing, rap, dance, quietly, loudly, read with an accent/ different voice, snap your fingers or clap your hands to the rhythm of the poem, Turn it into a play,

I'm Not Afraid of the Dark

Oh, I'm not afraid of the darkness. I don't mind an absence of light. I can't say I'm scared of the sunset or things that go "bump" in the night. I've never been frightened of monsters or tentacles under my bed. Not skeletons, witches or goblins or creatures come back from the dead. I'm not at all worried of werewolves, or even a vampire's bite. I'm simply not scared of the darkness, except when you turn off the light. --Kenn Nesbitt Polar Bowling It used to be that polar bears went bowling, just for grins, with snowballs for their bowling balls and penguins as the pins. The bears would have a blast with all the snowballs that they threw. The penguins weren't as happy; that's the only time they flew. So penguins all moved south and now they're at the other pole. Well, wouldn't you move far away if bears used you to bowl? --Kenn Nesbitt I Went to the Doctor I went to the doctor all covered in bumps. He said "you've got chicken pox, measles and mumps." He said "you've got whooping cough, tetanus, rubella, digestive dysfunction from green salmonella. "You've got halitosis and elephantitis. You've also got athletes foot and laryngitis. "You're covered with head lice, mosquitoes and fleas. You've even got pink-eye and mad cow disease. "What's more you've got cooties, a cold and the flu, but don't be upset; I know just what to do." He told me "I promise this won't hurt a bit," then grabbed a syringe like a barbeque spit. He made me bend over the seat of my chair then plunged that big needle in my you-know-where. So now I'm all cured of my cooties and fleas, my whooping cough, measles and mad cow disease. He cured me of every last sniffle and bump, and now I'm all better except for my rump. --Kenn Nesbitt

A Note Slipped Under the Door: Ch. 6

Ch. 6

A Note Slipped Under the Door: Ch. 3

This is the roses.

"I dropped out of school. I didn't drop out of life."

"We hope that by telling stories off an overhead line, students will begin to feel more comfortable with generating thoughts, thereby making some interesting connections to their lives."

Instead of saying eavesdropping, call it absorbing the world or soaking up the world, just in case older kids begin to expose others. What if you ask the kids to eavesdrop on their teachers?

Introducing poetry with the kids own words during for example, snack time.

Making a soundtrack with song titles using eavesdropping.