Hildegard51′s Weblog

3. Included materials:

There are some threads that run through all of the pieces in this portfolio, and as I am finishing them, revising them and polishing them, I would like to address the project as a whole before I discuss individual pieces. First, nearly every Sacred Writing piece surprised me in some way. The prompts, free writing and awareness of the thoughts of others caused me to think of things from the past that had disappeared from my conscious thoughts, and caused me to have new insights. I know myself better than I did a few weeks ago. The ability to post my writing on the web is one of the most empowering new skills I have. I am now a 21^st Century citizen of the world, no longer paper bound! I like paper; actually I love it, but I love E-Publishing as well! Each piece that I included is special to me, but the overall gain in knowledge of myself, and the encouragement and time to explore my mind in writing has liberated my spirit. In Virginia Woolf’s, A Room of One’s Own, she discusses that often women have not written in the past for lack of time, money and a place to write. Writing Project has provided me with a “room of my own”. Wow! How wonderful! The experience of learning the best practices of my peers has increased my repertoire of classroom ideas. My students will be delighted. I am grateful.

Personal Writing:

My Heidi

My personal writing piece is a poem. I chose it, not because poetry is something that I have done well for years, but because other than some Haiku from years ago, this is the first poem I have ever written. I am so proud of it because it is emotional, and from my heart. I did this. It is a poem, and it is real and I like it.

Ethnography:

My Ethnography was the first one, and now I am embarrassed. In boring plain terms, I outlined the previous day’s events. It was a laundry list; a very long laundry list. Actually it wasn’t all that long; it just seemed long. The group’s response to my endless ethnography is an excellent demonstration of the kindness of strangers. They applauded. Yes, and they did not know me well enough then to care personally for my feelings. I have so enjoyed the creative work of others on the chronicling of our days. I have learned much from my peers!

Professional Writing:

Georgia

As teachers and as human beings, we all experience moments of triumph and of failure. In examining my experience with Georgia, I felt a terrible sense of failure because Georgia did not move ahead as I had hoped. As I revised this piece that is from a professional prompt, I wonder if or to what extent I did fail. I know that I inspired Georgia to become more confident for a short time. I caused her to see herself in a better light. I cannot know if at some point, this sense of herself did not help her. One thing about teaching that is rather poignant is that we do not know the impact we have on students’ lives individually or collectively.

“Munich” June 21, 2008

Possible deep revision piece.

I don’t just love the city where I was born, it is my heart and soul, so when I wrote on Friday to Peggy’s Sacred Writing Prompt: Travel: write about a favorite place you have visited, I wrote about Munich; not because I have visited it and liked it, but because when I travel there, I go to my roots, to the core of who I am. It is a journey not so much to a place, as a journey inward, into my heart and mind, to where I began. Everything I am as a human being can be traced there. I always cry, broken, when I leave. No, I shouldn’t say heartbroken, because it is more than that. Every cell of my body is wrenched with longing and sadness at leaving Munich. It is not because I don’t love my home in KY, looking across the beautiful, ever changing Ohio River, to the hills of Southern Ohio, where I teach and have taught German language and culture to teenagers for nearly 20 years; but because when I leave Munich, I am being torn in two.

6/20/08 – Sacred Writing

I am lucky, I have traveled a lot, but I must say, my favorite place I have been is Munich, Germany, the capital of Bavaria. Don’t get me wrong, I live here by choice, but Munich is my heart and my soul.

By the way, Pope Benedict was the Bishop of Munich, when I visited there when I was 18. I figured it out – we didn’t visit him. I did decide the first time I saw a picture of him, that he looks like my grandmother, with his deep set eyes and his beautiful white hair with the same hairline as she had. We must be cousins!

I digress – imagine that.

I was born in Munich. I love the sounds, the sights, and the smells – yes, including the diesel exhaust smell of the busses. At this moment I can hear the sounds of the church bells, and the smell of the incense and the stone dust in the magnificent old churches. I love the crunch and the feel of the tiny gray gravels that soften my steps on the pathways in some of the parks. I love the smell of pork roasting with thyme and onions and celery and parsley. And of course I love the smell of the fresh locally brewed beer. Once, when I was there with students, we had broken up into groups of two or three, with plans to meet at the Maria Column later. Tracy, my 16 year old student and I bought a sack of pralines. We had planned to share with the rest of the group – I remembered them from my childhood. Our intentions were good, but we ate them all; every one of them.

Munich is the center of the German film industry, has a huge and gorgeous opera house, and has a thriving theater industry. It is Broadway, Hollywood and Vienna together. The weather is 75 degrees, not humid and sunny in the summer (if it is not raining and 50 degrees!) Street musicians of every genre are performing on every street corner on weekends, and they are very talented. Talented and diverse: Native American, Indian, Classical, Jazz, American country.

I love the friendliness of the shop keepers – even in department stores – they say Gruess Gott as you enter, and Auf Wiedersehen as you leave.

I fell into a fountain or two as a child – Mama wasn’t thrilled, but she laughed anyway, I am sure.

I loved the smell of the coffee and cake from the cafes then, and still do. That is one of those smells that promises more than it delivers – coffee.

When I was fourteen, Mama and I took my 18 month old sister, Christie, to let Oma see her. Papa stayed home and worked. I was awed by the sheer beauty of the place. My future Tante Hannelore, who is precicely ten years older than I am, was at that time dating my Onkel Werner. They took me to a nightclub for young people, called the Schwabinger Nest. Schwabing is the section of Munich by the University. It is the artsy, intellectual section of Munich, similar to Greenwich Village in New York. There was a bird’s nest on the metal hanging sign outside. In Germany the legal drinking age is 16, 18 for liquor., but if you don’t act silly, they don’t ask. I looked older. Hannelore and Werner ordered me a Tom Collins – my first mixed drink. How old and sophisticated was I! I was asked to dance by a young man. I was 14, and he asked how old I was, so I said fifteen, but that my birthday was in a couple of weeks. He said, “So sixteen?” I said nothing. I am not sure of the extent to which Mama approved or disapproved of my Tom Collins. She acted shocked, “You bought her a drink!” But I got the impression that she really preferred that I experiment with drinking alcohol with the supervision of my aunt and uncle.

Mama had been diagnosed with terminal cancer just months before the next trip back to Munich. The trip was when I was 18. Mama had had radiation treatments and chemo to extend her life. My sister was only six, and the point was for her to live long enough for me to become mature enough to raise her. That is exactly what happened. Mama died when Christie was 8 and I was just days shy of being 21. Before she died, Mama wanted to return to Munich to visit her mother, brothers and the rest of her family. It was a bittersweet time. Mama still felt well enough to enjoy most days, but mostly she enjoyed just being with her family.

One day, however, she decided to show me “her old stomping grounds.” She told me that she had not realized how beautiful Munich was until she moved away as a young adult. She did not know that all places did not have fountains and beautifully maintained ancient buildings, and a huge park, the largest in Europe. She did not think as a teenager that the Munich Zoo was one of the world’s finest, and most progressive, with natural habitats for the animals in the 1950’s. Mama had the build of a fashion model. She was 5ft. 8 in. tall and weighed 125 – 128 lbs. However, due to the radiation treatments, her right leg was swollen to triple its normal size, and she was in pain. She walked all over the old downtown section of Munich with just me. I protested more than once that she need not do this, but she insisted that it was to be a gift for me that only she could give, and that she wanted this very much.

We visited all of the magnificent old churches. St. Peter’s, or affectionately, “Alte Peter.” This is the oldest church in Munich, and is closest to the old city center. It is not particularly large, but is gothic and beautiful in a way that reflects the history of this rich old city. The Church of our Lady, “Frauenkirche” was next. It is the largest, also Gothic, and not as ornate as some, but it is splendid, and is my favorite. This is the one where my uncles carried me to the very top of the towers as a toddler to look at the Alps 100 miles to the south. I have done this since, and on a clear day, the mountains are magnificent. There is a legend that an indentation in the vestibule of the Frauenkirche is the footprint of the devil. Apparently, the devil strode arrogantly into the church to mock God, but when he saw the crucifix at the front of the church, he had to turn around and flee. Theatiner Kirche, the most opulent, was built as an offering of thanks to God for the birth of King Ludwig and Theresa for the birth of their son. It is unbelievably ornate in the rococo style carved all in white. My other favorite is a church we attended on some occasions, because the Munich Opera singers served as the church Choir. Imagine that! I remember that the music was lovely, but the sermon was in Latin, and I was 4 or 5, so what I really remember is the backs of legs. At my height in the crowded, standing room only church, I looked at legs in seamed stockings in gleaming black pumps, thick men’s pant legs, of quality cloth. Some of the men’s shoes were brown and dirty, with squashed heels. Some of the women had “runners” in their seamed stockings.

Mama reminded me that I had wanted to be a nun when I was five. She did not think that this was a good goal for me. Perhaps this was because the reason that I wanted to be a nun was that I liked their outfits: long black dresses, with gold trim down the middle of the front, and a gold belt that made a cross in front. They also wore wonderful black hats with a white part close to their faces, that made them look as though they could fly. She laughed until her nostrils quivered and her eyes watered, as she told me this. I noticed that her leg looked even more swollen. (as if it could burst)

We visited the Victualien Markt, a produce market that has been in Munich in the same location since the middle ages.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I just met with Laura Bentley, and she made the following suggestions for this piece:

1. Definitely, this should be my deep revision piece.
2. Go from the intro to:
3. I love the sights……… I don’t need the part about the Sacred Writing prompt.
4. Omit the student trip part, and focus on Munich and my mother.
5. Refer to planning a trip just with Christie.
6. Title: Inward Journey.

Thursday, June 26: Ideas from Writing Group: Dustee and Mary

1. What kind of person was Mama?

2. Add the demerol.

3. Proud of her heritage and made this last journey to take me.

4. Make it all about Mama and my journey with me.

5. I could see her struggle and pain.

6. Keep the family connection.

7. She took me to share her life with me.

8. Take my sister one day. (Laura too)

9. Focus on the Munich you saw with your mom.

10. She knew she had little time.

11. As a little girl with Mama – Add that she reminded me of things on this trip through the city.

12. Mention my mom and her condition. Did I notice her pain? Her courage and strength.

I. Cover Letter: Teaching Practice:

How has this experience informed that practice?

I have always taught with love for my students and for my subject matter. I have worked hard to remain current, remain enthused and remain motivated to do a good job. I would not want to go to any other professional who did not do so, from my physician to my hairdresser. Teachers are required to take continuing education, and some experiences are not great, some are OK, some are very good. Writing Project Summer Institute has been the best single educational experience that I have ever had since first grade. I love it, and cannot express in the pages that I can produce now, how profound an impact SI has had on my teaching. I know my weaknesses and my strengths pretty well, but I thought I was really pretty good. I cannot wait for my students to experience how I have grown, and to benefit from what I have learned.

Here are some ideas that are gifts for my students during the 2008 – 2009 school year from Summer Institute.

1. My students will do Sacred Writing in German and share once per week. I cannot wait to see how much more German they will learn from personal writing and reading.
2. From Julie’s Demo: Write the Environment, I plan to create experiences with Oktoberfest, Christmas, and Mardi Gras, and have them write about them. (Actually, I will have the students create the environments.)
3. From Mel’s Demo, I will have students translate the story of the fox who drank the milk, and then have students do an active reading. I am thinking of other stories as well.
4. From Dustee and Mary’s Demo, I will plan to set up tables with the various learning styles, and have students do the activities in German. Mary and Dustee gave me their cubes and signs! How kind. All I have to do is have students do the writing at their levels of German.
5. From Eliot’s Demo, I will use the story writing strategy of the shared story. Students will love this. “This I Believe,” may work in German or not, but I will try and see.
6. From Ford’s Demo, I have developed the idea of a monthly newsletter in German. I will, however, buy publishing software. I know my limitations! German 4 students will love being the editors, but I will ask all levels to contribute. Some of this will be in German, but much will be in English. This is still percolating, but I plan to feature student work, and also include such information as upcoming projects, German Club news, news about students and teachers. I did a newsletter to parents before, but I did it, and it was too much work and too boring. Parents liked it though. They really appreciate communication.
7. From Amanda’s Demo, I have good ideas for determining better rubrics, so that students can self assess. It will cut down on some of my work, while giving students both ownership of their grades and the opportunity to improve work before I grade it.
8. From Jennifer Stapleton’s Demo, I got good ideas for keeping work relevant to students’ lives. I forget this sometimes, and needed Jennifer’s demo.

Peggy and Amy suggested that the power point did not add to my Demo, but I told them that I knew that, but did it to learn how to create it and how to use it. I found that it served more than anything to help me stay focused. Peggy suggested that students love power point if I add music, pictures, etc. I will learn how to do that this year.

As helpful as the demonstrations have been; as helpful as everything about SI has been, what I needed most practically was the technology instruction. Do you know that you can highlight everything on the page at once with “ctrl A.? Thank you Ian! In addition to creating a Web Page, I now know hundreds of bits of knowledge that aren’t so important individually, but together, make work so much easier and more effective.

The heart of SI, though is the cumulative change in my brain. I am a writer. I wrote poetry, yes, poetry! Do I know the difference between my poems and those of a professional poet? Yes. But I am a writer, and I can now inspire my students to know that they too can write in German. If only Goethe had written German, there wouldn’t be much to read. This is a huge concept. Immense. I am empowered as a writer, as a teacher, as a human being. Watch out! Anything brand new is awkward, so I may be clumsy, but hear me roar!

Patience

My students have taught me patience over the years; not the everyday sort of patience required to keep the edge out of my voice on the third Thursday in March, when I say, “Tony, sit down!” (With inappropriate words clearly implicit in my voice!)

I have learned patience with development as a teacher. Sometimes a freshman comes into my German one class with good classroom manners and skills. This student will learn what I ask, and read the next chapter, just to stay ahead, and they memorize verb endings and grammar charts, because they believe me, when I tell them that this will make the class easier. I recognize these future German 4 students quickly.

What Ryan Brislin and other students have taught me is that more often students who are a little less mature at fourteen or fifteen may become the most accomplished learners.

Ryan made mostly B’s in German I and German 2, with an occasional C, and rarely an A.

He found drawing pictures of dinosaurs to be far more engaging than learning German verbs. Imagine that! He was in a fourth period; split lunch section during his second year. Most days, he made me laugh (and late for lunch) by walking out of my room, raising his knees above his chest and flapping his elbows erratically, while squawking and shrieking wildly. I had met his parents at parent/teacher conferences, and they seemed normal. Really normal.

As a junior, Ryan blossomed academically. He was creative, on task, correct, quick and funny, but the pterodactyl had flown away with his immaturity. His attitude was mature, and his work was excellent. When he was in German 4, Ryan was the student the other students in this exceptionally bright class asked if they needed help with a German project. He was also the consultant if students had English, math and science questions. Not only did he have solutions to problems, but his demeanor was never superior and demeaning, but helpful and engaging.

Ryan is now Dr. Brislin, and I would be very confident in trusting the life of a person I love to his care.

Be patient with learning and especially with learners. You and they will enjoy the process more, have far less stress for the teacher and the learner, and you will be delighted.

Students at the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, but a few remnants remain today, nearly twenty years later. When I speak of the Berlin Wall in my high school German classes, many of my students have no idea what I am talking about, and most have only the vaguest idea. The cold war was before their time, and it has no relevance to them. It has no relevance unless we teach history, world politics, reading, writing and understanding. John Donne’s quote that no man is an island is so true. JFK’s speech that when some of us are not free, we all suffer from lack of freedom makes the symbolism of my photograph relevant.

My picture, which I took of some of my students, shows them in front of one of the remnants that were left standing as a reminder of the cold war. As you can see it is covered in painting and graffiti. I ask my students, “Which side do you think this is: east or west?” Someone usually, but not always correctly guesses, “West!” “Why,” I ask. Someone usually figures out that it is the western side because on one could get close to the wall on the western side.

Our job as teachers, no matter what we teach, is to produce citizens of our communities, our country and of the world. I sincerely believe that travel with students is the mo among the very most effective teaching strategies. Very few students get to do this, however.

The power of photography and writing can convey the images and situations of the world to us. Pictures show us the history of the good and evil; the greatness and depravity of humans.

Travel is expensive – beyond the reach of most.

A photograph is priceless, but costs only pennies.

Technology

How far we have come since Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence

using a goose quill! While that goose feather did not seem to dissuade Jefferson, are we very fortunate to have modern technology to make our tasks easier and for everyday work, far more effective. We are not all brilliant founders of the new country. I, for one, am grateful for the technology available to use in my classroom. I remember averaging grades before we used a grading program. I am not nostalgic. That involved hours of work, and now, my students’ grades are always available and touching a few keys gives final results. Wonderful!

As I have written in my blog, every aspect of Summer Institute, has benefited me greatly, but technology instruction has been something I have requested every year when we fill out requests for In-service Training that we think we need. Apparently no one paid attention to my requests. At Summer Institute, that hour and a half flies by, and every moment is helpful to me. I am not knowledgeable, nor talented, but all those who are helping are most patient, and I will come away with wonderful new skills, as well as handouts to guide me in what I forget. I love our exit slips! Every day, someone asks me what I think! I love responding, and I love reading the responses of others! It is the 21^st Century version of sitting on my Grandma and Grandpa’s front porch and discussing the topics of the day. And I was worried that conversation was a lost art!

I have wanted a web page for years. Now, I have one, and I can design one for my students to use to check assignments, and even request help. I will need to work hard and to think, but with access to the knowledge from this summer, I know I can do it. Knowledge is power. Lack of updated abilities in using technology weakens ones ability to work in our society. I felt ignorant, and now I feel so much more empowered. I know that lack of knowledge of technology in our time in our society is as aging as wearing a full length mink coat, while pushing a walker. Saying I refuse to learn how to use a computer more proficiently is like saying I do not need to own a TV or to read and write. What I have learned in Summer institute has given me the ability to work with my students in an up to date manner.

I am most grateful for the technology instruction. It so enhances the writing and thinking process.