Uncommon Beauty in Writing

Junos 2019 host is our very own Canadian Sarah McLachlan who grew up in Halifax and moved to Vancouver. She pursued music because her childhood really didn’t give her love and at the age of seventeen Sarah played her first gig at the Dalhousie University student union building.

In Vancouver, Sarah recorded many albums and one of her songs is the well known Angel which was written in a time when many musicians were taking their own lives…spend all your time waiting for that second chance and there’s always some reason not to feel good enough. The line that resonates the most for me is “Do something that has purpose…you will find yourself in that.” (McLachlan 2019) Sarah firmly believes that music unites people in an upbeat manner and why not celebrate and focus these moments. We can all express ourselves through music whether it’s discovering our identity, helping us through difficult times, celebrating many occasions or quietly listening to our own playlists.

One might ask, “What songs are on your playlist?” One evening while visiting with our friends at the lake many songs were on his playlist and memories quickly ran through my mind…where was I when this song made the top charts? It’s worth taking a trip back in time and here are a few of my songs that resonate with me:

Life is a highway-Tom Cochrane

Hallelujah- Leonard Cohen

Should I Stay…The Clash

Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi

Under Pressure – Queen

You needed me – Anne Murray

Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen

My heart will go on – Céline Dion

Tears are not enough – Northern Lights

Summer of 69 – Bryan Adams

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

Surfing USA – Beach Boys

Every Step you Take – The Police

Jump – van Halen

Can’t get no satisfaction- Rolling Stones

The list goes on…listening to music is influential and every song paints a picture of where I was during that time. Music is more than listening to a song; it’s something to feel. Music can play on our emotions and it is powerful when many songs brings us together as a community.

Recently, forty-five of my grade ten students penned personal narratives that derived from their life experiences and as a result, a valuable lesson was learned. Narration is an astonishing way to share experiences with others.

Narratives are closely linked to personal events and kids wrote about specific aspects of their lives including childhood memories, school years, family trips, overcoming challenges or a topic of their choice. Topics that mattered the most to them comprised of: the six letter word that changed my life, crazing driving experience, chemistry is stronger than biological, having two families, discovering you’re adopted when applying for a Passport, overcoming test anxiety, your cousin being found after a tragic accident, leaving home to become an international student in Canada, and bonding with siblings while on family trips.

Entertaining the reader and providing a sense of community were purposeful because the stories were planted on their life experiences. They were written in chronological, flashback and reflective methods. By introducing narratives, I learned about my students in unique ways very early in second semester of 2019.

The writing process became a positive experience for my students once they discovered topics that mattered to them.

They read many texts prior to our writing process and dialogued in their writer’s notebooks their connections to the texts. They were able to recall their memories. Student voices became powerful through their final pieces and also they organized their stories through meaningful events which were rich with imagery.

I taught students that everyone has a story worth narrating. Once they penned their introductions and revisions made to their drafts, I discovered that my students were engaged in writing what mattered most to them and their experiences shaped them into the young people they are today.

After I read each of their narratives, I was drawn closer to them as kids who have powerful stories. It’s imperative they are given opportunities to share stories. Sometimes it’s painful to write about our memories and experiences. However, it’s the rich valuable lessons which motivate us to become the individuals we are today. Michelle Obama declares in her latest memoir Becoming, “Your story is what you have, what you will always have and it is something to own.” (Obama 2018) If you can express who you are then you can express what you want. Student voices are worth being heard and the time is now in our everyday classrooms.

Narrative writing freed a path for my students to explore their writing abilities based on their feelings. Also, they took a risk in sharing their personal stories and therefore, I was respectful in recognizing that kids need someone who understands them.

An extraordinary day with our two little nieces presented us with a few stories. First of all while driving in the SUV, Uncle Darryl piped up and said, we are driving to our house to shovel some snow and the oldest niece who is eight quickly responded, “that’s the opposite of what was planned.” Many laughs were shared while driving to the McNally bookstore. As soon as we reached the top stair of the children’s book section all eyes were on the stuffed animals especially the monkeys. Little voices repeating, “Auntie, these ones are for us but we don’t have enough money.” Time was spent browsing for books and Amelia discovered the graphic novel series. Page after page was turned and they both discovered the titles Sisters and Smile.

With $2.50 in Norah’s coat pocket, she quickly asked if she could buy a present for her mom. The girls noticed the red and green Christmas firecrackers and echoed, that’s the gift for mom. This was a moment of teaching kindness. They were proud of themselves and so was I.

Lunch was on us at Prairie Ink. The girls shared a mini cheese pizza with a bowl of fresh fruit. Eyes were on the dessert showcase and they finally decided eggnog and hazelnut filled macaroons would be decadent. However, the server came by and sold the girls on vanilla ice cream sprinkled with Christmas colours. In the meantime, Amelia read several pages from her new book while Norah and I played a few games of X and O. While heading out of the store both girls reminded me that a gift for dad hadn’t been purchased. The dilemma occurred that Norah needed an extra $1.30 to buy the red firecracker. Auntie couldn’t resist the lesson of kindness.

Our last outing was a drive to Fort Whyte Alive Nature Gift Shop to explore the Christmas gifts. Both girls discovered several tree ornaments. Amelia was most interested in a white Christmas ball and Norah was very determined to have the orange frog. Norah reminded everyone that we were to keep a secret from her mom and dad…the firecrackers have to be wrapped. Secretly, she took the bag to her room and begun the wrapping process.

What a wonderful afternoon of sharing and learning with our nieces.

 

 

Recently, I connected with my best friend who teaches kindergarten. We both value reading children’s books in our classrooms to teach life lessons. Walking into Kim’s classroom brought moments of joy to my life. The little ones come from diverse backgrounds and to experience their curiosity was breathtaking. They were engaged in many play and learn centres.

I connected with the children and had conversations with them. They were so eager to involve me in their world of authentic language. To experience their sense of wonder about who they are as children was marvellous. One girl took me by the hand and led me through an afternoon of what playing and learning looked like for her and the class. Some children in the classroom have December birthdays and their progression of language development improved immensely since early September.

One boy found a small replica of a little boy at the play centre and discovered that its foot was missing. Kim integrated this idea that we must look after one another. Kindness was observed in this class and to find a friend definitely resonated with me. We listened intently to a beautiful story Under the Same Sky. Regardless of how we look, we want the same thing. The little ones had a natural desire to learn and Kim used methods that inspired rather than curb their enthusiasm. In this class there are many objects, stuff to learn with…book characters and puppets to enhance literacy.

Many learning styles were observed during play and learn. All students were engaged in every activity presented to them. Pacing was important…demonstrating a couple of steps at a time and reading time was no longer than ten minutes. Kim focused on putting the students first and her approach to teaching took on an edge of optimism.

Building connections at an early age about who we are as individuals is pertinent. The learning experience for me was most enjoyable because no one ever stops learning.

The part of the year that I look forward to is the startup of the year. It is both refreshing and challenging. Everything must be ready to go and it’s thrilling seeing colleagues and students interacting and sharing their summer highlights. It’s rewarding when you know that students are looking forward to another year of learning. Some have specific post graduate plans where as others are content to attend class and obtain the credit.

Each year we put a lot of time and effort into working with students and it’s rewarding to see them move onto the next grade level and eventually graduate. I value the relationships with  my colleagues. The day to day interacting and sharing our stories with one another keeps us young. I still love teaching and my enthusiasm about reading and writing with my students will always remain special.

There are many challenges in education today. Specific goals are established at the onset of the year and we try our best to achieve these goals. It’s crucial that staff work collaboratively together. Administration manage the building and staff however, teachers work with the students and I value this the most.

Throughout my teaching career, education has changed. We have to do much more than teach our curriculum. For some, we spend a lot of time with and a challenge for me is to find the right balance in meeting the needs of all my students. It’s not just teaching our curriculum anymore; it’s teaching the whole child and everything that comes with them. Teachers have to become experts in many skill sets to be able to move learning forward for all the students. My goal is to make it work!

 

Today, I read an article titled Owning your success. It definitely got me thinking about how women define success. We all want to sparkle or shine at some point in our lives. For me, success is happiness. Being given responsibility in our jobs is crucial. We want to know that we are valued and once that has been discovered then we take on more responsibility and own our learning. This is a key phrase that I teach my high school students…own your learning. Taking ownership makes you stronger and eventually you develop inspiration in furtherance of becoming better at your job.

Owning success is not straightforward. Dedication is critical however, leading a balanced lifestyle is my definition of success. I enjoy accomplishing things and sharing my ideas with others. Also, as we age and mature we don’t focus on what others think about us we proceed with our ideas and try not to be perfect. Accepting our flaws and being oneself is the finest way of owning our learning.

Summer holidays have arrived and sitting on the deck reading novels with the sun shining ever so profusely is a congenial style of relaxation. The author Lisa Jewell provides the reader with a family whose home was built of coziness and happiness and Easter became their yearly celebration with Easter egg hunts and the traditional roast of lamb. Then one day tragedy happened. As we know, every family has a story to tell and when a family loses a loved one, they wrestle with the closing of the family home and the disposing of the hoards and hoards of memories that once was collected and reserved as STUFF.  Undoubtedly, there will be the squabbles between siblings as to who yields what from the cozy family home.

Is it imperative to hang onto every little piece of art that children create throughout their childhood? Why do we allow our homes to become a bit of a cluttered mess and that we are unable to throw away STUFF that gathers in our childhood homes and continues to take over our lives when we evolve into adults?

I recommend this novel because we all have to return to face the memories of the past. Often, families discover ways to restore peace and unlock those secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of their childhood homes.

 

Now into the last month of school, it was time to enjoy one of my personal leave days and I did just that on Friday, June 8, 2108. Five ways to relax and become invigorated for the next two weeks included sleeping in an extra half hour, walking to Fools & Horses and sipping on a coffee while reading the local newspaper was divine.

A walking trip downtown to the Exchange District to meet my husband for a tasty bbq chicken burger at a hip lunch bar provided more relaxation time away from work. we relished each other’s company and took a detour into some of the quaint shops in the area. Walking past many outdoor patios and looking at the latest fashion styles reminded me to set foot into some fashion stores in Osborne Village prior to my beauty appointment in the late afternoon.

Walking into the beauty bar with purple high bar stools and sky blue walls provided a fresh scent of calmness. The beauty expert knew I required some pampering and indeed it was soothing.

If you require tips on how to relax try walking, sipping your favourite morning wake up beverage, reading, treating yourself to a lunch, shopping at the local fashion boutiques, and indulging yourself with a beauty treatment.

Everyone must experience this kind of day!

Sleeping in until the sun shines through the blinds is very peaceful and it’s a new beginning to a Sunday morning after our Winnipeg Jets outscored the Nashville Predators the night before.

It’s our choice not to overplan our weekends because it’s a time where Darryl and I love to read and relax. Sometimes we visit Fools & Horses Cafe and relish our down time while we sip coffee and  on a favourite vanilla scone.

Today, the temperature climbed to 24 and sitting outside was so delightful. The smiles on people’s faces were brilliant and the summer wardrobe was out in full bloom.

We walked several kilometres and thoroughly appreciated the calmness. Kids in strollers, others cycling and many keeners running past us with their music loud enough that we could overhear their choice of music set the pace for the afternoon. The ice cream truck circling the neighbourhood is a sure sign that an early summer has found its way to Winnipeg.

However, the perfect day for us was simply loving the quiet moments of life.

Friday’s concluding first round of hockey playoffs was wildly entertaining whether you were inside the Bell MTS Place, outside street party with 15,000 loud chanting fans or at a local bar watching game 5. Winnipeg Jets made history. We defeated Minnesota Wild and secured the best of seven playoff series 4-1 on April 20,2018.

We won the franchise’s first playoff series and this team’s strong motivation was experienced at every game. Each player’s level of confidence was present and as fans we soaked up this victory in True North White fashion. Our city was buzzing with excitement and the energy level from all age groups could be seen and heard from afar. For most of our players, this was their first playoff series. What an incredible accomplishment for them and most importantly, their team.

What’s next? Our Jets require rest and a chance to recover from their injuries. It’s imperative that we move forward and meet the next challenging team with grit and courageous leadership. The Winnipeg fan base is truly a collaborative jubilant collection of people…jammed everywhere for a shared purpose…to witness Jets history unfold together!