10.30.08
A Conversation – Overheard
-I thought you were all about the “big picture,” the “meant to be,” and the “everything happens for a reason.”
- I was. But, it’s different now. I feel different now.
- Why? What’s so different about now?
- He hurt me more than I realized.
- And, so now you think about it differently?
- Yes. I think so.
- So, what’s so different?
- It just isn’t getting any easier. The pain isn’t going away and it actually hurts more each day. I don’t think I knew what I was saying before, but it is all starting to sink in now. It is much worse than I realized. He hurt me more than I knew at first, and more than I let myself admit. I protected him and defended everything he ever did and never put myself first.
- I’m so sorry.
- Don’t be. It isn’t your fault.
- I know, but still – I feel bad for you.
- That’s exactly it, though. Please don’t feel bad for me. It isn’t helping. I feel bad enough.
- Wait, so you don’t believe in all that destiny stuff anymore? That’s such a big part of who you are.
- Nope. I guess not.
- He’s a jerk.
- I know.
10.25.08
What if our love…
What if our love never went away?
What if it’s lost behind words we could never find?
-Daughtry (What About Now)
I really like the song “What About Now” by Daughtry. Actually, the entire album, Daughtry, has songs with great lyrics. They’re so poetic and romantic. I was in the car earlier today when this song came on the radio. I’ve listened to it a bunch of times before, but today was the first time I really heard these two lines. I kept repeating them over and over to myself and thought that they were interesting.
I love words, of course, but to think that we can lose things (and especially something as significant as love) because of the words we don’t say (or find things because of words we do say) is a pretty powerful idea. It makes me wonder about all the things we don’t know or have because some words don’t translate from one language to another, or we never had the chance to share our words, or we just don’t know which words to use. It makes me think about how the different words that we each know shape our lives. Powerful, powerful.
I also really love the pure, pleading, vulnerability of these lines. I tried to search a little to see who wrote the song lyrics, but didn’t find anything yet. If anyone knows who wrote them, let me know!
~Melissa 
10.12.08
“We are each of us angels…”
“We are each of us angels with only one wing. And we can only fly while embracing each other.”
- Lucian de Croszonza
This is such a beautiful idea to me. I don’t know why so many of us fight it, why so many of us are too stubborn or too proud to ask for help or let others be a part of our success.
I see it with my students, and even my own friends and family. The frustration that results when a person tries to do something on his or her own when help is clearly necessary is painful to witness. It does make sense to equate this experience with trying to fly with only one wing; it just can’t be done.
I like to think that I value the opinions of others and that I am receptive to help…now. This was not always the case, however. When I was younger, I fought my parents’ and teachers’ constructive criticism and vehemently argued against it. (I guess I thought I knew much more than I did!) I often refused the help or guidance that was offered to me and as I look back I realize how much smoother or simpler things might have gone for me over the years if I had accepted it. Instead, I tried to do things on my own, in my own way. We live and we learn – and this is definitely a lesson that I learned the hard way!
I seek help with so many things today like professional development opportunities as a teacher and workshops as a writer. I am happy whenever anyone takes the time to offer advice…and I make an effort to express my gratitude for the advice even if I don’t agree with it.
We each can only get so far with our one wing – and while some of us may do okay with that one wing, just think of how much farther we can go and more successful we can be if we let someone help us, fly with us. And, even more beautiful than this thing of our own success, is how much we can help others when we become their second wing.
~Melissa
10.11.08
“He, who every morning plans…”
“He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan
carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.”
- Victor Hugo
A while ago, I wrote a post in response to a poem with a very similar message. HERE And today, as I am beginning my own day with only a vague plan and so many things that need to be done, wishing I was a had a little more structure, or direction, I found this quote. Reading this quote reminded me of my own “thread” from before and suddenly, the day’s purpose is much clearer – even though nothing else has changed. (From that earlier post we discussed that every individual’s thread might be something different, but it is what guides us through our lives; it could be religion, love, family, a career, or something else.)
What I am hoping to say here is that I think it is important to remember the bigger and most important things in our lives even when the small and mundane activities seem to take over. If we keep the things that are closest to our hearts at the forefront of what we do each day and why we do those things, then we can’t really go wrong – even when we have responsibilities and obligations to do so many seemingly unrelated things.
Happy Saturday!
~Melissa
10.09.08
Magnetic Paper – Make Your Own Magnetic Poetry!
My most recent “new favorite thing” is magnetic paper! Maybe you already know about this, but I just found it yesterday, and I’m so happy I did!
One of the stations I use in my language arts class is a Magnetic Poetry station. A few students at a time can use a variety of words that I have collected over the years and arrange them on a magnetic white board to create poems, story ideas, or just spend time working with words. (Since the students use a white board, they can also use a dry erase marker to fill in words, symbols and other ideas that they do not find in the magnets.) The students then record whatever they came up with at the station in their Writers’ Notebook and then can continue to work on it later if they choose. (For homework the students are required to reflect on what they did during the station even if they choose not to continue writing the piece.)
The students really enjoy this station and are sometime surprised with the what they can write! Since the available words are not always part of their existing vocabulary, they come up with some pretty new stuff and really get a kick out of it.
As a long term homework assignment, we have a spooky story contest due at the end of this month and I wanted to find a way to provide some class time for the students to continue thinking about and working on their story without devoting instruction time to the project since it is an “at home” project. I have Halloween and spooky pictures ready to go for the picture prompt station, but I also wished that I could find a set of magnetic poetry words for Halloween to use at that station.
And that’s when I had my bright idea to try to make my own. I checked the craft store to see if they had some kind of magnetic paper, and sure enough they did. I typed up and printed out a page full of spooky, scary, Halloween words and will bring them in for the students to use in the station tomorrow.
I was so pleased with how well they came out, I got a little carried away and made another sheet of personalized magnetic words including my students’ names, my own and other teachers’ names, and a variety of other words that are relevant to what they are studying and interested in. I am going to add those words to the supply in class as well. I think it will make the station that much more interesting for them.
I think it could be a fun birthday or holiday gift to give someone a set of customized magnetic words. It might also make a good gift for someone with a new job (and office with a magnetic filing cabinet), getting their first apartment (and own refrigerator), going away to college, or for a newlywed couple. This paper is also great for printing your own magnetic frames or other lightweight magnets.
The paper I bought is from a company called Royal Brights and cost about $15 for a package of 5 sheets. I bought it on sale at Michael’s for $12 yesterday. (If you are making magnetic poetry words, that works out to about 1/5 the cost of buying them already made!)
~Melissa
A Day All to Myself
Today is the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and we have off from school.
I love my job. I really really do! Each morning I when drive in to work I find myself very excited about the day ahead of me. Though, as wonderful as the school, the students, and my co-workers are, it is nice to have an extra day in the middle of the week all to myself.
The only problem is that as I type this to you, I’m not exactly sure what I am going to do today. There are a lot of things that I have to do (thesis work mostly) and a bunch of things that I want to do (stop by Macy’s for a sale, work on my middle school novel, and have lunch with friends), but there’s just not nearly enough time for all of it…
I slept in a little later than usual, so that already makes the day feel a little more relaxing! I’ll try not to let myself rush, and I’ll just take things one at a time. It’s the best I can do; hopefully at the end of the day I will have accomplished some work, some writing, some relaxing, and some catching up with friends. I think that will be a very good day!
If you were given the day today to do anything you needed or wanted to do, what would you choose to do?
~Melissa
10.01.08
There’s a storm…
There’s a storm approaching the New York area. I think the news said that it would hit New York City around 5pm and it seems to be right on schedule. I can hear the thunder rumbling every so often and the sky has gotten dark pretty quickly in the last half an hour or so. I love this kind of weather (always have) and really wish that I could be sitting in my window seat, not a care in the world, drinking a cup of tea and reading the new Nicholas Sparks novel, or writing a story of my own.
Instead, I have to read and take notes on a chapter about the Articles of Confederation for my social studies class tomorrow. I also have a ton of thesis work to get done tonight. Oh, and I have summer reading projects to grade. (Speaking of which – if you visit my classroom blog missmorrisblog.wordpress.com there are some student posts that would love to receive comments!) There’s just a lot to do.
I can hear the rain now; it’s bouncing off the hoods of the cars below my window. It’s steady and I think that if I sit here any longer I’m likely to fall asleep!
I hope that those of you in the New York area can enjoy this little storm that we are having and if you are in other areas, that the weather is to your liking as well.
~Melissa
There’s the thunder again.
