Joy, I love Anne Lamott. Just finished her Thoughts on Faith 2 book. She's edgy, but oh so sincere. I wish I had the nerve to write my thoughts as directly and to the point as she does. leslie
On 6/28/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Whenever I begin to teach the process of writing to my children I share > this quote from Roald Dahl with them. As he is an author they know and > love, I think it helps them to know that writing for everyone is a process, > one that is struggled with even by the best of us. > DAHL: "It starts always with a tiny little seed of an idea, a little germ, > and that even doesn't come very easily. You can be mooching around for a > year or so before you get a good one. When I do get a good one, mind you, I > quickly write it down so that I won't forget it because it disappears > otherwise, rather like a dream. But when I get it, I don't dash up here and > start to write it. I'm very careful. I walk around it and look at it and > sniff it and then see if I think it will go. Because once you start, you're > embarked on a year's work, and so it's a big decision. I have no real idea > of how the book is going to go when I start to write it." > > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: Joy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > I agree with your observation that writing itself seems to clarify my > thinking, > > both in online form and in a notebook, which I've also started doing > since about > > February. Isn't it amazing that we are thinking alike! > > > > Setting a time each day for writing is actually a strategy suggested by > Anne > > Lamott in Bird by Bird. Seems it's part of living the writerly life! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Joy/NC/4 > > > > How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and > content go > > hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org > > > > > > --- On Fri, 6/27/08, Palmer, Jennifer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > From: Palmer, Jennifer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Re: [Understand] Understand Digest, responses to leslie and > melissa > > To: "Special Chat List for "To Understand: New Horizons in Reading > > Comprehension"" <[email protected]> > > Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 3:10 PM > > > > Leslie > > I have been keeping just such a "book" several months now...probably > > since about December. Sometimes the pages are just bulleted ideas that > come to > > me. Other pages have quotes from something I have been reading and then > my > > reaction to that quote (two column chart). I actually have a few > > sketches...mostly diagrams and a few email segments from this listserv > that I > > particularly wanted to refer back to frequently. I put one of those funky > > multi-colored pens in my purse and sometimes if I reread my journal and > have > > some new thinking to add, I will just write it in a different color on > the same > > page. > > > > I have found the act of writing, whether it is emails here on the list or > notes > > to myself in my journal, really helps me to clarify my thinking, to make > > connections between ideas, to keep focus on what is important to me. > Sometimes > > I don't like how messy some pages look, but I have given myself > permission > > to be messy. The only audience is me, after all! (Though I have shown my > book > > to my students at the end of the year and they have seen my write in it > when > > something occurs to me in class. I saw it as part of modeling the > intellectual > > life.) :-) > > > > I started journaling by setting a time of day to write...but the more I > did > > it, the more it has become a part of my day to day routine. I take it > with me > > everywhere, along with my planner and that way it gets used routinely. > > Good luck... > > Jenn > > > > Jennifer Palmer > > Reading Specialist, National Board Certified Teacher > > FLES- Lead the discovery, Live the learning, Love the adventure. > > Reading furnishes the mind only with the materials of knowledge. It is > thinking > > that makes what we read ours. -John Locke > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Leslie Wright > > Sent: Fri 6/27/2008 2:57 PM > > To: Special Chat List for To Understand: New Horizons in Reading > Comprehension > > Subject: Re: [Understand] Understand Digest, responses to leslie and > melissa > > > > > > Thanks for your response Bonita. > > I'd love to get back together as the year goes along. I just picked up my > > own blank idea book today and forced myself to write it it. I have so > many > > ideas but I struggle with validating myself by writing in the journal. I > > need to give myself permission to write poorly, to jump from topic to > topic, > > and to just "not be profound." I'm going to use this book while > > on vacation > > next week and record ideas on various topics. I'm resisiting the need to > > organize it and table-ize it in word. I'll keep you posted. > > Leslie > > _______________________________________________ > > Understand mailing list > > [email protected] > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Understand mailing list > > [email protected] > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > Understand mailing list > [email protected] > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org > > _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
