My Mother's Hair #MemoirsinMay

 

This month in our Time to Write group with Teach Write, we are writing five five-sentence memoirs in this fifth month of year using five prompts from five of our favorite books on writing. Week three we are using a prompt from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones Card Deck.:  Tell me about your mother’s hair (or an aunt’s, grandmother’s, stepmother’s, sister’s). Texture, color, how they wore it, did they dye it? The salon or beauty parlor they went to? How about their hands--or feet?

When I was little, every Saturday morning, Mom would go to the “beauty shop” and have her hair washed, set, and curled. How did she ever go that long between shampoos? From high bouffant with a hairpiece to frosted shag to curly perms to finally learning how to use a curling iron on her own. Time moves on, and history repeats itself. Washing her hair is back to once a week…or on days when she remembers.

My Metaphorical Pocket #MemoirsinMay

 

This month in our Time to Write group with Teach Write, we are writing five five-sentence memoirs in this fifth month of year using five prompts from five of our favorite books on writing. Week two we are using a prompt from Handling the Truth by Beth Gephart:  Empty your “metaphorical ”pockets.” Choose one object from your past that matters most. Why do you keep it close? Why is it irreplaceable? Tell its story.

In my closet hangs a belted cream dress with a gathered peplum circling the tiny waist. Thirty-two years ago, I wore it standing next to my soon-to-be husband in an almost empty church. We said our vows and began our new life together while my sister-in-law took pictures. Little did I know the film was not loaded properly. This little cream dress hanging in my closet, along with my memories, is all I have left of that special night.

The Girl Outside My Window #MemoirsinMay

 
This month in our Time to Write group with Teach Write, we are writing five five-sentence memoirs in this fifth month of year using five prompts from five of our favorite books on writing. Week one is from Natalie Goldberg's Old Friend from Far Away:  What was outside your (childhood) bedroom window?

Outside my bedroom of our two-story house, I see a young girl who doesn’t hide her head under her tear-stained pillow, blocking out the yelling and fighting. She never wonders if her dad will come home late at night or if she will smell the beer on his breath. Instead, she runs into her daddy’s waiting arms and is greeted with a hug and a kiss on top of the head. He swings her around until she giggles and asks, “How was your day today?”

How I longed to be that girl outside my window.

A Time for Reflection

Reflection is a big part of my teaching life. I try to show my students the importance of reflection and how we can use that reflection to make changes in our learning, our growing, and our life.

We have two weeks left in our school year, so my students completed a year-end reflection on Friday. The questions range from reflecting on their own reading and writing life to ways I can make our classroom better to what was their favorite book. I use their answers to make adjustments to my own teaching practices and improvements to my classroom library.

As I was reading through their responses this morning, one in particular made me pause. If I had to describe this student, I would say she is rather shy, doesn't talk much, and doesn't like attention, which makes getting to her know a little difficult. It was during our narrative unit back in the fall where I felt like I really met her for the first time.

Her narrative had elements of writing that are difficult to teach, especially to 6th graders. Her vocabulary is well-advanced for her age and her voice shined in this piece. The first words I wrote on her feedback sheet were:

"You are a writer!"

As we continued to write throughout the year, I could see her confidence growing. I could see her standing just a little bit taller when she came to class. I could see her smiling. 

But I didn't realize the full impact until I read her reflection.

In one response she wrote, "I loved her positivism to my writing, which made me feel good about how much effort I put into the essays."

And in another, "I haven't liked writing that much until only last semester, which after first semester and writing a personal narrative essay, I found out of my new passion."

The power of words. A simple statement of acknowledgment that says, "I see you" can make all the difference.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic