Two Faces of Writers Week

A photo capturing the instant I gave "the look" to a group of students in the auditorium. My mean teacher, "don't mess with me" look...what do you think, does it work?

My favorite of the two (hopefully for apparent reasons)...a look of joy and contentment as I watch my dream take shape.

Late Reactions to Day 3

Subconsciously, I think, I haven't allowed myself to write my reactions to day three because by holding out, in some weird recess of my mind, it extends the time we have left with Writers Week. Crazy, huh?! Unfortunately, we can't still time and WW will eventually have to come to an end...but then, I guess that is just another aspect that makes the event so special. If we had it all the time, we'd have nothing to look forward to next year. Anyway...this is a topic to be discussed later...for I am not ready to remove myself from the warm embrace of Writers Week.

Day 3 had a different feel about it because there were no student presentations. The entire day seemed to move at a slower pace, which was nice for several reasons. I felt like I actually got to spend some time talking to our visiting presenters instead of rushing around, I didn't have to stress out about having enough time for all our students to present, and I felt like I allowed myself to actually sit and listen instead of worrying about what was next.

Seth Jarman blew me away. I was impressed when I heard his music on his Myspace page, but to hear him live...Wow! I thought his presentation of material was great as well. I loved the "Storyteller" feel of his performance. I found his lyrics filled with beautiful lines, lines that touched me deeply. Many of the lines I wrote down have already been featured in other blogs, so I'll try to steer clear of total repetition.

"What if I don't sway next summer?
What if I don't bloom again?"
-Bloom

I love the idea of "blooming"...the idea of "not blooming." There are so many areas of life in which we allow others to "cut us down" and we never allow ourselves to "bloom." Or we just get caught in the routines of life, losing our excitement, and our passions just sit wasting away. I hope WW has helped some people BLOOM.

Dan Begley completely cracked me up. I love that he was still giddy about his novel being published, it was endearing. So many successful people aren't willing to share their secrets or their knowledge with others and I love that he was so willing to share every insight he possessed. I also think it is very cool that he sent an email today with a list of books that he used and found helpful in his writing journey (check out his page on the ning). And, I'll be honest, over lunch he told me, "you have a Hollywood face," so Dan rates really high in my book! :)

Devon Johnston's poetry is amazing. When I first got his book I thought I'd never understand what he was writing about, but the more I read, the more I liked that there could be many different interpretations to his work. I loved that he addressed that too...saying that he liked that sometimes there was no definite answer and that he often tried to write so there wouldn't be one. I also liked his response when asked why he focuses so much on birds. The idea that birds are around us all the time and because of that we often don't take notice of them, therefore, our overlooking them makes them alien to us. It made me stop and think about all the common place things we take for granted daily.

Lastly, I've got to mention the faculty presentations. This has been my only disappointment thus far with WW. My disappointment wasn't with the presenters, but the fact that we ran short on time and Mr. Holmes didn't get to present. (Thankfully, that will be rectified tomorrow during fourth and fifth periods. I can't wait to hear him!) Boelter, Jennings, and Kueschel, such amazing personal stories...wow. Mrs. Boesch had such beautiful descriptions (I literally felt seasick while reading her piece the first time!), Mrs. Clifton...such a cool story and example of family love and support, and Mr. J...is there anything he can't do?! Next year I'm requesting impromptu limericks while standing on his head!

Another Day for Tears

I'm beginning to wonder how long a person can ride an emotional high.

The past two days have been quite possibly (most likely) the most amazing days in my professional life...they're pretty high in my personal life as well. All the long hours of planning and preparing, the sleepless nights and the days being too nervous and busy to eat (thank you WW for helping me drop a few pounds), have all been worth it. We were pumped about bringing WW to West, and we hoped it would be well-received, but I honestly don't think Mr. Jameson and I ever really thought this would be the reaction the first year (I know I didn't!).

Day One had nothing on Day Two; both days were equally phenomenal!!

Here are some of my highlights for the day:

Students’ interactions with Annette Crymes. I'll be honest in that I was a little nervous when she mentioned wanting to do some thing interactive because I wasn't sure how the students would handle it, but as always, they rose to the occasion. They loved her passion for writing and I think she made them think about the way they use language...there isn't a need for profanity to get a message across.

Annette stayed the entire day and was overwhelmed by what she experienced with us during WW; she complimented and commended us profusely throughout the day.

Lamar...you made me cry. Never have I been more proud of a student or have I had one work so hard on a piece. I know you were anxious about getting up in front of a large crowd, but you NAILED IT!!!

Melissa...I am sooo glad that others have experienced your gift for writing. You had the audience in the palm of your hand and I am sure that several left with stitches in their sides!

Katie, Nick, Endia, Julianne...thank you for sharing such personal experiences. You are brave and strong, and you touched many hearts!

"Last year my book was a best seller in Taiwan. During the Summer Olympics I cheered for Taiwan; they are my people." -Judy Merrill Larsen

"My youngest son told me, 'Thanks a lot for killing me off, Mom.'" (The youngest son in her book is the one killed in a jet skiing accident.) -Judy Merrill Larsen

Nearly every visiting presenter has asked for us to have them back for WW next year.

Shelby...I'm so proud of you! I'm so glad that you didn't talk yourself out of presenting...you have such a gift for writing and I'm glad that others got to see that!

Kristin...You opened the students' minds to language and its connection to movement. So cool!

Tyler and Kevin...I was right...the audience loved you! And the PowerPoint presentation...timed with your playing and vocals...AMAZING!

William...the truest example of "the show must go on" I have ever witnessed! The Harmonica solo was amazing!

Mr. J. running around the stage to assist William...well done J., well done.

"I'm sure you know my math teacher, she mentioned your name a couple of time while she was trying to teach me..." The entire paper was hysterical, yet very insightful, Felicia. Although, your performance of that piece is what sent it over the top!

Math teachers signing up to attend sessions...you know you made it when the math teachers sign on to something the English department is doing. ;)

"I was so touched by what I saw yesterday I cried and then I went home and cried again last night. What you have done is amazing. I still can't talk about it without crying." -Mrs. Tusinski

"You did it! You did it! You did it, did it, did it!" -Gary Anderson (co-founder of WW)

"By focusing on writing last week your school became a safer, warmer, smarter place than it was the week before." -Gary Anderson

Overflowing sessions...our seating maximum was about 450...I guarantee there were closer to 500 people in the auditorium 6th and 7th periods!

Students writing and writing and writing some more because they are so inspired by two days of WW. What more can we ask for?

I'll stop for now...although there are so many more wonderful memories. I also must stop so that I can spend some time writing, for I have no idea what I am presenting on Monday! I am seriously nervous after seeing how amazing the student presenters have been!

The Realization of a Dream

I can't believe that Day One has already come and gone. The hours of planning and dreaming and hoping finally came to fruition and the start of Writers Week was nothing short of phenomenal.

I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I was as nervous as I was this morning, possibly the minutes before taking the court for the NAIA National Tournament, but even that pales in compares. Fortunately, this morning's constant motion and a goal-oriented mindset kept me busy enough to temporarily overlook my knotted stomach and overwhelming desire to throw up. It was time to let go, to let all the planning and preparation take over and just let Writers Week happen. Had I children, I would compare this to watching them walk away from me towards their first day of school, or that moment in which a parent knows they are no longer needed (not unwanted, just not needed...as much). I let go and I watched "my baby" flourish and surpass expectations.

There were so many wonderful moments throughout the entire day. Every student presenter did an amazing job; I was awed by their poise, their presence and the passion with which they read their pieces! Never would I have had the courage as a high school student to stand in front of an auditorium of my peers and share my personal writing! The bar has been set very high for all presenters, and we faculty members should probably be a little nervous! ;)

While more moments will flood my memory as days go by (I'm already looking forward to those days of "Do you remember... " and "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot that!"), these are a few of the moments that come most quickly to my mind at this late hour:

I spent a majority of the first session watching from the hallway outside the auditorium because I was overwhelmed and had to have a few moments to cry. I stood watching an auditorium full of students hang on every word of their peers, in silence, and I listened to strong and confident voices read their writing. I stood watching and listening to my dream take shape while tears rolled down my cheeks.

My dear friend Jessica pulling out a trophy she'd won at a speech contest in high school and discussing how it was symbolic of the struggles and accomplishments of a far-from-perfect childhood. I'm also chuckling at the question (and the answer) of how Jessica and I met. The fact that Dylan skipped school today to watch/support his mom is pretty cool too.

Dr. Jason Sommer making the comment, "People don't care what you think, you have to make them feel in order to care." So true.

Mr. Joye commenting on how much he appreciated Karianna sharing her piece on Jamel's death and that it was a real tribute to Jamel, to have him remembered in an auditorium of 400 students. I agree wholeheartedly, and I teared up.

A student in the audience telling the entire panel of student presenters that he had felt emotionally connected to each one of them when they read their writing and thanked them for sharing with him.

A student saying that Writers Week should happen every week. (A first day response, wow!)
The buzz around the school about Writers Week. Mrs. Raziq told us after school that all she heard about at lunch was Writers Week.

Non-English teachers stopping me to tell me how impressed they were with Writers Week, and seeing that several math teachers signed up to bring their classes to the auditorium tomorrow.
Ms. Chester being upset that she couldn't attend WW today and won't be there tomorrow either. (I don't like the fact she is upset, but that it's about not being able to attend WW.)

Watching comments on this site tonight.

In closing, tonight, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to our presenters, thank you to our student body for being such a great audience, thank you to the administration for allowing this to happen, thank you to the CS department for the support and just being amazing in general, thank you to Mr. Pecka and Mr. Dowdy for all your assistance with the technical aspects (seriously, this would never have happened without the two of you), thank you to Ms. Seibel for helping prepare students for their presentations, and last, but definitely not least, thank you to Mr. J, Mr. Holmes, and Ms. Boyd for putting up with my sleep-deprived craziness and helping me realize this dream!!