Writers Watch

The other night we were watching a re-run episode of Bones. It was a case involving a vintage arcade game and an autistic boy, and at one point, the main character, Dr. Brennan, noticed that the victim had been killed in the exact same manner as the monkey is dispatched on the final level of the game. When the plot reached its climax, and the murderer was revealed, that fact was insignificant. A red herring? Maybe, but I don't think so. Ever since I've been dabbling in writing that novel, I've found that I'm more aware, and usually more appreciative, of how writers develop their plots. It happens when I read, and when I watch TV and movies, too. It's like some kind of literary spidey sense. Anyway, regarding the Bones episode? I have a tingling that they changed the ending. The only way the detail about the killing makes sense is if the culprit was going to be the kid, but who thinks an autistic child murderer is good TV? Much better if his dad did it instead, right?

May this Message Find You Well

A holiday card today from a former colleague-- it was one of those annual update letters. Turns out that in the last year she's started homeschooling her children. Why does this seem like the ultimate betrayal from a former public school teacher?

I know. It's complicated.

In Praise of Snow Days

What a cliche to say that the holidays are hectic, and yet, although I vow every year to simplify and scale back, the logistics of coordinating with family and friends in eight states makes it tough.

The other night Ellen brought a piece about holiday shopping and materialism to our writing group, and in discussing it we agreed that even in this economic downturn all of us are lucky enough to have everything we need and most of what we want. The next day, Ellen and I were talking, and she made the point that there are very few true luxuries left. For example, shrimp used to be a big splurge when we were kids, but now aquacultural farms in Asia make it very affordable. It's a similar situation with shoes and jeans and shirts and even furniture. Like many in the American middle class, we replace things when they are out of style, or when we're tired of them, not when they wear out, and we run out and buy whatever we "need" whenever we "need" it.

What can you give the person who is fortunate enough to live with such plenty? Holiday shopping becomes a challenge, and so we exchange lists and then gifts, or cut out the first step and give gift cards. It feels like something is lost in this practical arrangement, but the alternative is to give more stuff, perhaps as unwanted as it is unneeded.

I don't know what the solution is to our stuff addiction. When I started this entry I only wanted to say what a blessing the last couple of days have been-- the weather has kept us home, slowing that seemingly inevitable hectic holiday pace, and allowing us to relax and enjoy the season.

Questions that Must Be Answered

Why won't dogs poop in the snow?

Corollary: What happens to dogs when they don't poop in the snow?

A Relevant Context

Writing and posting this blog every day has taught me a lot about myself as a writer and a teacher. Apart from giving me the opportunity to examine my practice and philosophy, there has been a practical application, too.

As middle school English teachers go, I'd say I'm pretty well-educated and well-credentialed, too, but even so, sometimes questions about grammar and usage arise that I'm not sure of. Why don't I know those things? It's not that I never learned them-- I'm a product of a traditional skill and drill language arts curriculum. I learned tons of grammar, out of context, and I was darn good at those worksheets, thank you very much. No, I'm not sure of the answers to those questions for the same reason that it took me a couple minutes to remember how to help an eighth grade student the other day find the equation for the slope of a line: I haven't applied that learning in years, if ever.

As a blogger, I am both author and editor of my writing, and it's the editing that often sends me searching the grammar texts and style sheets. All of a sudden, the rules are relevant to me, because who wants to be the English teacher with all the silly mistakes in her blog?

Let's Talk about the Weather

Each day my alarm wakes me to public radio (is anyone surprised?), and this morning, when still half asleep, I heard that 12 inches of snow or more was a good possibility this weekend. My eyes popped open wide, and there was definitely no more snoozing. A foot of snow around here usually means multiple days off from school. Sure, we have our false alarms, but this storm sounded pretty big even at its weakest, and I knew it was supposed to be cold next week-- so no premature melting.

I completely tuned out the latest on the senate health care drama as I brainstormed contingencies: I have the computer lab on Monday, the sixth grade ice skating trip on Tuesday, and class-meetings on Wednesday, and then it is winter break. How best to prepare for the likely disruption? I hit the ground running when I got to school: consulting, revising, and reserving, and at the end of the day, I felt ready for whatever might happen.

I love my job. Really. But the siren call of stolen days spent romping through a winter wonderland and relaxing by the fire is irresistible. Add that to the time of year, and I'll tell you what-- the first flakes have only started to fall, but ready or not, I have no plans to return to school until 2010.

Gifted Is As Gifted Does

So, we're doing these gifts of writing, and since I teach five sections of English, I have to write five separate pieces, but I also get five in return. I really like writing alongside my students, though; besides being a good model, I get a lot of insight into the assignment, and I can talk honestly about the ways I worked through the challenges. Likewise, it's easy to be free with praise, especially for kids who have shown creativity, and the students accept my feedback, not just as their know-it-all teacher, but as someone who is plugging away at the same task that they are.

I think it's good for me to participate so actively in this assignment, but how hard would it be to be the kid who pulls the teacher's name? This year, the reactions of those five students has covered the range of what you might expect: one is extremely vocal about the hardship of his plight, openly begging for extra credit; two are willing, but tentative and a bit uneasy; one is trying way too hard, and the fifth has delighted me with his creativity.

This last guy is the over-achiever in my class. He always has his hand up first, always finishes every assignment ahead of the other kids, and not surprisingly, he is kind of tough on his peers, especially those who aren't as quick as he is. Not always my favorite type of kid, but what makes him different from the stereotype is that he is acting from genuine engagement. I'm convinced that he doesn't want to be the best for best's sake, but rather because he really likes what we're reading and writing and talking about.

For his gift to me he wrote a brief choose-your-own-adventure story. Written in second person, it grabs the reader immediately, and the plot has all the elements I mentioned on my questionnaire. It is clever, funny, and very well done, and I consider it one of the best gifts I've ever received. Way to go, Jake! Thank you.