Where I'm From...

Reposting of my "Where I'm From"...:)

Assignment:  Using George Ella Lyon's poem "Where I'm From" as a model, draft and then type your own version of this poem.

• THEN, for each stanza, add three participial phrases that describing the images in the stanzas.
• Click here to preview a list of active verbs you may use to create your participial phrases.  Try to NOT use a verb more than once.

Mrs. Gillmore's Poem

I am from tires, 

from Chevrolet, and batteries,

• unloading by the truck load,
• washing many used cars,
• driving my detailed rides.

I am from the creek beside our house, 

(cold, running, 

it tasted like frozen ice cubes),

• overflowing into our tire shop,
• catching crawdads that pinched,
• removing leeches from my feet.

I am from the zinnas, 

the marigolds,

whose weeds I had to remove.

• filling the beds with color,
• planted yearly by my mother,
• resulting in my now planting them, too.

I am from peanut butter pie and a stubbed nose,

from Ollie Jo and Wilford.

• eating enough dinner so dessert I could have,
• carrying on the Friel genes
• blessed beyond measure by them both.

I am from the yard sale bargains

and no TV's,

• obtaining "Best Dressed in Who's Who,
• watching the "one-eyed devil" at the neighbors,
• growing up different but okay.

from "rise and shine" and "you look nice."

• groaning for just a few minutes more of snooze time,
• complimenting me every Sunday morning on my design,
• waving that final good-bye.

I am from "Only Believe"

with beliefs solid, strong,

and the piano I play by ear.

• learning one note at a time,
• staying true to my convictions,
• absorbing, singing word after word.

I'm from Friel and Irish descent,

popcorn and fried chicken.

• frying as only my momma could,
• making dad's snack every night,
• giving credit for my red-hair.

From the work habits of my ever-doing parents,

the miles traveled to and from church three times every week.

• owning multiple businesses,
• mowing all the surrounding yards,
• cleaning house every Saturday morning.

I am from the box in the back of the closet,

stuffed to the top,

many black and white,

easier years later to view.

• preserving memories of parents and siblings from years past,
• bringing to life the faces now deceased,
• absorbing who I was, who I am.

I am from those moments - 

standing, oh, so proud --

family traits I do possess.

SSB: My Thoughts

Intro - Hook/Thesis

Positive 1

Positive 1

Conclusion

______________________________________

So proud I am!

First, read my poem:

College and Career Ready

Day by day, the teacher did assign,
Choosing the lessons to align,
To ensure her students the school motto met.
Her students' skills gained an asset.

College and career ready, they say.
You can do this, she did parlay.
Too often, their achievements underplayed.
Not here, though, their futures an extended highway.

Each assigned.
Each accomplished.
A resume.
A paper.
A speech outline.
A Google presentation.
Dressed up for their oration.

All heroes and herones on these speaking days
As heart rates speeded, running many verbal relays.
Shaking knees and shaking hands,
Prepared to reach the bar, their teacher understands.

Proud they are, breathing silent sighs of relief.
Mental high-fives, huge smiles signifying belief.
Forget all the moans.  Forget all the groans.
Forget all the "I can't's."  Forget all the work zones.

Today, they came.
Today, they spoke.
Today, they answered.
Today, they "Thank you"ed.
Today, they proved "College and Career Ready."

So proud she is, this teacher of theirs.
In these proud moments, she shares.
She thinks they can.
She knows they can.
They prove they can.

I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can.

Simply became.

I can.

I am.

College and Career Ready.

_______________________

Yes!  I am proud of each one, for each student accomplished more than they thought...and some accomplished a lot more than they wanted!  For four days, I hosted Senior Seminar Boards, bringing community members, administrators, and teachers in to listen to speeches and view their presentations.  In all, this is a symbol that these young men and women are...or soon will be...ready to graduate.

First, I am most proud that they all met the bar, some stretching, extending, over-exceeding...all making me proud in the end.  Speaking in front of peers causes the heart beat to increase, the sweat glands to pour, the nerves to jump, and the eyes hard to focus.  Oh, my!  Stress!  This lesson, though was a good one.  They may have thought they could not, but, now, they know they can!  Yes!

Second, I so appreciated the questions the Senior Seminar Board asked and, even more, the comments they spoke to the class as a whole, all echos of statements I had previously verbalized.

To be continued...

Let the Games Begin!

The 2018 Olympic games are officially underway!  Athletes, in shape, more than ever in their lives, are prepared physically, mentally, emotionally to bring home the gold for the USA Team!  Go, USA!  With that said, who are you cheering on?  Whose names will you call out as they skate, ski, and snowboard to the finish lines?  Hummmm, if you are like myself (yes, as we hang our heads in shame), maybe, you, too, are not quite sure for whom to cheer?  Check out this article and video by Time magazine entitled "What to Know About Every Single Winter Olympic Sport in 2018" and expand your background to be better prepared to cheer on the winners.

According Jennifer Calfas, author of this Time article, states, "When she was just 18, [Mikaela] Shiffrin became the youngest athlete ever to win an Olympic gold in the Winter Olympic sport of slalom — an event that involves skiing downhill between poles and gates — a gold medal she’s trying to earn yet again at age 22."  Go, MiKaela! I can only imagine the time, money and effort spent preparing for such an event.  AND the chapstick!  Spending so many hours outside, braving the elements of wind and cold, training every day, every week every month, she knows she has to be the best to win.  Only the best make here.

Check out Elana Meyers Taylor!  "Meyers Taylor was the first American woman to ever win a bobsled world championship in 2015.  The two-time Olympic medalist has also advanced gender equality in the sport...competed in the 4-man event with three male brakemen, a first for the Winter Olympic sport that had required women to race only two-person sleds."  Go, Elana!  Show those men how to win!  She should be the face of women's rights...not those that march here in America and display posters and paraphernalia that borders on inappropriate!

As I read further, I was amazed at competitions of which I had never heard.  Luge? Nordic Combined? Skeleton?  Have you heard of these?  More than just reading about these events, I need to allocate some hours to watching these events...and, yes, learning what they actually are!  I am fairly certain that, surely, the Skeleton does not involve bones.  Right?!  Surely!

My favorite Olympian sport?  The ice skaters...especially the pairs, who act out scenes to songs I hopefully know.  The balance, grace, and smooth moves these couples display as they circle that ice rink leave me in awe of their skills.  In essence, they are just gifted.  Truly.

How about you?  Are you an Olympian watcher?  Why do you enjoy your favorite competition?  On the flip...are the athletes giving up too much just to compete for a few short minutes of time?  Why is the time spent from family and friends worth the fame?  Consider this:  the games are not so much for the athletes as they are for the competitions and displays of athletic power displayed by all the countries represented.  What do you think?  Please share your thoughts below!

Is the Sky Really Falling?

The government shut down Friday night.

Run!  The sky is falling!  The sky is falling!  Attention, Chicken Littles!  Anyone listening?

Or is it?

As I journeyed around the state over the weekend (at least from Ash Flat to Little Rock to Cord to Sulphur Rock to Batesville), I heard not one comment about the government shutdown.  Do they not know about this halt in finances to so many?  Ignorance?  How blissful is that?  This lack of response concerns me.


Social media was a bit more active with comments on Twitter and a post on Facebook from Fort Huachuca explaining the effects...or lack of.  No sense of real panic...more blame being posted on Twitter than panic, for this is not the first time this has happened, right?  No big deal, right?  Right?

May we consider...

1. Should we be embarrassed that our government remains shut down...or at least until noon when another vote is scheduled...?
2. Should we be concerned for those who paychecks are frozen?

My One Word for 2018: Less

Each year, for several years now, I have chosen a theme word to go with me throughout the year.  What a journey these words have been for me...and I strongly encourage everyone to adopt this focus each year.

In 2011, I needed peace...I had so much turmoil.  During this time, the gift of peace came.

In 2012, I need times of quiet, for my mom eased into Heaven in January, and, while this was a prayer for which we had prayed...my mom suffered from severe dementia...that grief process simply takes time.

And so on...every year a word.

This year, my word is less.  Part of the reason I chose this word is, yes, less is more.

To Blog, To Blog, To Blog!

I very much enjoy blogging!  I have three personal blogs and several with my classes...AND each of my students has his/her own blog!  Why do I blog?  The power of reflection is immense, and this genre has become quite the journal of my literary life.  I, also, enjoy reading other's blogs and follow many within my Feedly account.

Blogs I Follow

• Literary Life:  I follow many, including some literary peers and giants in our curriculum area, including Dana Huff, 
• Crafty Chics
• Devotional Delights
• Bookish Thoughts

Growth Mindset: Is This a Sign of Intelligence?

Carol Dweck in her video entitled  The Power of Believing That You Can Improve discusses her research on fixed and growth mindsets.  (Later, in this article, she updates her findings.)

Dweck supports the growth mindset when she states, "