Kathleen Rockwell Paper #4

I remember my initial excitement at hearing about the Oregon Writing Project and then getting a letter of acceptance into the program with a scholarship. But as the time for the class grew closer, my excitement turned to doubts and dread. Can I really do this? Should I really do this? I'm so clumsy on computers, and so on with the long procession of reasons not to. A month of not earning any money, the distance I'd have to drive everyday. 'Why not', I finally decided. It is something I both love and dread. Face the fears. Look the beast in the eyes and tame the dragon!

It was an odd group of teachers from different schools and parts of the state coming together in the month of July in the Spencer Butte Middle School. The familiar lunchroom chitchat was clearly missing. The remnants of the last days of school still abounded- the cake dish with dried chocolate icing stuck to the platter, the piles of left behind shoes, jackets, sweaters, shirts and pants. Trashcans were filled to the brim and bathrooms out of hand drying paper. Classrooms were as the students and teachers left them. Some had materials neatly boxed and covered. We shared the building with the janitors who, with the radio on, were slowly making their way down the hall dusting, mopping and waxing the white tiles with overlays of blue, red and turquoise. They were thoroughly cleaning each room as they went. Carpeted ramps lead from one hall to another. A handful of office staff worked diligently in the office behind a glass window.

We met in a computer room, everyone claiming a particular computer. I chose one in the corner by a window, where I could look out into the fir and pine forest just a few yards away. We gathered here and in the library to work on our writing skills. We didn't know each other but through our creative endeavors, I gained insight into one's travels in the Middle East, another's traditional ethnic food ritual and another's emotions when the children left on the last day of school. We started to get to know each other, in our response groups, as striving human beings with real struggles.

In the realm of my own writing, I found it extremely helpful to live, sleep and wake in the mood of the story I was writing. I picked a subject that I had wanted to write about but simply did not know where to start or how to go about it. I needed the encouragement of my response group. They gave me "permission" to really go on, as I had been holding back. Once it was okay to write, I could look at how to improve what I'd written.

I am glad that I did take the class. It was a remarkable journey with a marvelous group of people who shared their own unique gifts of teaching. It gave me a chance to look at writing outside of my need to write something: objectively, and more importantly, playfully. I enjoyed listening to what others wrote; inspiring me to think about many writing possibilities that I hadn't even thought about. More importantly, it helped me deal with those areas of 'stuckness'.

Bill Strong's lively presentation on sentence combining, showing us the many different ways we can say the same thing and encouraging us to look for the sentence that best expresses our ideas was just what I needed. It's not that I didn't know this, but sometimes it just seemed like such drudgery! Truly he lifted it into a game. I can see how this kind of 'drawing from our own innate knowledge of language' can enhance our comfort level and ability to write.

When I thought I had all I needed to proceed with my writing, we were introduced to Ingrid Wendt, who lifted writing into art: poetry. The room was filled with a meaningful liveliness- just what we want so much to create in our own classrooms. While I have done a lot of speech work and recitation with my classes, I haven't really done any serious poetry writing. I know now that I will.

The teacher's presentation component was valuable for, other than the obvious purpose of getting ideas, getting a sense of different teaching styles and the opportunity to present in front of other colleagues. I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to immerse myself in writing and look forward to continuing to put it into practice as we have already begun to do. I will have a clearer direction when it comes to teaching writing. The encouragement to work on my own writing, as well as the specific techniques, make me confident that I will have a new found enthusiasm for this subject. For this I am truly thankful.