Writing | BulgingButtons

November 6, 2016
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Am I Really A Writer?

I like to think of myself as many things. Some of them are irrefutable. I am a mother. I am a teacher. These are simple facts. I have a son, therefore I am a mother. I go to work each day and spend the day teaching fourth grade students, therefore I am a teacher.

What else am I, though? And how do we verify these different identities?

Lately I’ve been a writer. How does one become a writer? By writing, some would say, but many others would say that one becomes a writer only when one’s writing has been published. Even that definition isn’t sufficient for many people. I’ve heard the argument that in order to be considered a writer one must be published and paid for one’s writing.

Well, I do write. And I have been published. I publish here, in my own little corner of the internet, regularly. Nobody pays me for it, though. I’ve also been published on other websites, like Scary Mommy and Education Week. Again, no money in that, but to me it’s still pretty cool.

My design!

I have actually been paid to write. Not much, but I’ve submitted tips to a teaching publication that have been published and I’ve been compensated for them. I also designed a fish quilt that not only made it to the cover of Quiltmaker, a well-known quilting publication (it’s an inset photo, but hey, it’s still on the cover), and the design was turned into a kit complete with gorgeous watery indigo fabrics and magentas and purples for the fish. I was paid for that too, not much, but still they cut me a check. That one, however, wasn’t really a writing win, even though I was published.

I’ve been writing for NaNoWriMo, too. I finished a manuscript during NaNoWriMo in 2013, and I’ve been revising it with help from my critique group (another thing real writers do, I’m told). Now I’m into a new one story, about a young English teacher who needs to solve a mystery that threatens the security she’s found amongst the quilters she meets in a small town. See what I did there? Teaching, quilting, things I know and like.

I also teach writing. I teach it to my fourth graders, sure, but I’ve been teaching it in the summer too, for the past three years. Kids from seven to seventeen have come to these camps, and working with them as they explore the creative side of writing has been such a privilege for me. We’re not focused on grammar, structure, or spelling in these camps. We’re focused on imagination, empowerment, and risk-taking. We’re helping kids to develop their voices through their writing, whether in a poem about a leaf or an ode to their dog or a comic about super heroes and villains or an introspective look at their own strengths.

This type of writing is so powerful for kids that I’ve begun an after-school creative writing club at my school that is well attended. Both boys and girls come in to write and share their writing, blasting the stereotype we sometimes hear that “writing is for girls.” I’m sure Stephen King, James Patterson, Dav Pilkey, Neil Gaiman, Alberto Ríos, and many others would disagree.

So yes, I’m a writer, even though you won’t see anything I’ve done on the shelves at Barnes & Noble and if you search me on Amazon you’ll come up empty. I’ll keep at it, though, and maybe someday you will see my work there. Maybe someday soon.

November 5, 2016
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Getting Busy With Prezi

What do you do when you’re busy? Get busier, of course.

Why is it that when I’m already pulled in a million directions I feel like it’s the perfect time to take on something new? Maybe because my brain is in overdrive and it feels competent and energized? Or maybe because my common sense has abandoned me?

Either way, I decided that I should learn how to use Prezi presentation software. I’ve seen it in action a few times, and to me it’s far more engaging than good old PowerPoint (no worries, PP, I’ll still be using you for many years to come, I’m sure).
I visited their website and was delighted to learn that educators can use a version of Prezi for free upon verification of their status (it was easy, just submit school email and website). The tutorial is straightforward, and blessedly short. In under five minutes I had created my first Prezi.

Of course that first one had about as much complexity and polish as a first grader’s attempt at poetry, but it’s a start. I keep pushing my students to try new things and stretch their brains, so it stands to reason that I should do the same. I plan on playing around with Prezi more in the future. In fact there’s a report on the Mayan culture that we just wrote that would look great as a Prezi. Oh yes, this is going to be good!

November 4, 2016
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Thank Goodness for the Arts

A middle school writer with her nature art inspired writing.

I’m fortunate that I work in a school district where the arts are appreciated and celebrated. We’re an elementary district with students from early childhood through eighth grade. We still have music teachers in our schools; general music for the younger students, and choir, band, and orchestra for the older ones.

Art is alive in our district too, but to a lesser extent in most of the schools. Many of our students don’t have a very strong start in life, and as a result they begin school missing some important skills and experiences. Unfortunately these children spend a great deal of time trying to “catch up” to their peers, and as a result sometimes the fun things (like art) get pushed aside, especially when the pressure of testing is added to the situation.

It’s a pity, really, since the arts are where so many children shine. They have the opportunity to express themselves in ways that are different than the typical classroom setting, and for kids with language delays, learning disabilities, limited English proficiency, behavioral challenges, and more, they are a saving grace.

The arts allow kids to approach the world from their own plane, wherever that may be. They can sing out, dance, paint, draw, mold, model, and manipulate their world in a way that makes sense to them. They are a release and a gift.

Our fourth grade students have been given that gift again this year, as they participate in an original musical conceived, written, and directed by our very talented music teacher. He even made the giant glow-in-the-dark puppets that take the stage and raised funds for the black lights that make the whole show pop. Oh, and he wrote all the music too, as well as taught every lyric to the entire fourth grade. Whew!

Our kids are lucky. They will perform for their friends and families and they will keep the individual puppets that they each created and will use in the show. They are growing up with the arts as an important part of their lives. Too many children are not. Too many schools are throwing out the arts. Too many families shun the arts in favor of less enriching activities. I get it, as parents we’re tired, and helping kids write songs and put on skits and dress up as various characters takes time and energy that we have precious little of. It’s worth it, though. The arts promote creative thinking and problem solving, and they help to increase communication skills, as well as promoting a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Let’s take some time to share the arts with a child. Drama, poetry, ceramics, painting, dance: whatever you enjoy can be enjoyed with a child. I would encourage you to share your talents and interests with some special young person in your life. You will both benefit.