Dreams into Stories ~ Write it Down!!

Do you dream? When you have dreams, do you remember them and have you ever thought of writing about them? I have a few dreams lately and while most of the time I don't remember them lately I've actually been inspired and remembered them. I keep saying I'm going to write down my dreams / story ideas and I never do. Now that I'm 40 it's time to stop putting things off. So here goes....

IDEA # 1: In my dream I saw various people walking through a lush English garden with people dressed in Victorian era clothing like living works of art. The living art consisted of only the most beautiful perfect people and they were dressed meticulously with extreme attention to detail. The people viewing the living art were oblivious to that these were real people (from little children all the way up to the elderly).  

As the dream unfolded, I realized that the living art people were actually specifically bred and enslaved to be beautiful works of art for those that can afford them. It has become a status symbol in a world full of privileged, elitist, selfish people that are always looking for ways to relieve their boredom. 

So if I was going to write this into a story, it would become a futuristic thriller about a pair of star-crossed lovers from both worlds trying to escape the world they are living in. It would be interesting to add a paranormal element to the story too, but I'm not quite sure how that could work into the story. If this was well done, it could make a cool movie or TV series on the SyFy network - done by Joss Whedon (see Dollhouse) would be awesome.

My problem is I am full of ideas, but how do I actually get a story written (writing is in my genes; not so sure I have the words, talent and discipline to make it happen)?

Review ~ Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This being the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy, I thought I would be pumped to dive into it especially since I read Catching Fire in one day. I'm not sure why, but I struggled getting through this book and I skimmed through sections of the book. It didn't grip me in the same way the other 2 books did. It felt like such a departure from the heart and soul of what made the first 2 books. Katniss was the underdog and she had the love and support of her family and 2 incredible boys/men in her life.

It felt like Katniss was no longer in control of her destiny and everyone around her completely changed. I don't want to say too much in case someone reads this review without having read the book first.

I would still recommend this series (and I have).



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Blind Side - What Are We Missing?

I was just watching a scene from the movie Blind Side (with Sandra Bullock) and one scene has just grabbed me by the gut and really made me think about what we do as educators. What I am responsible for myself. In the scene, a teacher reads out a discarded piece of writing from Big Mike to  other teachers in the staff room that are frustrated with the lack of effort and ability they see in Big Mike. Here is an excerpt from that essay...

"I look and I see white everywhere: white walls, white floors, and a lot of
white people…. The teachers are not aware that I have no idea of anything they
are talking about. I do not want to listen to anyone, especially the teachers.
They are giving homework and expecting me to do the problems on my own. I’ve
never done homework in my life. I go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and
say, "This is not Mike Oher. I want to get out of this place."
–Evolution of a Game

Right after that, one of the more skeptical teachers in the room asks, "How's his spelling?"

We have this huge expectation of our students that they should be like little sponges sopping up all the knowledge we impart through lecturing, through getting them to read textbook passages, through worksheets, through reading books, you name it and you know what I am talking about because I have seen it countless times. I am not pointing fingers at anyone but myself because it is not my place to blame or shame anyone but myself. I spout these ideas and theories about what I think a classroom should be like. I have visions and dreams of students "getting it" and creating extraordinary pieces of work that magically appear. The amount of students that can live up to this expectation are far fewer than the norm of students that need more than us just pushing information at them hoping that they will get something out of it and be able to send it back to us in an acceptable fashion.

So I have to ask myself, What do I really believe? What can I really do? and How can I get there?. I start out with good intentions and they all seem to go by the wayside and I get lost in the chaos of my day. Sometimes it's not so great watching those inspiring movies about the difference that teachers make in students' lives. How do you ever live up to that?

What I have to remember is to not lose hope and believe in my ability that I can make a difference. Maybe I'm not going to change the world overnight, but I can make a difference one person and one day at a time.

These are my thought so far and I'm sure there is much more to come. What do you think?

Student Writing: Respecting & Tolerance For Other People's Beliefs

Well I'm now officially teaching High School until the end of the year. I have 2 classes - Humanities 8 (a mix of Social Studies & English with a creative writing focus) and Health & Career Education (HACE 9). For one of my first teaching assignments studying World Religion, I had my Grade 8 Humanities class write about their own beliefs and why they thought it was important to respect other people's beliefs.

The images above are an amalgamation of their thoughts.

Here are some of the statements that I thought were especially poignant...

1. Beliefs are important to all sorts of people in one way or another, but open-mindedness is just as significant.
2. When we can take the time to learn about one another’s beliefs, we get to see another type of thinking.
3. If people could consider other people’s beliefs and walk a mile in their shoes there would be a lot less fighting and prejudice.
4. Religion shouldn’t be seen as a way to judge someone but as a way someone has chosen to live.
5. We all need to understand and accept each other’s beliefs because that is the only way peace in this world will increase.

Review ~ Promises in Death

Title: Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My Review: This series is best when Lt. Dallas is involved with cases that she has a personal stake in. You can feel her pain when she has to tell her friend about the death of his loved one. I also loved how the rest of her crew jumped in to help. The most entertaining part was how all the ladies give their input in the case. I laughed out loud during a few scenes where Eve gets so uncomfortable with the messiness of life around her.

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Review ~ Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review: This book was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times that people were starting to look at me funny. I think the biggest selling point of this series is the drawings which was a brilliant idea by the author. It still allows the reader to use his/her imagination, but it conveys the absolute absurdity of the situations the protagonist gets himself into.

As a teacher, it's always great to find books that kids of all ages (especially boys) like to read and the bonus is it's one I can enjoy too! It brought back memories of my own struggles in elementary school, but in a "it's always good to find a way to laugh about it" kind of way.

I know the live-action movie is out this weekend and I'm sure it will do well, but I think it would have been better as an animated film (maybe stop-motion). I think the real people will spoil the fun a bit because real people never live up to our own imagination. I'll update this after I've seen the movie and see if I change my mind. I'll also see what my students thought of the movie.

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Review ~ Devil's Arithmetic

Title: The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
My Review: Initally I thought this book kind of plodded along and didn't delve too deeply. I started to wonder why it was lauded as an award winning novel. After reading the entire novel, this initial pace and thought process makes sense. I could be wrong, but perhaps it was written that way to make us feel the apathy that Hannah felt about her family get togethers. I think most teenagers feel this way about our history (whether it be family, coutnry, culture or world history) which is really sad.

What sets this book apart is how both the main character Hannah and the reader is transported to another time and place in order to get a real sense of what the time was like by actually living through it. Instead of merely being an observer Hannah is thrust into a life she has only read or heard rambling stories of. I appreciated how the author played with what was real or imagined memories for Hannah through this experience.

As an avid reader of historical fiction, a student of history and an educator, I appreciate the opportunities for learning that a book like this presents. I think students today could benefit from actually living history to make it relevant and come alive. If only it were possible. My challenge as a teacher is to find ways to make that happen in the classroom every day. That's a huge undertaking! I'm glad I have books to help me along the way.

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