Thinking about words and what they mean...

               English is one of the most-spoken languages in the world. Many people want to learn it, schools have programs to teach foreign language speakers, and knowing the language will probably help you throughout various countries in the world. The roots of languages have always been fascinating to me, and this visual representation below shows how intertwined they can be:

(larger version here)

               Although the English language is an amalgamation of words from across the globe, we are still missing out on some key untranslate-able words or phrases. Here are some of my favourites:

Kummerspeck (German)- Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. It literally means "grief bacon".

Esprit de l'escalier (French)- Thinking of the perfect retort too late. Literally meaning "staircase wit". We've all been there.

Fernweh (German)- Feeling homesick for a place to which you've never been. I feel this for Scotland, the home of my grandparents.

Age-otori (Japanese)- To look worse after a haircut. It's one of the worst feelings.

Forelsket (Norwegian)- The intoxicatingly euphoric feeling you experience when you're first falling in love. A similar English phrase would be NRE, or New Relationship Energy.

Gigil (Tagalog)- The overwhelming, irrestible urge to grab or pinch something extremely adorable.



               If you want to watch a funny video of Rhett & Link talking about similar words and making their own English translation (trust me, you do), check out the video below:

Class 4- Narratives and Poetry

            I've always thought poetry came from the soul. Some writers naturally had the gift of creating poems and somehow I missed the boat. However, Peterson referenced Michael Ondaatje who wrote that the revision process is where all the "extra clothes" come off of his writing. I think it is important to stress to students (and anyone pursuing writing for that matter) the necessity of practise and editing― your poem is not required to be stellar when you first put pen to paper. It is through repetition and revision where your work can truly become precise. I know first hand that the pressure to be perfect and to have your words succinctly express your emotions and thoughts is anxiety-inducing. It is relieving to think that poetry can be a learned skill and every student of every capability has room to grow.

            The creative process involved in writing has also been discussed by various authors. The following quotes have made me feel less concerned with creating emotive and precise work from the beginning:

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” 
― Ernest Hemingway

“Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” 
― Mark Twain

"It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly."
― C. J. Cherryh

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” 
― Anton Chekhov

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” 

― Homer, The Odyssey

            It seems to be a running theme among writers that no one is satisfied with the quality of their work at the beginning; maybe some still aren't satisfied by the "end". My goal in this course is to feel more confident about my writing and to just "let it bleed" as Hemingway described. I will practise my ability to write organic organically and become proficient at selecting my words with precision.

            Lastly, I will leave all my lovely readers with a video of my classmate and I performing some poetry in the format of a rap song about World Issues. I was inspired by a classmate's spontaneous spoken word performance this morning and I wanted to share a performance of my own. I can definitely see the appeal of integrating creative formats of expression into the classroom because it allows students to formulate their own thoughts and ideas in a way that makes sense to them.

          

Class 3- Mentor Texts

I found an excellent article on the website History Today that gives insight into how to write an effective history essay. The author stresses how one must really think before writing an essay, and the bulk of the work occurs during the planning process. One must fully understand the question, be able to siphon out irrelevant details when researching, and try to be original. I believe this article will be very helpful to students writing any essay, especially for history. It provides explanations for what each paragraph should contain (while going beyond the standard 5-paragraph essay format forced down our throats in high school). It is worth it to peruse this webpage because it is written clearly and succinctly explains the best features of an essay. This would definitely be useful for a student who is struggling with essay formatting, or who wants to improve their planning, researching, and essay writing skills.

Class 2- Reflections on Atwell and Peterson & Thoughts about teaching History

How does Nancie Atwell’s story strike you and consider the subtopics in Peterson’s chapters 1 & 2 as a teacher of writing in your discipline.  

           Atwell's reflection made me feel simultaneously pleased and worried. I am glad that she finally came to a realization about the best ways in which to teach writing and to foster the growth of her students in many writing genres. However, I worry that I will not be able to do the same in my teaching career. I already feel somewhat stuck in my ways regarding what pieces of writing should be created and about what topic they should be. How will I give students in a history class (or any class that I teach) the best opportunities to explore all the genres of writing in a safe environment where they get both peer feedback and teacher feedback? I worry that my own experiences in school of succeeding in certain areas of writing (e.g. essays) and feeling like a failure in others (such as poetry) will bias my lessons and subsequently prevent students from experiencing all genres of writing (and the feelings of success and struggle that arise during the process).

            I disagree with Atwell in terms of worrying about conventions only in the final draft― I believe that in your mini-lessons you should also remind students of proper spelling and grammar. I would not expect perfect writing immediately, but I would hope to see improvement in their rough draft writing as the year progresses. That way, the quality of student work is gradually increasing during each opportunity to write. I think the best way of incorporating writing into any course would be creating a regular routine for students. I can see myself utilizing Peterson's proposal for classroom organization where students begin each day with a small piece of writing that can be tracked in their folder. I believe that students thrive with routines and organization; I can imagine students enjoying the writing process more when they regularly write and can see their progress. Overall, I think students will feel fulfilled with their journey in writing when the process is seamlessly integrated across the curriculum. 

Class 1- What writing means to me...

To me, writing is very personal but it's purpose can vary greatly. Some write as a hobby, some write as an emotional outlet, and some write to make money... however, I would argue that every piece of writing is a form of expression. I write to communicate to my future self the thoughts, ideas, emotions, and goals of my present self. In terms of teaching history, the written word is crucial to the comprehension of past events and our understanding of what actually happened throughout human existence. Some pieces of writing are meaningless to us because we cannot decipher the language in which it was written. On the other hand, some pieces of writing are crucial to furthering our understanding of an ancient society. As a modern historian or student studying history, I think it is most important to develop critical thinking skills that allow one to analyze any resource and be able to create a piece of writing that represents their beliefs about the topic. Utilizing critical thinking skills is a necessary component of creating thought-provoking pieces of writing on historical topics.

Linear A- Writing is only effective at communicating

 your ideas when it is able to be understood