Tuesday
June 13, 2023
Today, Joni and I planned to meet with the students in the Writing Group in “office hours” to have conversations about ideas they had for writing a story. Sister has given us a space on the second floor of the STEM building to use as a space for these conversations. Throughout the afternoon, when students had a space in their schedule, they came to clarify questions and even share something they had already written. It was a very busy afternoon! It also seemed to me to be a special gift to be able to have such lovely conversations with these writers from across the grade levels at the school and learn how they understand the power of story.
It turned out there were several girls who want to try to shape their story through a poem. At one point, 4 students and I had a “poetry corner” in our office space where we talked about how poetry can be such an intriguing written form; how it can allow a writer to express emotion well. One student brought her paper journal in which she is aways using her pencil to write poems that reflect her experiences. She read one to our group was called The Pencil. In the poem she contrasted the “humble pencil” which is given to young people to begin writing with the pen that often becomes the sign of being “grown up,” perched in a pocket signifying authority even. For her, the pencil allowed one to make a mistake and erase it, easily, leaving a space for a new word or idea. But the pen signified a profession (architect, doctor, teacher, scientist) who may have little room to make a “mistake.” When you try to cross out an error with a pen…it can be messy.
The poets in the Poets Corner were delighted with the idea of a Pencil Life of being young, eager to try new things, able to easily erase a mistake and move on to new ideas. Maybe the Pen Life can begin to limit our perspective, requires a focus that can begin to limit what we can try. It turns out, the author had an experience in primary school when a teacher required students shift from pencil to pen for writing…and this writer missed her pencil and the free expression, the change of mind, the revision by pencil allowed.
So now I am thinking a lot about the times in my life when I have had a “Pencil Life”…time to try new things, to change my mind, to learn from a mistake. I thought about how often I am in a Pen Life making sure that my lesson preparations are set, my tasks complete with no errors. It was fun to play with these ideas as the beginning poets considered these approaches to our “becoming” and how Michelle Obama wants us all to remember we are always… Becoming… and need to leave room to always find new ways to shape ourselves.
It was fun to sit and consider these ideas with these careful MGS thinkers!
Meanwhile, through the afternoon, Kaelen visited S 4 classes and after classes ended, she joined a group of the basketball players. (For her patents: Yes, I did make sure she put on her knee brace.) Clearly, the chance to play a sport, to join in that wonderful team spirit that Title 9 has shown us can benefit young women so much, was a highlight of her MGS experience so far. The team welcomed her and urged her to run, shoot, set up plays, the whole thing. She was unsure what she could manage at first, but emerged from the play time flushed and breathless and very very happy.
I hope this blog entry has given you some idea of how reading and writing (and sports) are playing a role each day here at MGS. So whether you are planning a Pencil Day, a Pen Day or feel motivated to move and stretch, I hope your day brings as much joy and new insights as this Tuesday has brought to us here at MGS.
Linda V Beardsley
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