When I look back at my K-12 journey, I often wonder why I was so enamored with writing and the process of writing. For one, I was awful at math–I still count on my fingers– and could not remember the periodical tables for the life of me. Contrary to the long list of instruments my dad purchased, my creative juices did not flow through music (I took lessons for five instruments, and not one stuck). Art. Well. I was no Picasso. In fact, the C- in Art class was my lowest grade in middle school.Maybe, the passion for writing is a genealogy thing.  My family loves the English language, specifically folk music and rock n’ roll. My mother is a concert photographer and my father, though working all his life as a then IBM engineer and now kettle corn maker, is an unofficial Dylanologist. Together, they’ve seen 600+ Bob Dylan shows all over the world, collecting rare, one-off records and memorabilia along the way. My sister, too, is a lover of language. She studied Creative Writing/Music in college and has three studio albums; her band, Roseann Fino and The Lovely Misfits, can be heard on WDST sometimes.  At the end of the day, my need to write derived from desire to be one of King Arthur’s knights.

 

The Squire’s Tale series by Gerald Morris rocked my ten-year-old world. I envisioned myself as King Arthur’s squire– a wide-eyed, courageous teen with a thirst for justice. In truth,I was a pudgy, disorganized pre-teen from 21st century New York; fiction often mirrors reality, but not always.  The vivid imagery of the English countryside, the rich, chivalric dialogue, and the descriptions of medieval swordplay swept me away from the bullies, my chronic Asthma, and poor self-esteem. When I finished the series, I was devastated…What do I do now? Though I could’ve looked for another action-packed series to read, my dad suggested I write one of my own. One Saturday, I was bored to tears; my Gameboy was confiscated because of poor grades and I was not allowed to go to a friend’s house (I wonder why…). After the fourth hour of doing nothing, I decided, what the heck, let’s give this old writing thing a try…

I wrote all throughout middle school–medieval tales, folk songs, rap disses. But, between puberty and a developing love of running, I lost the writer’s hand. Fast forward to senior year of high school. I had very little ambition for anything but running and having fun. Mid-way through the year, college went from a peripheral, I’ll-worry-about-that-later dream to an oh-gosh-what-am-I-gonna-do-somebody-help!-somebody-help! nightmare.I met with my less-than-optimistic guidance counselor for advice. After pulling up my grades, she jokingly said, “hm, you have a B average and did well in English all throughout high school…Why don’t you become a writer?” From her big grin and chuckle, I knew she was kidding. Yet, for a hopeless seventeen-year-old, I took what she said to heart. One Sunday in November 2010, I scrambled a bunch of poems together, and applied to the Creative Writing Program at SUNY Purchase.

 After waiting three, anxious months, I found out I was accepted into the program. That summer I tried to write everyday to prepare, but I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised at the writing environment. The professors, along with the students in the program, gave knowledgeable, thoughtful feedback. They were passionate about their writing, and the work of their students/colleagues. After three semesters, and a handful of poor decisions, I decided to make a change. I loved writing and sharing my writing, but I realized I loved the pedagogy of writing, too, which, unfortunately, was non-existent at Purchase College.  After the fall semester of my sophomore year, I decided to head home to become an English Education major at SUNY New Paltz.

Fast forward to today. I’m finishing up my Master’s degree and almost mid-way through my third year of teaching 8th Grade English. My time working with and learning from the Hudson Valley Writing Project has been instrumental to my progress as both a teacher-as-leader and a teacher-as-writer. HVWP’s year-long institute changed who I am as a person, teacher, and writer. The tens of hours we spent writing, the tens of hours we spent reading our work, the tens of hours we spent conceptualizing  the ways in which our students write and think challenged me to be progressively mindful in every aspect of my life. Moreover, writing became habitual again. When I first started teaching full-time, the stress of the job removed me from my work. Moreover, I had no time to write for myself. The program reinvigorated my writing and challenged me to make the time. This empowering attitude to write and learn about writing led me to Dr.Sawyer’s class.

The work we’ve done, collectively, as teachers and future teachers, is commendable. Each week, we all arrive to class, some more sluggish than others (glances at reflection), with a body of work, tired, but eager and ready to share with the class. As graduate students, we know how hard it is to establish a classroom community at the collegiate level, especially in lecture-based classes. Luckily, Dr. Sawyer has created a class that encourages facilitation and collaboration. The class has been a shot in the arm. I’m very proud of the writing we’ve done so far and the feedback we’ve given to one another.  At this point, I have worked with all of you in some capacity, whether that’s reviewing DEN notes, editing op-eds, and/or discussing the day’s materials. I’m excited to share these pieces with you, as I feel they speak to our class ethos and today’s political climate.

Letter to the President:

Writing the letter to the president was a cathartic experience. This semester, I’ve spent hours and hours reading the latest articles on the president’s escapade-of-the-week, the natural disasters that have plagued our nation, and the Las Vegas massacre. Each time I go down one of these rabbit-holes, I’m left frustrated and deeply upset. As an educator and lovers of PBS, writing about  public broadcasting’s importance felt like an issue I could tackle; I felt this was one issue I could change or alter. We’ve looked at PBS’s education branch. We know the the benefits it has for children, K-12. As lovers of Charlie Rose and other PBS programs, we know the benefits for adults, too. I hope I was able to eloquently shine a light on a deeply important issue.

 

Interview with Charlie

Charlie and I had so many laughs during the process. We learned a lot about one another, while also asking both silly and serious questions, ranging from academic endeavors to favorite adult beverages. At times, we had to slow down our conversation to type–since, like with most organic discussions, talking moves quickly when you’re impassioned. We both come from very different fields–Charlie is science. I’m ELA– but we both believe writing should be an authentic, meaningful process. I look forward to sharing this piece with you all!

About Me

Ugh. I always have a tough time writing about myself. The process stresses me out. The anxiety stems from the fear of coming off as vain or self-centered; I struggle to grasp  the fact that this is an autobiography about yourself. Of course you’re going to share accomplishments! Of course you’re going to share proud moments! I’m learning, albeit sparingly, that it’s OK to brag sometimes. I’m apprehensive, but also happy to share this writing with you all.