Esther's hero journy

I've been thinking about the hero journey today; the journey we have been talking about in our novel studies all year. Here is a photo of the class that just finished studying The Endless Steppe. From Esther (the author and heroine of the story) we learned that we can be hero's by choice and it is rarely easy.
Other people choose to follow villain journey's (like the Nazi soldiers) and try to force heros to be victims. Even though Esther was so young she set a good example for us by sticking to her hero choices at all cost. This story also reminded me of the blessings of crossing paths with other people on hero journeys who make hero choices and become our mentors. And it is important to remember that we soon become mentors for others.

What did you learn about hero choices from Esther? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Mrs. J

Self check: Where are you writing from? Are you pursuing the answers to your own questions? Are you after the great ideas? Are you connecting what  you learn to your own experiences? Are you expanding your own understanding? Are you pondering what you learn? Are you recognizing your feelings becoming thoughts; your thoughts becoming ideas?

Here are some quotes to practice thinking on: 1. "Draw from the past, but do not let your past draw from you." -Teal'c (Stargate)
2. "If you weren't selling this, would you be buying it?" -heard on a CBC radio program
3."For Every Goliath there is a stone." -sign at a Garden Center on Vancouver Island

Share your ponderings!

Yellow Treasure Hunt

Here is my yellow ‘idea-gathering’ treasure hunt, before editing.

YELLOW

Highlighter felt pen

Sunflowers: a print on a cushion, photos in frames, in prints on my shelf, plastic sunflowers in large and small vases

Bright yellow round table, summer BBQ furniture

Banaba gram games pouch for tiles

Apiece of the tummy on my patchwork bunny

The toy tote tray, a pack of post–it notes,

A phone book,

Journey through OZ book spine

Micro-fiber cloth in the kitchen

Bottle of sunlight dish soap

Plastic pitcher I water the plnats

Pineapple fridge magnet from Hawaii

A bunch of bananas on the counter

Stripes on cooler bag

Edge of National Geographic in bathroom

Today is TOO white! I am looking for yellow!

Here is my poem after one round of editing;

My YELLOW Treasure Hunt

By Mrs. J November 30, 2011

Yellow, sunflowers, everywhere: a print on a cushion, photos in frames, in print pictures on my shelf, plastic replicas in large and small vases,

on shelves, on walls, in corners; cheerful.

Bright yellow, small round table, summer BBQ season left over,

Bright yellow, a toy tote tray, a pack of Post–it notes, a phone book;

A Highlighter felt pen for illuminating great words;

A piece of the tummy on my patchwork bunny

A pouch for Banana gram tiles.

Journey through OZ book spine

A Micro-fiber cloth by the sink

And a bottle of Sunlight dish soap,

A plastic pitcher for watering houseplants,

Pineapple fridge magnet from Hawaii,

A bunch of bananas on the counter,

Stripes on cooler bag and the

Edge of National Geographic magazines in the bathroom.

Yellow cheers up white.

Now you give it a try! Enjoy! Mrs. J

How to handle a snowy day

  On a snow day -->"Choose to learn great things. Look, listen, touch and feel with the intent to learn; pay attention to what your senses are telling you, find answers to your questions, visualize what you learn."(Mrs. J) We are all stuck in our houses today because it is storming outside. What great things can we choose to look at, listen to, touch and feel with the intent to learn right here at home? What can we take the time to let our senses teach us? 

Suggestions: 1. Go on a treasure hunt for 'yellow'. List all the yellow things you can find and turn your list into a poem; draw a picture to go with your poem and submit it to our school writing contest. 

2. Put two bananas or apples on the table in front of you. Write a description of each one; noting details: size, shape, markings, bruises, roughness, shininess, etc. See enough detail that I could read your work and know which piece of fruit you were talking about. 

3. Lay on the rug in the living room with your notebook beside you. Draw/write and description of your new view of the living room. Pretend you are the family cat or dog or …… How would your life be different if you were mysteriously shrunken to 10 centimeters tall. ??

4. What are your ideas …………… please share!

I am going to do the treasure hunt for 'yellow' right now. Watch for it on my

next post! Happy writing! Mrs. J

On Talking
How often do we find ourselves in places where we are not supposed to talk? How often, especially as children are we reminded to "be quiet"! There are places where quiet is appropriate, (can you think of any? Talk about them,) but there are times when talking is essential; like those times when you are looking for the answers to your questions.

"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings." -Miles Franklin (Do you agree?)

Sometimes we have to look for the right place to talk and for the people willing to listen.

"It was my mother who gave me my voice. She did this, I know now, by clearing a space where my words could fall, grow, then find their way to others." - Paula Giddings
(Who are your best listeners?)

"Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery."-Mark Amidon (Why are good ARTICULATION skills so vital?)

"Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprung up." -Oliver Wendall Holmes (Have you heard the old saying, "two minds are better than one"? What does it mean to you?

"The revelation of thought takes a man out of servitude and into freedom." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Is talking empowering? How so?)

Talk about talking with someone today. Share your ideas.

Mrs. J

Nov. 4/11
Have you noticed how many stories follow a 'hero journey'. The main character (protagonist) receives a call to fulfill a quest of some kind. She/he starts out confident and runs into roadblocks and border bullies that discourage them; they get scared and go home. An internal sense of mission ignites the flame of courage and they fight their way around their roadblocks and discover mentors: wizards or grandpas or friends or books or puppies or teachers or...., who encourage them and supply lessons and tools to help them on their way.

When armed and ready our potential hero heads off to complete his/her mission; stepping over the 'threshold of commitment'; there is no turning back. BUT! trials and traps and tribulations make the journey difficult and sometimes almost impossible; but, this is where our protagonist learns what he/she needs to know; this is where endurance, and confidence and leadership are hewn. Our main character  crosses his personal desert and becomes a warrior/ hero, setting the example for those following behind. Our story ends with he/she returning home to help/teach/heal/ save those left behind. Our main character has changed; has grown, the community acknowledges the return of a hero.

And we, the readers, come to acknowledge the hero characteristics in our own lives.
Keep thinking, keep writing,
Mrs. J

So often I am asked: How do you get them to write? 
My answer: No one can GET anybody to DO anything!
To find things to write about you have to look inside your heart;
get acquainted with the sights and sounds and flavors and textures 
that appeal to you. Notice what moves you. Notice your own questions; 
your own pursuit for the great ideas of the world. 


What causes you to pause in wonder and ask 'why'? And what are
you going to do about it? That's where your writing starts. 


Mrs. J

Here is a writing game idea for a longer afternoon:
Get your family to help you brainstorm names of 5 or 6
commonly known story heros (protagonists). Ie. Little
Red Riding Hood, Harry Potter, Winnie-the-Pooh, the Cat in the Hat,
Shrek, etc.

Now come up with 5 or 6 settings that match: Ie. Grandma's house,
Hog Warts, the 100 acre wood, my house, a castle, etc.

Write each on a slip of paper. Put all the characters in one bowl and
all the settings in another. Randomly draw from each bowl. Have fun
writing and drawing an adventure for Winnie-the-Pooh at Hogwarts or
Red Riding Hood in the 100 acre woods. Or……………?

Share!

Happy writing,
Mrs.J

I saw the constellation "Orion the Hunter", outside my south window about 4 a.m. this  morning. Each star was bright and sharply defined against the inky darkness. Now the sky is a bright white haze; hiding Orion and all the other constellations. I wonder how many things there are around us that we can't see right now or refuse to see through lack of understanding. Play the "Words in Front of Me" game again
today and look a little longer and a little more thoughtfully.

Share your insights.

Yours in learning,

Mrs. J.

October 6, 2011
Rain, what does it sound like, what does it feel like, what does it taste like?
Rain
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The rain is raining all around, 
It falls on field and tree, 
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea. 


The Reason
by Dorothy Aldis
Rabbits and squirrels
Are furry and fat, 
And all of the chickens
Have feathers and that
Is why when it's raining
They need not stay in
The way children do who have 
Only their skin.


'Catch' rainy words today. 
and share!


Happy thinking!


Mrs. J

Learners have questions; they want to know what and why and how.  

Here are some pictures I took in Parksville, on Vancouver Island,

last summer. Can you think of any questions to ask me about them?

Yours in learning,
Mrs. J

We can all choose to learn great things. We can search for the great ideas in all the knowledge the world has to offer; and find the answers to our questions. We can look, listen, touch, and feel with the intent to learn; pay attention to what our senses are telling us. We can think about and record what we learn.

Consider the words of Victor Weisshoph: "People cannot learn by having information pressed into their brains, knowledge has to be sucked into the brain, not pushed in."

We are in charge of our minds.

WORDS IN FRONT OF ME

 Here is a great idea for refining your noticing skills: I call it WORDS IN FRONT OF ME.

Sit in front of any window with a notebook on your lap and pencil in your hand. Let the frame of your window act as the edge of your paper; start left, right, top or bottom  and 'draw' what you see in words.

Here is my sample:
streaky white clouds scattered across a deep blue sky dome
deep green, long tapered willow leaves
hang from twig branches
dancing in the brisk breeze

heavy limbs 

bent trunk

leaning into stiff grass

old flowers

yellow glow

lean against brown picket fence
bent boards and broken
lajj 23/9/11


SHARE your creations!

Yours in learning,
Lind Johnson