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November 16, 2009 More Turning Point... |
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Last week we began working on the Guinness Book of Me lesson track. Attendance was still low, but higher than the week before. We began by reading the poem “Ego Tripping” by Nikki Giovanni which was discussed in the essay “Where Love Flies Free: Women, Home, and Writing in Cook County Jail” by Ann Folwell Stanford. It is a poem, as the title suggests, in which the author more or less praises herself. I like the poem very much. I thought that this would be a good prompt to give the girls because often I hear negative comments concerning themselves and little to no positive ones. I think the best encouragement the girls can receive is from themselves, if they allow the opportunity. This poem also contributes to the theme of the Book of Me, and served as a good starting point for the rest of the poems we will be writing. But I realized that this has been one of the more difficult prompts for them to follow. They had trouble being self-aware in their writing, and with positive reflection about themselves. They expressed how they didn’t want to write about themselves like this because it would be bragging or “cocky” and it wasn’t appealing to talk about “me.” I encouraged them to write a poem fashioned from “Ego Tripping” nonetheless, because I wanted them to be able to say good things about themselves through poetry, and hopefully share with the group. I think they rarely have the opportunity to express all of the things they love about themselves without being thought arrogant; this problem seemed to be their greatest worry. Still, some of the girls shared wonderful poems, a few of which will be submitted for publication in the collaborative journal of poetry.
I am planning to bring in a couple copies of The Guinness Book of World Records for the girls to look at. I have asked them, for this week, to think about five moments in their lives that would be appropriate titles for chapters in their own books. Moments of significance, happiness, sadness- any moment which holds some sort of importance great enough to include in their life story. It is sometimes easier to engage the girls by giving them things to think about for the next session. Some take my recommendations seriosly while others forget about it. This way they are at least somewhat prepared for the following week. I was thinking about asking the girls to think about records which cannot, but should, be included in the Book of Records, such as courage, for example. These are things that cannot be measured but are still considered important. I’ll ask them to think about this for the following week and observe how well they respond before I go any further.
I am going to continue this style of lesson plan for the duration of the semester. I will bring in a poem of two for reading and writing as a warm up and then go into the actual lesson plan. It is important for me to fill up every minute of the group with something because even one minute of idleness can result in a loss of attention or even complete breakdown of rules. Luckily if this happens we always have a plan B: a dvd of def jam poetry, which we haven’t had to resort to yet. I think if we remain consistent with the girls, they will also find a sense of normalcy in the group and hopefully look to it like they once used to. I realize that my presence in the group as a new facilitator will also have to become normal for the girls, if it is not already.
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November 10, 2009 A new plan at Turning Point |
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Last week at Turning Point I presented a new idea for the girls to consider and they responded positively. Tobi thought to take the book of Steven Church titled The Guinness Book of Me and adapt it into a book of poems for the girls. With permission from the author, we decided that The Guinness Book of Us would be something fun to pursue the rest of the semester. The girls agreed. I am looking forward to finding some poems that can help with the format of our book and follow the theme. The girls can always write about anything they choose, and they also have the option of submitting for another book of poems. With all of this information presented to them last Wednesday, they seemed more focused and excited about the prospect of another publication.
My biggest frustration so far has been keeping the attention, and attendance, of groups. The house is going through some transitions and so I think this has also been cutting into their writing group time. There are many chores and homework to be done that can keep some of the girls from coming who would otherwise come. This is understandable, however, and I can relate to the homework loads as a student myself. I have had one girl who has been there at all of the sessions and she is excited about the publications. She already has pieces lined up for submission. I know that this group means a lot to the girls and it makes it worth it to me having any attendance at all. There is one girl who first came to the house a couple of weeks ago and barely spoke. When she did talk during group it was only when others were reading or writing and she openly questioned the purpose of group. She has now started to write and share her poems with some of her friends.
We didn’t bring a snack to the last session and many of girls didn’t come. Yet that was the night before 3 girls in the house were moving out, which is a big change for a house of limited people. I think the attendance had little to do with the snacks. It has been difficult to establish the group expectations since joining their workshop. We took about ten minutes for everyone to contribute to a list of new group rules/expectations that I will type and give to the girls with their new notebooks. I think this will be another way to reinforce the group expectations without appearing too instructive. I may just make a copy of the list because it was written by one of the girls rather nicely. We will see if next week is any different with a new curriculum/ publication in mind.
I have learned a lot about the best ways to lead a group without leading it alone and too far in front. Something that makes this group so engaging for the girls is the opportunity to be a part of its making. I am here to facilitate the group as a member, but this has been hard because of the lack of engagement. I think part of the problem so far has been the randomness of the lessons, and so I am anxious for the new semester-long “lesson plan.” I think it will go well and I think this theme will help guide their writing in a manner conducive to their wants and needs as writers. I am especially looking forward to creating these publications with them. It’s going to be an awesome project.
Being a sponsor of literacy, in this case reading and writing poetry, seems like a large responsibility. It made me wonder how my trips to Turning Point could possibly, either explicitly or not, be shaping the way these girls use and view literacy. I hope that my encouragement of the reading of poems during group may help them overcome fear of stepping out of their comfort zones, writing down their thoughts, being a part of a group, or anything else they accomplish within themselves at group. The encouragement that the girls give each other is one of the things that make this such a good experience.
There will definitely be more to say next week after our first night on a new track…
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September 28, 2009 Getting Started |
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I will finally begin my weekly meetings with Turning Point this week and I can't wait to begin. I plan on attending to my first meeting as an observer so I can understand the differences (or similarities) of this house and the boys’ house I went to last semester. Although I was planning on returning to the boys’ house again this year, I am excited for a change of setting and a new group of people who I can come to know through writing and reading poetry. I hope that the process of integrating someone new into the program won't be difficult, and that the girls understand me as an equal in the writing process rather than simply an intern from CSU. Internship or none, I can say from my time at Turning Point last semester that the experience is rewarding and has taught me a lot about the collective power of poetry and voice. It is important for these people to be heard and that is why I will focus on the outcome of the publication from day one.
I am interested to see how the girls channel their poetry or use it to achieve opportunities to be heard in the writing sessions and in the wider community. I remember that these weekly workshops meant a lot to the boys and I believe, from what I have heard, that the girls have similar feelings about their writing. It will be interesting to study the differences in gender in similar contexts and to study the ways in which these gender differences manifest themselves in the poetry. Until my first meeting on Wednesday, I will continue to familiarize myself with prompts in the office and hopefully have enough creative ideas to last the semester.
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