SIWP II

I took the second level of the Southeast Iowa Writing Project (SIWP) during the summer of 1984. It was in EPB on campus at The University of Iowa. The two-week course was taught by Cleo Martin and Jim Davis. As with Level I of the project it was a great learning experience for me.

Taking the course in the academic environment of the university was stimulating. It was additionally stimulating to be right across the hall from the famed Iowa Writers’ Workshop that had produced award-winning writers from across the globe.

Jim Davis had taught in the SIWP Level I that I took and was extremely knowledgeable about learning and the teaching of writing. He led the half of the class that focused on research and best practice. We had stimulating discussions and challenged each other on a daily basis.

Cleo led the afternoon sessions. She was an extraordinary person. Eventually she served on my dissertation committee. I’ll tell that story later. At the time she was head of the Rhetoric Department at the University. Generally, most people are a little intimidated by English teachers and even more intimidated by university level professors who are also department chairs.

That wasn’t the case with Cleo. She was one of the most gentle, kind people I have ever known. She was widely popular with project participants for years. She shared her gentleness and wisdom with hundreds of Iowa teachers and, I am sure, had a major roll in shaping language arts education in the state. Even more, she had a personal impact on many teachers and inspired them to seek additional education and improve their teaching skills.

If I took anything from participation in the institutes of the project it was a sense of calmness and gentleness in dealing with the writing of others. The structure of the project was to spend the mornings talking about what we were doing in our classrooms and research and professional opinion about teaching in general and writing in particular.

That process was affirming in many ways and disconcerting in others. Affirming because many of the things I was doing with kids were supported by research and disconcerting in the sense that some things weren’t. It’s dissonance that causes one to seek out better ways to teach. Without it there is no motivation to change.

In the afternoon we were in the position we put our students in all the times. We were to write and share our writing with the group. That can be an intimidating experience for even the most accomplished writer in the group. Sharing your writing with colleagues makes you feel very vulnerable.

That is where Cleo’s skill came into play. She provided written response in green ink to all papers. Teachers who had used a red pen to carve up student papers didn’t miss the symbolism of the color. Her comments were always positive and encouraging. It set the tone for the afternoon sharing. We all tried to take that approach back to our classrooms.

Winter '83-'84

The winter of 1983-84 was a particularly hard one. I wrote in my journal in December that we had gone several days with the temperature never getting above minus 7 or 8 below zero. During the nights it was 20-30 below zero. We thought it was never going to warm up. I remember deer hunting in that weather. We must have been crazy to be out in that!

It was so cold that Christmas that our family had a hard time getting together for the holidays. Loretta’s family traveled all the way from Kansas later that week. We met with my sisters and their families at my parent’s house. We did make it to Columbus Junction to gather with Becky’s side of the family on Christmas day. I wrote about the huge drifts along the side of the road.

The Area Education Agency was starting an annual young writers’ conference and asked me to help develop it. It was to be patterned after the model of the one in AEA #10. I had presented at it a few times so I guess they thought I would know something about it. Kids from all over the area got to come to the conference for a half-day, share their writing, go to a couple sessions led by presenters. Becky designed the cover for the first conference booklet and button and they were used for several years after that.

That January I started taking a course at Iowa called Consultation, Theory and Practice. Stu Ehly, Dick Duston, and XXX taught the course. It was a fascinating demonstration of team teaching. I didn’t really belong in the class but needed something to continue work towards administrative certification. The students in the class were psychology graduate students, pre-med students or law students. I definitely felt out of place. The course met on Tuesday nights in Iowa City and two full Saturdays. I wasn’t too excited about giving up so much of a couple weekends for it.

I must have had the “deer in the headlights” look because another person in the class kind of took me under her wing until I settled in. The instructors were friendly and supportive and that made the class doable for me.

I was also teaching an adult night writing class that semester. I had taught it a few times before. It was offered through the community college and held at Mt. Pleasant High School. They needed a dozen people in the class the class to offer it. The focus was on journaling and writing stories and poetry. I enjoyed the classes but had to spend a lot of time responding to the student writing. The class ended up being canceled because only two people showed up. I was disappointed because we needed the money, but I was already very busy so I was a little relieved to not have to worry about it.

That Valentines Day I sent Becky a singing valentine. I think she was working at the college at the time. She later scolded me for doing it but I thought it was a romantic thing to do. I think she was embarrassed.

Busy!

When I read my journals from the 80s I can’t get over how busy we were. The same is true when I read my Dads journals. In November of 1983 my Dad turned 75. He didn’t slow down much. It seems like he was always going somewhere, visiting someone, or working on some kind of project. My mother was the same way. They were very active people in those days.

In my Dad’s entries in his journal of 1983 he writes about Mom going off on a Questers day trip while Dad made copies of some Egli family history for other people and visited with old friends on one of his regular walks downtown.

The next day, Dad writes about winterizing his roses, raking leaves and then walking over to our house. While he was there picking up a book he helped Heather with a science project (she was 10 at the time), and then going back home and cleaning up his basement. His final note for that day says he climbed on the roof and checked the coating and then worked on an eve spout on the west side of the house.

At about the same time I am writing about serving on the pastor search committee. We had meeting with another candidate at Ruth Looker’s house. It ends up being the person we select but, of course, I did not know that at that time. I had a student teacher so that gave me some time to write about some things I wanted to do in my classroom and the AEA Young Writers’ Conference. Like Dad, I write about winterizing our house and putting on storm windows. I write about working on the course syllabus for a class I will be teaching in the spring and about a class I am taking in Iowa City.

The class is in school administration and I find it very boring. I had been taking classes I was really interested in and wasn’t used to taking required classes taught by poor instructors. No wonder so many people made fun of the school administration courses. The courses were easy and the teachers were bad. Most of them had “good ol’ boy” personalities.

My students wrote a letter to MARS candy company requesting they produce blue M&Ms. We got a letter back saying it wasn’t possible. We decided to start a petition for blue M&Ms. I sent letters out to schools all over the country encouraging them to join us in the effort. Schools wrote back saying they had sent in copies of the petition with lots of signatures. Mark Twain Elementary of Iowa City said they sent in 40 signatures. Central School of Forest City said they sent in 83 names and wrote that they were very excited about the project.

I still have copies of the petition and some notes about the project. I guess we were ahead of our time on this one. Today there are blue M&Ms and other new colors, too. Maybe we were part of making that happen?

Back to My Journals

My 1982-83 journal is just packed with ideas and thoughts about all sorts of things. As I go back and read it now I am amazed at its contents. It was a big year for me!

In July of 1983 I earned a Masters Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in reading. I received it on July 29th. It was the fulfillment of a dream and I didn’t really ever think it would actually happen. I took the comps that summer and finished up the last few classes. I agonized over the comps particularly but was elated when I received notification on July 11, that I had passed.

In the spring of that year someone suggested that I should enter the Ph.D. program at Iowa. They said that it was the time to do it because you only had to fill out a change of objective form and get department approval. I didn’t think I would ever get a Ph.D. but thought it would be cool to say I was in a program.

This was also the year I moved from Harlan to Manning Elementary. Manning was leased from the Catholic Church and housed only 4th grade classes. We first heard about the move at a school board meeting early in March. I knew at the time it would probably mean a move for me and I was Ok with it, although a little mystified at what the reasons for the change were.

As the move to Manning rolled out there was a lot of controversy. Some of the people being moved to that building were bitter enemies. Even before any of us got to Manning there were rumors about disagreements. As it turns out one of the agitators went to the junior high so that may relieve some of the problems.

Early that summer I was also pushing hard to be able to use a word processor full time in my classroom. At least one other teacher had one and I thought it would be of great value with student writing. I was obviously frustrated about it.

I grew more excited about the move and the new school year as it got closer. I had planned to take a computer course at Iowa that fall but dropped it when the teacher required that all of the work we did be on University computers. There was no way to do that but drive up from Mt. Pleasant often and that wasn’t an option. I ended up taking a school administration class instead.

My ongoing effort to improve my teaching skills and provide outlets for student writing fills this journal. I mention the effort to get the local radio station to read student fan letters during the half time of football games. They did it for a while but I had forgotten all about it until I read this journal. I was working hard in those days getting my own stuff published, too.

The 1982-83 journal ends on a very sad note. A close friend had taken his own life. It was very upsetting to me!

SW Rides XII

There are at least five other structures in Salem that are somehow linked to the Underground Railroad. I am not sure where they all are but my Dad knew most of them and talked of a tunnel that used to run from one to the other. In many ways the entire community was planned and developed around the idea of providing an escape route for runaway slaves.

Dad tells stories of more recent events in the community. Unfortunately, I didn’t write them down and don’t remember many of the details. I marveled at his memory. He spent his whole life talking to people, taking notes, and researching historical documents.

Leaving Salem we could go west to Hillsboro or head east towards Salem Stub. Let’s go to Hillsboro first. Hillsboro is in a forgotten corner of the county. Many of the residents are a little edgy about that.

It’s original name as Washington. Then in 1844 it was changed to Hillsborough. In 1887 it was changed to the present Hillsboro. It’s not hilly so it is hard telling where that name came from?

The Hoaglins are from the Hillsboro area. Dad worked for the Hoaglins who owned a department store in Mt. Pleasant in the 1940s and 50s. Dad had great admiration for the family.

In the Hillsboro City Park there is a stone marker that tells the story of the military roads that intersected there. The roads date back to 1839. There apparently was also a very elegant opera house in Hillsboro at one time but there is little record of it. I have a feeling Hillsboro has a lot of stories to tell. I wish I knew more of them.

We turn around and head back through Salem. Salem had the first electrical distribution system in Iowa. It was home of the respected Whittier College. Nearby is Fish Creek Bridge. It was built in 1894 and is on the National Register because there a few left that are structured like it.

We head east towards Salem Stub. We pass the Cammack farm where we have fished many times in their ponds. This is where Angie caught a big bass when she was about five years old. It is also where Dad caught a big catfish one time. We can’t help but talk about it as we drive past.

We get to Salem Stub, which is really only a gas station on Highway 218. Where it’s name came from I am not sure. We turn left and head back towards Mt. Pleasant. Just after we cross the Skunk River we turn left and get on old Highway 218. This is near where Webster Mill was located. We have visited the site a few times. There is still a house there. It was also where travelers forded the river when traveling south.

From there it is on towards home. We enter town on south Main and Dad drops me off at our West Clay house and he heads home to his house on West Madison.

So, that’s more or less, the southwest trip. There is a lot more to tell but that will have to wait for another time. I’ll write about the rides to the southeast and northeast later.