90s23 Nuggets and News

During the 1990s I continued to teach in the Iowa Writing Project institutes in the summer and the Level III institutes during the year. I was also teaching the storytelling, poetry and reading aloud classes every summer. Needless to say, this along with my full time job kept me very busy. I was frequently doing storytelling sessions locally and in eastern Iowa. My journal is full of stories about all of these activities as well as what was going on in school.

In July of 1995, I wrote, “Most of you know I’m a storyteller. I’m convinced we are all storytellers. The stories we tell shape who we are. I worked with a teacher for a time that was very negative. She shaped the tone of the building. Everyone avoided this person because she was so depressing. If we tell predominantly positive stories about our students we will facilitate that positive environment we all want. Positive stories are contagious.”

Later in July I wrote, “ It is far more likely that a teacher could be fired for using less than the best practices in the classroom than from using the best practices. As far as I know there is no record of anyone ever being fired for using the best practices, but many cases for not. We are ethically and professionally obligated to employ the best practices in our classrooms. If we don’t we shouldn’t be there.”

Early in August Becky, Jazmin, and I drove over to the small community of Carlyle, Iowa. It is near Des Moines. There we picked up our new puppy. Her mother was half Golden Retriever and half Brittany. The father was full-blooded Golden Retriever. She was a great dog and I was very excited to have her join our family. We named her Abidale (Abby) after a mispronunciation Jazmin made of a cartoon character in a popular children’s movie. I wrote that I thought she was a very bright puppy and thought it would be fun to work with her.

Tragedy struck our family that October. Becky’s father, Russell, was killed in a farming accident. It was a very hard time for us all. I think it was the first real tragedy that had stricken our family in my memory. We struggled with it for a long time. I think anytime someone passes suddenly it is hard to understand. He was full of energy and life and a big piece of our lives was gone. It made us cherish each other even more.

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Stories 1/29/96

Stories, stories
I can write
Quietly,
Listen,
Just sit tight.

Stories, stories
I can tell
Danger,
Excitement,
Listen well.

Stories, stories
In my head
Spinning,
Churning,
Waiting to be said.