Revealing Writing as Healing Writing: A Transformative Classroom

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Revealing Writing as Healing Writing A
Transformative Classroom

• Presented by
• Shavawn M. Berry - Arizona State University
• AETA Conference , October 24, 2008

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• To know a thing, dip yourself in it like a pen
  in ink let it write you in its own words.
• Elizabeth Ayres

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Transformational CLASSROOMActivities
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This I Believe

• Utilizing the activities and prompts provided by
  National Public Radios This I Believe series (as
  well as the accompanying collection of essays)
  students read and write very short essays about
  their beliefs.

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Transformational CLASSROOMActivities
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Journaling or Blogging

• Students often enjoy having a short amount of
  class time to simply decompress through
  journaling. They can write about whatever is on
  their minds on that particular day.

• Blogging is a relatively new activity that allows
  students who want to, to create an open writing
  forum for themselves. They can choose a theme,
  or be assigned to write about personal
  experiences.

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Transformational CLASSROOMActivities
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Web Writing Portfolios

• Web Portfolios can feature a variety student
  writing including
• One or two polished argument essays
• Their favorite free writing of the session
• And a reflection on their experience in the
  classroom.
• http//shavawnb.googlepages.com/home

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Transformational CLASSROOMActivities
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Writing ideas That inspire students
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Letter From the Future

• Imagine you are nearing the end of your life.
  You have lived with gusto and are now looking
  back on all you have done with pride and a sense
  of accomplishment. If you could write a letter
  to yourself at the age you are now, what would
  you tell yourself about the life to come? What
  would you want to report accomplishing? Would
  you encourage yourself to take more risks? What
  would you deem important and what would seem
  frivolous? What are some of the adventures you
  might wish for yourself? Imagine writing a witty
  and wise letter to yourself, from about 50 60
  years in the future. What sort of gift would you
  send in that letter? How would you encourage the
  youthful version of yourself to live?

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Students Letter from the Future

• Hey Chica,
• I know youre stressed and constantly worrying
  about the future, but relax. Itll be fine.
  Stop thinking about you-know-who. Hes not worth
  it. Youll find someone much better who is a
  perfect fit for you. As far as school and life
  go, just take risks. Take those classes you
  really want to. Go out and do something
  spontaneous. Stop being afraid of the ocean.
  Youre beautiful. Learn to save your money now
  and ask your parents about all that tedious
  financial information that you have no clue
  about. Tell them you love them more. Im older
  now and so much of my life has been wasted on
  unnecessary worry. I know you are a cautious
  person, but trust your instinct. You already
  know when something isnt working the way you
  want it to. Dont forget the advice Mom and Dad
  gave you Never burn bridges and never lose your
  inner light. DS

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Writing Our Own Fairy Tales

• Fairy tales have survived for generations because
  they usually embody a life lesson or life
  experience to which many people can relate.
  Whether it involves a princess kissing a frog to
  turn him into a prince, or an ogre going through
  a personal transformation, fairy tales often
  teach us what we know and what we need to learn.

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And they all wrote happily ever after

• PROMPT Write a short fairy tale about your life
  or some particular aspect of or experience from
  your life. You can use an existing fairy tale as
  a template if you like, but adding a twist such
  as Graciela sat crying by the fire. Her step
  sisters had treated her with such cruelty, she
  wondered if life was worth living...How could
  they have convinced her father not to buy her a
  new Ford Mustang convertible? You can have an
  evil twin or a benevolent side-kick....You can
  awaken from a poison apple or fall into an abyss
  (like the princess does in the newest Disney
  movie, Enchantment) and find yourself in a whole
  new world....There are only two requirements You
  must start with the line, "Once upon a time" or
  "In a land, far, far away," AND you must include
  some sort of moral or life lesson in the
  conclusion wrapping up the story. You are all
  very familiar with fairy tales, so the template
  of the story should be relatively easy to call
  forth.

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Before I have you try this

• Thank you for taking time to explore the ideas
  presented here regarding healing writing. I
  believe that this sort of writing can offer real
  catharsis and insight to our students. As
  teachers, we can create a crucible in the
  classroom which allows our students to flower.
  This creates an opening to the enjoyment of the
  writing process and the self-discovery that it
  can entail.

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Now You Try

• Pity Party Sometimes we just need to have a good
  pity party! All of us have experienced moments
  of pure frustration, upset, rage, or hurt that
  have made us feel victimized. Here is a chance
  to vent our spleens about all those folks,
  situations, jobs, and societal structures that
  have ruined our lives. It is time to let it
  rip and give voice to all the anger and hurt that
  we have been carrying like an extra limb or sick
  talisman. We need to lighten our load. We can
  feel as sorry for ourselves as we want to in this
  free-write. Whine. Poop on paper! Shriek.
  Cry. Whatever you have long needed to get off
  your chest, can be spilled as a little river of
  ink here. We wont feel sorry for long, if we
  can allow ourselves to clear out all the junk we
  no longer need to carry. Start your party with
  the sentence _______________, I have been
  meaning to tell you that