Yvonne Shares With Students

On February 18th, Yvonne Butts-Mitchell returned to our class to share her experiences as a writer as well as give the students an assignment based on their childhood photographs that she got from them on her first visit a few weeks ago. She gave each student a writing prompt based on his/her photograph.

What really intrigued everyone is when Yvonne shared her special journals. She showed them how she incorporated her thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. along with pictures and other "found" items that made her journals personal and unique.
Students were asked to share their favorite author and/or book. What an amazing variety of interests! Some of the authors included Nicholas Sparks, Ellen Hopkins, Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Thomas Harris, Lois Lowry, and Ted Decker.
Some of the students favorite books: Nineteen Minutes, Harry Potter series, Gathering Blue, Artemis Fowl, The Thoroughbred series. Yvonne remarked that Willa Cather's My Antonia was a cherished favorite of hers.
Students will be responding to their assigned prompt and on March 1st, Yvonne will return to give them feedback on their writing!
It was exciting to have a guest teacher be a part of our class. So much can be learned from fellow writers who can serve as inspiration to aspiring writers.

As we end the first semester of this class and get ready to welcome a new group of students, I wanted to share with you this thoughtful reflection by one the students.
" Writing to me is a simple and easy way of pulling your feelings out of you. It's moving your thoughts and emotions into the open and onto paper or a computer screen. It's a ways of relieving you from your worries and the pressures from the outside world. When you write, the only thing that matters is you and the words and phrases coming from your mind. I believe that writing is an art that is meant to be taken seriously and anyone who doesn't believe that has never sat down with a paper, pencil, and thought to themselves about all the possibilities that could fill that sheet of paper. Writing comes naturally to me. Whether it is a story, a poem, or just a list of things I need to get, when I am writing, I am myself and what everyone else around me thinks and says doesn't matter. Writing has helped me do everything from expressing my happiness to bringing me out of a fog that was too think to breathe in. writing is essential to me and I am proud to say that. I will continue to write and therefore, continue to grow."

Recently students collected interesting newspaper headlines. Their task was to use several of the headlines as lines in a piece of original poetry. The following four pieces were voted favorites by the class. Unfortunately, I cannot recreate some of the unique fonts and forms as blogspot always seems to change it when published. But I think you'll get the effect of their assignment.

Melting Ice

Problems arise from every corner

Boys and girls will use different ways to fight fire

A boy will use fire to melt away everything

A girl will use words that hurt and sting

Some will cause drama with family and friends

Causing some of their good relationships to end

Those kids won't get more allowance

instead they will live with a guilty conscience

Kids need to realize others see their actions with their own eyes

And that young life touches young lives

Girls and boys have to deal with their problems and make them right

So kids, be careful what products you use to melt ice

By Deanna E.

Death Notice

A teen boy

discovered

OD'd on meth.

Parents

trusting

their boys

to behave.

Portrayed as innocent

Video games, pizza, and Mountain Dew

These days pot replaces

caffeine.

a downer, relaxing,

Instead of an upper,

sharpening the senses.

Teen attitudes about pot changing.

Now tolerant

accepting

Even welcoming

This death notice brings

changes to light.

Meth-scourged town

attempt to limit access to medicines

in light of these

presumably new habits.

Habits that have

always been there,

lurking under

fake smiles and

white lies to

parents, so eager to

believe

nothing is wrong

until

faced with

shocking awakenings.

Death Notice

by Katie B.

Fight the good fight, Continue in truth

Stabbing suspect caught at library . . .

Inspection debate still unresolved.

Late payroll is not a good sign . . .

FAmilies struggle.

Fire in Waynesboro . . .

Deaths result.

Pain,

suffering and

Confusion

are the diseases that spread in the world like a

cancer cell.

Growing,

sickening,

Killing - slowly -

as people grow

Selfish,

Ruthless,

cold.

BUT,

What needs to be remembered is that

Young Life Touches Young Lives.

May we continue in truth so the world does not catch up to us.

By Hannah W.

Solutions

Be careful what products you use to melt ice

Tension can be slippery.

End Iran's nuclear dance with destruction

Handle terror carefully

Defeat illness this winter

Be happy and healthy.

Families seek answers for economic trouble

Search diligently

In trying times, simple answers may be the best solution

By Lauren A.