So far...

I am feeling a bit conflicted about my progress thus far. Let me break it down for you (or for myself, as this is a reflection blog...):

1. SUCCESS: In September, I presented a three-hour workshop to pre-service English teachers at Kean University. This opportunity was faciliated by Dr. Linda Costanzo-Cahir, one of my college professors and one of my most cherished mentors. I created a multi-faceted handout containing information on the following topics: must-have resources, classroom management tips, how to approach poetry with high school writers, and no-fail poems, poets, and writing activities for the high school classroom. I brought in example poems, copies of our literary magazine, pieces of student work, and all kinds of goodies to share. Students were engaged and engaging throughout the workshop. They asked questions, and I was pleasantly surprised by my own ability to field their questions honestly, thoroughly, and professionally. The next week, in my mailbox, was a large envelope from Kean University. Each of Dr. Cahir's students had taken the time to write me a thank-you note for my presentation; their feedback was incredibly positive and affirming. Dr. Cahir and I talked about the prospect of working together again in the future. I am greatly looking forward to this opportunity.

2. SUCCESS: In November, I helped to organize an acoustic open mic night for local teens at our library. The event was attended by over fifty young people. Students were eager to sign up, listen to one another, and share their music and poetry in a respectful and supportive environment. A loyal group of my students showed up early to help me set up, perform sound checks, and take care of last minute needs. The president of the Friends of the Library (Jayne) wrote a beautiful letter on my behalf to my supervisor, informing her of my community involvement and commitment to this event. We have another open mic planned for this Friday, February 13. I am hoping for another successful evening of creative expression.

3. SUCCESS: On Sunday, February 1, I went to the Coffee Beanery in Wantage (the town where I teach). I spoke to the owners about the prospect of my hosting an open mic and/or a teen writing workshop at their establishment. They immediately struck me as friendly, community-minded individuals; this perception was completely accurate. I will follow up with them soon about an April event to celebrate National Poetry Month.

4. SUCCESS: This past weekend (2/6, 2/7, 2/8), I helped to facilitate a "Creativity Lab" at the New Jersey Elks Youth Conference held in Ocean County, NJ. The theme of the weekend was "Discover. Create. Inspire." The event was attended by over 500 high school student from around the state. One of the keynote speakers was Taylor Mali, a famous spoken word poet from New York City. Over the course of the weekend, the Creativity Lab hosted a wide variety of writing and visual art opportunities for students. They could make their own mandalas, help themselves to "creative cookies," add to our on-going mural project, challenge themselves with a writing prompt from the rough draft jar, engage in a round of poetry poker, create magnetic poems, craft their own homemade books, etc. My creative partner in crime, Lisa, and I were also responsible for organizing an open mic on Saturday. This was one of the main events of the weekend, ran for four hours, and was attended by over four hundred students. At the end of the weekend, many attendees approached us to offer sincere thanks for the opportunity to express themselves and be creative in a way that they had never done before.

5. SUCCESS: Because of the success of the pre-service teacher workshop, my supervisor (Yay, Mary) lovingly convinced me to submit a proposal for next year's NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Conference in Philadelphia. (*Gulp.* Can anyone say "nation-wide event"?) I will not know if my proposal is chosen until the spring, but just submitting it was a pretty big deal for me. (Inside, I am a big, fat wallflower/scaredy-cat/wussy-pants... need I go on?)

**6. NOT-SO SUCCESSFUL YET: My campaign to integrate student poetry throughout the school and community has fallen a bit flat. I mean, we produce the literary magazine, but I don't think that counts. I have only put up two bulletin boards since September (poetry survey, music + poetry connection). We also did our "Gift of Poetry" project in December, but again, that is something I always do. It is not "above and beyond." I need to explore the prospect of placing student poems in school-wide and community locations. I was also thinking of a Weekly Poem Project during April, but have not yet looked into either of these endeavors. One cool thing: just recently, my students wrote haiku poems to complement art students' creations. The theme was "coffee"; the title of the exhibit was "Students 'Espresso' Themselves." (Clever, eh? Great job, Erin!) This work is currently displayed in our main hallway; it just came back from being exhibited at the Coffee Beanery. (See #3.) A similar cross-curricular project was done earlier in the year with my Workshop students creating poems based on Fine Art Sculpture students' "found sculptures."

**Okay, maybe more has been done on this front than I thought! Hmmm... It's funny how you can forget what you do on a day-to-day basis until you are forced to write it all down.

7. NOT-SO SUCCESSFUL YET: I have gathered NO feedback on my own creative work. None. Zero. Zilch. Zip. People are so busy. I have been really reluctant to potentially add to anyone's list of things to do. Hey, if any of YOU feel like reading some poems and shooting some feedback my way, please visit the following address: www.stroutinator.blogspot.com.

8. NOT-SO SUCCESSFUL YET: I have not yet begun planning year two of Work in Progress. I have the date (4/30), the space (school library), and some presenter contacts (wonderful people who are willing to volunteer their time and expertise), but I have not reached out to our county high schools, put together the applications, or done any of the other leg work. I think the reason these wheels are not yet in motion has to do with the fact that I still don't know if I have any funding for this project. Last year I had a $500 budget, which I s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d like nobody's business. Once I know what I have to work with, I think I will be able to begin the process.

Regarding #s 6, 7, and 8: I have to be honest: I feel as though I have dropped these balls (or misplaced them? stashed them away? placed them out of sight?) because of a simple lack of time. This may sound lame, but there is just always so much going on (as you can hopefully see). I think I may have bitten off a bit too much this year. Also, I am involved in the planning of our school's first ever World Peace Day (on 5/22), so this commitment has also been a time-consuming endeavor. I think next year, I will want to have fewer elements in my plan and execute them more thoroughly. Right now, I feel like a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

Whew. Oh yeah - that's the last thing that I have been NOT-SO SUCCESSFUL on: maintaining this blog. Last year, I was a blog-o-maniac. This year? Not so much. I feel like, for some reason, this year, there are so many more e-mails, meetings, parent conferences, you-name-it. Is anyone else feeling this way??? This entry was pretty thorough, though, right? I feel as though it was helpful to get me centered and back on track a bit.

List of Things to Do:
1. Inquire about Work in Progress funding.
2. Inquire about Weekly Poem Project in April.
3. Create a new bulletin board.
4. Seek out more school and community venues for student writing.

That's all for now. Check back soon for more updates, ideas, and information. Please leave me any questions or comments you may have.

Thanks for joining me in cyber space. Over and out. :)