Journal for Friday, June 13, 2003
Fun With Dick and Jane

See Jane run. Run Jane run.

So anxious to be back, I am early. Energized and contented.

Cool, Susan shared her concert ecosystem story with the early-birds…a cloud raining purified sweat over a stadium of rock enthusiasts.

See Dick get wet. Sing Dick sing.

Trace read her journal and I felt left out. Nothing made sense except the 5 cent escape.

See Sally eat. Eat Sally eat.

$7 for steroids and feathers. $6 dollars without the sugar rush. Bovine growth hormone lasagna on request for vegetarians. Banquet or individual? The food is good, and the people are nice. Bureaucracy could be a problem, but Gatsinzi calls and rescues us from our dilemma. Pam reports that Lawler’s is good eatin’ and Crys agrees.

See Dick, Jane, and Sally go. Go, go, go!

Response groups are fantastic, again. Sandy inspires, then challenges Symmetris to approach her project differently and energetically. Symmetris puts up a little whine, but Sandy makes her drink it, firm in her belief that Symmetris’ written work has significant potential if she puts her talent into it. Sandy then lets Mimi know she needs another hepatitis shot and needs to get to work on her story. Symmetris agrees, but adds it needs to be written in 12 point font…and first person.

See Sally run fast. Run Sally run.

Kim and Cecelia recount the last chapter in our book. Kim is not surprised by what it said about administrators and their role in getting students writing. As teachers, we need to articulate a rationale for why we need to teach writing instead of just saying, “Because I said so…” The product does not mean anything if the process hasn’t been taught. Pretty isn’t everything, but the process is. Check out the check list on pages 91 and 92.

See Dick write. See Sally write. Dick and Sally can write. See the teacher. See the teacher grade papers.

Trace believes one person can make a difference, but Susan says teachers are individualistic and need to be hit on the head by an administrator. Trace puts her bottom up, and Susan puts her top down. Pam says Tom is cool and puts the needs of the school up first.

See Dick stare. Stare Dick stare.

Cecelia skips ahead since Trace stole her point. Cecelia expresses her opinion that we need to get the community involved in writing as much as we have involved them in reading. Motivate the parents and community members to come in and write/talk about the writing process. Writing also needs to be across the curriculum. All teachers need to make their students write. Perhaps inservice sessions to prepare teachers to assess their students’ written work…

See Dick cry. Sally and Jane are glad. See Jane help Dick write.

Lela suggests getting the parents in to review students’ work. We agree the idea is interesting and can be effective. Susan suggests a local writing counsel to motivate and educate with a five-year plan. The yields are more promising than today’s 401Ks. Symmetris throws a nickel in the pot and relays how problematic the top-down method can be. It is not conducive to true change. Her hope is in the bottom-up. Sandy expands Susan’s idea to throw in some grant money…and the plot thickens. A MILLION BUCKS…everyone wakes up, especially the administrators. Kathy fears dictators and has her own style that differs from other teachers. Whatever works. We are all accountable for knowing how the writing process works. Lela invites parents. Symmetris shares with parents. Susan publishes on the internet. Where is Sandy’s commercial? Something about infiltrating the teachers of the world? Kathy says we just need to begin by infiltrating the National Councils of Math and Science. Until then, make copies of page 100 in our book [Because Writing Matters] and drop it from helicopters over all schools in the nation.

It is lunch time. Dick, Jane, and Sally eat. Eat meat Dick. Eat junk Jane. Eat veggies Sally.

See Dick. See Dick look at Trace. Look, look, look.

Cecelia concedes to Trace and Lela gives an impressive introduction. We are endowed with great ideas, candy and mysterious paper bags. Why wasn’t school like this in the seventies…ok, the sixties. Why didn’t the tooth fairy leave us a letter with our quarter? Why didn’t Dick and Jane ever write about the tooth fairy? Trace clues us in on the unforgivables, vivid verbs and dead words. We learn about Flag-n-tag, transitions and homonyms.

Hear Dick. Come here Spot. See Spot’s flea. See Jane flee from Spot. Bye Spot. See Sally buy sea shells. Sally is four. What is that for? It is for Jane’s new clothes. Clothes? Close. Go home Dick. Go home Spot. Go home Sally. Go home Jane. Go home class.

Just be on time tomorrow. We all agree.

Mimi Hughes signing off…