Still Searching

Thursday. Most of the class is finishing up their "memory basket" writing. Five memories, five items from home attached to those memories, at least one paragraph for each memory, describing it and why the object is important.

In theory, this was a fabulous idea. In practice, it felt forced. Why did I decide on the 'one paragraph per memory' expectation? Why have any expectation beyond, "write about your memories." I wonder what their writing would have looked like. I might have seen poems, comics, narratives, any number of unique recollections could have surfaced.

But no, the organizer in me came forward. The worrier. The controller. "I must prepare them for TAKS. We must write a paragraph. Our thoughts must be coherent." And so, from their individual, personal memories we have 21 very similar sets of paragraphs.

The happy medium. I am still searching for it.

Because we do need to learn about paragraphs and organization and figurative language. If I don't ask them to show what they know, how can I say I am teaching them? The struggle between state standards and organic writing is water against stone.

Maybe I could have let them write about each memory in a different way, as long as one of their memories was shared in the form of a paragraph. Practice alongside creativity. This might be one answer.

The only thing I know for certain is, regardless of how long it takes, I'll keep searching. I'm sure the happy medium is out there somewhere.