Meeting your families

I had the opportunity of meeting some of your parents at Curriculum Night last night. We had great discussions about this year and shared our visions and expectations. It is easy to see why my students are so great this year--your parents are just as great! I have never felt so welcomed into your worlds as I do this year. I look forward to meeting those families that were not able to make it last night. We have started one of my favorite novels "The Giver." I love this book because it opens the reader's mind to a utopian world that "fixes" all of the problems of our society. I think that you are quickly starting to realize that their solutions come at the expense of other things that we love about our society. Keep your eyes open for many more changes in the novel and in Jonas's character. See if your opinion of their "perfect world" changes. We will be beginning our narrative essays soon. I want you to think about the things that you love about our society and the memories that you have within your family. You will be interviewing a family member who holds the memories of your family and you will write a narrative from their perspective. Learning to place yourself into another's point of view is interesting and part of your growth as a writer. Continue to write in your "8 Mile" notebooks--jotting down interesting places, describing interesting people/characters, and thinking of new plots/events. Look at your life through the lens of a writer and don't miss the little things in life. Those seem to become highlights of the most interesting pieces. I look forward to reading the rest of your "This I Believe" essays and your three poems. I cannot believe that we have gotten as much writing completed so early on in the year. Keep up your pace and know that like anything else, you must practice daily to get better. Keep writing. Keep reading. You are becoming stronger daily.