Writing Blog: Chloe Yelena Miller

Just discovered a writing blog from Smith alum/author, Chloe Yelena Miller. Check it out - she has a lot of useful resources and also offers writing classes. Apparently she also has a food blog.

She has writing prompts, info about workshops and conferences of interest (there is a Philly focus I think, because that is where she is located), and poetry writing-related posts. I am looking forward to wandering through her archives... :)

Also - if you see this in the next hour and a half, she has a little contest going for an anthology, Prompted, which sounds intriguing. Full disclosure: this contest was the inspiration for me posting her blog to my twitter account but I am posting it here as well simply because I do think writing blogs are worth promoting! :)

Book: Math, Writing and Games

I discovered this wonderful little gem of a book called Math, Writing and Games in the Open Classroom by Herbert Kohl (1974). Kohl has such a frank way of describing his time in Harlem - I was drawn in by his sharing of his journey from the disastrous by-the-book teaching at the beginning to the brainstorm of asking the kids to write about themselves and their experiences. The way in which he is able to tease out what he was feeling and expecting from what actually happened makes his account so much more compelling in its honesty.

Kohl's book is clearly a deeply introspective prescription for what makes good teachers wherein he outlines a sort of hippocratic oath of teachers. Teaching 'by the book' was harming his ability to connect with the kids, and was essentially not only wasting everyone's time but was fundamentally damaging to the kids' sense of self. This isn't the sort of thing that is obvious, then or now, under the rubric of a standardized educational system and an intensely hierarchical structure of 'learning'.

I may report more of my thoughts as I keep reading - I've only just started the book!

Permaculture Class

Taking a permaculture class at Hampshire College from 3 alums who I have known for a few years. If I didn't already care so much about them before now, seeing how much passion, knowledge and love they bring to this course would certainly have made sure of that.

And the other class members have been a joy to get to know in each of their unique ways. The class is structured in such a way that we cannot help but get to know each other little by little and without feeling the need to bring judgement or hesitation to the group. Of course, a class like this does tend to self-select for those of us who are already comfortable with sharing and being open, but that doesn't mean there isn't always room for dissolving mainstream barriers and worldviews (if we so choose).