To encourage teachers to do some of their own writing throughout the year, Ethical ELA hosts a Sunday creative writing spot on Sunday Stanzas & Stories.
Chicago high school ELA teacher and friend Sabrina Anfossi-Kareeem writes,
One of the small ways I do get myself to think and sometimes even write creatively during the school year is through people watching. I love to create backstories to the people I see frequently like the lady who hands me my coffee through the drive through window almost every weekday, or the man down the block who leaves in a hurry for work at the same time I do each day. Perhaps a prompt to pick someone out that we each see daily, or regularly, and create a little character study or fictional backstory? Or maybe someone we’ve never seen before who crosses our path that same day.
On this Sunday Stanzas & Stories, try a character study or fictional backstory in a stanza or story. You may be working in a coffee shop today preparing lessons for the week. Take a moment, look around, imagine a story and then write in first or third person. It is a great exercise in perspective -taking.
Or, you may be sitting on your sofa doing some school work with golf or football in the background, in which case, below are a few images that might spark a stanza or story.
Please post your stanza or story in the comments section below (and check out last week’s entries).As always, you can and should write about anything you wish. And if you prefer to keep your creative writing to yourself, just post a note in the comments that you did so, so that we can celebrate you.
Do you have ideas for Stanzas & Stories? If so, post those in the comment section, too.
The First Day
It’s the first day. I look around, seeing scowled faces. I see they haven’t let the traces of summer go yet. 3,000? Maybe 4,000 kids in this one big school. But all the freshman’s feel like a fool. But I try to act cool as I help them get to class.
“Hi, do you know where room 249 is?” asks a student, I’m guessing a freshmen.
“Yes, it is right down the hall, take the nearest left.”
“Thank you.” The student says as she scurries down the almost vacant hall.
I take one more look around; wondering how it must feel to be a freshmen on the very first day of school. I take a look at the clock. About a minute left, till I get to teach class.
I see kids hurrying; panicking on being late.
But I can tell; being late isn’t there character trait. It’s only just the first day.
Ding. Ding.
The bell rings.
As I get inside the classroom, I realize my freshmen students are ready. For their first year here.
When I wake up I can hear her across the hall. It sounds like she’s talking, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. Wait a minute. Where’s my train? No. Not that train. The other one. Under my blankets? No. On the floor? There it is. I bet I can get it with my “grabber”. Dad says I have to stay on my bed. Let me see if I can reeeeach it. Got it! My clock is green so I know I can get up. But I’ll just wait for daddy. Is that Molly coming down the hall? Let me see. There’s daddy! Maybe he’ll let me bring this train downstairs. BIG HUG! He tells me to find some cloths for the day. I hope my shark shirt is clean. Where is it? Daddy says it’s dirty. Maybe I can wear it some other time? That would be good! Tomorrow? Wait! Daddy is going downstairs with Kate. Daddy you have to wait for me! Hold my hand! I’m gonna play with my trains while Daddy and Kate feed Molly. Okay now it’s time for me to get dressed. What can I have for breakfast? Maybe something good? Mmmmm strawberries and yogurt. That would be good! Maybe I can have milk! Maybe Daddy will play cars with me after breakfast. He’s cleaning the dishes again. Can I help you make your coffee Daddy? Are you going to stay home today Daddy? You have to go to work? Maybe when you can come home when it gets dark and we can play for a while? Daddy goes to work. Bye daddy! I’ll be a good listener today! Mommy is reading books for Kate. Where are we going today?
He is dark brown, the same color as the blanket and the couch he is nestled in right now. His barrel chest swells and shrinks at an even tempo. It is possible to let my vision go fuzzy and that whole corner of the room is just brown and serene. Then, a single twitch of his front paw leads his whole body to become a little tense. One ear perks up. That ear is the one that the cat scratched when he was four months old. Ever since then he has kept that ear protected and it never sleeps. I watch him as he slowly relaxes and goes back to breathing evenly. He is no longer a puppy, but he is always a baby in my mine. He is a big, 70 pound dog to others, but to me he is a squishy little love muffin.
One consistent creative writing idea that I ease into fluidly, even on a busy day is writing about “moments.” This also challenges me to rethink the day with gratitude and to be more mindful of interactions with everyone.
So, I take some time to think back to an interaction with someone, or a moment of something I witnessed that made me stop and think, or a moment of insight inside the class, or a thought that occurred to me because of some unexpected synergy. Then I describe it in detail so readers can join in my moment.
Lovely idea. I will be conscious of those moments in class this week and plan to write about it next Sunday.
“What do you want, buddy?”
I see the big-kid scone and then the petite vanilla scone. I want the big one. I am a big boy, after all. So I am about to say the blueberry scone when I remember the whispers.
“You”re late, again. Why can’t you get here on time to pick up your son? It’s just once a week.”
“You know why. I had to work. Money is tight. I had to get a second job to afford child support.”
“Money is always an issue with you.”
“I don’t want to get into this now…or ever. Can I just get my son?”
“Dad?” I say. “I’ll just take the petite vanilla scone.”
“You know what, Buddy, what do you say we get the big blueberry scone and split it?”
Dad broke off a corner and let me eat the whole thing.
I like the tension between an adult reality and comfort food!