Rocking Out with Ubuntu Academy Is What Fuels Me for the Rest Of the Academic Year. Love This Work.

When I took a National Writing Project job, I stayed true to my Brown School ways, and aimed to build super diverse, inclusive spaces for writers. This includes the creation of Ubuntu Academy, support for immigrant- and refugee-background English language learners, and a dedication to their writing being published, too. I knew I would bring the blow-up, rock-out props from Little Lab to Ubuntu Academy, so the older kids could perform joy, too. 

Yesterday, we rocked out. We did the Scripted workshop, saw Mr. King in a number of hairstyles, and composed final interview pieces and beginning dialogue ones.

As part of the script, a band of students was utilized to Rock out with Will's balding head. Much joy. More laughter. Always a blessing to teach young people that learning should always be a good time.

We'll be back at it again in about an hour.

I got a walk in late last night, because I'm not sure how the next 48 hours will be. It seems iffy, but that's the way most of last week was, too.

Today, we hit the Sea of Lemon Trees. Looking forward to learning how they respond.

Here We Are Again...Another Monday. Karal Will Miss My At-Home Time, My Hours Are Kidnapped by Work, & I Had to Set an Alarm

I'm out of the habit of alarms. I set them, yes, but I always wake up 30 to 40 minutes before they go off. I don't rely on them. Still, I'm setting alarms for another week, because it's literacy labs and all the rooms rely on me. This is our last week, though. The alarm thing will end once it's over.

Yesterday, I prepped for the week, and then got it in my head I wanted salmon and scallops, which we served over linguini. It was a fantastic dinner, but also a reminder that the work week has returned and such gatherings will occur until it's all over. 

Karal has new toys (she does betters with the scrunch ones over the squeaky one). They last longer, and I liked that the fox and the deer came in a package together. She's been carrying them, one by one, all over the house.

Used my Big Y points to get gas and saved a dollar a gallon. It still cost more than it did a year ago, but it was $20 cheaper than what I've been paying. 

Slow weekend with an aim to lay low as much as possible. My mind needs the quiet and I appreciate how peaceful my house can be.

Now for the last week of Ubuntu Academy. We got this. 

Weekend Pop-Up Bakery (Success, Even If I Didn't Get There In Time for the Great Bread). Lucky to Have a Culinary Teacher Neighbor

I walked Karal early in anticipation of having a beach day and hoping to stop at Alisha Vittorio's pop-up bakery. I had Alisha as an undergraduate student, and years later as a teacher-leader institute participant. She and her partner moved a few streets over and, when she has time to bake, she opens up a Saturday morning bakery. The thing is, she opens at 10 a.m.. 

I arrived at 10:30, after walking Karal, and I missed the bread! It was all good though, because I got a medley of desserts before meeting Leo and Bev at the beach. It's been a minute since I found time to hit the beach, as weekends have been miserable for over a year. There was a nice breeze and, surprisingly, there weren't that many people there.

We stayed a couple of hours, then headed onto our own ways. I came home to try to nap, but it just resulted in closed eyes for a few minutes. It did put me in a slow mood, so I simply mowed the lawn and laid low. I had to order another charger and batteries for the weed whacker, and I look forward to when it arrives.

The dessert medley was delicious, and there's more left over (glad I left it at Pam's though, so I didn't get into it at home). 

May the Muppets Be Triumphant, Always. One More Week to Go with Literacy Labs & Wonderful Memories Were Secured (Kermit, Included)

Still not sure who sent me the random Kermit t-shirt, Rainbow Connection, but I remember singing it in elementary school choir and another 40 years as an anthem to how life should be justified and lived. I'm thankful for he/she/they that sent the shirt and laughed even harder that Shane, my student and now teacher in Milford, came to work today in another Muppets t-shirt. Kindred spirits. 

Fridays are for closing up shop, and the Nature Writing crew secured their final pieces, while the College Essay kids wrote some killer pieces (as they really bonded over 5 days). The Ubuntu crew will be back for another week, and they, too, are making tremendous progress. I continue to realize that center to the CWP truth is a simple fact: I have set out to recreate Brown School in everything I do. It definitely works.

The afternoon slowed down the pace and in honor of National Tequila Day, we ordered from La Cantrina, celebrated Bev's 70th some, and ate burritos. We're having the real party a week from today (which she doesn't want). Leo did present her with the beautiful collection of letters and photographs which will take her several days to get through. It is a stunning book.

My major goal for today is simply to get to Walnut Beach and to plot into sand at high tide, 10 a.m., and to have some of the day in total down time....relaxation.

There were days this week I didn't think I'd make it to the weekend, but somehow I did. It was wonderful to have Dave and Ish to watch Ted Lasso with, and I'm thrilled the humidity broke and we're finally getting June weather.

Yes, there's one more week to go. I'm simply in recovery mode today. I will need a couple days to prepare for the final week. It truly is remarkable work, but it still is hard to realize how much of a one-man show it is for hiring, planning, organizing, and leading with minimal to no support from the University. I remain thankful to K-12 teachers though. They remain the backbone to all good in society. 

I Take the Blessings in the Small Things, Including Yesterday's Ann Burg Visit and the Bravery of Several Young People Sharing Their Writing with Her

I'm fanatical about Ann Burg books, as I think lyrically, but also appreciate historicity. She does her homework, introduces me to ideas and concepts I hadn't known about before, and she simply loves children. We invited her back for our first-ever In All Things - the Nature Writing Lab, and also asked for members of Ubuntu Academy to join us, as they had a fantastic time writing about place in yesterday's workshops. Ann inspired the writers and wondered if they would share theirs, too.

One of the young men from Haiti, only in the country for two years, got his notebook from downstairs and read his writing about a waterfall near his home. It was beautiful...not meant to be poetic, but poetic. Mr. King said afterwards, "I had no idea he had that much language and thinking in him." I always love when young people defy expectations. "I can't believe he read in the front of the room in front of an author and all those other kids."

Wusah. For me, this is the winning. The goal is to have moments like this. 

Meanwhile, I'm not sure what is going on with my joints, especially my hips, knees, ankles, and feet. They seem to be weakening, and the throbbing is really starting to bother me. It's never hurt to walk, but it does now. I'm irked, as not being able to run started to bother me, but now I'm wondering if I won't be able to walk soon. I went in to ask about internal psoriatic arthritis, and the doctor thought I was insane. I left thinking it was in my head, but I'm pretty sure it's not. It really does hurt.

Dave, Ish, and I went to Dockside, since it is their last night in the hood. I've really enjoyed that we watch two or three Ted Lasso episodes each night. It's friendly, fun, smart, therapeutic, humorous, and well-done. I think this is my 5th time going through all the episodes. Ish got me addicted again, and I know I won't stop after they leave. They're heading to Nyack, New York, for the night, but then back to Penn State. 

It's Friday today, which means the campus will be vacated except for the summer camps, which are a combination of enrichment programs like mine, sports, and computer/STEM opportunities. It is something to see all the kids in the cafeteria for lunch. Insane, actually. 

Ah, I'm so looking forward to a quiet, beautiful weekend. The goal is to get my feet in the sand.

Always Thrilled to Host Author Ann Burg at @CWPFairfield. Center of Climate, Coastal, & Marine Studies. IN ALL THINGS - THE NATURE WRITING LAB

We knew that teaching Ann Burg would be brilliant for our first-ever nature writing literacy lab, a new iteration for summer programs at Fairfield University. The Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies funded ten scholarships, but the program was attractive and another 15 signed up on their own. I knew Dr. Richard Novack was the perfect instructor, and our ongoing partnerships with the National Writing Project's #WRITE OUT helps us to extends all the years we did Reading Landscapes & Writing Nature in collaboration with Weir Farm National Historic Park. Granted, current federal administration defunded programs for National Parks, and so that is no longer an options. 

Yesterday, we asked, "Why aren't we also inviting Ubuntu Academy to the nature writing opportunity?" and we read from Force of Nature, to inspire writing about place and home. It was beautiful to see English-language learning youth sharing photos and words to describe the beauty of their homelands and where they'd go for peace. As Max noted, "Wow. These prompts really have the kids focused in their notebook." Perhaps if we all spent more time writing about location and natural aesthetics, we wouldn't be having these epic storms, fires, and heat. Who needs the planet, though, when you can make money on crypto and with international island hopping to support human sex-trafficking? We are definitely living in a very bizarre time -- one that I hope future historians are able to name. I keep thinking back to the industrial barons of the early 20th century and watching footage of how nothing but making money mattered to them. Humans? Workers? Laborers? Nope. Profit trumped it all. 

I also spent time working on a few college essays, although much care takes place with each one and it's hard to get to all of them (this, of course, is frustrating). I'm always amazed at the stories young people put together as a way to sell their talents to the next phase of their lives. 

I have two young men from Fairfield Prep, and I know it gets a bad reputation from time to time because of the actions of a few. For me, I'm always inspired by how well that school invests in young men to be well-rounded, focused, dedicated, and mature. They impress me and I'm lucky to have two again this year. The kindness instilled in them is transparent. 

I managed to leave my phone on campus, so wasn't able to join Dave for dinner with Val, Jen, and Ish. I did get into my ginger chicken, though, and to do a grocery run. I'm not going to let this be a rant about the self-serving cashiers or the lack of employees (as it's been a theme of my entire week). I will say that drove home wondering, "Have we really become this crass and vapid as a species?" There is no longer ANY customer care. It's like the nation has given up....my opinion, we should be ashamed of ourselves.  There is so much satire needing to be written and demonstrated. 

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I most definitely is the most preposterous of times. 

But it's Thursday, and we have much to accomplish today and tomorrow. So back to I-95 I go. 

Wonderful to Have College Essay Back in Our Summer Line Up and to Work with Kim & Dave Again on Super-Achieving with Upper Classmen.

I admitted to Dave post-teaching, yesterday, I could have come directly home and slept until this morning. I was wiped out. We had crazy storms and rains: some of the footage is just wild. Dave saved the afternoon, however, by suggesting pizza for dinner which saved evening energy (even if I crock-potted chicken for another day. Dinner at 5. And then storms moved south (which was lucky, because the ground is saturated with water).

Karal, however, would not go out to pee. She has a thing with rain. 

The college essay crew got going yesterday and it's nice to read the first drafts and to watch so many of our adults mentoring and guiding the drafts forward. I love when they start cranking our material, giving us words to appreciate and mentor them. 

One young man in Ubuntu Academy drafted his essay, too, and I was blow away by the craft, yes, but also the content. Before migrating to the U.S., his father was murdered. They lived in Mexico and he was baking a cake. His father called to say he loved him and the next thing he knew a call came to report his death. He's been in Bridgeport for two years and I couldn't believe his talent with English.

The Nature Writing camp has had some issues with the "nature" part of the writing, but we've made some progress through compromise. A majority want to get outside to think, but there are the resisters (and when kids have cellphones, they call their moms. Their moms drive to campus to get them, but then they change their mind). My words to both parent and kid, "Um, this is a bit much. I'm not sure I'd leave work because of the wild whims and sporadic nature of a kid." I felt bad for the mom, but the girl turned around and seemed to figure out a way to survive in nature camp without any interest in nature. 

C'est la vie. 

And just like that...we have a Wednesday. Hump Day it shall be.