power of writing, restoration of hope

last friday (11.6.09) we had our gallery walk to celebrate our work with realistic fiction writing...

the only guidelines my students were given were two fold:
1. setting of the story is their neighborhood
2. problem in the story is a concern or issue they see in their neighborhood

this project was an extension of a larger community unit we were finishing up on...

despite the minor heart attacks i was having, wanting to have the majority of my students participating in the celebration but also wanting them to recognize that there are consequences to their INactions, i took moments to stop and just relish in what i like to call organized chaos. despite the feeling of being rushed, my kids were publishing their writing, creating their books, and really checking over their writing which they had spent weeks on.

i saw silent grins on my students, who are still struggling to write complete sentences, as they looked over their three-page stories.

and then there are the stories (and "Where I'm From"poems)...

"Me, Myself, and I" By V. Golden
I am from a place where people's moms are crying
People are dying
trying to make it to a better place

I am from a place where love and care is in the air
Where you always smell
Sweet potato pie on the holidays

Excerpt from "On the Block" By G. Charles
"Mikey! Mikey" As he turned down the street he saw a large black, 16 year old boy dashing down the streets as Mikey began to walk towards him.

"Julius! What I tell you about running like that?" he yelled.

"They got her...last night. And took her to their hide out."

"Who do they have?"

"Jackie. They got her last night."

"....Jackie..."

"There was no one there to help. I'm so sorry Mikey..."

Julius brought Mikey inside and began to explain everything he had heard on the block. As tears began to fall out of Mikey's eyes, all he could do was sit and listento the vile things that they could have been doing to her while he was sitting there.

The tears quickly ended and a new trail of rage began.

(More amazing writing to come...)