MayaWest Writing Project

Comienza un nuevo dia. La entrada por la puerta activa los sensores y se da la luz. Es una sensación algo impresionante y de cierta manera reflejo de lo que debe ser un maestro cuando entra a un salon. Me detengo un minuto a escuchar el silencio abrumador. De alguna manera me imagino a cada uno de los participantes sentados en sus asientos, cada uno reclamando su propio espacio y espero ansiosa la llegada de cada uno. Mientras espero, me da curiosidad por conocer si existe un formato especifico para la toma de minutas o cual es la definicion especifica de un Escriba. La breve investigación indica que el concepto de un escriba proviene de tiempos medievales en los que el escriba simplemente copiaba textos de religión o de historia para luego informar a un grupo determinado. Supongo entonces que mi documento ha de convertirse en historia oral, que para bien sea.

Poco después de las 7:30 entra Maria Echevarria directo al area de la cocina, y en un acto mágico inunda el salón con un aroma de café acabadito de colar. Ya el salon empieza a tomar forma y a cumplir su misión del día. Ya no es un espacio muerto. A la llegada del grupo entero el salón se convierte en un espacio sacro, donde reina la buena voluntad y la pasión por el aprendizaje.

Mayra entra al salon sin imaginar que Angela brincaria de su asiento para hacer entrega de unos globos, un corazon y una carita feliz ademas de un inmenso abrazo que ciertamente causo destellos de alegria en el rostro de nuestra feliz graduanda.

Melissa con su peculiar manera de llamar la atención para comenzar anuncia a toda voz: “ok let’s move over to the table so we can move forward” ya eran las 8:46. Por supuesto nadie respondio al primer comunicado. Estaban todos absolutamente pegados a la computadora. La primera persona en responder al primer llamado fue Madeline (from WALKS of course!). Ya fueron desfilando uno por uno y finalmente nos ubicamos en el otro lado del salon. Solo logre escuchar fragmentos de conversaciones entre Ariana y Roselyn quienes hablaban de las plazas, de campanitas de cristal y otros asuntos de cultura y pueblo. De repente Angela, mostrando gran emocion con el tema de las campanitas de cristal, hace un reclamo patriotico: We are such a happy culture! Puerto Ricans are a happy people! Mientras tanto yo, en mi incansable afan de ser una buena escriba, seguia anotando cada detalle y gesto pero empece a preocuparme pues nada de los que habia escrito hasta ahora tenia coherencia alguna, me pregunte una y mil veces si esta melcocha de palabras es aceptada en el mundo de un buen escriba.

Ellen walks in. Melissa, who simply reminds me of Speedy Gonzalez, comes back to the table and says” “ok”. Ah what a relief! we are about to start I thought to myself. Next thing I know, Melissa and Peter went on to talk about Obama’s book. I noticed Tito sitting patiently in front of the computer, pulling cables, and checking to see if all the connections were in place.

Finally it’s 9:00, Melissa is back at the table. “Everybody is here”? Como la gallina con sus polluelos, ya todos juntos comenzamos la session.

It’s now 9:05, Zenaida begins her report. She has a peculiar way of placing her hand on her chin while speaking then goes on to say that she was absent on Friday pero que esos son sus rollos”. Lovely attitude I thought, I like rollos too, but again, I am just today’s scribe and will not analize the whole “rollos” issue.

Zenaida is finished and Abi speaks up. Talks about “los pelos parados” referring to the outcome of Zenaida’s report. Melissa says that we are “raising the bars with scribing”, I got nervous but no one would ever know, everyone was too busy praising Zenaida’s report. Suddenly Ariana proposes a group scribing approach. Melissa mentioned that it could be something like a review of the day. La propuesta termino ahi supongo.

Melissa continous: “Time keeper! Who wants that role?” While Ellen is standing near the posted list of volunteers for breakfast, she didn’t have her glasses on so couldn’t see the list. She asked: “Who brings breakfast tomorrow”? “Oh shit” I thought to myself I knew it was me but I was too busy being a scribe and didn’t say anything. Suddenly she realizes I need a partner to share the cost for breakfast. Magical Zenaida came to my rescue. Ellen comes back with a block of colored papers and shows it to the class, “miren lo que tengo para ustedes” she said, she knew that as teachers we would be all excited.

At 9:15 Melissa provides details regarding today’s schedule and goes on to describe what’s the new approach for experimental writing. Zedric walks in at 9:15. Now the group is complete. On the topic of experimental writing Abi seemed to have some questions, specifically on what exactly we needed to do with his memoir. Ariana helped clarify his questions. Ellen introduced the book Blending Genre, Altering Styles and gave emphasis to a peculiar petition-“No se los lleven a la casa” she said. She also promised to get us another book as part of the course.

Melissa is back, this time negociando con el tiempo: Si almorzamos a esta hora, podemos hacer esto a esta hora and so forth.

Antes de comenzar con su presentacion, Angie compartio una experiencia que cambio su manera de usar los ‘blogs” para siempre. Publico un mensaje refiriendose a la manera en que los ninos de escuelas publicas de K-12 aprenden el ingles en Puerto Rico. Se percata de que el mensaje puede crear gran controversia al lector ya que entiende que el mismo tiene un tono despectivo por haberlo enviado de manera incompleta a menos que lo arregle.

Melissa asked if anyone wanted to share any thoughts before the book talk. Mayra spoke about una pieza magistral que la dejo impresionada, Defensor P. Americana y la increible descripcion de un aguacate en un contexto erotico sin presencente- ¡Magistral! She kept saying: Magistral!!!.

Angie introduced the book “In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading ad Learning by Nancie Atwell. Basically, the book explores ways in which a teacher can be creative by using the work of students as a resource for other students. It’s a curriculum developed by the students for the students. Nancy Atwell provides valuable information applicable for all grade levels.

Angie is asking the class: What do you do to prepare for August? These were some of the responses: Ariana said: “Look for a job” Angie rephrased the question. Madeline responded: I ask my students what are their weaknesses their strengths? Peter commented that this approach took place in the private school only. Melissa responded that she used the approach in public school and it worked for her. Hector Matias commented that sharing tools with colleagues and establishing solid team effort was a very effective approach. Maria spoke emphatically about the importance of providing a syllabus to students and parents during the first day of class was crucial. Frances Vanessa emphasized that we should not only hand out these but discuss them with students. She also shared about how careless some parents are until these projects are successful specifically referring to a book signing at Borders led by her and her class some years ago.

Angie was able to keep track of time and ended with a firm but kindly “Ok, lets wrap it up”.

Zenaida rushes into her presentation on Memoir – Stupid things for love! A prewriting piece preparing for reading Alice Monroe. She described some of her students at CORA and about their comfort zone and the mentality of a CORA High School approach. For Zenaida the classroom is a sanctuary and what happens here stays here. Things got a little heated when she mentioned we would go on skinny dipping (I couldn’t help to think about my role as a scribe in a skinny dipping situation). She described her philosophical approach by using a quote from Paulo Freire: “To act in front of the students as if the truth belongs only to the teachers is not only preposterous but also false.

We were called to do a brief reflection on love by listening, watching and analizing the video song “Fotografia” by Juanes and Furtado. Zenaida compara la melancolia de la cancion con el amor. Aida defined what a broken heart was by relating to her own experience as she soon faces the possibility of seeing her husband leave to Irak. Soon came the question “what stupid thing have you done for love? Peter replied: “I married her”. Soon Abi sat on the author’s chair and shared how he and his beautiful wife Janice “se dejaron por cosas chiquitas” and vivdly expressed how he had never cried as much as he did some 13 years ago. How did this activity made us feel was a next question. Mayra compartio que sus amores le han traido paz y que prefiere su complemento a la solteria. Ellen expreso que este tema era un tema difícil de plasmar en un papel, nos conto luego de su obsesion con un Che Guevara Puertorriqueno que casi la lleva al borde de la locura. (I made that up)

Me quite el sombrero de Scribe durante el almuerzo pero cabe señalar que una caminata al centro comercial mas cercano con un grupo de cinco participantes del grupo no viene mal para sacar unas buenas anécdotas y usarlos para escribir algunas paginas.

Llega la tarde, Matias se prepara para su presentacion pero se percata que Tito tiene el pen-drive y sin Tito no hay presentacion. Tito! Tito! Todos exclamaban…. Una vez llega Tito, Matias comienza su clase demostrativa: Having fun as you write! Matias en su presentacion recalca que son los detalles de la descripción los que permiten una buena escritura descriptiva. La actividad presentada fue amena, todos participaron con emotividad y mucho talento. Entre las muchas presentaciones, Maria Echevarria presento una casita de madera, con un amplio balcon, dio las medidas de la misma y lo describio como un lugar disenado para descanso….

We ended up the day meeting in small groups exploring the posibilitéis of creating new genres and modifying what we have so far.

Well, being a scribe is definitely not to simply write and share….it’s about vivencias compartidas.