Two years ago today I posted this to my blog, and reading it again this morning made me smile.
Because once again, I feel like I’m up a tree. Once again, something that seemed simple, in my head, is turning out to be so much more tricky on paper. Once again I’m being reminded that writing is hard work. And sometimes it’s slow work. And that’s ok.
But another reason why I’m smiling is because that “first ever effort in the world of magical realism” that I mentioned in this post refers my story “Teardrops and Watermelon Seeds,” the story that was published this spring in Spark. Which just goes to show that the hard, slow work does pay off eventually.
“Up a Tree” won 2nd Place in the Austin Poetry Society’s 2014 Moving Along Award
After two years of writing, I still expect stories to pop out of my head and form, nearly-finished, on the page. Despite more than a decade of telling students to slow down and take their time, I still rush. Although lately I’ve urged myself to focus, to finish things before I start new ones, I still make daily to-do lists that say things like…
Finish chapter 14
Revise short story
Write a blog post
Read for one hour
…and I actually expect that such quick accomplishments and multitasking of the mind are possible.
A few mornings ago, I woke up with a story in my head. I developed it, tweaked it, walked around with it, honed it, until it was practically bursting from me. I was so excited to sit down and write it out. (That…
I’m laughing as I type this because half of me thinks it’s absurd and the other half thinks it’s awesome. Both halves, though, are laughing.
Why? Because I’m making t-shirts with my cat on them. And people are buying them. I feel like any and all progress I’ve made in convincing people I am not the crazy cat lady has just gone out the window.
How did this happen? Last week, just when the news was hitting its climax of tragedy (nope, not going to talk about any of it here, just setting the scene) and just when I was needing a smile, my cat Toby jumped into my lap and posed for a picture. This picture:
I immediately posted it to my personal Facebook page with the caption, “Toby writes a letter to his congressman.” It got lots of likes and loves and laughs and that made me happy because it’s what people needed right then. But then, my friend Emily said it kind of looked like I was wearing a black t-shirt with Toby on it and she wanted that t-shirt.
Well… with it being summer and with me being between jobs and all, I’ve got some time on my hands. So I cropped out myself and the dog (sorry, Uno) and put Toby on a t-shirt.
And people are ordering them from me. 🙂 And now I’m laughing again because I can’t help but think about us all showing up somewhere together wearing our Toby t-shirts and what a weird, awesome little cult we would be.
For only $17, you too can be a part of this phenomenon that is sweeping the nation*! (*Nation = a small portion of Austin, Texas, and a few other weirdos scattered around the continental US.)
Before you choose to dress in Toby apparel, you need to know a little more about him. (After all, is this really a cat you want to endorse?)
Toby and I met in October of 2004 when he showed up at my doorstep hungry. I fed him and he gulped the food down while keeping one eye on me, then ran. The next night, he showed up again. This time, he alternated between gulping the food and enthusiastically rubbing against my legs in thanks. A bite of food, a snuggle. A bite of food, a snuggle. Another bite of food, another snuggle.
We’ve been together ever since, and our routine hasn’t changed much. Toby, who has an extra toe on one of his back feet, loves food and catnip and snuggles. Especially snuggles. Although, I’ve never done it, I’ve often pondered buying one of those baby wrap things so I can carry Toby around the house strapped to my chest. Despite the fact that I realize this is *probably* taking the “love your pet” thing too far, I know Toby would love it. He loves to be held, wants to be in my lap all the time, and often tries to sleep on my face. He purrs almost constantly and sometimes gets so happy that he drools. A LOT.
Besides eating and cuddling, Toby’s interests also include Tweeting, Facebooking, and changing file names on my computer. About a month ago, he embarrassed me by tweeting to two authors I really admire (Sorry, Nova Ren Suma and Ashley Hope Perez! That string of gibberish really was from my cat, I promise!) and last week he sat down on my cell phone and called my mom. (It was cool. I enjoyed talking to her.) I sometimes wonder if he has a secret cat blog somewhere that I don’t know about.
In short, Toby is a pretty cool guy. He believes in peace, love, and catnip. If he really did write a letter to his congressman, that’s all he would ask for. I’ll be proud to wear his adorable face around town.
Order Your Own Toby T-Shirt!
To order your own fabulous Toby t-shirt (or to buy one for a friend), visit my Etsy shop.
Thanks in advance to any of you who decide to put my cat’s face on your clothing. Just think about what a wonderful (and weird) world it would be if everyone wore a Toby shirt. 🙂
As a teacher* I’m frequently asked for advice on teaching, learning, studying, reading, and avoiding getting sick. While I don’t consider myself an expert on any of these things, I always try to give some helpful suggestions.
So… I’ve decided to start sharing those suggestions on my blog, hoping that my small pieces of advice might travel a little bit further.
* NOTE: I’ve decided to stop referring to myself as a “former” teacher. I am a teacher. I have a valid, current teaching certificate and over fifteen years of experience in the classroom. Regardless of the fact that my current job is not teaching, I am still a teacher.
Advice From a Teacher
Last week, a friend of mine sent me this question about his daughter:
“Any recommendations for helping a new 5th grader to write better? Any good grammar books for her to learn from? Any habits I should be forming with her for reading and writing? She did not do so hot on the STAAR test, but super enjoys school.”
Here’s my reply:
The short answer is that I don’t have a good short answer. But here are some thoughts:
#1:
Does she like to read? Find something she loves to read and get her to read a lot. Reading good writing is key to writing good writing. If she likes Star Wars, I’m currently loving the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger. Some people probably consider it more of a “boy book” (<– ugh, I hate those words) but I love it. I also love many other books and can compile a list if you want. (I did compile that list! See below.)
#2:
Rather than force a grammar book on her, which could easily kill her passion for writing and/or her soul, get her to practice writing about things she likes. Letters to people, a description of a favorite movie or book, a story she made up. If you’re really serious about getting her some help before school starts, you could hire a writing tutor, but I would try to find one that will make the experience fun and interesting and not just drill her with test prep. There might also be a camp or something she could attend. I know we have some in Austin. (I’ve compiled a list of those too.)
#3:
For essay writing, I do have a book I recommend. It’s called Reviving the Essay by Gretchen Bernabei, and it’s an awesome teaching tool. It comes with many useful exercises and great examples. But it probably wouldn’t be seen as a “fun summer activity” by most kids, so you’d still need someone to guide her through it. Also, the exercises teach kids how to write REAL essays, not 26-line timed standardized test crud. Which brings me to my last point…
#4:
Standardized tests are mostly crud. (See example of cruddy test materials below.) If she’s doing well otherwise in school, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. However, not worrying is easier said than done. If getting better at the test questions will make you and your daughter feel better, you can always access released tests online and practice with those.
Resources
Books I Love That I Recommend for Fifth Graders:
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Lost Track of Time by Paige Britt
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Greenglass House by Kate Milford
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) by Jonathan Stroud
If you’re a writing teacher, I highly recommend buying a copy of Reviving the Essay. You will definitely get your money’s worth. But if you’re a parent looking for some writing exercises for your child, check out Gretchen’s website. She offers a wide variety of downloadable writing advice, including strategies to help with the STAAR test.
Speaking of the STAAR Test…
THIS is what the STAAR Writing Test answer document looks like.
Ugh.
But don’t worry. Good teachers know it’s crud and they will teach your kids to write well in spite of it. 🙂
* * * * *
Need advice from a teacher?
Send your questions to cariejuettner[at]gmail[dot]com.
Carie Juettner 