Dear CRWPSummer 2009By Gretchen Martin

Dear CRWP,I am a participant in the first ever Chippewa

River Writing Project summer institute. Today, June 29, 2009, was my snack day. I forgot all about it until I was on my way to school. I had huge plans to buy Big Apple Bagels and fresh fruit for everyone to enjoy. I can still stop to make this purchase, but I’ll be late for class. Do I make sure I provide nourishment for my fellow colleagues and risk being late, or do I forget the snacks and get there on time?

Sincerely,Forgetful Ashley

Dear Forgetful Ashley,Well, I suggest you stop and get snacks for

your colleagues. Have you ever encountered a starving teacher? Not pretty. They would never accept the excuse that your dog ate your reminder note. Just give your professor a call and let him know that you will be running a bit late. I’m sure he’ll understand since he will also want to partake in the nourishment. Just remind everyone when you get there, “Better late than never!”

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,It is now 9:00 a.m. Debbi has given us

our Writing Into the Day prompt. She wants me to decide on 12 things that I would want with me should I become stranded on a deserted island! How am I ever going to decide? And to make matters worse, not even one of these items can be of the technology genre! Help! I need my laptop!

Sincerely,Needing Technology

Dear Needing Technology,Well, first of all, how would you use your

laptop if you were stranded on a deserted island? It’s not like there would be electricity to recharge your battery. Think about the things you would want to make survival easier … like a knife or a lighter. Myself, I would want my blanket to keep me warm. But, that’s me. Everyone has different needs.

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,At 9:30, Bud shared with us his teaching

demo on how he reaches out to the reluctant writers in his class. He explained how everyone carries burdens and that we all become “uncomfortable” at times. He even made us feel “uncomfortable” by directing us to invade each others personal “bubble”. How do I make all of my students feel comfortable?

Sincerely,Uncomfortable in Mt. Pleasant

Dear Uncomfortable in Mt. Pleasant,I don’t know that you can make all of

your students comfortable at all times. There are going to be things that the occasional student may not want to participate in due to the “burdens” that he or she carries. You just have to be aware of this and accommodate when necessary.

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

My writing group is writing a response letter to Bud’s teaching demo. We really enjoyed his presentation and wish that we were students in his class. The energy and honesty! Amazing. Anyway, he never gave us an answer on how to “treat” reluctant writers. What do we do?

Sincerely,Reluctant Group

Dear Reluctant Group,I’m not aware of a “treatment” for

reluctant writers, just patience on the part of the teacher. Remember that some “prescription changes” may be required of the assignment. Also, keep talking to your colleagues. Eventually you may stumble upon more tools to put in your “medical bag”.

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

After Bud’s log report today, I was wondering if everyone had as much fun as I did? How about their guests? I know that my daughter had a blast! She’s already asked me if she can come with me another day this summer!! And she’s never liked to write!!!

Sincerely,Grateful Gretchen

Dear Grateful Gretchen,

I am so glad that your daughter had such a glorious time! That is a gigantic compliment to our program. According to Bud’s pictures, I would say that everyone had a groovy time. Maybe we can start a writing trend in Mt. Pleasant?

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

Help! It’s lunch and I don’t know where to dine! Where is a good place to eat?

Sincerely,Hungry in Mt. Pleasant

Dear Hungry in Mt. Pleasant,First you need to decide if you want a sit-

down restaurant or fast food. For fast food, Mt. Pleasant has an array awaiting. If it is a Wednesday, make sure you visit Arby’s because they have free sandwiches. Otherwise you may try Taco Bell, McDonald’s, or Burger King. If it’s a sit-down atmosphere you want, try the U-Cup, Grand Traverse Pie Company, or the Malt Shop.

Happy Eating,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

Tracy Burton, CMU graduate student came to visit us after lunch today. She explained how she was documenting the 2009 Summer Writing Institute. I’m still not sure what she wants from us. Do you?

Sincerely,Confused

Dear Confused,

Well, to begin with, she is doing her teaching demo next Wednesday. So, you can ask your questions then. For now, you can always ask Troy

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

Debbi completed her teaching demo today after lunch. She took us on a tour of the kind of characters you would find on a deserted island. I loved how she helped her 7th grade students flesh out their characters. Would this work for 4th graders?

Sincerely,Wondering

Dear Wondering,Yes it would. You would just have to

adapt the assignment. Maybe instead of creating such a complex story, you could have the students create a short story where they flesh out their characters. Don’t forget to have a scenario and a list of characters ready for the students to choose from!

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

My group thought that Debbi produced a fun demo. We loved her approach to student’s using new vocabulary in there everyday life. We were wondering how Debbi keeps up with logging the extra credit words her students use. How time consuming is this?

Sincerely,Vocab Nuts

Dear Vocab Nuts,Well, Debbi admitted that she carries a

clipboard around with her wherever she goes and she only offers the extra credit for roughly two weeks. Otherwise, she would go nuts! But, she admits that the process is rewarding because she does hear new vocabulary coming from the mouths of her students.

Keeping Nutty,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

Troy briefly explained that tomorrow we would be working with portable applications. I have never heard of these before. He said we had a decision to make. We could either download those apps to a jump drive or directly onto our laptops. Which is better?

Sincerely,Tech Challenged

Dear Tech Challenged,

Well, if you are only using your laptop, these portable applications would work fine loaded directly onto your laptop. But, if you work on several different computers, download the apps to your jump drive. This way your personal settings will travel with you wherever you go.

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

As a part of our time spent in the summer writing institute, we must choose a project to work on with others. What are some of the choices I have?

Sincerely,Overwhelmed

Dear Overwhelmed,There are several options. Do you want to be a

part of designing the t-shirts that will represent our time spent in the institute? How about compiling a DVD of our digital stories or compiling a CD of each individual reading a story they wrote? Need someplace to find prompts for Writing Into the Day? Well, you can join the group that is creating a ProtoPage where you will be able to find prompts to use in your classroom. What suits you?

Sincerely,CRWP

Dear CRWP,

It’s 4:00 and time to leave! What do I do with all of this free time?

Sincerely,EXCITED

Dear EXCITED,

Don’t be too enthusiastic. You still have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks. Why wait until crunch time? Complete an assignment tonight!

Sincerely,CRWP