A Lot Can Happen In A Year!
I can't believe it has been a year since my last post. At some point, Blogger or Blogspot or Google...or whoever holds the power...changed how I had to sign in. When that happened, I kept forgetting my password. Then of course, there's the fact that I'm on dial-up. Imagine?!! In this day and age. As well, I've become a Facebook user. Add to that, I am a Mom who is often on her own. Life just gets busy and there are so many distractions.
I was at a Women Entrepreneurs meeting recently. The subject of that night's presentation was using the Internet in one's business. The speaker felt blogging is a useful tool. It made me think and long for this blog. So, I finally got back to it!
I do hope that "slow and steady wins the race" or some variation of that is true!! Not that I feel I'm in a race. Not that I'm working steadily. But...I am at the beginning stages of running PEARL Literacy. What might that be?
PEARL stands for Producing Empowering Accounts of Real Life.
Really, what goes into PEARL Literacy is a total of so many of my experiences. I have taught, enjoyed writing newsy e-mails, developed writing skills as a student, edited former students' college & university academic papers, had my former-English-teacher-mom guide (even when I resented it) me in my usage of the English language, and oh so much more.
Initially, I wanted to develop a writing workshop for at-risk youth. When I was teaching high school, I had the priviledge of working with some young folks who were vulnerable in the school setting. It may have been because of their abilities surrounding English language knowledge and use. It could have been because they had a life, outside of school, that caused them some grief. In tuning in to my kids, as I wrote a paper called "Girl Talk" for my masters, I really saw that my students - no matter their level or ability in English - would write things from the heart when an invitation was extended and a safe space was provided. Perhaps what they wrote was not as stylish as William Shakespeare or George Eliot...but, I would argue, there was power in the students' stories.
One of my students wrote a piece on how her mother was both a mother and a father to her. The mom cried when she read it. Then she proudly showed it to all of her friends. The girl and her mom had a difficult relationship. In writing her story, the girl was able to express her mother's value in a way she could not any other way. There is so much more to the background of this story...but that is not mine to tell.
All this to say, I have come to believe that writing empowers. It gives a voice to one who may otherwise not speak.
At the same time, I came to realize...if I tell folks who are deemed "at-risk"...kids who are having trouble with writing and who resent it...hey, I want to do a writing workshop with you...that may not fly. So, the foundation of PEARL Literacy evolved. I realized that it was not enough to talk about writing. Thanks to the prolific growth in technology, we can now record our stories in so many ways. Look at this blog!
My Dad was a radio announcer, back in the day (about 30+ years ago). I used to love going into "his" small radio and television station. The controls, the microphone, the walls of records (long before the CD, nevermind DVD and iPods!), the tv monitors. It seemed so huge. So promising. So alive! Back in the 70's, I could never have imagined that anyone could make their own radio show (or podcast) or movie (or YouTube video). Who would have thunk it? You should have seen the size of the reels. Now look at an iPod or MP3 player!!! CRAZY small!!
In my last year teaching in Iqaluit, my English class and I worked together to create A-Counts. It was a play on the word "accounts" and the fact that they were in the "A" group. That year, our students were divided into groups A, B, & C. A-Counts was a collection of stories written by the students in my class - from the A group.
The book's title stuck in my head, as I was turning over ideas for a company name. Accounts. Really, this encompasses so much. I was not planning on offering creative writing or storytelling courses specifically. What I have come to believe, through my teaching, studying, and life experiences, is that each and everyone of us has a story to tell. I have also come to appreciate that people will want to express their stories in different ways. My primary medium is writing...and photography. After attending the 2008 Building Learning Communities Conference or BLC08, my budding understanding that many other tools exist that effectively capture people's accounts was confirmed. I walked away from that conference knowing that I was on the right track.
PEARL - Producing Empowering Accounts of Real Life. People all over the world are producing accounts of their lives. My belief is that when an author of a story controls the telling of her/his story and how the story is shared, that is empowering. When I left the North, I knew I wanted to continue working with people in such a way that I could act as guide or facilitator for folks in the development and/or production and sharing of their stories.
Here we are.
The ideas are in place. I have the foundation. So far, I have started the company. I have yet to offer a workshop. Unexpected opportunities arose. I wound up doing some writing for one company. As well, I just finished editing a book. In addition to these contracts, I began teaching a college Communications course. I still have lots of other ideas for PEARL Literacy.
One step at a time.
I may not be where I thought I would be two or five or ten years ago. However, one thing I have learned is that everything counts! Seventeen years ago, I worked as an office administrator for a restaurants and catering department. It turns out, I was working down the road from a hotel, one of our competitors, where my first client started her career. Both of us have moved on from those jobs. With her husband, Doreen Ashton Wagner established Greenfield Services over ten years ago. Among their services they support customers in the hospitality and meetings industry. While I never became a professional in meeting and convention planning (sometimes I wonder why not...I think it would have been great work), my exposure to that field seventeen years ago provided me with a knowledge base that, I believe, made it easier for me to understand what was required of me in writing for this client.
As a high school teacher, college prof, student, person who enjoys reading and writing, I have developed skills that were valuable to my second client, the author. Beyond enjoying the challenge of editing her book, I found the topic to be engaging for where I am now. This is Betty Healey's third book. It is called ME FIRST: If I Should Wake Before I Die. The title pretty much sums up the subject matter. Ultimately, she's challenging readers to get off the treadmill (going nowhere) and to start living fully (going everwhere you want to, follow your dreams, be who you want to be).
Editing ME FIRST challenged me to think about the busyness of my own life. It also got me thinking about where I am heading. I haven't found all the answers, but it was good to be provoked to think!
Alas, I have written enough for now. I just wanted to take the speaker's advice and get back to my blog. Thank you for providing me with an audience to share some of my ideas with!!
I plan to be back soon!
Gabrielle
I was at a Women Entrepreneurs meeting recently. The subject of that night's presentation was using the Internet in one's business. The speaker felt blogging is a useful tool. It made me think and long for this blog. So, I finally got back to it!
I do hope that "slow and steady wins the race" or some variation of that is true!! Not that I feel I'm in a race. Not that I'm working steadily. But...I am at the beginning stages of running PEARL Literacy. What might that be?
PEARL stands for Producing Empowering Accounts of Real Life.
Really, what goes into PEARL Literacy is a total of so many of my experiences. I have taught, enjoyed writing newsy e-mails, developed writing skills as a student, edited former students' college & university academic papers, had my former-English-teacher-mom guide (even when I resented it) me in my usage of the English language, and oh so much more.
Initially, I wanted to develop a writing workshop for at-risk youth. When I was teaching high school, I had the priviledge of working with some young folks who were vulnerable in the school setting. It may have been because of their abilities surrounding English language knowledge and use. It could have been because they had a life, outside of school, that caused them some grief. In tuning in to my kids, as I wrote a paper called "Girl Talk" for my masters, I really saw that my students - no matter their level or ability in English - would write things from the heart when an invitation was extended and a safe space was provided. Perhaps what they wrote was not as stylish as William Shakespeare or George Eliot...but, I would argue, there was power in the students' stories.
One of my students wrote a piece on how her mother was both a mother and a father to her. The mom cried when she read it. Then she proudly showed it to all of her friends. The girl and her mom had a difficult relationship. In writing her story, the girl was able to express her mother's value in a way she could not any other way. There is so much more to the background of this story...but that is not mine to tell.
All this to say, I have come to believe that writing empowers. It gives a voice to one who may otherwise not speak.
At the same time, I came to realize...if I tell folks who are deemed "at-risk"...kids who are having trouble with writing and who resent it...hey, I want to do a writing workshop with you...that may not fly. So, the foundation of PEARL Literacy evolved. I realized that it was not enough to talk about writing. Thanks to the prolific growth in technology, we can now record our stories in so many ways. Look at this blog!
My Dad was a radio announcer, back in the day (about 30+ years ago). I used to love going into "his" small radio and television station. The controls, the microphone, the walls of records (long before the CD, nevermind DVD and iPods!), the tv monitors. It seemed so huge. So promising. So alive! Back in the 70's, I could never have imagined that anyone could make their own radio show (or podcast) or movie (or YouTube video). Who would have thunk it? You should have seen the size of the reels. Now look at an iPod or MP3 player!!! CRAZY small!!
In my last year teaching in Iqaluit, my English class and I worked together to create A-Counts. It was a play on the word "accounts" and the fact that they were in the "A" group. That year, our students were divided into groups A, B, & C. A-Counts was a collection of stories written by the students in my class - from the A group.
The book's title stuck in my head, as I was turning over ideas for a company name. Accounts. Really, this encompasses so much. I was not planning on offering creative writing or storytelling courses specifically. What I have come to believe, through my teaching, studying, and life experiences, is that each and everyone of us has a story to tell. I have also come to appreciate that people will want to express their stories in different ways. My primary medium is writing...and photography. After attending the 2008 Building Learning Communities Conference or BLC08, my budding understanding that many other tools exist that effectively capture people's accounts was confirmed. I walked away from that conference knowing that I was on the right track.
PEARL - Producing Empowering Accounts of Real Life. People all over the world are producing accounts of their lives. My belief is that when an author of a story controls the telling of her/his story and how the story is shared, that is empowering. When I left the North, I knew I wanted to continue working with people in such a way that I could act as guide or facilitator for folks in the development and/or production and sharing of their stories.
Here we are.
The ideas are in place. I have the foundation. So far, I have started the company. I have yet to offer a workshop. Unexpected opportunities arose. I wound up doing some writing for one company. As well, I just finished editing a book. In addition to these contracts, I began teaching a college Communications course. I still have lots of other ideas for PEARL Literacy.
One step at a time.
I may not be where I thought I would be two or five or ten years ago. However, one thing I have learned is that everything counts! Seventeen years ago, I worked as an office administrator for a restaurants and catering department. It turns out, I was working down the road from a hotel, one of our competitors, where my first client started her career. Both of us have moved on from those jobs. With her husband, Doreen Ashton Wagner established Greenfield Services over ten years ago. Among their services they support customers in the hospitality and meetings industry. While I never became a professional in meeting and convention planning (sometimes I wonder why not...I think it would have been great work), my exposure to that field seventeen years ago provided me with a knowledge base that, I believe, made it easier for me to understand what was required of me in writing for this client.
As a high school teacher, college prof, student, person who enjoys reading and writing, I have developed skills that were valuable to my second client, the author. Beyond enjoying the challenge of editing her book, I found the topic to be engaging for where I am now. This is Betty Healey's third book. It is called ME FIRST: If I Should Wake Before I Die. The title pretty much sums up the subject matter. Ultimately, she's challenging readers to get off the treadmill (going nowhere) and to start living fully (going everwhere you want to, follow your dreams, be who you want to be).
Editing ME FIRST challenged me to think about the busyness of my own life. It also got me thinking about where I am heading. I haven't found all the answers, but it was good to be provoked to think!
Alas, I have written enough for now. I just wanted to take the speaker's advice and get back to my blog. Thank you for providing me with an audience to share some of my ideas with!!
I plan to be back soon!
Gabrielle
posted by Gabrielle @ 2:47 a.m.
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