Apache School Practicum

It was an...interesting time at Apache today. All of the UNM students arrived at 8:15...but both Frances and Charlotte were gone; Charlotte had a sub. None of us were positive what we were supposed to be doing since we hadn't discussed it yet, so we waited. At 8:40 we decided to give and just get to know the students that we have.
I have two very polar opposite students. T is very chatty and in all very pleasant. V. is extrememly quiet. He is very sweet, but its like pulling teeth to get the kid to talk! He is very artistic though. I brought some crayons that I use for hilighters and while I was working with a few things with T, he went ahead and colored his outline to his I AM poem. We got the web finished for their I Am poems, and even wrote a short, sloppy first draft. I look forward to seeing where this goes! I'm a little anxious about getting V.'s story out, and I have no concerns about T!

Today the entire UNM and Charlotte's class went into her room so that she could discuss the four block plan. At first thought it seems like a really neat idea. Nothing is left out. There are emotions, how many points per paragraph (which the paragraph is titled by it's main subject) and connecting sentences. It definitely gives a thorough outline on how to get a well rounded essay. It's pretty labor intensive though. It takes so long to set it up if you don't have the preprinted outline that it seems like by then you'd lose your inspiration.

T. came up with some pretty fantastical (is that even a word?) stories and I'm not positive that they are completely true. She has said that she loves to tell stories and that she sometimes can't tell the difference between her imagination and dreams and real life. That is a wonderful thing if she is going to become an author like she would like to do (along with 19 other things :)), but I'm wondering if thats the point of a family story/oral history. If things are really bad at home, then writing them may be just the thing to help her deal with them, although knowing that this would be shared with her class and family, maybe its good that it stays a little whimsical on her part...

Today was great! We had quite a few UNM students gone today, so I got to take on a third student. L. was such a delight. She mainly worked on her I AM poem for the first half. She had her web finished, so she wrote it out in poem form. T. was having a bit of a rough go. She just wasn't feeling writing today. I had her and V. copy their I AM poems because I thought we would be doing peer editing on those as well as the stories...we aren't! I feel bad that I made her do that and she isn't even going to need the "nice" copy. :( In the end though, I think she was having an off day and with as much effort as she puts into all of our sessions, I didnt mind that she wasn't 190% today. I think those other sessions helped her to deserve a "normal kid's work" day. haha She has been wanting to "type like a real author" so I think for her family story next week, since she'll be putting it into story form, I'm going to bring my laptop in and let her use it. I know that I'm much better able to get my thoughts out when typing than writing. We'll give it a shot.

V. actually did really well on the story outline and ideas! I was scared that it would be really hard to get him to think of and actually commit to a story, but he was wonderful. After a bit of prodding, he decided to write on a Denver Broncos game he went to. He ended up changing it into the entire Denver trip since there was so much that he was excited about when he went. He didn't really write when I wasn't focused 100% on him, but he did finish rewriting his I Am poem and his brainstorming and outline for his Family Story. I am incredibly proud of him!

Today was.....well it was. I had four students, which wasn't really a problem. T. is going to be moving, so she actually helped VL. (a new student that says that she had worked with one of the UNM students last week, but no one remembers it) with her I Am poem. S. was also a new student that Charlotte asked me to work with. I wasnt sure if much....or any of the story that we were piecing together was true, but I let that slide. She comes from a pretty tough life according to Charlotte and this could be her percieved reality in order to help her cope with life. I don't want to be the one that shatters that in her. V. started working on putting his story from the four square form into story form. He's coming along well!

Today was a bit frustrating for me. I got to take pictures of all of the kids for their bookmarks, which was neat. The frustrating part for me: V. didnt really feel like writing, and I really couldn't get him to. I allowed him to work on his illustration. I definitely understand that we have off days. That wasn't necessarily the bad part...other than the fact that I'm going to have to come in for another hour on Monday to get his story finished, but VD. was telling me some troubling issues in her story. For the main part it was very interesting - it was about her traditional dancing...but some things that she was telling me and saying not to put it in the story disturbed me. I'm not sure if they were really bad though or if it was a cultural thing that really implied nothing bad. I need to do research before I let it be known what it is...I would hate for her to be yanked from her family and existance if it is nothing more than a cultural misunderstanding.