Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This is one of the longer breaks from school. We have a half day Wednesday. Both my school teacher sisters have Wednesday off... But I'm not complaining... Much.
Next week is challenging because it's so short. My kids are in the middle of a winter writing assignment. We have been talking about the stages of writing. Currently they're writing a creative non-fiction piece, inspired by an excerpt from Annie Dillard's American Childhood.
When I was in undergrad. (at the beautiful and wonderful Fredonia State,) I took a class that entirely changed my perspective on literature: Environmental Literature. My professor, Dr. Mosher, was one of the coolest guys. He was very outdoorsy and even took our class on a Saturday morning field trip to observe the migration of water fowl. This was not your typical college course.
We read works by Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, James Audobon, Rachel Carson, Thoreau.. etc. etc. I started thinking about how much my life connected to those works. I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I went hiking, kayaking, trail running and exploring through the woods and wilderness near my parents' house. I have since realized it doesn't take living in a rural setting to have experiences and thoughts like these writers.
My students really gravitate towards Dillard's excerpt, entitled "The Chase." They love the mischief of a young Dillard racing through her Philadelphia neighborhood, desperately panting in the winter air, trying not to get caught. Former students have talked about how badly their lungs burn in the winter time when they run outdoors. They begin to feel that raw scratch in their throats as we discuss the work. It's very exciting. I love "teaching" this piece!
If you haven't read American Childhood, you've got to check it out. I re-read it for inspiration time and again.
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