Bridges

The compelling experience must go on and inevitably, it does just as my life-long education travels full-circle again and again. As someone who is compelled by experience itself, the Nature and Design of the Compelling Experience serves as a reminder that my eyes and mind should remain open and that we as humans must exercise this function as any other in order to keep it functional. When we are not aware of our ability to recognize beauty or when we are not able to feel compelled, we perhaps become mediocre, worse the images in our head no longer appear; we are stagnant in our development.

As an educator, I am compelled to enlighten my students. What I choose to teach my students first and foremost is ethics and appreciation for what is real and good. I usually begin with the following questions: "What makes a good teacher?" and "What makes a good learner/student?" as an activity to motivate my students' thinking in regards to their educational needs and wants. I hope that what follows is recognition. This desired recognition may not emerge instantly but over time it should manifest. I feel that this manifestation is the result of the compelling experiences we encounter consciously or subconsciously.

What Compels My Girl Students in Saudi Arabia:

Honor killings compel me. Hearing about an honor killing makes me feel like hitting someone. It's so unjust and sexist. How come they don't kill males for misbehaving? Why is this discrimination of females so widely accepted? Without females the human race wouldn't exist. People need to start thinking and they need to grow up! Sometimes I wish that I could dig a big hole and throw all those men who kill their female relatives in it and burn them alive. People who kill for honor are uneducated and in my opinon the worst people out there. So they think that they can control women like women are animals? And if she disobeys they can murder her or chop her head off? I don't think so. Someone needs to make very strict rules against it. If I was a judge, I would give these murderers the electric chair. -Samar Abu-Shamma

Reading amazing novels compels me to write. It makes me want to be a writer when I grow up. I give up after a while, but then I read another novel and I feel like writing again. This summer I'm going to work on writing a novel. Reading other authors' novels compel me to write. I hope that everything turns out fine!
lovely;
Ranya Barayan

Definition of the word by Yasmine
"Compel"If this word were to be a feeling for me, it would be negative. If a person compels me, it would make me feel discomfort. It would make me feel stressed and and angry. I would feel like I do not have time to do anything or that my time is limited. Still, I realize that compelling a person could be in a good sense or the opposite. It could be a compliment in a sense that a person could 'compel' you and say that you mean a lot to them and he or she takes up a huge space in your live. In a bad way, by saying they 'compel' you and don't like you and want to harm and cram your life into one little box.

Work of Art- In progress

Trying new things day to day with the technology. It's getting easier. I want and need more time to learn about the availability out there. Looking forward to that. Not intimidated as much as before.

PHENOMENON- For the sake of fashion

The Locks Market- The hair-extensions industry has made it easy to get lush tresses. Answering the moral questions it raises is more complicated. By Katherine Zoepf

Recently I ran across an article that caught my attention for two reasons: my students' obsession with women and culture and the fashion module. I find the article fascinating as it tells a controversial story about religious pilgrims visiting Tirumala, a temple of the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism. Devout Hindus pay their respects to the resident deity, Lord Venkatwswara. When they are there, a ritual shaving call a tonsuring is part of the devotion. These devotees believe that if they give up their hair, the god will grant them any wish. Naturally, most of these girls have virgin hair that they have hardly trimmed, let alone cut since childhood. What's more important though is that recent boom in the hair-extension industry has enterprised (very quietly) on the ancient ritual by buying the hair at low prices and selling it for extremely high prices in the United States. Certainly the hair has always been sold and some of the profit is said to be returned to the temple and the surrounding community but recently due to the prices that the extension are fetching, many wonder just how much money is not going to the temple and rather to the industry. The moral question arises. Is this ethical or not?

A Poem by Dalia (grade 7) & Miss Natalie

HAIR
Mohawks
UP-DOs
French twist
Loop-ti-Loos
Highlights
Lowlights
Streaks of pink
"Did you even think?" (Mom)
Braids
Hairspray, gel, and mousse
Feathered bangs
Long bangs
Up straight
Fried out
Cut it off
Grow it out
Get angry
PULL IT OUT!

I'm sure that the fashion module will be my favorite. I love the idea of fashion, yet I will need some time to see how it connects with education, overall.

I think that there is a bridge between the art of making clothing or creating trends and education. We certainly see trends come and go in the profession/science/art of education and we see them resurface or fade away like things within the fashion world. I also feel that it's so much more than simply clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories. I have been shocked in and throughout each module the complexity of the art and I am sure it will be no different in this case.

Music Module

Music and its many facets is comparable to education in that they both have endless possibilities and complexities. Often, I feel that people are under the impression that teaching is a simple act that anyone can do. Any teacher will confess, that's not always the case. There is some depth to the whole act. We would also say that there is diversity in the practice. It's rhythmic operation of sorts.

Musicians make it look so easy, don't they? Clearly we know that it's not that simple for the majority to sing, play instruments, write lyrics, compose music, and perform. This requires dedication, practice, a formal education at times, and of course, the gift.

Could it be that teachers in front of the class make it look easy? I think, yes. There is obviously a level of comfort in what we do. Teachers have a gift or have adopt strategies that allow for "sliding" through difficult moments in the classroom. In this way, we improvise as any musician would do while performing. Likewise, we teachers as musicians want to leave our audience feeling compelled or touched emotionally or mentally in some way.

It's not an easy task for most, and it requires the "gift" I speak of or a tremendous amount of practice and experience. There are days when we feel "right on" and others when the performance didn't feel effective or profound. In any case, that's the goal.

Food for Thought

What I feel is that art is like education in that you can work to learn many aspects of it, but some artists and teachers have a gift that just gets grander with practice and time.

Interior Design and Architecture

Interior design and architecture, in my opinion, are a lot like education as a profession in many ways. First, they are beautiful, intricate, and complex. At times the result is so pleasing and profound that the work, knowledge, and sheer talent that go in to the creation are often overlooked and thought of as something easily accomplished. Not so!

I wanted to add a bit more about the film making process from the perspective of a beginner. It reminded me a bit of my first experience as a teacher- the first three or four years to be honest. I am realizing now that the imaginative bridge is that without years of experience and failures, you have nothing with which to draw on. It's a work in process and we are always getting better.

Filmmaking, I discovered throughout the process, is astoundingly complex and difficult. I am suddenly more appreciative of the art and its industry, and my profound respect for filmmakers is greater than ever. Filmmaking during the second module was a challenge, yet it was a time of energy and innovation. Normally, I am quite curious and aware of my surroundings. It is especially compelling when one is living in a foreign country as the experience presents unique and fresh adventures, visuals, and ideas. During my short film making stint, I was ever more aware of my surroundings, the conversations of others, their body language and movements, the arguments and laughter, as well as the private moments of others. I guess one could say, I was being a bit intrusive, if not invasive.

My imaginative bridge in this case was easily identifiable. As a teacher, I realize that I do "this" nearly everyday. I am curious about my students, their attitudes and moods, what they react to and how they react. I am waiting for moments to enter and exit their sphere, so to speak. I want to make myself available to them as I expect they will make themselves available to me. We make plenty of plans, some of which never evolve while some become reality. My students are often the filmmakers and I am the star (diva) and my classroom serves as my stage. I realize that they are watching me, listening to me, waiting for something profound and like some films, I bore them from time to time. If I am working extra diligently, they are left feeling something, wondering about something, or compelled to seek more as a result of what they witnessed.

Other times, my students are the subjects and I am the filmmaker. They entertain me, teach me, keep me guessing, and inspire me. I laugh, grit my teeth, close my eyes from exhaustion and I cry. In the end, I am compelled by them.

Bridges- Photograpy & Education

Education, its elements, and all its details is much like photography and I'd wager, equally as complicated in content and practice. Art in any form can serve as a metaphor for a group of students and an assignment or purpose. You begin with raw materials, unfamiliar, diverse, somtimes, too much of one thing and not enough of the other. The canvas is empty and it's the teacher's and her students' mission or calling to create something just as an artist would. There is a tremendous amount of love, innovation, time, effort, heartache, and of course a finished product. What is most fascinating about art and teaching is that they, are in a sense, a gamble to a certain degree because some "pieces" are effective for some but not for others. The piece is the lesson for the teacher. On any given day, the teacher and student experience that moment where something has become meaningful and memorable. We can call it a photograph. It's a permanent fixture in the mind, in the soul.

The play Overtones is presenting some "bridges" in terms of art and compelling experiences. The play is copyright early 1900's in New York. It is a cast of four women, two of which act as the subtle overtones- Harriet and her overtone, Hetty and Margaret and her overtone, Maggie. It's such an amazing piece. The students have really thrown themselves in to their roles and seem to be aware of what is necessary for them to do in order to bring their characters to life.

It's perfect since we have only girls and we have only 3 in the grade 8. I am playing as Margaret. I am interested to see what they come up with in terms of a set, costumes, and hair design. Certainly we will do some research to help determine these elements. All of this is going to be compelling because they are already making their own connections and it's going to be fascinating to see if it reflects what we find when we research what clothing and hair design was popular in the early 1900's in New York City.

My girls have been busy this week with their Arabic exams which leaves me with some much needed time to reflect on my blog. This is important since I am now developing a class activity for my students where they will also create a blog for their writing and "compelling" experiences. I have them interested but they are skeptical since our Internet access at school is limited, at best. I think that a blog, just as a good novel, or play will make a memorable learning experience for them.

I am considering elements of "meaningful learning" and what it means to leave a lasting impression or memory on a student. I am forced to consider what I remember from middle and high school which should not be difficult since it's only been about 12 years since I graduated. Looking even further back, I recall becoming a Green Lake "Kinderbean" and wearing a super cool t-shirt to prove it, the "Stone Soup" activity in grade 3, and the "Bluebird Company" in grade 5 of which I served as the secretary. Later in middle school, things were not nearly as interactive. I do remember a social studies project where a local Hmong girl told the class her very fascinating family history story. She showed us an amazing quilt her grandmother had sewn and carried with her from Cambodia as a refugee.

High school presented some opportunity for more memorable or compelling "school" moments such as plays, trips, creating a yearbook but nothing was more compelling than a "Life History" project conducted at a local nursing home where we were paired with a resident and asked to write his or her life story. It was incredible. I want to create those memories for my students especially in Saudi Arabia since I will also come out of it with something immensly unique and compelling on both a personal and professional level.

25 Things You Didn't Know About Me in Grade 8

As many of you know, I am teaching at an all-girls school. It's an interesting experience, to say the least. In some ways, I really enjoy it because the girls really open up while other times, I feel the diversity would be helpful in terms of discussion and real life. Today we adapted an idea from a mass email I noticed. It's titled 25 Things You Didn't Know About Me. They loved it! I also participated and I found it more difficult than I imagined. We asked each other questions probing for ideas. I am planning to use this to for a future writing assignment.

25 Things You Didn't Know About Me

1) I eat chocolate almost everyday
2) I dream of climbing Machu Pichu with my dad
3) I hate my skinny legs
4) I love all my students, even those naughty ones
5) I feel so sorry for overweight people
6) I worry about my family especially my mom, dad, and Victor
7) My favorite restaurant is Maria's Mexican
8) I have freckles almost everywhere
9) I hate math because I do not understand it
10) I like the smell of fabric softener and Pine Sol
11) Sometimes, when I am with my nephews and people think they're mine, I don't correct them. I just agree
12) I have two tattoos, and I regret them
13) I speak Spanish but poorly at the moment
14) I am in love with Edward Cullen, teen vampire from the Twilight series
15) I wish I could sew and knit
16) I bite my nails
17) I practice Christianity because it gives me hope and happiness
18) My middle name is Ann. I went to school with a Natalie and her middle name is Layell; I was envious
19) I hate winter sports and I am from Wisconsin
20) I love deep-fried cheese curds
21) Yoga hurts
22) I love camels
23) I am left-handed
24) One of my favorite books is The Awakening by Kate Chopin
25) I realize many of my students are far more intelligent than I am

We designed a piece of art to depict how we visualized the latest novel that we read. It was incredible. The girls really came through although I am not surprised. They love the opportunity to be creative. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was the assignment which presents themes of coming-of-age, the power of the female community, the irrationality of racism, and of course the secret life of bees. It's a powerful novel. We explored symbols, motifs, themes, characters, and conflict/resolution. My students were very motivated by the novel.

More to come regarding what evolved.........

Sometimes in class we talk about our dreams. We attempt to find their meanings. One of my girls told me she had a dream that she was watching a movie and eating popcorn with the Prophet (PBU).  We all laughed about that. 

Each day I challenge my assumptions, or rather, I am forced to challenge them. I assume things about the world around me, about people, education, art, religion, and the values of others and the lack of values in some. Character is so vital to me and to education and character manifests itself through experiences- compelling and real.

Welcome to my blog Compelling Experiences!