Ideas Live in Objects & Emotions

A Page from Great Aunt Tom's Notebook

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I am in Houston, Texas right now, at a conference for English teachers.  Tomorrow I will be speaking a little bit about keeping a notebook.  (You may know my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks.)  And so, of course I am thinking about notebooks.  And one of my family members who kept notebooks was my Great Aunt Tom.

My grandmother's sister was my Great Aunt Tom. Her real name was Edythe Toebe, and she was a flapper.  Folks called her 'Tom' because she was what they called a tomboy, which at the time was a nickname for girls who liked what were considered more boy-like things back in 1910.  Here she is, below.

Edythe Toebe, My Great Aunt

Photo by ??

Great Aunt Tom really did keep a handprint notebook, and she really did write out her palm reader predictions for some of the handprints in the book.  And she really did tell me that when strange things happened, she stopped reading palms.  And I really am sorry that I did not ask more questions.  I was there when Great Aunt Tom died, and in 2011, I wrote about that day in an essay titled What Can I Do?

So today's poem is about an object.  It is about a sentence I recall from many years ago. And it is about a feeling too.  I did not know what the feeling was until I got to the end of the poem, and then I knew.  And then I chose the title.  One word - Regret.

Which family objects do you wonder about in your home? Allow objects to inform your feelings and allow feelings to help you think about objects. And listen.  Always listen.  Notebooks are wonderful for gathering snatches of conversation.  We never know when we'll need such snatches.

Here is a snip from another one of Great Aunt Tom's notebooks.  This one is full of poems she loved (some by my Great Grandfather) and quotes such as this one from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

From Great Aunt Tom's Typed Treasures Notebook

Photo by Amy LV

The time to ask your curious questions is now.  It is always now.  Yesterday I met a man whose parents are both Holocaust survivors, and his time to ask is now.  Do not wait.  We are all walking story books, and no story lasts forever.  

I feel so lucky to host Miriam Haefner over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks this month! She keeps track of the moon and sky, and I recommend a visit to see and inspire yourself.  Too, I am holding a giveaway for a moon journal...to go to a commenter on that post.

Linda is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup today at TeacherDance with her gentle generosity and a giveaway for  new book and print by Rosemary Wells. Please know that every Poetry Friday, we gather together to share books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  Everyone is always welcome to visit, comment, and post.  We invite you!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Hello & A Poetry Peek from Missouri

My New Notebook
Photo by Amy LV

Students - This week I filled up the last pages of my notebook and bought a new notebook, the one you see above.  I am excited when I complete a notebook, but I also feel a little bit sad to say goodbye. (I feel this way about novels too!)

I wrote today's poem as a poem of address, or a poem written TO something else.  Sometimes it is interesting to pretend that another person or animal or object is listening to you...and to write directly TO it. This poem sounds like I really do talk, except for the rhyme part, and it is something I often think about.  Each time I begin a new notebook, it feels strange to enter this new paper room, to write on these new paper walls.  I do get comfy in a new notebook after a while.  It takes a few pages of writing in a notebook before I feel at home.

If you don't know what to write about, consider writing TO a person or animal or object.  Or think about a feeling related to your own writing life.  Or perhaps, make a list of many different events in life (riding your bike, having a haircut, playing with a dog) and the feelings that go with these events.  Approach a topic from a feeling place...and off you go!

Today I could not be happier to welcome co-teachers Emily Callahan and Nicole Johnson and their 44 second grade poets from Crossroads Academy Quality Hill Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.  Some of you might remember Emily Callahan from when she was a fourth grade teacher at a different school.  Back in 2016, she and her students taught us all about Popcorn and Poetry, which has caught on in many new places. 

How lucky we are to have these poet guests! Enjoy every moment.

If you wish to learn about this class's poetry journey through slides, do so here.

Or if you'd rather learn by watching a five minute movie, you may do so here.

Click the Box to Enlarge


Enjoy a peek at this thoughtful class poetry anthology...fingerprints on the cover!

Second Grade Poetry Anthology - Read HERE
Book by Second Graders of Crossroads Academy Quality Hill


Do not miss this chance to read this book by three authors.  What a challenge!

 IT'S ALL GREEK TO US - Read HERE
Book by Authors Jude, Christian, and Matthew


Watch Ben's movie book to learn about cats and 20 ways to approach a topic.
(Thank you, Ben, for your generous dedication!)

Wow!  I am very grateful to these students for their posts here today.  Thank you, writers and teachers!

If you did not have a chance to read last week's beautiful fourth grade poems, shared by teachers Lauren Coffey and Patricia Nesbitt of McNeill Elementary in Bowling Green, Kentucky, please be sure to head on over and dive in. We are fortunate to have so many gorgeous words to wallow in...and teachers, I invite your class to share in this space too.

Deep gratitude to all of the generous sixth grade bloggers from Michelle Haseltine's class of Brambleton Middle School in Loundon County, Virginia.  For the whole month of May, they took OVER my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, filling each day with pictures, ideas, and endless enthusiasm and fun.You can visit over there to find all kinds of ideas for your own summer notebooking.  What a blast!  I'm currently seeking blog takeover classes for the 2018-2019 school year. Teachers, if you're interested, please let me know.

Buffy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Buffy's Blog where you will find a cool seed storm!  Each week we gather together, sharing poems, books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  All are always welcome to visit, comment, and post.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.