Vacation

Hello, Fiddler Kin! Sorry I've been AWOL for the past week or so. I've missed all of you!!

Summer school ended two weeks ago, and I had an absolutely wonderful, smart group of students for my six-credit-hour Principles of Writing Instruction course. One guiding force of the course is that English teachers should write alongside their students, sharing rough drafts, soliciting feedback, etc.--basically showing how messy and fulfilling writing can be. Nobody shoots out a perfect first draft, right? Anywho, I did some writing with them -- sharing shitty drafts of a couple pieces I wrote for my folks, getting feedback, and telling fun stories. I also participated in our weekly feather circles, in which every reads aloud a short personal piece crafted from our journal writing. After we read our pieces, we'd pass around hard copies, which we'd read again over the weekend and write thank-you notes for ... It sounds cheesy when you talk about it, but when you experience this new form of feedback (specific and genuine praise from your peers and your teacher), rather than submitting your work to an audience of one (the teacher), who marks up your work and assigns a grade, it's really quite powerful. On our last day of class, we each read a letter to the class during our feather circle. There were tears ... and laughter. One of my students brought her 18-year-old son (who'd been the topic of several of her writings), and he played his ukulele and sang (Bob Marley and Jason Mraz) during our final passing of the feather circle writings. It was so moving. I think almost all of us were crying. My students have decided they haven't had enough of each other (or me, amazingly enough), and we're getting together for dinner once a month to reconnect.

In other news, Trent had his shoulder surgery last Wednesday, and he's doing amazingly well. The surgeon reattached his labrum in four places. He hasn't been in much pain at all, and he'll start physical therapy next week. His shoulder should be fully functional by October or November.

And, last but not least, my folks came to visit this past week (Sat.-Thurs.), and we had a ball! Mom and I went to the gym every morning, where she made friends with the Knights of the Round Table (a.k.a. The Liars' Club), and my dad and Trent took walks around the neighborhood every evening. We played lots of games -- Hearts, Mexican Train Dominoes, and Phase 10. We read and chatted on the back porch. We took some drives around the metro area. Trent and Dad watched reality TV, while Mom and I watched episodes of Sex and the City. We had some delicious meals out (Pappadeux for Mom and Dad's anniversary -- mmmmmm!!! Creme Brulee -- sp? and Italian food for my b-day), and I made hummus (thanks for the tips, Beth and Margaret!) and tabbouleh. It was a really nice week.

Well, that's all from GA. I'm competing in a triathlon this Sunday, and I'm pretty excited about it. I'll let you know how it goes. Next week, it's back to work for me--meetings. Classes begin on Aug. 17. Love to you all!!