This is an assignment I gave today. The idea is that the students complete one version of the "poem" (don't lets argue about what a poem is--ok) for themselves, and another version based on a character in the novel we're reading. I hand out a paper that looks like this.
______________________
your name
_____________________ is a ___________________
your name
Who wants
Who wishes
Who needs
Who used to
Who now
Who is afraid of
Who will some day
The products I get are sometimes very silly and surface--but often are very thoughtful. Here is one I did very quickly today (with a few additions that weren't particuarly "school appropriate"), just as an example.
Rebecca is a mother, teacher, wife, woman, and human
Who wants to sleep in some day, read an entire novel from start to finish without being interrupted, reclaim her libido, go a day without back pain, feel she is getting better than a "C" an all subjects of her life, have a clean house, and be happy.
Who wishes her husband laughed more, her daughter was less messy, her students were more attentive, her sister lived closer, and her life was less complicated, but more exciting.
Who needs to take at least 4 ibuprophin a day, to learn to accept the mess without giving up on it, to take more walks, and to go to the post office today.
Who used to stay in bed all weekend, wear a size 10, believe in heaven and hell, and be friends with Kelli.
Who now thinks getting up at 8:00 is sleeping in, doesn't look in full length mirrors, believes she'll have a Cosmopolitan this evening, and wonders what would happen if she gave Kelli a call.
Who is afraid of ants, failure, scales, phentermine, kidnappers and child abusers, being ignored, and the urge to just stop caring sometimes.
Who will some day stay in bed all weekend, wake up to a clean house, have a healthy body that she loves, finish her masters, take a train ride to Albuquerque, cook a 7 course gourmet meal with Katy, and sit on the beach at Point Lobos with her husband.
So, as I said, there's your assignment. Post here in the comments, or on your blog--just let me know so I can read it. It's due by Friday. Only 70% credit for late assignments.
Today's best thing about being a mom:
Looking forward to a big hug and kiss when I go pick her up today
Today's worst thing about being a mom:
Combing her hair in the morning
14 comments:
WOW... you're right.... this gives you a hell of an insite into what you are thinking if you are honest about it!!
Heather is a woman, a CPA and wife
Who wants to remember what it was like to be care free, never have to clean her house again, and be happy with all that she has
Who wishes more than anything that she could have a family, no matter where it comes from
Who needs her husband to just pick up after himself and take a little more responsibility for his life so she can stop feeling like his mother
Who used to think that dreams would just fall out of the sky and that you could have anything you wanted no matter what
Who now knows that rewards come with hard work, and that just because you want something, it doesn't always happen
Who is afraid of being alone, never having children, and not succeeding at her carreer
Who will some day stop making excuses for her life and start making decisions, really tough ones, even if they lead to being alone for a little while
HOMEWORK! MORE HOMEWORK. Are you kidding? I just cracked open my books today to work on an assignment that was due, ohhhhhhh last year!
I'll be back when I want to waste time from the homework I should be doing
~A~ is a woman, a mother, a wife, a student, an art docent, and a Girl Scout Leader
Who wants to finish her degree, open a tea shop, summit Mt. Rainier, and see her children grown and happy
Who wishes she had a bigger house that always stayed clean, and could get through a GS ceremony with out shedding a tear.
Who needs to learn not to fill her plate with activities and learn to say no, to concentrate better on her assignments and make a bumble bee costume before 2/7
Who used to be in an MP and loved it too, wanted to have horses and rodeo, and thought she wanted a dozen kids.
Who now is happy with the four babies she has and wants no more.
Who is afraid of her husband not coming home from work, one of her kids becoming seriously ill, losing touch with family and friends.
Who will some day stop dreaming in the past and live towards the future, accomplish all she wants, wishes, needs, and more. But for now she’s going to finish this assignment on the urinary system.
are we supposed to do it here? hope so.
patrice is a mother of 2, married, a pet owner, and an internet marketer.
who wants to eat whatever she wants, go on vacation alone, make more money, and go back to school.
who wishes (secretly) that her husband made more money so she wouldn't have to work as hard, that men preferred women to be reubenesque again, and that they made cherry vanilla dr pepper (and the new black cherry vanilla coke) without caffeine.
who needs to cut back on soda, have way more alone time, and to take care of her hair better so she can dye it back to red.
who used to date alot of assholes, have alot more sex, and be a lot more optimistic.
who now understands life a little better, has a wonderful person as a husband, and finally fulfilled the dream of owning her own house, however small it is.
who is afraid of serial killers and child molesters, being tortured, working for someone younger than her, and telescopes.
who will someday write a novel, go back to school for a real degree, and be genuinely happy without wanting for something just a little more. (this, likely, will be on my deathbed.)
Lonna is a mother, wife, vegan, developmental psychologist, left-winger
Who wants nothing more than to be happy with what life throws her way. Who wants to move somewhere where she will be appreciated. Who wants to find a job that makes her happy. Who wants to have a husband who is in a better place. Who wants to travel more.
Who wishes that her life was more settled than it is at the age of 36. Who wishes that she didn’t have to work so that she could stay home with her son. Who wishes that she could be happy about choosing to have another child. Who wishes that she had some real life friends who lived nearby.
Who needs to get a more permanent job. Who needs to write some papers. Who needs to collect some new data. Who needs to help out more around the house. Who needs to stop procrastinating. Who needs to stop relying on her husband so much.
Who used to go out clubbing to all hours of the night. Who used to eat fat-free, work out 5 days a week, and weight a lot less. Who used to drink a lot. Who used to think that she knew what she wanted out of life.
Who now is more confused than ever about her life goals. Who now is always tired and beating herself up for not getting more done. Who now considers walking from the car to her office to be exercise. Who now has a son who is so delightful when he’s in a good mood.
Who is afraid of being a bad mother. Who is afraid of pushing her husband away. Who is afraid of being stuck in Iowa. Who is afraid of not knowing what I want to be when I grow up.
Who will some day see her son grow up to be healthy, strong, and happy. Who will some day travel to Ireland again. Who will someday be happy with the decisions made in my life. Who will someday be happy to see my son leave the house and enjoy time with my husband alone again. Who will someday have a permanent, fulfilling job.
Can you tell what I'm obsessing about these days? If only good jobs were easy to find.
Twila Hubbard is a… Native Texan living in Florida, married woman of 26 plus years, a mother to 3, a MIL to 3, grandmother to 3 with 2 more due by July 4th. A daughter to parents that are still married to each other.
Who wants to… live to be 100, be remembered as someone who improved the quality of your life for having known her, be a size 7 instead of 20 someday.
Who wishes… more people would like her for who she is, that she had been older and wiser when she became a mom, she could relax and let her children make their own mistakes without a if you’d only listened to me feeling.
Who needs… to be reassured she is loved often, write things on a list just so I can mark them off, to quit handling stress by eating, at least 3 hours a week of ALONE time to survive.
Who used to… be less insane, be more extraverted when around new people but have had too many insecurities surface, be a whole lot smaller, be a stay at home mom until the youngest started school and LOVED IT.
Who now… works to much overtime, knows that if she hasn’t received someones approval by now she probably won’t ever, knows that sometimes you have to cut your losses and quit laying you heart out for people to walk on, knows that her hubby loves her NO MATTER WHAT and will defend her even sometimes when he shouldn’t.
Who is afraid of…her husband dying, being all alone when she dies, the craziness in the world where her grandbabies have to grow up, spiders and opposums (but loves most snakes and aligators).
Who will some day…write that novel she’s always wanted to write, secure enough in herself to not need other peoples approval, will be that size 7.
Ohhh. Tough one. I could think about this for weeks, but I only have a couple of minutes.
Nicole is Noah’s mama, Mark’s wife, Carol & Joe’s daughter, Elisha, Jessica and Jim’s sister and a friend to many, including you when you need one.
Who wants to have at least one more child though she’s not sure how she’ll do it, wants to figure out what else she wants to be when she grows up, wants to do something worthwhile with her life and not just tick the clock away for a paycheck and wants to read a book, drink a margarita and go out to dinner tonight.
Who wishes the world was a nicer place where people looked for reasons to love, understand and accept each other rather than tear them down, and wishes that she could always remember that this kind of world starts with her.
Who needs to get her son to drink milk, needs someone to come into her house and clean it from top to bottom so she can start fresh, needs to lose 20 pounds, and needs to be better at remembering to lavish praise on her incredibly smart, funny and sweet husband.
Who used to go out drinking often, smoked a lot and couldn’t imagine giving them both up.
Who now is happy going out only very occasionally, doesn’t see the need to drink to total intoxication and never wants to be a smoker again.
Who is afraid of harm coming to her son or husband, being betrayed or lied to, hurting someone’s feelings, forgetting to enjoy her life for all the happiness and blessings it offers while concentrating on wanting more than she needs.
Who will some day have to learn to live with less hugs than she gets right now, will ask her kids if she was a good mother, will remodel her kitchen and add a roof deck, will learn more about the world by traveling with her husband and children.
Christine is a massage therapist, actor, Buddhist, and wife
Who wants to make bank doing massage, help people discover the story their bodies have to tell, act in kick-ass shows on occasion, some day adopt a child, and be thought of as a good person who cared deeply about others.
Who wishes she didn't weigh as much as she did, that her husband will find his own happiness and be responsible for it increasing, she could see her friends more (especially the sisters), she had any control over what people thought of her.
Who needs to be loved, a LOT of sex, daily work on her mind/body/soul/spirit, a good psychic wake up call now and again.
Who used to be extremely insecure, drink a hell of lot more than she does now, have trouble trusting people, be a Mormon, live in Utah, and not be very connected to what was going on in her body.
Who now knows exactly what goes on in her body, drinks much less, trusts people most of the time (her husband all the time), is a metaphysical oxymormon, lives in Seattle, and feels fairly grounded in her neuroses.
Who is afraid of abandonment, people thinking untrue things of her, not having enough money to pay her bills this month, that she was somehow left out of "the joke".
Who will some day own a car, make plenty of money doing massage, go on vacation for her 10 year anniversary this year, become certified in Myofascial work and structural integration, have a child, show many people how Buddhism is a great tool for changing one's life.
Katy is a Sister, daughter, student, aspiring chef, friend, goofball (really I am), aunt.
Who wants a boyfriend, to payoff her car, to make a living doing what she loves, to figure out what she loves, kids.
Who wishes she fit in, she didn't feel like she had to fit in, she had a cookie, she could sleep better, she could make herself get back on stage.
Who needs a good nights sleep, to read her freaking text books, to write more, to not feel guilty about wanting to be alone, to figure out what to do with her college years.
Who used to party too much, flirt with too many boys, have lots of friends, let people use her, love to be on stage, sing like no one was listening.
Who now is home on Friday nights, is scared of letting people in, should be working instead of blogging.
Who is afraid of being alone, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, something happening to someone she loves, aliens, and not being strong enough.
Who will someday be a mother, get back on stage, be comfortable in her own skin, sleep through the night, cook a gourmet 7 course meal with Becky, learn to let people in.
I am always prompt with my homework, so here goes.
Kodi is a mother, and ranger, and a lover of creepy crawlies.
Who wants more time to ride her horse, a bigger house, and the adoration of all.
Who wishes her husband and her daughter could get along.
Who needs time to myself, time for her friends, time for her family, and time time time.
Who used to think that she was one hot babe, but now thinks she is a dumpy old bag.
Who knows that she is smart, fun, and a good mother and friend.
Who is afraid that her house will catch on fire and she won't be able to get her family out, and afraid that her daughter will get kidnapped, killed, or become pregnant before she graduates from High School.
Who will someday get her graduate degree, be out of debt, and have all the time in the world.
OK, guess I better.
Amanda is a wife, mother, sister, and friend.
Who wants to get to see my girls more often, and greater intimacy with my honey, and for someone ELSE to decide what's for dinner once in awhile.
Who wishes for my children (and all children, really) to always be safe and happy.
Who needs ... geez, after all those years of being needless, this one is tough... a little validation every once in awhile.
Who used to show off her body lots more, never say what she wanted, and live in Utah.
Who now lives in Albuquerque, only shows off her body a little, and says what she wants on a much more regular basis, but still not nearly enough.
Who is afraid of what will happen if she tells someone what she needs, and they can't give it to her, and of becoming her mother.
Who will someday teach yoga again, and get a masters degree in something. Now if only I knew what that was.
Theresa is the product of nature vs. nurture;
Who wants a cookie (preferably chocolate chip or a snickerdoodle, thank you);
Who wishes Parivrtta Trikonasana weren't so damn hard;
Who needs to accept things she can't change;
Who used to have a beautiful pit bull named Indie;
Who now worries a little less about what others think of her;
Who is afraid of the dark, random violence, cancer, mortality of family & friends;
Who will some day finish a marathon, travel to Japan, get another dog, play piano every day, go to graduate school, learn another language, grow old with her husband, beat her brother at chess.
Can boys play, too?
Mark is a father and husband and erstwhile wannabe rock star
Who wants to calm down and be in the moment with his family
Who wishes he were a better musician
Who needs more exercise
Who used to want to be famous
Who now wants to connect
Who is afraid of debt and leaky houses
Who will some day write some publishable fiction (besides this comment).
You don't know me, but I just blogstalked you for two hours, reading from the current post back to here, and I find you warm, funny, real, and a great mother, and if Sophie sees what we see, she will know how lucky she is to have a mother like you.
That said, here's my assignment, and may I turn this into a meme?
Aarwenn is a vegan, a wannabe pagan, a dog-mommy, and a cube-dweller.
Who wants do to better at her job instead of faking it, to achieve some goals once in awhile instead of slacking off all the time and being a selfish prick.
Who wishes she had any sort of work ethic at all, and that she had not been brought up with old Puritan guilt, which is dehabilitating in the worst way.
Who needs to just roll up her sleeves and get to it.
Who used to think that hard work--at anything, dog, apartment, job, whatever--was for losers.
Who now knows that hard work is key for a successful and ENJOYABLE life.
Who is afraid of everything, really, mainly that her boyfriend will realize she's a neurotic mess with no homemaking skills whatsoever and dump her and that people in general will think she's weird not like her anymore.
Who will someday live out loud as a vegan seductress witch and not care what anyone thinks about it!
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