This rock sits in my house as part of the decor. Strange maybe to those visiting but then I have found that the items in our house are memories. To be honest when looking at the books this rock rests on memories come back to me. The two top books are from family members and the one on the bottom is one I bought when I first began teaching.
But back to the rock. It was found on a beach in Wales on the Irish Sea. My son and I were traveling with his soccer team. We were spending two weeks in Wales and England as he had played soccer. On the day we found this rock, we were on the beach. We were with two other soccer players and their parents and the boys were having so much fun. Running into the cold water, chasing each other, and of course, burying each other in the sand. Their energy was boundless. When hunger finally set in and we were ready to go, my son brought me this rock. It was very dark from the moisture it held and cold. We both agreed it was a find that we must take home. To be honest, I loved it more than he did. When we got home I took it to school and set it on the edge of my desk. My students loved it. I had several that would go and touch it, rub it and comment and it.
When sharing Mem Fox's Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge with my students, I always used that as an example of "something precious" to me. When I retired and began teaching in college, the rock always makes a visit when I share Fox's book. The lesson is similar...we must share our stories...but now I want my college students to know that to teach writing well you must write and share along with the students. To me if teachers ask students to write they must be willing to write and share their stories. This seems scary to them....why share their stories? Aren't they suppose to "just' teach? And I remind them to teach well, you must practice what you teach.
And so my rock that was found on the beach of the Irish Sea lives on to tell its tale through my eyes. (I feel a little guilty maybe I should have left it their for others).
What a beautiful story. I too am a rock collector. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you change the email setting on your blog profile, I can send you an email too :)
ReplyDeleteLovely story. And no, as a rock collector myself, rocks found are meant to be kept. :-)
ReplyDeleteKeep telling your stories and have the students tell theirs. Be careful, Tam may be heading your way to get that rock. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story...and I loved the way you found a way to connect iT back to your students, and what to teach them so that they can in turn enrich the lives of their someday students. My kids love hearing my slices...they need to hear me model all that went into the writing of that slice, as well. We actually started the year with this, using a writer 's circle. Each of us shared a bit of the writing process that went into an entry in our notebooks. It was a wonderful way to begin the community building of writer's workshop...and we return to it as we work our way through other genres throughout the year. P.S. That is one cool looking rock!
ReplyDeleteSeney, what a cool rock, and what a lovely rock story! Thanks for sharing, too. I like the idea of using my rocks with Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. I had not thought of that. Thank you!
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