(This is part of the Slice of Life project at Two Writing Teachers)

Today’s slice is a full load — three slices in one.

Slice One

I’ll admit it: I went into the theater with my older sons prepared to diss the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie because they turned what I thought to be a comical graphic novel into a live-action flick (and to be honest, I feel like I’ve been a grouch reviewer lately). But I have to say — the movie was OK and an enjoyable diversion on an afternoon. They did weave some animation in there, which nicely kept the flavor of the books intact, and there was a sweetness to the story that came through (but not too sweet, and they wisely avoided a Kumbaya moment at the end).

I do think, though, that the movie is probably better for elementary kids than middle school kids because although the movie is set in middle school, it is probably better if the audience is not there yet and can only imagine the hassles of that age. That is my opinion, and one I got from my older son who is in middle school. My fourth grader, meanwhile, really liked it.

In a way, the movie resembled Meatballs — remember that one? With Bill Murray? There was this fun underpinning to the entire thing and just enough goofiness to keep you interested. If you miss it in the theaters, no worries. The movie will be fine as a DVD.

Slice Two

Three hours flew by in early evening as I got together with a bunch of friends from school (plus, a drummer who is a friend of a friend) to play original songs and jam out. One of the guys writes tons of songs and I was able to crank on the bass, which is something I am trying to do more of (and my fingers hurt today, so it’s clear I have not done enough).

I played a few of my songs (the new one sounded very cool) and before I knew it, it was time to go home. I love how time goes by so quickly and unnoticed when you are full involved and engaged in an activity.

Here is a recording of us doing my new song, Ease Your Mind.

Slice Three

I got home and took our dog for a walk (he’s having some stomach problems … blech). We were down the street when suddenly I heard a loud BAM and the electrical wires overhead started shaking like mad. Everything lit up for a second and then we were plunged into total darkness. The entire neighborhood — completely black.

I stared down one of our side streets to the main road and knew something bad had happened. I could see cars slowing down and then, there is that eerie silence after an accident. I heard some shouts and maybe some cries. Not sure. I bolted home to get my cell phone but by the time I arrived, we could already hear sirens on the way. It was pretty scary.

And we spent the night in complete darkness, worrying about the accident and our food in the fridge and the sump pump in the cellar, until about 3:30 am, when the lights finally came back on. I walked the dog again this morning, and I could see the flashing yellow lights of utility crews still at work at the scene. I am avoiding that intersection this morning.

Peace (in the many slices),
Kevin

(This is part of the Slice of Life project at Two Writing Teachers)

It’s not easy to keep a room of antsy sixth graders quiet, and sitting in the corner of a room, for 20 minutes, but we pulled off this feat yesterday as our school rehearsed an Emergency Lock-Down Drill in the morning. Near one of my walls, there is a smiling flower on the wall — the safety zone — and we all crammed into the space and waited.

And waited. And waited.

Have I ever mentioned that I have students who rarely ever stop talking? Sure, during quiet reading, with me strategically locating them around the room, we can do about 15 minutes of silence.

But 20 minutes? In a small corner of the room? Together?

We did it, though, and when the police officer pounded on our door and then unlocked the door, we all jumped a bit, but then, relief washed over us as he told us we were free to continue on with what we were doing. They made up for the silence with a burst of chattiness, and I didn’t mind a bit.

We have at least two more drills coming which the kids will not know about (this one, they did) and so, we will see how that goes. I don’t mind our school being prepared, although I had a few students stressing out about it all, watching the clock for the time of the drill.

Today, however, they all shone like quiet stars.

Peace (in the silence),
Kevin

(This is part of the Slice of Life project at Two Writing Teachers)
It was beautiful out yesterday and I had the afternoon off due to night-time parent-teacher conferences, so I grabbed the dog and my digital camera and wandered down to the river.

Peace (in the sun),

Kevin

(This is part of the Slice of Life project at Two Writing Teachers)

I am so proud of my class.

This week, they did the difficult task of choosing a name for our Quidditch team (We play a version of Quidditch at our school in which all sixth grades compete against each other on a Tournament Day. Here is a video tutorial of our game.). This process is often difficult, as some sections of the class try to unite against others, and instead of an activity that pulls us together, it divides us apart.

And, to be honest, the mix in my class this year is one of the most challenging that I have in a long time, so I worried about it.  A lot. I also spent extra time talking about the values of community — of coming together even when you don’t quite agree, of being respectful of all the voices in the room, and of the semi-democratic process of voting and living with the final tally.

They were stars.

Respectful of each other, avoiding the comments that can undermine the class, and after brainstorming a list of about 30 names (most of which are inspired by our team color of Blue, so water and ice and cold often make their way into the mix), they were all excited when we finally arrived at a name: Dry Ice.

We then had a long discussion about a team logo for Dry Ice, and they did some sketch work on some designs. The first one ran into problems. It featured a skull and crossbones. I took it to our vice principal, who wasn’t too happy (mainly because all of the little kids in our school will make posters for the different teams).

I went back and explained where things stood, and then, as  a class, we agreed that a flying snitch might be better, and they got to work again. So, the final design is the name Dry Ice spelled out in ice cubes, with steam rising and a snitch floating in the mist. I like it, but most of all, I am proud of our class for going through the process.

Not all learning is done from a book.

Peace (in the ice),
Kevin

(This is part of the Slice of Life project at Two Writing Teachers)

So, yesterday was one of those days so crammed with activity that I could probably write four or five slices out of it, but I’ll concentrate on just this one: the renowned writer/illustrator Mordecai Gerstein came to our school to talk with my students (and others) for about an hour. Do you know him? He wrote such picture books as The Awful Alphabet, The Mountains of Tibet,  What Charlie Heard, and, one of my all-time favorites, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, about Philippe Petite’s acrobatic dance on a wire between the now-destroyed Twin Towers of NYC. (I once did a podcast review of this book. Take a listen).

I had to pop in and out of the session (we did get our tech problem fixed for Progress Reports and I needed to check them out and print them out during this time), but he had some wonderful things to say about writing, and drawing, and making books full of imagination.

“A picture book is like a little movie theater you hold in your hand,” Gerstein said, adding that this is a low-tech way to share stories with your friends. Pass them a book and watch their eyes light up.

Earlier, as he crumpled up a large sheet of paper on purpose, he turned to the kids and urged them to take risks, make mistakes and keep trying. He was referring to drawing, but really, this is a lesson for life. I kept an eye on these 80 sixth graders, and they were pretty rapt with attention, particularly as his pen moved across the paper.

“I’ve messed up a lot of paper in my life and I hope to mess up even more,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

I am thankful to our art teacher and our librarian for finding ways to bring folks like Mordecai Gerstein to our school and hope his talk sparks something special in some of the kids in the audience.

But that wasn’t all that was special about the day. After meeting with Mordecai, we then boarded a bus that took us up to the high school, where the students there performed a “preview” of their incredible production of the Wizard of Oz. They were fantastic and it was so neat to see so many former students on the stage. And for my students, it was something that stirred excitement in a lot of them who are interested in drama.

Peace (in the pictures),
Kevin