Monday, August 08, 2005

A Walk In The Woods
















(The Tech & Writing Retreat Experience with the NWP)


The earth brought forth vegetation, plants, yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, and God saw that it was good: GENESIS 1:12

I was nine years old, on our family farm in Paracale, Camarines Norte, Philippines. I was running in the forest and I was so scared. The snakes or any forest creature might just meet me on the way. I was breathing heavily and quickly ran as fast as my feet could carry me down the trail to the top of the hill overlooking the sea where my family was having fun in my grandparent’s house. It was more than twenty minutes before I reached my destination, and my family was so surprised that I made it through the woods all by myself.

This memory was playing in my mind as I was walking in the woods, again by myself, in the vast Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska during the National Writing Project Tech and Writing Retreat. The retreat last August 4-7 was a whole different experience for me.

I was unlucky from day one that I stepped onto the Nebraska soil. At Eppley Airfiled in Omaha, I looked around for my luggage and waited for it to show up at the baggage counter after every flight arrived. At 5:15 PM after the third flight came and my luggage didn’t show up, I guessed it was time for me to call the driver in the convention center. It was then that I learned that I missed the driver who was there earlier at 3:15 to pick me up. So, the staff in the airport asked me to just wait for my luggage to be delivered to my hotel room. Worse, even the airport officials didn’t know when it was coming because it was still in Chicago.

The driver of the Arbor Day Farm van was very friendly. He kept me awake during my one hour travel to the convention center. Along the way I experienced the sight and smell of what Sting called in his music “Fields of Gold”. He made a turn and I was in total awe when I saw one of the best golf courses in my whole life. It was a natural beauty; the green sights soothe my visual sense, and the fresh smell of the leaves excited my curiosity to see the orchard and the whole farm. We were finally at the entrance to the Arbor Day Farm and Lied Conference Center.

I was already late when I came into the meeting room. There were like 25 Teacher Consultants from the different National Writing Project sites each representing their local site. I was the representative from the DC Area Writing Project. Just when I sat down the facilitator, Michelle Rogge-Gannon of Dakota Writing Project, approached me and said that I would be the first to introduce myself. Ah, my punishment for being late! But after I did my self-introduction, they let me go to have my dinner. Yeah! Free of course! It was a buffet, and it was delicious!

It was really inspiring to see these teacher leaders in the American educational system coming together to talk about technology and writing in this National Writing Project retreat. It was good to hear from these teacher leaders what had worked inside their classrooms. The discussion about it that followed was interactive. It is also challenging to have your writing laid out to them to be reviewed and commented upon, knowing that some of these teachers were published writers in different educational books and journals in the country. Some of them are the people whose names I see managing the NWP Technology Liaison’s listserv. Some of them are the people who maintain the NWP Website and to whom we call for help when our local NWP site’s blog or websites are having problems. It’s a wonderful feeling to interact with them and hear them present about the latest in writing and technology. I learned to reflect and write on my teaching practices and how it impacted my students. I was enlightened on the copyright issues and creative commons license, expanding our ideas of audience and the digital media impact on writing.

One of the best things I got from the retreat is that it also made me proud of my roots. I wasn’t the only Filipino there. The moment I walked in the meeting room, I saw Dr. Danilo Baylen who is representing NWP at the Gulf Coast Florida Project. I later approached him and showed him the Pinoy Teachers Network site, which is a Filipino teachers’ global community weblog running on its third week now. He was so glad about it and he didn’t hesitate to accept my invitation for him to be our Educator Adviser.

I had a chance to walk into the woods before I went back to Washington DC. The sound of the crickets were seemingly getting louder and the colorful butterflies and dragonflies flew by me, as if welcoming me as I went deeper into the woods. I passed by the hazelnut field. I remember one Teacher Consultant, Sandra Shattack from Alabama, talking about it in one of the ‘check-ins’ that these seeds are like the TCs. They come individually but are bound together by a common goal/ teamwork. Then suddenly, a deer crossed my path. She was slowly moving while looking at me, probably wondering what I was going to do to her. I was ready to go on with my adventure when a baby deer followed. Like the older one, the fawn was very cautious of my presence while she was crossing. I was stunned! I was giggling and excitedly thinking of how my seven year-old daughter would react to this story. I went further down the woods and came across a long wooden bridge, with a stream under it. They call it Demonstration Timber Bridge, which proves to us that it is achievable to build a large wooden structure like this with trees, ie, without having interruption of the neighboring trees or soil. I passed by the orchard too and hand-picked some apples for my baby and hubby. The farmers said that the produces of the orchard and the farm are mostly for export.

The walk in the woods of Arbor Day Farm evoked that feeling and that memory of my childhood when I was running in the forest all alone.

Everything exceeded my expectations, the food, the place, the company, the experience. I learned a lot and I believed I equally shared with the other Teacher Consultants. I feel so lucky that this grant was granted to me by the National Writing Project and the DC Area Writing Project.
.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

You really can write, girl, and quite pretty too, if I may add! Medyo natakot din ako sa gubat natin sa Bicol habang binabasa ko ang article mo tapos nainggit naman ako sa pinasyalan mo ngayon. Galing magsulat. Naaamoy at nararamdaman.Wala bang pektyur? Wala ka yatang camera, eh. hehehe
Sinayang mo ang view tseeh!

Macross Kitty said...

Hi MARISOL, welcome baaaack! Now I'm starting to get excited to visit a totally different region of the US. I love traveling, meeting new people and I love learning. So if I can put 3 of my favorite activities in one vacation, it is a great vacation! Thanks for sharing your experiences with me and the rest. You are so fortunate to participate in these summer institutes! Many teachers don't even read the memos and pass these opportunities.


P.s. I'm a little busy reviewing for CWTI and trying to tie up loose ends here before I leave home--laundry, bills, errands, cleaning. I don't know how you do it Sol--juggling your schedule! =)I'll be arriving in DC on the 16th...see you then!
-liz

Anonymous said...

Thank you, so much for sharing the experience with me.

Veronica P.
DC Area Writing Project
Teacher Consultant

bing said...

Hi Sol,

the picturesque speaks of many things. you are blessed to be given the opportunity.

ganda ng tanawin isinasalarawan.

Anonymous said...

Good morning from here Tr. Sol!
Your entry is well-written. Your wordings made me miss USA the more.

Zarah C. Gagatiga said...

teacher sol, masarap talaga umatend ng conventions and seminars. meeting other people with the same goals is indeed inspiring. seeing the sights is icing to the cake ;-)

yusop said...

Hi Sol. So glad you had a nice time in Nebraska, a place that had become even more respelendent with your detailed description of it. Nebraska was the title of a hit album of my music idol, Bruce Springsteen and as I listened to his sort of folky american music, i had imagined than Nebraska as one rustic place with breezy weather and radiant golden fields---fields of gold as Sting says---and such places always soothes the senses by their sheer naturl beauty.

nikki said...

that was a pretty picture you painted in my mind...

sarap mag-training kung sa mga ganyang kagagandang lugar gagawin. kaya lang tama si bel, bakit ilan lang pictures mo?

Anonymous said...

Magkasing haba pala tayo ng buhok..hanggang nung sabado. Nagpagupit na ako. Hehe.

Ganda ng pics :)

Anonymous said...

Sol..sounds like you had a load of fun in Nebraska.. Did you have your root canal done?....ouch!!

Anonymous said...

Hi congratulation to you! More power and success….

Anonymous said...

Hi, Maria. Thanks for sharing your wonderful reflection about the NWP Writing & Tech Retreat. Part of me is still there at the retreat, walking through those woods--an inspirational setting for writing and thinking. I personally loved the fact that there were benches along the path in the woods, where you could sit, write, and observe.

Michelle RG
Dakota Writing Project

Anonymous said...

Maria:

Very nice piece and well polished. Sorry I didn't get to making comments on it. Too many things happening at once and we had a bit of trouble getting a digital copy for me.

Best of luck on your continuing blogs. I hope you enjoyed your time at Lied Lodge. I know I did.

GLEN B.
Oregon Writing Project

Anonymous said...

Although I work for the National Writing Project, I never go to conferences or retreat. Thanks for sharing those pictures, they are all beautiful. Para na rin kaming nakarating doon dahil sa ganda rin ng pagkakadescribe mo sa lugar.

Our Philadelphia people (Christina Cantrill, Laydia Olusa, Shirley Brown, Paul Oh, Lizzy Berryman, I sure you've met them all) were the ones who organized that and I'm so happy to know that you and Danilo attended that retreat. When I saw Danilo's picture, I told myself, yes, he's the one that I met at the Annual Convention in San Francisco in 2003 (that was my first convention at hindi na nasundan). Bihira lang kasi tayong mga Pinoy ang involved sa NWP kaya natatandaan agad natin ang isa't-isa.

I'm so glad that you are learning a lot and enjoying your participation in the NWP projects. Talagang ang mga projects namin ay para talaga sa development ng mga teachers. I'm proud dahil kahit dalawa lang kayong Pinoy doon eh masasabi kong may kababayan din akong nakikinabang sa aming mga programa. Masaya rin ako kapag nababalitaan kong may mga Pinoy na umaattend sa ganito at ganoong mga program ng NWP. Mismong mga director pa ang nagsasabi sa akin. Alam kasi nila na matutuwa ako and would feel proud. Thank you for being a part of the National Writing Project. Saludo ako sa inyo mga kababayan ko. (Uyy, kamuntik pa akong magrap)

Leonor B.
National Writing Project (main Ofc)
Berkley, California

hickstro said...

Maria,

Thanks for sharing the draft of this posting with me while we were in Nebraska. I enjoyed reading the revisions that you made for the post here.

It was great to meet you and I wish you all the best as you begin this next school year. See you in Pittsburgh.

Troy

Anonymous said...

To all those lucky TLs who got to attend the Tech + Writing retreat and keep regaling us with how wonderful it was, I just have to say that I am probably not the only reader of these posts who feels a wistful pang of envy and who has now steadfastly resolved to find some budget money to enable me to attend next year (NWP willing). Hoo yah!

And while we're sharing our joy & wonder at the incredible learning experiences and resources that the NWP is able to offer its members, let me just add that if you have not yet attended the Tech Matters West Virginia retreat hosted by Karen McComas and her winsome wizards, then you had better be finding you some airplane money to get you there next year because the learning just doesn't get much more meaningful than that. As you can tell by the enduring quality of this afterglow.

Natalie B.
California

Owen said...

i had a nice time reading your pieces.

just blog hoppin.... got the link from watson.

may i put a link to your page on mine? hope you dont mind.

cheers!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Maria. I have been laying out DrumTalk so your piece is timely. It looks like a front page story that needs only light editing. I'll do the editing and lay it out. Then, I'll send you a copy to make sure what I changed is OK. The newsletter might come out on time by August 29, 2005.
See you in September.

JERRY F.
DC Area Writing Project
Teacher Consultant

Anonymous said...

Maria,
I was away on vacation while my email piled up. So it took a while to get around to responding to your message. It was such a pleasure reading your reflections of the retreat. It was so thoughtful of you to share this experience with DCAWP TCs. It will surely inspire other TCs to apply for the NWP Writing Retreats. We're proud to have you on our Tech Liasion team.

Liz D.
DC Area Writing Project
Teacher Consultant

Anonymous said...

hello, sol, very nice article about your retreat in tech/writing at nebraska. liked your pics too. seems like you had a most fruitful, constructive stay. short but well spent. the apples looked yummy. no wonder snowwhite didn't take a 2nd look. hahaha congrats on your various success stories. things are really picking up for you! we're mighty happy for you. keep it up.

Promethean Planet

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