Places: you'll go, you've been, you are

Merriam-Webster dictionary has roughly 24+ definitions for the word "place". Out of their 24+ definitions, I don't think any of them do the concept of "place" justice. Places are a big part of our lives, bigger than we realize. Places can be positive, negative, sad, happy, peaceful, stressful, and more. I think what makes a place so special is the people in that place, the memories associated with a place, the features of a place, and the feelings you experience because of the place you are in.

This week my classmates and I looked at the poem Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon and created our own "Where I'm From" poems.

My Where I'm From poem tells a lot about my past, the places I grew up, and the people I grew up with. Writing this poem was bittersweet. It brought back many fond memories from my youth but also some hard reminders of the people that are no longer part of my present place, they've passed on to a new and better place. Below, I have some pictures to help give you a better glimpse into Where I'm From and some explanation about myself.

In my poem, I mention a garden and the feeling of the clay dirt on my bare feet. I grew up in the Piedmont region of NC, so our dirt is not soft or dark, it's bright and hard and full of little rocks. This year I started my own garden. It was nowhere near as big as my grandparents' but reminded me of times when I would help them pick vegetables and shell beans.

This is me, my dad, and a sign he made for my future classroom. He made it out of the leftover metal he had in his shop. He cleaned the metal, smoothed it, buffed out any scratches, and designed this sign for my 22nd birthday. He made this all by himself, well with the help of a machine. He was raised to never waste anything. You don't waste food, materials, or time if you can help it. Growing up, I was taught the same.

My Bama (dad's mom), was notorious for being the nurse of injured and abandoned wildlife. She nurtured countless hummingbirds (and other critters) back to health and let her own children (my dad and aunt) have abandoned baby possums as pets when they were kids. Between the three abandoned baby squirrels and one kitten with a run over tail, I'd say that trait was passed down and is a part of where I'm from.

I'm fairly certain that for every Easter since my little sister was born, we went to my mom's cousin Beth and her husband David's farm in Bear Creek. Every year there is a picture taken of me and my little sister in our Easter outfits. This past Easter 2020 was probably the first Easter in 19 years that my sister and I didn't get our picture taken at Beth and David's farm.

I like to claim that holding your nose when jumping into water is hereditary. I'm not a Geneticist so don't quote me on that, but my dad does it and I can't help but do it too. It's a reflex that neither of us can seem to control and I think it's a part of where I'm from.

https://www.ourstate.com/russell-palmer/

If you care to read about my cousin (my Bama's cousin) teaching Charlie Daniels to play the guitar here's the link.

I wish I could explain every aspect of this poem. I wish I could help you to understand every hidden memory and feeling in the words I penned, but I think part of poetry is not saying it all, just saying enough to make minds wander and wonder.

Mentor text

Where I am when I am writing can drastically influence the quality and content of my writing. Personally, my room and my house are my least favorite place to write. That is where I feel the least inspired. I get some of my best ideas and inspiration from things I see and experience outside of my current home. My favorite strategy from Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature is on pages 34-34, it's called "an outdoor writers cafe". In this strategy, Lynne Dorfman takes her students on a trip outside for 40 minutes. In those 40 minutes, students and Lynne were gathering ideas and viewpoints to write from based on what they saw around them outside. The results of the students writing after spending 40 minutes outside collecting ideas and inspiration for writing were astounding. According to Lynne some of their best work came out of this experience. I hope to do this strategy in my own classroom someday. I can remember how hard and uninspiring it can be to sit at a desk in your classroom, no matter how beautiful the decorations are, it can be a difficult place to be inspired. If we are going to ask students to write in that kind of place then we have to provide them with other places to find inspiration, even if it means taking 40 minutes out of the school day to find inspiration elsewhere. They will thank you and so will their writing! What we are able to perceive and take in is a huge part of what we are able to write. Creating experiences for students to go out and experience the world around them will do wonders for their writing and yours.

Layla's Happiness

Layla's Happiness is a happiness inspiring book! The colors are so vibrant and lively that you can't help but feel happy when looking at the illustrations in this book. I share many happy places and things with Layla (they are featured in my Where I'm From poem), but my favorite part is the end when the book asks you "What is happiness to you?" This ending invites the reader or the listeners of the story to engage in writing or discussion about what happiness means to them! This would be a great read-aloud and mentor text for lower elementary students. They could make their own [insert name here's] Happiness books. Students can be mentored by the authors writing and the illustrator's choices for representation as they develop their own writing abilities and a story about their happiness.

Meet the Author

Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie is the author of Dear Continuum: Letter of a Poet Crafting Liberation, Karma's Footsteps, Strut, and Layla's Happiness.

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Meet the Illustrator

Ashley Corrin is the illustrator of Layla's Happiness, this is the only children's book she has illustrated so far, but her work has been featured in several magazines.

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A quote before you go :)

“Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball

will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,

with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't

Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times

you'll play lonely games too.

Games you can't win

'cause you'll play against you.”

- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!