For two days now my 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders have been typing their earliest memories. I'm very proud of them and may begin my lessons the first weeks of school next year with this activity. I find the students are using their own "voices", which helps personalize their writings and brings enthusiasm and sincerity to the topic.
The earliest memories some of the children have remembered are the birthday parties, getting their first dog or kitten, catching their first fish, moving to a new house, the birth of their brother or sister, a trip to a theme park, losing a twin sister (I didn't know)..and the list goes on.
Some of the childrens' memories made me say, "Aw, how sweet". Others I asked, "Did that really happen?" Still others made my heart ache for them. One particular 3rd grade girl told about the night her daddy left her mom and the kids. It did have a happy ending. The father now has the children and that's why they moved to Ft. White in the middle of the year. How tragic. It was the best writing this girl has written all year. This type of writing is certainly better than, "Explain what you did over the summer."
This brings me to the funniest earliest memory and it was written by a 3rd grade boy. It seems he was four years old and was shopping at Wal*Mart with his mom. They were in the Christmas ornament section and the boy spied a jingle bell. Well, being only four, he pops it in his mouth and swallows it. He began his writing with, 'I remember the day I swallowed a jingle bell'. By the time this child finished reading his memory, the class and I were rolling with laughter. This child is shy and has displayed no sense of humor whatsoever; however, he found his voice in this memory.
I absolutely love being a writing teacher!
My earliest memory, which may be entirely false, is of us in an apartment building. I remember you opening the door and a man was standing there. He had brought us an aquarium and he was carrying it in his arms. I have no idea why I remember this or if it was even true, but it's the earliest thing I can remember. Could this have been in Savannah?
Posted by: Merry Jennifer | May 16, 2007 at 04:26 PM
I've been thinking of my earliest memories since I read your last entry. I'll get to that tomorrow.
What I wanted to say is that as a teacher I find that I really can hear my students' voices when they write something that is meaningful to them - like a first memory. They can be very powerful.
Heck just recollecting my own memories brings back a lot of details - real and/or imagined.
Posted by: tina | May 16, 2007 at 06:14 PM
Age 5 - Besides sitting on a large woman's lap (Aunt Lottie from California), my earliest memory is getting slapped by my first grade teacher for talking to you...then silently cleaning the toilets at school for punishment.The toilet lid fell down on your thumb and you had it bandaged.
Age 5-6 - Giving Steve a drink of clorox on the back porch where the wringer washing machine was located.
The next memory (age 6)was when we were eating popcicles on the pyramid of concrete blocks with Steve (at the top)gave one block a tiny nudge and it bounced off your head and slid down your back. Seeing you in your kerchief to hide the blood, maybe, and watching you and Mom ride away on the bus made me sad but getting a new OK tablet and fat pencil from Mom when you all got back from the doctor's office made your injury worthwhile and made the anxiety and sadness disappear. Everything was O.K.
Posted by: Sherry | May 17, 2007 at 02:46 PM