Jesse's Writing

Alright.  I started to read through the chapters in KKL that we were assigned for this week, but I have a very short attention span at this moment, so I am going to take a break and just write in general about my ONE kid that I am working with from West De Pere.  His name is Jesse, and I am a little bit in love with the fact that he is giving me great practice responding to real writing.  However, I think he is spoiling me (mostly because he has responded to each of my prompts and gotten progressively better with each one).  And, since I need to be doing... bout 50 things at a time right now to keep me motivated, I am going to post my prompts and his responses so that I can talk more effectively about each of them.  But, don't worry, I wont write about them in this post.  So, you can ignore this if you'd like.

Prompt 1:  How is music connected to your identity?
Step 1:
This first one might be the most difficult (I know it would be for me). I am going to ask you to choose a song. This song can remind you of someone you care about, have a really catchy rhythm, or even be the last song you listened to.
Step 2:
Grab something to write with and a piece of paper (or a computer if you prefer).
Step 3:
Find somewhere you can listen to the song without any interruptions. As you listen to the song, write about whatever comes into your mind. (Repeat this step if necessary)
Step 4:
Look over your list and pick one or two of the feelings, events, places or people that you have jotted down. Expand on whatever selection you have made for your writing response—tell its story. Be as descriptive as possible. Try to make me feel like you did/do when you experience this event, feeling, person, or place.

Here are some questions to help with your response if you get stuck:
• Person: How does this person look, feel, smell, sound? What are some of his/her unique characteristics? What does this person mean to you?
• Feeling: What does this feeling do to you, what does it sound, look, smell, taste like? Is the feeling connected with anything or anyone? When is the last time you felt this way?
• Place: What happened at this place? What did/does it make you feel? What did/does the place sound, feel, look, and smell like?
• Event/Time in Life: Did this event change you? What significance does the event hold in your life? What did the event feel, sound, taste, look, smell like?

Response 1:
I chose the song "It does'nt have to be that way", by Jim Croce. This song really brings up a lot of thoughts in my head, along with many memories. My older brother Peter passed away in 2007, taking with him an amazing musical talent. He loved guitar and music in general, as do I. This song reminds me of the occurance of his passing because I can remember sitting in my room listening to the cd of my brothers songs, one of them being this one. Although this song brings up a sad time in my life, it was a major factor in who I am today. The funny thing is that I hear this song at work a lot, and everytime it's like it brings me back in time. The feeling that this song brings up is regret. I regret not visiting my brother as much as I could of. It reminds me of the phone call my Dad made saying what had happpened and the long, silent car ride home from the concert we were at. Overall, this was the biggest, most significant, event in my life, that such a simple song can bring back.  

Prompt 2: Who do I want to be when I grow up?
Yes, I know that this question is a little cliché. So, to avoid getting the cliché answers, I am going to ask you to answer the question a little differently. First, what I would like you to do is sit down with a piece of scratch paper and start writing down some things that are important to you. Some of these things might be people, activities, places, qualities you admire in yourself and others, physical or nonphysical possessions, hobbies, as well as some of your biggest dreams for the future. Take a good look at this list and mark off the top 5 most important (please turn this list in when you turn in your response). Now that you have a few things to focus on in your writing, it’s time to start.

This is where we get to the new spin on an old question. I want you to pretend that you found a letter you had written to yourself. The catch is, this letter is dated 10 years in the future! That’s right, I am asking you to write yourself a letter from the future. In this letter, I want your future self to tell your current self about your life. Use the five things you have marked off from your brainstorming to help you discuss your future life. This letter is an opportunity to talk about what is important to you in life and whether the things that you think are important now will still be important in the future. Some questions you may consider asking yourself to help guide your writing may be: What has changed in my life? Have my priorities changed? What is my job/career? Who are the important people in my future life? What is valuable to me?

I would like you to write this letter to yourself. Don’t worry about using the biggest words you can think of, or the most complex thoughts. Think hard about yourself; what is important to you and how that can change in 10 years. Take your time and feel free to rewrite if your first draft isn’t your best. All writers revise—even the published type. I have posted a sample start of a letter on the discussion board to give you an option for formatting. Feel free to post any questions you may have there, on my wall, or send me a message (I check my FB most days). Remember, your response is due to me on Wednesday by the end of the day. Be creative and have fun!

Response 2:
goals:
get a degree in something
do a drum corp for at least a year
moved out and on my own
teach music
be married

Dear Jesse,
I never would of thought I would have it so great. I can think back and remember not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, but look at me now, it's all set in. I have a steady, well paying job that I love, teaching kids music. I have a wife that is a wonderful and gorgeous woman. It's a lovely world being in a warm state, I hate the cold. So far the best experience was marching drum corp two years back. I learned so many valuable lessons and loved the environment and the people I met. It is nice being 28, I never thought growing up would be a good thing. I love going to our cottage just north of here, I knew I would regret agreeing with my parent to sell ours when I was younger. Well I got to run, me and the Mrs. are going on a date. Make sure when you get to this day you bring an umbrella, it's raining.
Yourself,
Jesse Paremski

Prompt 3:
This week, we are going to take a slightly different approach to the journal writing. Instead of writing about a completely different topic, or a question I pose, I would like you to go back to one of the journals that you have submitted previously and take the time to edit and revise your writing and resubmit it. Basically, I would like you to take one of the journal writings, look at the comments I made, and take some time to address both those comments and any inspiration you may get from going back to your writing. Add information where I asked questions, or take one of the stories that you started to write about and expand upon it.

I know this prompt is very open to interpretation; if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or post on the wall. Also, feel free to post your journal as a response to this discussion post if you are comfortable. If not, we can stick to using the messages. Remember the post is due by Wednesday night, so if you need any help at all, make sure you give me time to respond. Happy writing!

Note: There must be significant change made from the original piece. If you feel this is not possible, please contact me for advice/suggestions.

Response 3:
Dear Jesse,
I never would have thought I would have it so great. I can think back and remember not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, but look at me now, it's all set in. I have a steady, well paying job that I love, teaching kids music. I have a wife that is a wonderful and gorgeous woman. It's a lovely world being in a warm state, I hate the cold. So far the best experience was marching drum corp two years back. I learned so many valuable lessons and loved the environment and the people I met. Turning a group of people in a drumline into a family.Even thought meeting deadlines was stressfull, and the noise was tremendous, I learned how to work as a team, and become friends with just about anyone. Now that I am older these lessons have been very helpful because when your get older, you have to meet new people and sometimes, you have to like them even if you don't want to. It is nice being 28 though, I never thought growing up would be a good thing. I knew once I grew up I would be able to make my own decisions. Some were bad, but some where good, like buying our new cottage, our home away from home. It is just north of here, I knew I would regret agreeing with my parent to sell ours when I was younger. On long trips I was always bored as a child. If I would of known that when I got older I would love the rainy spring nights, and the calm of the lake, I would have held on to that cabin for dear life. Well I have to run, me and the Mrs. are going on a date. Make sure when you get to this day you bring an umbrella, it's raining.
Yourself,
Jesse Paremski