Earth Spirit – Carlos Nakai Flute Evokes Feelings

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

Students were asked to write what they felt as well as what they saw. Notice that with feelings there are more similarities than with images. A good question to ask adult ESL students is why emotional responses are more alike than image responses.

I feel a little cold because of the weather. It makes me think many things and feel strange. Marvin

I can associate this with other experiences that I had receiving therapeutic massage. They used to use the same kind of music combined with relaxing sounds. Carlos

It seems so familiar and a little sad to me. The peaceful melody calms me down. Ting

It’s like I’m dreaming, but after a few minutes I feel a little bit sad. Latifa

The common feelings are security, appreciation and peace. This music gives me positive energy. Yuko

I can feel relaxed and nostalgic. I’d like to listen to this music before I go to bed,
I guess I can get rid of my daily stress and sleep very well. Izumi

The music makes my mind clear and relaxed. Mayumi

I feel that his sound is for my heart gently. Setsuko

When I listen to this music I feel peaceful. It is like I just woke up and opened the window of my bedroom. Clara

Feelings of peace, comfort, community, always in a circle. The life circle in song.
Listening makes you a member of the circle. Feelings of peace. Camille

Earth Spirit – Carlos Nakai Flute Evokes Images

Posted on September 24, 2011 by admin

No study of Native American culture is complete without the inspirational sounds of Navajo flutist Carlos Nakai.

The music evokes images from our collective unconscious and sets up a friendly environment for new students. Here are some images that emerged from a half hour of listening and writing:

I am in a vast plain and wild nature and I can see wild animals too. Mayumi

I imagine as if he and I are in bamboo grove and he has been playing only for me. Setsuko

I can see a town with hills and many trees. I can see the sun showing up. Clara

The sky of sunset, a flight of birds return to their nests. The little town is becoming darker and darker. I hurry to go home from a secret field. Yuko

All creatures are breathing calmly, and the earth is holding them gently. Yukiko

A dignified view in Moabu, Arizona: It is an indigenous settlement. An eagle of the sky, red rocks on the red field and wind. Yuko

There are many trees with fresh green leaves and a little bit mist like a fantasy story. I can’t see any stream, but I can hear comfortable spring water running down out of the mountain. Tomoka

I see an Indian standing alone in a wide field. It’s the time of sunset. An Indian is looking far away, he is thinking of someone special who he cannot meet anymore. Yumi

River with an icy stream; chirping birds at dawn, green vegetation, endless plain, pouring rain, gathered people, farewell to a death warrior, fire in a dark night. Hermogenes

People are in a religious ceremony practicing their rituals and presenting a beautiful girl as a sacrifice to their believed God. People are wearing some feathers, accessories, and different colors. Latifa

Images that I see are the Twin Towers falling down, people crying because they have lost their family. Marvin

Michiyo even wrote a short, short story…

A man is in a mountain range, in a cold air, talking to condors about his feeling. He just lost his loved one, he feels so sorry and alone, but also feels her soul somewhere around him. It is early in the morning, between the mountains, you can see the sky in the east is growing white. He feels hope from that, he feels the energy from the earth. He thinks he is going to live with his way because his life was given by nature. Everybody around him knows lives are precious, and they are part of nature. He says,”Condor, what do you see? You might see my love’s soul. If so, I want you to fly me up.”

The morning after…

Posted on September 11, 2011 by admin

A Day of Tragedy
When I got up this morning, I wanted to believe yesterday’s happening was a nightmare. But when I turned on the TV the news was still going on. What a horrendous affair it is. It is beyond human expectation. I can’t believe such people exist; they cause terrible tragedy.

When I think of the innocent people involved I am very sad. They felt fear and were suffering. Nobody could help. I’m so sorry. There are so many victims. Around victims, many times that number of families and friends. One day changed everyone’s life.Enormous numbers of people will need mental care. Not only victims, but also ordinary people in the US won’t keep their usual peaceful life. I’m afraid of the future. U.S. has been number one, its authority and dignity was destroyed so I feel the U.S. is likely to take revenge. I only hope another war won’t happen. Miyuki M.(Japan)

I feel so sad and my heart cries about ordinary people.
Many children will wait for their mother and father, but will never see them.
Never will mother kiss her baby.
This is a national mourning.
This is a world mourning.
This is a mourning for each of us.
All people woke up on a day of tragedy,
said good morning, but no one supposed
what the sunrise would bring.
The city under horror.
The city under smoke.
The city under a stream of fear and vulnerability.
All the world quaked from this tragedy.
All the world is in shock.
It is a terrible real-life movie
Who is the film director?
But American people have hope in their hearts.
They must be strong and have faith for the future.
God bless America.
Svetlana K. (Russia)

Day of Surprise
It seems to be a normal day for everybody; a day of routine. People going to work, traders making deals, air traffic running normal, but surprise. At 8:45 a plane crashes into one of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. What seems to be at the beginning an accident turns out to be a terrorist attack. A few minutes after another plane crashes into the second tower. Then the horror begins. People running in different directions for their lives. Journalists covering the scene. But yesterday something really shocked me. I saw people jumping out of the windows. Then I stopped and thought what was going through their minds? How was their state of mind? And I thought did they have to choose how to die: jumping out of the window or letting the flames reduce you to ashes? Jiovanny (Ecuador)

Ten years ago at 9:00AM, I was…

Posted on September 11, 2011 by admin

Ten years ago at 9:00 a.m. I was in my classroom in Port Chester, N.Y. teaching English to 20+ foreign born adults as these New Yorkers gazed up into the lower Manhattan skyline speechless and forever changed….

I notice Jose, the computer instructor, standing silently in the doorway of my classroom. Walkman in hand, “What’s going on, Jose?”
”A plane just crashed into the Twin Towers.”
”What plane, a small plane?”
”I don’t know. No, I don’t think it was a small plane.”
“O.K. Well, let me know what’s happening. I’ll be down during the break.”

My students barely notice the exchange. The classroom is productively noisy with different accents asking and answering questions. The clear September morning is alive with the sounds of English.

It’s 9:30 and we take our break. Several students go outside to the coffee truck. I remember to check with Jose about the plane, it had almost slipped my mind.

“Another plane crashed into the Twin Towers.” now Jose looks worried. Two other teachers are with him listening to the radio in the school office.
“A second plane? The Twin Towers?” Are you sure? It must be a mistake. Two planes, that’s no accident. What’s going on?”

By this time many students are gathered at the office door, some visibly alarmed. My students look at me, I look back at them.

“Do you want to leave? Do you want to go home? I’ll stay as long as I think we should, but
maybe you should go…”
Most of them are already out the door. I stand in silence looking from the door to the office.
I walk with the few remaining students back to our classroom. We want to be together so
we talk. I have no memory of what we do or say from that time until class ends at 11:15………….

The next day my students return to my class. We are still afraid, confused.
We discover that one of the new students Noriko Tanaka, has lost her husband. She is in the city looking for him.
We talk about what we can do to help. We talk and talk…
It isn’t enough…We need to write!

Some of those writings are in the next blog. They were published in our local newspaper
a few weeks after that terrible Tuesday which wasn’t called nine-eleven yet.

What I did on my summer vacation……

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin

In case you didn’t notice…I’ve been on vacation all summer.
And what a vacation it was!

When I was a child I always dreaded writing the traditional first day back composition…”What I did on my summer vacation.” Not this year!

This is what I did on my summer vacation.
My husband Lou Del Bianco and I went on a 4200 mile road trip from Port Chester, N.Y. to Davenport, Iowa to Mount Rushmore, to Joplin, Missouri to Springfield, Illinois and back to Port Chester.

We found daily inspiration in our 12 day odyssey of family and history and culture and companionship.

When we returned to our hometown, we saw four wonderful theater productions sponsored by the Port Chester Arts Council which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and in which Lou, my family and I have been involved forever. Our community is blessed with exceptional talent in all age categories.

In late July and August I spent lots of quallity time with my first great grand child, Samantha, daughter of my granddaughter Christina and her husband Brian. Samantha already has a performer’s charisma and she brings us together in laughter and love.

Sammie’s grandmother, my daughter Denise and my daughters, Diane and Dana, and I spent a first-ever weekend alone together in Newport, R.I. in celebration of my landmark birthday. It was a time I will cherish forever and which we hope to repeat…same time next year.

Finally, Lou and I collaborated on our first book, “In The Shadow of The Mountain: Luigi’s Story” We finished the first draft last week and hope to find a publisher for this unique story of Lou’s grandfather, Luigi Del Bianco,an Italian immigrant who was chief carver on Mount Rushmore from 1933-1940.

Lou was invited to present Luigi’s story at Mount Rushmore this year; the first time since 1941 that visitors and staff at the memorial heard it. The response was so positive and encouraging that we felt compelled to put ”Luigi’s Story” in print. If you want a sneak preview of what it’s about, go to LuigiMountRushmore.com.

That’s what I did on my summer vacation.

May I speak? again?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by admin

Who isn’t an immigrant?
This is a good viewpoint for Americans to hear. All of our ancestors moved to America from other countries a long time ago. Kazuko

They (Americans) don’t know their descendency. They think because they were born in the USA, it makes them Americans. Yes, it does, but they don’t have any relationship with native people who are 100% American people. Felix

Early or late their ancestors came here as immigrants, but they forgot that point and some of them treat immigrants bad just for being immigrants. Everybody is an immigrant in USA. Look back at American History. Tomoka

Most of the Americans who treat immigrant people in a bad way tend to forget that their roots were immigrants too. So it is very difficult for them to let us have equal rights. But it is not because they can’t, it is because they want to keep us under the shadows. They know if we get equal rights then we would want to ask for more benefits. That’s one of the issues they would have to deal with and of course, it would hurt their pockets Humberto

If Americans go back 2-3 generations, they were all immigrants. But they forget or ignore it and treat new immigrants badly. It’s inconsistency. I think it’s the bad side of humans that tries to protect their own vested rights.This speech cleared the unfairness and inconsistency that every immigrant feels inside. Yuko

Immigrant people deserve to be listened to because it’s in the law. Everyone has freedom of speech even if you have papers or not. The same way we would like to speak and be listened to, they deserve the same respect. Janaina

With or without papers we are still all the same and sometimes better because we help them to keep this country working and making more opportunities for new generations, many kinds. Pedro

All I know is that in this country everybody has the same opportunity to excel. If you are a good worker that’s for sure you are going to achieve many things and you will feel comfortable with yourself. Also, we know that this country was
built by immigrants. Hermogenes

May I speak?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by admin

“May I speak?
I’ve got to say something!
All the people here are hard workers and you just tell us that our situation is changing. But we are still in the same condition.
We don’t want more lies and long speeches. We want better money and better conditions in our jobs. We have rights and we are going to fight for them. I know what you’re going to tell me… that some of us are immigrants. But who isn’t an immigrant?
It’s true that some of us don’t have papers to work, but we work very hard and our earnings are lower than others just because we don’t have papers
and don’t speak such good English.

Listen, we speak the universal language – hard work. In this country we are supposed to have equality of opportunity and that’s just what we’re looking for, that this equality comes true.”

This timely monologue inspired by Norman Rockwell’s Freedom of Speech painting was written by Mexican immigrant Luis Hernandez in 2001 and performed in a show called DreamAmerica which our ESL class wrote and presented for Southern Westchester BOCES Adult Literacy students and audiences in our home community of Port Chester, New York.

Unable to become “documented” Luis returned to Mexico and continues to use his excellent command of English in Mexico’s thriving tourist industry.

Luis’s dream of becoming an actor in the U.S.was in fact briefly fulfilled during the performances of DreamAmerica.

Yesterday I asked members of my ESL4-5 class to read Luis’s monologue aloud several times, then to choose a line that best speaks to today’s immigrant “situation”. In this blog and the one that follows, these thoughtful and dedicated students speak for all immigrants with the honesty and reality that many of us never hear.

This man started the speech with “May I speak?” because Americans don’t expect that immigrants raise their voices. And never even think that they are treated unfairly…”Hello! Why don’t you realize we are working hard, harder than you. We are human beings, same as you…We are same.” Michiyo

“We speak the universal language, hard work”
It doesn’t matter where you are from, what language you speak,
the important thing is to contribute in some way and help the country…
Immigrants come to the USA because they want a better life and they know that if they want to get it they have to work.Then let them improve themselves: the language and their status” Ines

How to make our employer accept our working? By working more and more than what they expect. So, we come here for helping you, not making trouble. That’s why Americans should listen to us . Cookie

Mothers Forever

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

What does being a mother mean? This Mother’s Day I have a new perspective: I’ve become a great grandmother.My granddaughter Christina is a brand new mommy to sweet Samantha, my daughter Denise, an adoring grandmother…
In this life-affirming time, I asked my students to describe their mothers. They did so with joy, nostalgia and great passion.

I’m just like my mother. She is thin with straight short black hair. My mother is a person who loves to cook for her family. She always looks nice, she likes to dress well. She is always behind me, to see how I am. She is a lovely person who spent most of her time with the love of her life, her parents.

My grandmother who is 88 years old, raised nine kids. Both of them (my mother and my grandmother) are the most important persons of my life. Because of them I am the person I am right now. I just hope one day, I can be like them. Ines

To My Mom: I began to know love with you. You gave me the first food of your breast.The first sound that I heard was your heart sound. The first smile I looked from you. I remember when I was sick at midnight, when I opened my eyes with fever, I saw your kind eyes worried for me. You tried to have a smile and I remember after that I slept very soon. When I review my life, I see your presence every moment in my life and now continues to my whole family. I learned from you how to love everybody and give to everybody.I live with you every moment.Thank you for everything. Navid

Her name is Tania. She was born during a bad time in Brazil called dictadura.That’s why when she was 13 my grandmother and her two daughters moved to Uruguay and lived there for 8 years. After that she went back to Brazil and met my father when she was 21. Three years later they got married and they’re still together today for 23 years. Everybody says that I look like her. I feel very pleased because I think she is beautiful. She is everything for me. I will die for her if I have a chance to save her from something.
I love her. Thamires

To My Mother
She was and she will be my shield
in my sadness,
in my loneliness.
When I feel in the dark,
she brightens the darkness.
We’re walking side by side,
she is my guide.
When I feel lost,
she gives me strength
in my weakness.
She puts a smile in my lips
even when my heart is crying.
She puts love in my heart
when I feel hatred.
She is pure love.
She is my love.
She is my mother. Felix

I can remember my mother when I was a child, she used to celebrate my birthdays every year. She was always busy doing something at home even though she had to work in a hospital. She always had time for me, patient and sweet with tenderness in her heart. She always wanted the best for me and she advised me how to be a good son and deal with my future life. She taught me how to be a good student…She is the best mother in the world. Hermogenes

The best of our writing workshop Part II

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Go beyond ordinary ways of thinking and doing:
Each day in our lives is a lesson. I want to benefit from everything I’m doing now through hard work, study,enjoying my life and my family. Each day is a new day where you can add new things. When this day is gone, it never will be back; each day is unique. Unfortunately, a lot of people, especially in South America,don’t want to grow up, to be
successful. I think now is the time that the young people have to change. Noelia

I would like to go beyond ordinary ways of thinking and doing because it might be amazing to create new ideas and share with everybody so in that process I can learn more about others. I might be able to express myself about what I got in that moment of inspiration: that could be fiction; new ideas about the future; painting; way of living; or improving our environment. I think it’s an interesting way to learn and get better by ourself. Also I can say
some people do this to create new concepts for business and to make money doing innovation for specific products in the market. Hermogenes

Concentrate on something challenging for a long period of time.
When I was a child, no, not only in my childhood but only when I was younger (before having my sons) I was a person who never stayed long with anything.
Never. About anything.
More than fifteen years ago I met “English”. I had learned it at school for a long time, but it was my worst favorite subject. I thought: “I am Japanese, why do I have to learn English?”A little later I realized how wonderful learning something is.
Once I knew it, I was getting into it more and more. I couldn’t imagine these days: I live in America and enjoy talking with people in English (even if far from perfect English) and I can’t believe I came this far away. It was not a challenge for me, but only challenging to do something for a long time, to love it or not to love it was the key.
If you love to do something, you can do anything. This is the same about a person;
you can do anything for him/her. And always vice versa. Michiyo

The best of our writing workshop…Spring 2011 Part I

Posted on April 25, 2011 by admin

Assignment: Interpret the six ways a person can ”think like an artist”…

1. “Look at things more closely than most people.”
Artists have the capacity to see things without eyes. They see things in the deepening of their being and understand the realityof life in different aspects. They don’t see things, they feel things. They don’t need knowledge to see things, they have wisdom to see things. They don’t use the mind to understand things, they use the heart for understanding the beauty of things. And when this process happens they feel absolute happiness. We have the same potential, but we must practice every time, every where and then we will enjoy seeing everything because the light of our lives will be on. Raul

2.”Take risks, expose yourself to possible failure.”
Sometimes I don’t care if something is going to be perfect, I just try to have a good time. I like to do different things, to enjoy my time and not worry what is going to happen after. Obviously, I don’t always get it right. For example, when I was a child I was climbing something really big. I was the only one that went that far. But I couldn’t handle it anymore and I fell down and I broke my arm in three parts and I remember that really hurt. I like the risks sometimes because Im young, I have to make new experiences in my life. I think if you are always in the same thing, in a routine, your life becomes boring. Janaina

Why? Because life is a risk. Every day is different from the other day. Every day we need to live like it is the last day of your life. When we have some new project, we shall do it although we might have failure. But we need to stand up like warriors in the war. We need to fight each war in life. It’s better for us. Simon

There is one saying, “who doesn’t take risks, doesn’t win”. Even if I know that I won’t win in
something or that I will have failure I will do it no matter if I expose myself like a bad writer.
My idea, my goal, is to make a book of poems and I will.
Where are my risks? Probably that people won’t like it or maybe because now in this era
the young people don’t like to read poems. But it is my satisfaction that will make me happy. There are many people with good ideas, but with the phantom of failure they don’t take any risks. Others because it is hard for them to become losers. But the people who take risks, even if they lose they are big winners. This is another way to learn something
about life. These experiences can be good teaching for the young people. Felix.

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