Mahoganie facilitating a creative writing workshop with sixth grade students
Ok I know I’ve lost my mind now. Aside from concocting an idea that I’m going to do a twerk video to the song “Vibrate” by Petey Pablo and team up with Miley Cyrus to go on a tour world wide, I’m writing a blog post on “Scandal” night when the show is only an hour and thirty minutes from coming on.
Side note: Don’t worry about the twerking thing. My friends won’t let me be great with this, so I scraped the idea.
Yeah I’m bonkers for this, because the show is so addictive and I can’t miss not a single line of the fast talking dialogue or the actual action in the scene. If I blink or turn away I WILL miss something and it would take me ten minutes too long to figure out the missing piece. Yet, I have a lot of nervous energy going on over here and I don’t know what to do with it. The energy is coming from two things I have coming forth. One is pretty much done. I’m waiting on it’s run to share with the masses. The other….actually I probably will do a follow up tomorrow about it. I’ve been keeping tabs on something that caught a major publication’s eye. At last follow up, the meeting that was suppose to take place in the first week of April hasn’t yet. That meeting is key.
So as I’m in limbo I’ve already completed another assignment for Monarch’s summer issue and………wait for it…………..I’ve been invited to do another career day.
Last year I had the honor to participate in a career day at a local elementary school where my aunt works. My aunt told the administrators and staff at the school about her wonderful niece (blushes) and I was asked to speak to a group of third and fifth graders. I thought I would have some fourth graders too, but there was a switch in the schedule. Going in, I thought the fifth graders, being older, would really grasp and enjoy my presentation. However, by the time I saw them it was after lunch, close to the end of the school day and those kids just wanted out to enjoy the summer like day. Who could blame them? Although, I will say they were curious about a story I did for the Washington City Paper about a local Safeway’s health inspection report and the details of the inspection I wrote into my article. Still, it was the third graders that were really attentive and listened. I was asked so many (really good) questions about being a journalist and a writer, that when my time was up I didn’t want to leave and they didn’t want me to go.
This year the third grade teacher asked for me specifically. I’m excited, but as always I fret over about what I will discuss that will catch and keep the attention of the young minds. I love doing stuff like this; connecting with the youth and sharing my talents. Though I don’t consider myself a (classroom) teacher, I enjoy exposing young minds to creative literature and techniques in writing as well as showing them my journalistic side. It’s amazing to see first-hand a child who is trying to come into their own creative mode. I’m still blown away by the works of the sixth grade boys I volunteered with for three years. Who would have thought that at the age of 11 and 12 they would dig below the surface and expose their fears and insecurities about assimilating into American culture, share their goals in life and reflect on who they are and where they are from.
A year ago, I applied to teach a part time journalism course at a fairly new charter media school here in D.C. I did receive a call about coming in for an interview, but by the time the message was delivered to me it was too late. I was crushed. It hurt because when I finally did receive the message, I had to wait out the weekend to return the call. In that time my mind raced with the kind of curriculum I would deliver. I had quizzes and activities planned. I was super excited. I knew my stuff. I knew I would be fine. However, a matter of 24 hours (the time that lapsed from when the message was left and later delivered) sealed my fate as the school moved forward with another candidate.
Eventually I wrote it off as another “it wasn’t meant for me,” but months later in mustering up courage to create my own position or path… I reached out to one of my old stomping grounds; my old elementary/junior high school. I have to admit I sort of dropped the ball on this as I started out in a gung ho mode to create a journalism teaching position. The principal was open and at last contact I was to do a proposal (no real deadline given). I started the proposal and never finished. It wasn’t my intention to leave it open. I eventually became busy with other projects and assignments as they rolled in. I have guilty conscience about not giving an update. Actually, I should first thing tomorrow.
Needless to say, I always felt that with all that I have, I have a duty to share and serve my community. I always felt it seems pretty selfish to have gifts and talents and not lend your hand to uplift or encourage others within your realm or even if you dare and capable….outside of it as well. An article I read in The Atlantic, pretty much proves this point to be right. The gist of the article; having ambition is good, but does what you aim to do in life serve others and help you cultivate stronger bonds and ties with family, friends and your community? If not, more than likely your ambition is off-base and is self serving and your well-being is shot.
As I’m working on creating a business website, I finally wrote a concrete bio that I also share (its abbreviated version) on my About Me splash page. As a journalist… a writer… all I want to do is tell stories of life experiences.
Actually…. the dearly departed journalist Lynne Duke expressed it best on how I feel. Duke was an editor and writer at the Washington Post. She was the wife of the former Department of Journalism Chair at Howard University, Phillip Dixon; who I got to know when I returned to school. Duke and I actually had a brief exchange via email before she retired. I applied for a columnist position within the Style Section. I was rejected, but not before Duke offered some advice. I was heartbroken to learn of her passing a couple of weeks ago. I damn near wept when I read a quote I discovered as I read her obituary.
“I have always felt most at home as a journalist, for I believe that the practice of journalism isn’t worth much unless one believes in its power to do good. So, I have often sought stories where some good was needed, where with luck, my journalism could bring change to someone’s hard life.” – Lynne Duke
Amen…. Amen….
And now… time for “Scandal”
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
Posted on May 2, 2013
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