A Small-Town Girl Heads to Nashville
by Krista Bruggeman, Lennox Public School
On a blustery day in November two small town girls from South Dakota—myself from Lennox, and my friend and fellow teacher-consultant Karen Rahn from Rutland, set out for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Our destination was not Opryland or the Country Music Hall of Fame, but instead the National Writing Project. We were both first-timers, virgins if you will, of the National Writing Project, and we had no idea what to expect. Would two South Dakota girls be worthy of this experience?
At the Marriot Convention Center, where the majority of the conference took place, there was a whirlwind of activity—excited chatter, hustle and bustle, tables of books and pamphlets, and plenty of eager teachers from all different places and backgrounds ready to get started. Karen and I went our separate ways in search of answers to our most important question—what could we do to help our writing project succeed? I am happy to report that all of my sessions—Developing Teacher-Consultants, Young Writer’s Projects and Rural Networking—provided valuable information, as well as new acquaintances! The great thing about educators is that you never have to worry about long bouts of awkward silence or strained conversation. No matter where a teacher is from, they have stories to tell, questions to ask and advice to give.
At the end of our first full day, Karen and I once again called a taxi to deliver us back to our motel. Throughout the day, when asked
where we were from, we often received the genuine surprised look and the comment of, “South Dakota, really?” The most priceless moment, however, came from out taxi driver. He casually asked where we were from, and when we replied, he turned around, flipped on the dome light, and checked us out like prize pigs at the local county fair. His first comment was, “I ain’t ever seen anyone from South Dakota before! I have to take a closer look!”
I assured him that we looked like everyone else, and that we did not have horns growing out of our heads. Taking the opportunity to get one over on him, I explained that the state of South Dakota does not often let us out due to decreasing population concerns, and that we wear tracking devices to ensure our return. After we finished teasing him a bit, he also inquired why we did not speak like the people in the movie Fargo. Once the geography lessons were finished, however, he was a fun, friendly guy who offered his services to us for the rest of the trip.
While I learned important information in my specific sessions, the general session, “Writing for a Change,” offered some of the most
fascinating information. For instance, there are currently 73,000 writing programs offered each year throughout the United States. In 2005 alone, over 3,000 teachers attended the summer institutes, meaning that 2.9% of the teaching force is touched by the National Writing Project in a single year. In the past five years, 48% more sites were added. An impact is being made by the National Writing Project in the field of education, and the message is being spread that writing is transformative, and the writing for real audiences makes communication much more powerful.
The most powerful speaker was Sheridan Blau. He was a passionate, funny and informative speaker that made everyone sit up and
take notice. He stated that the writing project transformed his career, and that he has found that writing is the best and most reliable tool for learning. Sharing writing and receiving that crucial feedback is a fundamental belief that he shared with our audience. He truly believes that writing cannot only make crucial changes for an individual, but for an entire community as well. Finally, he drove the point home of why the National Writing Project and all of the state projects are so fundamentally important: teachers are the best teachers of other teachers.
Overall, I found the experience to be extremely rewarding and informative. I returned to my classroom with renewed vigor to inspire more and better writing from my students, and to continue learning myself. Nashville was a fun place, and the people were incredibly hospitable. Don’t get me started on the food—it was fabulous, especially the seafood. While I did not have a lot of time to see the sights, I did experience some amazing rockabilly music in downtown Nashville. Also, I did make it over to the Opryland resort, newly decorated for Christmas, and it was beautiful to say the least. Two girls from South Dakota did survive Nashville, and more importantly, Nashville survived us! I am looking forward to next year’s adventure in New York City. I wonder what the cab drivers there will think?
