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List of Nothing in Particular Essay

Lessons that came with an “Ouch!”

Renee Jones

Final Draft

22 February 2012

I am sure there is some really great quote out there about how the scars on our bodies tell the stories of our lives, but I

am too lazy to Google said quote. You have to admit it is an interesting notion though. I don’t think I have enough time nor

would you want to hear all the stories about scars or memories of adventures that I should probably be scarred from, but I have

had some fairly significant experiences where I learned something through (sometimes) an extreme amount of physical pain.

There have been scrapes and scratches, and bruises and broken bones (not always mine) that have really laid the track for the

extreme thrill ride that is my life.

So now that this paper sounds like I have lived my life as a punching bag or a crash test dummy for the world, let me

explain my list. I can easily trace back all my biggest life changing moments to some sort of adventure, if you will. I don’t

believe in mistakes. And I typically don’t like to look behind at where I have been. But sometimes in order to move forward

and, for your sake as the reader of my tale, a little retrospect is needed and as trite as my life lessons may seem, they are

lessons that everyone learns along the way—I just have a unique way of remembering exactly what they are.

I grew up in a small suburb west of St. Louis. Where isn’t really necessary for this tale, so I invite you to imagine

wherever you would like. I was quite the strange child. I never found the aspect of talking or make a big commotion a priority.

Ok, you got me; I am probably the walking definition of a loner. I did however always find the time to come out of my shell

and play with the neighborhood kids during the summer months and this is the first of my scratches and bruises. I lost my first

tooth playing street hockey against the kids three blocks over and most notably I gave my parents the biggest scare of all by

flipping over my handlebars onto a passing car. Oops….you want to talk about bruises. It was in those moments of bleeding,

honking horns, and just general parental freak outs that I learned the importance of looking both ways and always keeping my

head up. Really, you never can tell what’s just around the corner.

As any good set of parents believes, a team sport gives a kid confidence. Ok, well in my parents case it was just to get

me to make friends and that is why they deposited me every Tuesday night at a soccer field. Yes, I learned one of life’s most

important lessons chasing a ball up and down a field and trying to figure out why 70 percent of the time I hit the dang crossbar

instead of the back of the net. (Frustrating, but really that could be a good analogy for life…) Alright so not to brag, but I was

good. I played on select teams and have more duffel bags and uniforms to prove it. My dad always preached at me to more

aggressive on the field. I was supposed to take no prisoners and he wanted me to be able to tackle anyone at any time. It wasn’t

rare to hear my dad yell out to me “Give ‘em hell, Kid” throughout soccer matches. You could say I kind of got annoyed

hearing it so one day I decided to do just that: I, Renee Lynn Jones, broke a girl’s leg.

It was intentional, that I cannot deny (although if you were ask me to say this aloud I would do just that!). This poor

girl (she was more like a giant when compared to my eight year old likeness…) literally made me eat turf a few times and I just

got tired of it. And for probably the first time in my young life, I decided to do something about it. And it was in those moments

of the femur cracking in two places and the bone protruding through the skin that I learned for the first time the satisfaction of

being able to stand up for myself. Were there better ways to learn this lesson? Probably; but it felt good. It was a euphoric high

that swallowed me like a bug. And while I find ways to feel that way again, I do try to stay away from causing any physical

harm on others around me. (But trust me, watching the video and remembering the look on my dad’s face will always make me

smile.)

Maybe it was in those moments of my youth that I learned those lessons that are important but I never learned much

about who I was and where I fit in with this crazy world until it was almost all taken away. January 3, 2011. My date with

destiny. My one moment where I saw the end. It was all about “roll credits!” that day. Ok…that may be a little overdramatic.

But here is what went down: While driving home from work and thinking about how badly I needed to get a car wash, I was

the unfortunate “middle of the Oreo cookie” or “the cream in the Twinkie” (whichever delicious snack you prefer). I still to

this day remember sitting in my non-moving car (what a surprise, highway 44 was a parking lot) and watching the tan Ford

Crown Victoria slam into me going 70 miles per hour and just thinking “Wow, he isn’t going to stop”. I could tell you about

all the different bruises, scrapes, and cuts I received that afternoon. (I mean they were absolute works of art!) I could tell you

all about how fast an airbag does deploy from its home inside your steering wheel, but those aren’t life lessons.

What I can tell you about is how in those few moments where things were pure and utter chaos is how I decided that if

that was my last day I had failed myself. I was a microbiologist and in my last twelve weeks of my master’s program and I was

disappointed in who I was and what I had done with life. That was the toughest pill I ever had to swallow. I had no idea what

to do with myself. And so I just decided that it was time I did what I wanted. It’s a hard lesson to learn at any age. And it’s the

one lesson that I think many people never truly learn. I learned in those moments to put aside all that “great” advice I had been

given and all those expectations that had been heaped on me since childhood and use my passion as my compass.

Now before you get all excited and think “Wow! This girl just walked away from everything she knew that day.” Let

me explain that an immense amount of thought, tears, and candy and Dorrito's binges went into starting over. I did finish my

master’s degree and graduated with a perfect GPA and I did stay at my job for as long as I could stand it (and long enough to

pay for a trip to London, England). But there is more to it than that.

My whole life I have been that weird kid that sits in the front of room and hides behind her hair. I was that freak kid

that was in calculus in middle school and who spent her evenings throughout out all four years of high school taking college

courses at the local community college. I was one of those people that everyone just assumes is going to be a doctor and find

the cure for cancer or something. I never had the desire to follow that path but imagine my surprise when I started my first

round of college as a pre-med major. No really…I did. And really…it didn’t even last a full semester.

Looking back now I think I was such a fool for not becoming an English major. I just felt like that going to wind up

with me falling short of my overly-exaggerated potential. No one wants to disappoint their parents or other family members,

but figuring out how you can please yourself and live up to their hype is not an easy thing to do. I graduated with decent grades

with a dual major in Biology and Chemistry. (Ok so the degree I actually received is a bit longer and more complicated, but

honestly who really cares?) Needless to say my lack of excitement for looking at organisms under a microscope and testing

pharmaceuticals to make sure they were safe for human use did exactly lead to overall life satisfaction. Not to mention the

many run-ins I had with open flames, cuts from broken glass (a few experiments gone awry), and being stuck by syringes filled

with various pharmaceuticals.

By now you have to be asking “Why exactly is she rambling on about all this?” Well I will tell you. I have always held

such a deep and strong passion for the arts, literature, and writing. There is nothing I would rather do than lay around and

become completely absorbed in John Steinbeck and pick apart how he writes and what he is actually saying. I love to write.

Sitting down to write is one of my favorite ways to relieve stress and something that has always come naturally to me. I have a

blog (that is so infrequently updated it’s almost not worth having) that I like to use as a way to tell the page-turner that is my

life. I even have code names for the people that occasionally float in and out of it.

I love the arts. I danced for 18 years (my toes are even scarred from many years performing en Pointe!). I love that the

emotion and feelings that writers put into their words can be expressed through the various ballets. I love sculpture and

painting. While I cannot even draw a proper stick figure, according to my high school art teacher, I love to visually see how

others can interpret a piece of writing. I am enamored by how everything works together and creates a big picture where print,

dance, music, and paint come together to present something so much bigger than just the words on a piece of condensed

carbon.

I truly find that life is just a collection of bruises and broken bones that lay a roadmap for learning the lessons that drive

everyone throughout life. I have scars from where I left the top shelf of the oven a little too close to the top coil (never

underestimate the safety of an oven mitt) and I have scars from that poison ivy plant that overtook my blackberries one

summer (ok so they were the neighbor’s and my mom told me I got what I deserved for helping myself). I have memories of

bruises from where I decided that I was going to be a showoff and try to jump from the deck to the pool (dumb, just plain dumb

and failing was the fastest way to look “uncool”) and then there is the scar from where I decided one day during my first

undergraduate degree that I was going to sign up to be on the bone marrow donor list. (The one day I learned that sometimes

if you truly want to help others in pain you have to go through a little yourself.)

This list is not complete and I don’t think it ever will be. For me, that’s the beauty of it all—I can keep doing

unintelligent things, I can keep giving up a few small pieces of myself, I can continue to make decisions that are mine alone, or

I can simply just keep being the unlucky one that is in the wrong place at the wrong time. I look at the lessons I have learned

not with regret or even delight. Life is full of obstacles--a bruise or a scar I can handle; sometimes the lessons can do me in.

Symbolism, Themes, and Epic Battles of Literature

English 9-12

R. Jones

Spring 2012

Overview

Rationale: Literature is such a unique art form. The themes that run through all published literature are global and universal. They have a

tendency to make classic literature stay relevant. It is hard for some students to identify with and enjoy what is considered classic

literature. Learning how and seeing how common themes are present in the classics and the books they are reading today will be able to

introduce and hopefully inspire a broader range of topics and open new avenues of books to fall in to.

Summary: Students will share and create inventive presentations that will present and teach the themes of literature and how they are

present in The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies. The students will need to be able to conceptualize and analyze the text and how the

author goes about incorporating these themes in their writing which the students will then be able to present to others in their class.

Objectives:

+Work with peers and utilize relationships to produce a creative and innovative final product.

+Work with different types of media (art, computers, etc.)

+Develop relationships with others

+Use critical thinking skills to develop a unique proposal and final project

+Utilize time management and organization skills

Length: The unit will take 3 weeks or 15-55 minute class periods.

Materials:

School: Computer access, publishing software, printer paper, chalk, chalkboard, individual copies of novels

Teacher: Student Handout, listening materials, reading excerpts

Students: Creativity, Style, Paper, Writing Utensils

Formative Assessment: Students will be expected to stay current on all reading assignments and participate in both student and teacher-

led discussions. Students will need to demonstrate competency and contribute maturely to any and all discussions. Students will, upon

completion of reading the novel, will then work in small groups preparing a presentation that incorporates the summary and themes of

the novel which will then be presented to another group from the class. Scores for this small group teaching presentation will be graded

according to provided rubric, which includes a section for peer input.

Summative Assessment: The unit will conclude with an exam on the different themes and how they are presented in major pieces of

literature. This will include information presented by the different groups during the small group teaching exercise mentioned in the

above formative assessment.

Heading English 9-12 R. Jones

Characterization in Literature 1 class period

Rationale Many of the characters that serve as both protagonists and antagonists are individuals we meet time and

time again. This lesson will focus on how these characters serve as themes and symbols throughout the

stories and poems and drive the plot.

Objectives Compare, contrast, analyze and evaluate connections: a) text to text b) text to self c) text to

World

Apply post-reading skills to comprehend, interpret, analyze and evaluate text: a) identify and

explain the relationship between the main idea and supporting details b) question to clarify c) reflect

d)draw conclusions e) paraphrase f) summarize

Compose text using a) precise and vivid language b) writing techniques, such as imagery,

humor, voice, and figurative language

Reading Material The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Instructional

Framework

Initiating Constructing

Lesson Plan

Format

The class will be in groups based upon their selection to read one or the other novels. The majority of the

assignment will be completed on an individual basis.

Grouping Small Groups

Individuals

Materials & Resources School – computer, projector, printer, chalk, chalkboard, paper

Teacher – Student Handout, listening materials, reading excerpts

Student – notebook, writing utensils

Literacy Strategies RAFT

Write Around

Phase One Small group discussion on what makes characters likeable or not. Do these characteristics hold true

universally. Discuss other characters with similar characteristics and how the authors in different stories rely

on those characters to carry the plot and create the world in which they occupy.

Phase Two Each student will compose a letter as one of the characters in their selected novel that is written to another

character in the novel about the events and actions of other in the novel.

Phase Three The letters will then be exchanged with another member of the group who will respond to the letter in

voice of the character the letter is written to.

Formative

Assessment

The RAFT and write around will be collected and graded for completion and comprehension of the topic

presented. The letter should show clear understanding of all conflicts (internal and external) that the

character encounters throughout the story.

Summative

Assessment

The material discussed and outlined in this lesson will be part of discussion for each novel read in this unit

and will be included as material for the test at the conclusion of the unit

Homework

Assignment

There will no additional out of class work assigned for this portion of the unit.

Heading English 9-12 R. Jones

Symbolism in Literature 2 class periods

Rationale Symbolism is often a hard concept to grasp. Many times it is difficult to see something that is not expressly

stated or described. Students will approach symbolism in an outside the box way to understand and

conceptually understand symbolism in literature.

Objectives Demonstrate fluency of applying the English language

Ability to form sound arguments based on given text

Use technology and media

Demonstrate comprehension of English language in both reading and listening

Reading Material Selected pieces of literature and poetry

Critical response to presence or absence of symbolism in literature

Instructional

Framework

Initiating

Lesson Plan

Format

The main portion of this lesson plan will be a large, whole class discussion centered on common symbols

and deriving the meaning out of what an author wrote. The class will also review articles that argue for and

against the existence of symbolism in literature.

Grouping Whole Class

Materials & Resources School – computer, projector, printer, chalk, chalkboard, paper

Teacher – selected readings, articles on symbolism, handout, Rorschach ink blots

Student – notebook, writing utensils

Literacy Strategies Drawing to Learn

Word Mapping

Clustering

Phase One Using Rorschach Ink Blots, the students will compare finding images in a black and white image of

nothingness to seeing a hidden meaning present in both prose and poetry.

Phase Two In small groups students will make a word map of one type of common elements of symbolism in literature.

The maps will then be put together as a large map that combines all the different elements of symbolism.

(Use Think Map)

Phase Three Students will individually read then discuss two essays with differing points of view on the use and presence

of symbolism in literature. The class will then debate as a whole on whether or not they believe that there

are hidden meanings behind the words of both classic and modern fiction and non-fiction

Formative

Assessment

Students will receive credit for participating and contributing in the initial class discussion. Each group’s

word web will be collected and graded.

Summative

Assessment

The material discussed and outlined in this lesson will be part of discussion for each novel read in this unit

and will be included as material for the test at the conclusion of the unit

Homework

Assignment

The two essays will need to be read outside of class so that the student can participate and fully defend

their arguments in the class debate/discussion.

Heading English 9-12 R. Jones Common

Themes in Literature 2 class periods

Rationale Literature is such a unique art form. The themes that run through all published literature are global and

universal. They have a tendency to make classic literature stay relevant. It is hard for some students to

identify with and enjoy what is considered classic literature. Learning how and seeing how common themes

are present in the classics and the books they are reading today will be able to introduce and hopefully

inspire a broader range of topics and open new avenues of books to fall in to.

Objectives This lesson will have students analyzing two different novels: Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games. The

students will create a presentation to explore and explain how the author approaches, introduces, and

incorporates common themes in literature.

The students will “teach” the other students in their group.

The students will use this information as a way to compare and contrast the presentation of themes in

literature over the years.

Reading Material The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Instructional

Framework

Initiating Constructing

Lesson Plan

Format

The class will be further subdivided into small groups outside of their larger book groups. The group will

brainstorm on which themes they will present to another group. The group will then brainstorm on how

they will present these themes in a creative and memorable way to their classmates.

Grouping Small groups (2-3 students)

Materials & Resources School – class set of novels, computer, printer, chalk, chalkboard, paper

Teacher – book excerpts, hand out, student calendar

Student – notebook, paper, pen, pencil, notes from reading

Literacy Strategies Brainstorming

Note Taking (Double Entry)

RAFT

Drawing to Learn

Phase One Clarify and introduce project:

Explain and clarify goals of the project.

Divide the book groups into groups of 2-3 and have them brainstorm on which themes from their novel they

want to focus on.

Phase Two Brainstorm how to present themes and how they are presented in the novel. The themes need to be

presented in a memorable and creative way. Students will be encouraged to use handouts, visual aids, and

any tools necessary to create a concise and comprehensive presentation.

Groups should also try to brainstorm questions and how to answer them so their peers are not confused.

Phase Three Groups will present their “lesson” to a group that read the other novel. The groups will teach the other

group a summary of their novel and will focus on one or two themes that were in the novel.

Formative

Assessment

The peers will grade each other on the completeness and how the topic was presented. Any visual aids used

will collected and taken into account when the group is graded as a whole.

Summative *

Assessment

The group presentations will be the basis for the unit review and test that will conclude the unit.

Homework

Assignment

The presentation will require out of class preparation. No other homework will be given for this portion of

the assignment.