“I have nothing to write about!”

My first teaching assignment was with the last sixth grade class at the elementary level. At the time, our district was in the process of restructuring the grade levels and sixth graders were moving to the middle level rather than staying at the elementary schools. I was gifted with a pretty incredible group of students who were not only interested in school (despite the attempt to show that they didn’t care) but the absolute best part of them all is they loved to have fun. As a first year teacher, it was amazing.



Their one downfall, if you can even call it that, was that they talked ALL THE TIME. These students learned by talking through their thoughts and ideas. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just had to reframe how I taught each lesson to include discussion time. The only time they were quiet… when it came time to write. These students had stories to tell about every little thing in their lives but stared wistfully for hours at blank pages with “nothing to write about.”

Cue Inda Eaton and the NCSD Discover program. Inda was working in the district conducting workshops with students and I approached her with a desire to create something deeper with my students. I wanted them to see that writing doesn’t always mean sitting down with a notebook and pen. Writing is supposed to be the way you record and share your story. There are so many ways to tell your story and using music is one of those ways. Inda and I put our heads together and so began Ideas to Inspire.

The co-created program is now beginning its 6th year and each year we learn something more about how to improve the design. While Inda takes the lead on the songwriting process and I take the lead on curriculum development and integration, it truly has been a confluence of genius between the two of us. The Discover program in the Natrona School District has provided the funding for an invaluable experience that motivates and inspires participants.

The students work with Inda and a group a specialized musicians to compose a song from start to finish. Musicians have included Jeffrey Smith (percussion), B Rhem-Gerdes (electric guitar, mixing), Curt Mychael (bass) and Nancy Atlas (vocals, art, guitar) and each bring a different expertise to the overall project.  At the end of the year, all the participants gather together for a culminating conference to participate in rotations related to the annual theme and conclude the event by sharing their work. My favorite moments are watching the many “aha” moments that occur throughout the year and the pride exuded as they share their hard work with all the other participants.

As we head into the sixth year of the program, our district is facing a significant budget reduction due to the energy crisis affecting our economy.

View "Nature is Change," the 2016 final creation by Woods Learning Center Middle School students at: http://ideastoinspire.org/project/2016-woods-learning-center-nature-change/