Hi! So, you're back for more. I'm not one to judge, but why? No matter if you are being forced, you get the chance to learn who I am. As I step away from the office, I am going to be starting as a writing coach for 6th graders. Crazy, right? As I venture into the unknown, here is my actual introduction I use when I step into a classroom.
Literacy Collage:
I love a collage, so I went a little crazy with this one. I will try to tell you everything that I have put in this.
Books: I have a lot of favorite books; I kept it at a minimum. We have My Husband, Bunny, The Handmaid's Tale, and my favorite book growing up The Name of This Book is Secret. Technically you can throw Gone Girl and Twilight in that list as well. They are in the list of my favorite movies. I read The Handmaid's Tale in high school, right when season 2 came out. I felt seen with the main character. I never went through what she went through. Though I did fight in court and I stood up and gave my statement in a room ten feet away from the guy I never wanted to see again. I didn't run away, I fought and I am still fighting. I saw her bravery and connected it with mine. If someone else could have their body ripped away and still fight, I thought I could too. I also did not find it appropriate to put the banned books that I enjoy reading, so I put a little sticker, because it is a big part of who I am.
Media: Gone Girl, Twilight, Stranger Things (I have a bat inspired tattoo from the demo bats in season four), Tangled, and Coraline (another fun fact, I have the button key tattooed as a dragonfly on my arm).
While You Were Sleeping is by far my favorite movie. My mother used to make me watch it all of the time growing up. Now whenever I am sad or happy or confused or on a date, I will watch Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock in the 90's fall in love with each other. I connect to this movie in a sad way, that I won't get into.
I put Mamma Mia! up there because it is a fantastic movie and let me state this now. Colin Firth can sing, and he is amazing in all of his projects. This is the first musical I saw as a kid; this made me fall in love with theatre. I did it for a decade, and I miss the stage almost every day of my life.
People you should listen to:
Sabrina Carpenter of course, sometimes you need a good pop song to get through the day.
Ricky Montgomery they are an indie artist, and if you watched my introduction video, I have two posters from the concerts I went to of theirs. I also have two tattoos of my favorite songs from them. Please listen to this one to understand me more: Sorry For Me
Flight of the Concords is a weird indie comedy band from New Zealand. They had an HBO show for a while. It all feels like a fever dream. I have also seen them in concert. Now you make think you have not heard of them. You have. Jermaine one of the singers, is the crab in Moana and also made the original What We Do in The Shadows movie. Bret (my favorite) composed the song Am I Man or a Muppet? He won an award for that. If you want to listen to them, here is one of my favorites: Carol Brown
Until next time: <3
Hi Gayle,
ReplyDeleteYour opening immediately pulled me in. The humor, honesty, and directness of your voice made this feel less like a required introduction and more like a real conversation. I really admire how unapologetically you show up in this post, especially in how you connect your academic path, activism, and lived experience. Your background in Women’s and Gender Studies, criminal justice, and LGBT Studies feels like such a powerful foundation for working with middle schoolers who are still figuring out who they are and how the world treats them.
The way you talk about The Handmaid’s Tale was especially striking. Your reflection on seeing your own strength mirrored in the main character’s resilience was incredibly moving. It takes courage to name that kind of experience, and I think that bravery will absolutely translate into the kind of safe, affirming writing space you create for students. They’re lucky to have a coach who understands that literacy is deeply tied to voice, survival, and resistance.
I also loved how your collage blends books, media, music, and movement. From Girls on the Run to theatre to indie music and comfort movies, it really shows how multifaceted your literacy identity is. It’s a great reminder that reading and writing don’t live in isolation; they live alongside everything that shapes us. Your students are going to feel that energy and passion right away. Until next time!
Thank you so much for going into your intentional choice to include each of these texts for your literacy identity. What a treat also that we know the back story to your dragonfly tattoo
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