How do we unblock, open up, and find balance after teaching students in a pandemic? How do we heal ourselves so we may better serve our students, families, and communities? We will explore strategies and writing exercises focused on three main areas:
Reflection: Acknowledging the reality of what happened and its impact on you and your students.
Processing What Happened: Accepting the pandemic experience and finding ways to process and move forward without re-traumatizing yourself.
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How do we unblock, open up, and find balance after teaching students in a pandemic? How do we heal ourselves so we may better serve our students, families, and communities? We will explore strategies and writing exercises focused on three main areas:
Reflection: Acknowledging the reality of what happened and its impact on you and your students.
Processing What Happened: Accepting the pandemic experience and finding ways to process and move forward without re-traumatizing yourself.
Creating: Focusing on the triumphs and using your experience to create new written work.
Participants will leave this workshop with the following tools:
How to use reflection to identify internal blockages
How to use mini-writing prompts and journaling to process difficult experiences
Additional ideas for staying balanced in an ever-changing world
*Class will be provided with journals, a recovery reading list, and worksheets to continue feeding creativity in the face of adversity.
Instructor: Jim LaVilla-Havelin
Jim LaVilla-Havelin is the author of five books of poetry. The most recent, West, poems of a place (Wings Press, 2017) chronicles and celebrates his move to the country, after a lifetime of city dwelling. His chapbook, TALES FROM THE BREAKAWAY REPUBLIC will be published by Moonstone Press in 2022. An educator, editor, and community arts activist, LaVilla-Havelin is the Poetry Editor for the San Antonio Express-News, and the coordinator for San Antonio’s National Poetry Month activities. A creative writing teacher for almost fifty years, LaVilla-Havelin teaches at the Cyndi Taylor Krier Juvenile Treatment Center for Gemini Ink’s Partners Program, works with senior citizens in the Go Arts program through Bihl Haus Cultural Arts, and teaches high school students as Poet in Residence for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
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