Creating Myth Vs Studying Myth

Question: Reflect on how your experience of creating a myth differs from and/ or enhances the study of myth? What did you learn from this experience that you could use in your future teaching?

I think that creating a myth was a really interesting experience and one that would be an awesome experience for any student. The idea of writing fiction can be a little scary for someone who has never done it before. Myth offers a selection of archetypal characters and situations that make the writing process a bit easier. This is why I think it is a good exercise for students. One can be creative while still having something familiar to branch off from. Personally, I found writing a myth really fun. Much like with the poem exercise that we did, I wanted to follow the traditional conventions of writing a myth to see if I could execute it properly. I think that rules can be a good thing when it comes to writing because they give you a direction to go in. Yes free writes are nice, but eventually people have to practice writing with a certain audience and purpose in mind. Whether one is writing a business letter, or a story, there has to be some guidelines to go by so it does not become a big mess. 

I found that the traditional rules of myth still leave you a lot of room to play.

 

I have always been found of Celtic mythology, I even took a class in it even though it was not required for my degree. Thus, I went with the Celtic/Welsh mythological goddess figure known as Rhiannon. Rhiannon was of course made famous by the Stevie Nicks song, but my love for her goes beyond that. (Though I do dig the Stevie Nicks song). I like that she is a strong, clever character more than a typical nurturing earth mother type. Since my group is presenting on the trickster character, I put Rhiannon in a tricky situation since I have some background in those.

 

I have not had a chance to write creatively in awhile, so I was surprised when the story just kind of started flowing. I used to write creatively for pleasure all the time, but I am so busy these days I never get a chance. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience.

Writing Poetry Vs. Writing About Poetry

Question: Reflect on how your experience of creating a myth differs from and/ or enhances the study of myth? What did you learn from this experience that you could use in your future teaching?

I think that creating a myth was a really interesting experience and one that would be an awesome experience for any student. The idea of writing fiction can be a little scary for someone who has never done it before. Myth offers a selection of archetypal characters and situations that make the writing process a bit easier. This is why I think it is a good exercise for students. One can be creative while still having something familiar to branch off from. Personally, I found writing a myth really fun. Much like with the poem exercise that we did, I wanted to follow the traditional conventions of writing a myth to see if I could execute it properly. I think that rules can be a good thing when it comes to writing because they give you a direction to go in. Yes free writes are nice, but eventually people have to practice writing with a certain audience and purpose in mind. Whether one is writing a business letter, or a story, there has to be some guidelines to go by so it does not become a big mess. 

I found that the traditional rules of myth still leave you a lot of room to play.

 

I have always been found of Celtic mythology, I even took a class in it even though it was not required for my degree. Thus, I went with the Celtic/Welsh mythological goddess figure known as Rhiannon. Rhiannon was of course made famous by the Stevie Nicks song, but my love for her goes beyond that. (Though I do dig the Stevie Nicks song). I like that she is a strong, clever character more than a typical nurturing earth mother type. Since my group is presenting on the trickster character, I put Rhiannon in a tricky situation since I have some background in those.

 

I have not had a chance to write creatively in awhile, so I was surprised when the story just kind of started flowing. I used to write creatively for pleasure all the time, but I am so busy these days I never get a chance. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience.

How Education and Entertainment go Hand-in-Hand

 
So this is my Blog dedicated to my educational escapades. I want to talk a bit about media in the classroom, but first, let me tell you a bit about me. I believe my background will help explain why I am adamant about media in the classroom, including the use of cellphones and laptops (which some teachers still resist).  As my profile indicates, I used to work in the entertainment industry. If you Google “Colette Claire” you will find my IMDB profile as well as YouTube videos of me interviewing rock and metal bands. I’ve done video and written journalistic work for a number of online publications, and currently write for Screamer Magazine in my spare time. I also sang in a rock band for a number of years.  

 

In the last few years though, I have primarily switched gears to becoming a college English professor. On this path, I am currently a senior at CSUN studying English Subject Matter and going into the Master's Program next year. To some, this may seem like a weird transition, but in reality everything I’ve done up to this point was all excellent preparation for teaching. It seems like many would-be teachers seem to forget that the job requires standing in front of a room full of people. This is especially ironic considering that most English majors, many of whom become English teachers, are super shy people generally speaking. If I hadn’t spent the previous eight years on camera in some form before I started teaching, I think I would have been too petrified to speak.

 

This is one reason, among many, why I believe that entertainment and education really go hand-in-hand, especially these days. Teachers can no longer just stand and lecture dryly in front of the classroom. They need to incorporate visuals, sound and anything else they can to make it exciting. This is what students are experiencing outside the classroom, so why should it be ignored inside of it? Also students need to be aware that “text” isn’t always words. Writing is about communication, but, then again, so is photography, and educators need to understand this.

 

 Of course, things can go awry when technology doesn’t work. If your entire lesson plan is based around showing the students a video and then it won’t play, you have a problem. It’s always good to have a backup plan and not completely rely on technology. I learned this the hard way as an Supplemental Instruction Leader at CSUN. (This is a fancy way of saying I taught a one-unit workshop twice a week for two years). However, if one does not acknowledge how ubiquitous the media is in our everyday lives in the classroom, it will seem like a glaring omission.