Covering to Reveal

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I’m writing this on the last day of my February break. This week was filled with to-do lists, scheduled doctor and dentist appointments, and one child home with the flu. One of the things on my to-do list was to paint my living room. My living room is one of my favorite rooms in our new home. It is beautifully crafted with crown and frame molding, and chair railing running along all four walls. The center piece of the room is a large intricately designed fireplace mantle. The problem I had with it is it was a powder blue, much like the color of tuxedos popular at the time my house was built in 1976. Despite all the lovely molding the room was blindingly monochromatic. Everything was the color of vanilla ice cream. As the months have gone by I was looking forward to this week off, so I would have the time to paint this room.

As each coat of paint went on the wall I became more and more excited. Yesterday I could barely contain my joy when I took the painter’s tape off around the frame molding revealing exactly what I wanted my room to look like. At that moment I noticed that by covering the walls with paint it was revealing more of who I am. My style and my likes, this is becoming more MY home. I thought it was interesting how covering something up was showing more of who I am.

I also realized it was like this new writing venture that I have started. When I sit down to write I start with a blank screen or clean sheet of paper. As I cover it up with my words I reveal more of myself. I am covering the whiteness of paper and screen with MY thoughts and ideas. It has helped me learn more about myself, for this I am grateful.

I am also grateful I get to go back to my students tomorrow with this realization. I plan on having what my class calls “Writer’s Meeting.” This time of the week is inspired by my amazing colleague Dawn Sherriff. During this time my students have choice on what they write about. Some pick to sketch art cards, others write poems, and some free write and let their words take them somewhere. The last few moments we share our writing and comment on each other’s work. Every time I am in awe of what my students write. Tomorrow I cannot wait to see how they decide to cover their paper and how it reveals more about them.

Published by dmdalessandro

Mom, teacher, and wife just trying to do the best she can.

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9 thoughts on “Covering to Reveal”

  2. “When I sit down to write I start with a blank screen or clean sheet of paper. As I cover it up with my words I reveal more of myself.” What an unbelievable string of sentences! Maybe that’s why it is so hard for writers to face the blank page sometimes. Maybe they, we, are struggling with what we are willing to reveal about ourselves. I admire that you continue the work we started together with Writers Meeting – you have created a space for writers to play with “revealing” and ideas! Yay YOU! Thank you SO much for sharing!!

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  4. What a great analogy (and productive break). I love the line “When I sit down to write I start with a blank screen or clean sheet of paper. As I cover it up with my words I reveal more of myself.” I’m interested to hear how sharing this with your students went.

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  6. I feel the same way! Every time I have moved I have never felt really at home until I have painted the walls with colours I like. Sometimes it takes a while to choose them. That’s how many of my blog posts are too. It takes me a while to sort them out in my mind before I am ready to put the in print.

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