The Wordsmith's Forge

This poem is spillover from the April 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "apprehension" square in my 4-1-19 card for the School Days Bingo fest.

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Rock-Paper-Scissors is widely known, and Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock (watch original video) is spreading.

Of course, nerds are nerds, and apparently, Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock wasn't nerdy enough. The RPS-101 website details additional versions with 7, 9, 11, 15, 25, and 101 variables. I am in awe. O.O

Now for some observations ...

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This poem came out of the April 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by satsuma. It also fills the "Waldorf school" prompt in my 4-1-19 card for the School Days Bingo Fest. This poem belongs to the Arts and Crafts America series introduced in "A Country of Craftsmen."

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The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this space as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "alternative methods of teaching."  I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

What is alternative education? It covers all the options outside of the standard school systems. Some well-known examples from local-Earth include Montessori and Waldorf.

In Terramagne, Montessori schools are more common and extend through higher grade levels. Education for superkids is an issue, because until recently, there hasn't been sufficient density to offer a school specially tailored for them. The closest is that the Marionettes have established schools for their kids, powered and unpowered alike. T-Maldives is using that for some inspiration, but they'll draw the main framework from the Waldorf tradition because it already supports spiritual growth -- all they need to do is rip out anything that doesn't fit and replace it with Muslim-friendly content. There are also some alt-school systems particular to Terramagne:

Waldenkinder is a T-American alternative school that draws some inspiration from Waldorf and Montessori models, Waldenkinder has a naturalistic theme and believes that children learn best from going outside and doing things for themselves. It was founded by a German husband and a Jewish wife who left Germany for America in 1934 and started the first school in 1935. In good weather, most activities take place outdoors. In bad weather, students study in classrooms with natural furnishings and large windows, then make shorter excursions outside. Teachers present some lessons, but a majority of the learning is self-directed. It was introduced in "The Heart to Rejoice."

Reflétant l’école is an alternative school designed to support children's urge to mimic adults. It was developed by a French-speaking community in T-Vermont who wanted an effective system of education that scaled well across socioeconomic classes, and it represents a formal version of historic practices. It is customarily a French immersion school for that reason, although it doesn't have to be.

Circle System is a T-American alternative school with Pagan roots. It includes a homeschool system, camps, and a few schoolbuildings. It is supported by a publisher called the Circle Living Library, which puts out coloring books, activity pages, storybooks, workbooks, and other educational and entertainment materials for Pagan families. The Circle System emphasizes spirituality, nature studies, history, and the fine arts. It has produced many historians, naturalists, scientists, activists, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians, liturgists, and more. It also includes modules for a number of major traditions including Asatru, Druidry, Eclectic Paganism, Shamanism, Strega, and Wicca. These can be used to customize a school for different faiths, so for instance, the musical track in an Asatru school would train skalds while a Druid school would train bards.

Among my more relevant series:
An Army of One, Fiorenza the Wisewoman, Frankenstein's Family, Hart's Farm, Path of the Paladins, Starfather, and The Steamsmith.
Polychrome Heroics features a wide range of educational elements, of which the more salient examples include Calliope, Cassandra, Cuoio and Chiara, Danso and Family, Dr. Infanta, the Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Pain's Gray, and Shiv.

Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
School Days Bingo Fest

Click to read the linkback poem, "Cafuné"  (7 verses, LIFC).


What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "alternative methods of teaching."  I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.


Cyberfunded Creativity

I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:

1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.
 

2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.



3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).

0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.

4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here.  See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"

5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your Dreamwidth, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network.  Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall.  Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl.  If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published.  If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.

Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem.  One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal.  Comment with a link to where you posted.  "Cafuné"  has 7 verses and belongs to LIFC.
 

Additional Notes

1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."

2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the DW message function.  (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.)  These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.

3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity.  While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category.  Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those.  I've also posted a list of other donor perks there.  I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.

4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.

5) If donations total $100 by Sunday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl.  These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size.  If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; four of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be four months in a row.  Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day.  If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale in one series.


Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "alternative methods of teaching."  I'll be soliciting ideas for teachers, students, neurovariant people, parents and children, scholars, educational innovators like Maria Montessori or Rudolf Steiner, counselors, superheroes, supervillains, refugees, trauma survivors, people with learning disabilities, gifted people, twice-exceptional people, others involved with teaching or learning, going to school, unschooling, homeschooling, continuing education, teaching, learning, traveling, establishing a sequence of steps, modifying older lessons for current needs, exploring new discoveries, creating connections, teaching each other, counseling, mixing different ages, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, recovering from setbacks, schools, colleges, trade schools, summer camps, public institutions, museums, zoos, parks, counseling centers, homes, outdoor classrooms, maker spaces, other places where people learn, apprenticeship, the 9 intelligences, sensory modes, learning styles, gifted traits, symptoms of learning disabilities, free will, educational abuse, educational neglect, personal growth, frustration, determination, imprint vulnerability, failure, success, rites of passage, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Cafuné."  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, April 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "alternative methods of teaching." I'll be soliciting ideas for teachers, students, neurovariant people, parents and children, scholars, educational innovators like Maria Montessori or Rudolf Steiner, counselors, superheroes, supervillains, refugees, trauma survivors, people with learning disabilities, gifted people, twice-exceptional people, others involved with teaching or learning, going to school, unschooling, homeschooling, continuing education, teaching, learning, traveling, establishing a sequence of steps, modifying older lessons for current needs, exploring new discoveries, creating connections, teaching each other, counseling, mixing different ages, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, recovering from setbacks, schools, colleges, trade schools, summer camps, public institutions, museums, zoos, parks, counseling centers, homes, outdoor classrooms, maker spaces, other places where people learn, apprenticeship, the 9 intelligences, sensory modes, learning styles, gifted traits, symptoms of learning disabilities, free will, educational abuse, educational neglect, personal growth, frustration, determination, imprint vulnerability, failure, success, rites of passage, and poetic forms in particular.

What is alternative education? It covers all the options outside of the standard school systems. Some well-known examples from local-Earth include Montessori and Waldorf.

In Terramagne, Montessori schools are more common and extend through higher grade levels. Education for superkids is an issue, because until recently, there hasn't been sufficient density to offer a school specially tailored for them. The closest is that the Marionettes have established schools for their kids, powered and unpowered alike. T-Maldives is using that for some inspiration, but they'll draw the main framework from the Waldorf tradition because it already supports spiritual growth -- all they need to do is rip out anything that doesn't fit and replace it with Muslim-friendly content. There are also some alt-school systems particular to Terramagne:

Waldenkinder is a T-American alternative school that draws some inspiration from Waldorf and Montessori models, Waldenkinder has a naturalistic theme and believes that children learn best from going outside and doing things for themselves. It was founded by a German husband and a Jewish wife who left Germany for America in 1934 and started the first school in 1935. In good weather, most activities take place outdoors. In bad weather, students study in classrooms with natural furnishings and large windows, then make shorter excursions outside. Teachers present some lessons, but a majority of the learning is self-directed. It was introduced in "The Heart to Rejoice."

Reflétant l’école is an alternative school designed to support children's urge to mimic adults. It was developed by a French-speaking community in T-Vermont who wanted an effective system of education that scaled well across socioeconomic classes, and it represents a formal version of historic practices. It is customarily a French immersion school for that reason, although it doesn't have to be.

Circle System is a T-American alternative school with Pagan roots. It includes a homeschool system, camps, and a few schoolbuildings. It is supported by a publisher called the Circle Living Library, which puts out coloring books, activity pages, storybooks, workbooks, and other educational and entertainment materials for Pagan families. The Circle System emphasizes spirituality, nature studies, history, and the fine arts. It has produced many historians, naturalists, scientists, activists, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians, liturgists, and more. It also includes modules for a number of major traditions including Asatru, Druidry, Eclectic Paganism, Shamanism, Strega, and Wicca. These can be used to customize a school for different faiths, so for instance, the musical track in an Asatru school would train skalds while a Druid school would train bards.

Among my more relevant series:
An Army of One, Fiorenza the Wisewoman, Frankenstein's Family, Hart's Farm, Path of the Paladins, Starfather, and The Steamsmith.
Polychrome Heroics features a wide range of educational elements, of which the more salient examples include Calliope, Cassandra, Cuoio and Chiara, Danso and Family, Dr. Infanta, the Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Pain's Gray, and Shiv.

I have a linkback poem, "Cafuné" (7 verses, LIFC).

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts. I am now.) Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog.

( New to the fishbowl?� Read all about it! )

Amazingly, people learn better and faster when they are not stressed and miserable.  Education should therefore aim to promote relaxation and minimize stress, for more effective learning and better health.  This is sort of obvious, but most teaching programs prefer to make students miserable.

 This was me.  I did this damn near every time someone tried to line us up by gender.  If I wasn't doing that, I was standing with the boys.  It drove many teachers so batshit that they quit doing gender lines rather than argue with me.

Now available in Tennessee.

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Various tools can help vision-impaired people explore astronomy.

One method turns telescope data into sound, which can reveal interesting patterns. 

Tactile maps also let people feel how stars, moons, and planets are arranged or shaped.

This poem came out of the September 4, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from janetmiles , alexseanchai , dialecticdreamer , erulisse , chanter_greenie, and rix_scaedu. It also fills the "opportunity" square in my 9-1-18 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Uncovering the Complete Truth," so read that first or this won't make much sense.

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