Book Creator | Writing is Healing

Introduction

About this project

The Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute is proud to present the vey first Online Writing Project anthology. Modelled after the successful Bay Area Writing Project at the University of Berkeley, California - this year's Writing Project took place online with the intent of providing teachers of the Western Cape Education Department a safe place where they could develop their own personal writing.

The theme of this year's Writing project was very significant. Writing for Healing allowed teachers a chance to delve deep into their own experiences and it gave them a chance to express their feelings by putting pen down onto paper.

About the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute

The CTLI is a provincial training institute tasked with providing in-service teachers with professional development opportunities. Most of these opportunities are aimed at strengthening and developing teachers understanding of curriculum and pedagogy. The CTLI offers a wide range of courses that teachers can voluntarily attend throughout the year in a face-to-face environment on a beautiful campus.

The new COVID normal, however, saw all of these opportunities for teachers move to a digital space and all of the CTLI's courses are now presented online.

About the Writing Project

The Writing Project has been presented as a face- to-face course at the CTLI in the past. Teachers attended a series of workshops aimed at strengthening the knowledge, expertise and leadership of teachers to promote and improve the writing skills of all learners. The goals of this project are to:
1. improve the learning and achievement of learners by improving the teaching of writing
2. concentrate efforts where literacy is most in jeopardy
3. support teachers as they prepare to meet the requirements of the curriculum
4. emphasise approaches to writing and reading of learners and
5. recogonise that teachers are the key to educational reform and that experienced teachers are the best teachers of other teachers.

The 2021 Writing Project: Writing for Healing

The writing project of this year was slightly different to previous years. It was a direct response to what teachers have experienced over the last year or two. It aimed to acknowledge that teachers are part of greater society and the pain coursing through society very much affects teachers and their experiences.
The coordinators of this course felt that teachers needed a safe place that would allow them to put what they are going through and what they have experienced in their own lives onto paper. The theme was carefully selected and each online webinar session was carefully crafted around the healing power of writing.

The project's original objectives remained in that , although not explicitly, teachers were given tools that they could use, not only in their own personal writing, but also in the classroom. Teachers were encouraged to write and to share their writing at each online webinar. An Author's Chair where writing was shared was a significant part of each session.

This anthology contains writing pieces written by the participants who attended six different webinar sessions in August 2021. Each piece is personal and different. Each piece provides insight into the pain experienced by different individuals and also the hope and healing that writing can bring.

The 2021 Writing Project: Presenters

We were extremely privileged to have experts in the field of writing present at each webinar.

Thank you to the following keynote speakers who brought their light to all our sessions centered around a specific theme:

Listening to my soul
Professor Irma Eloff (University of Pretoria)

Caressing my imagination
Magdalena Benn

Exploring my world
Cheryl Logan (Columbia University-USA)

Re-imagining my world
Carla Hanson & Tom O'Hara - Great Valley Writing Project(California)

Conquering my darkness
Dr Hanlie Dippenaar-Cape Peninsula University of Technology &
Dr Roxanne Henkin (University of Texas) & Gladys Jacobson

New life

by Anita Bateman
Mother of three wonderful sons and English FAL teacher for grades 8 & 9 at Hoërskool Gimnasium Paarl.

Every morning is the beginning of a new life. The moment I open my eyes, I feel a fountain of thankfulness bubbling from my heart. Thank you, Lord for this new day! Today is called the present, because it is a precious gift from God our Creator. I can breathe fresh, rain-drenched air, I can hear the local gaggle of Egyptian geese crash landing on my roof and I can see my dear husband’s strong chest ebbing and flowing peacefully next to me – Praise God, we are alive!

Every minute of every day has the potential to open-up new opportunities. New ideas can be born and new connections can be made with our fellow human beings. Broken relationships from the past can be healed and with lessons learnt from yesterday’s mistakes, wonderful new heights of success can be reached.

The most influential person throughout history once said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Thank you, Jesus, that you gave us new life at birth and through Your forgiveness also new and everlasting life.

Die viool

Anneke Pentz is a language teacher in the Northern suburbs. She enjoys the creative side of life and all it has to offer. Participating in this writing project has been a positive creating experience and she hopes to create a love for writing in her students.

by Anneke Pentz

Dis donker in die saal. Net hier en daar val ‘n straal lig wat van die verhoog af ontsnap. Die stof syfer sagkens deur die ligstrale, amper asof hulle nêrens het om heen te gaan nie. Dis ‘n sprokieswêreld vir die wat glo, vir die wat na die skoonheid KYK.

Ek kyk nie. Ek luister na die towerwêreld van angs, verlies en verdriet. Die note val soos trane van die verhoog af en sleep tot by my voete, waar dit my insluk en meesleur. My asemhaling word vlak as ek dink aan die pyn wat deur my are vloei, die hartseer wat ek elke dag met my saamdra onder my masker.

Die tempo versnel, die toonhoogte verander en die wysie word dringender. Die note vloei nou onkeerbaar en val in waterstrome oor die gehoor. Ek snak na asem terwyl dit voel asof ek gaan verdrink. Onwillekeurig vee ek ‘n onwelkome traan van my wang af.

Hoe wéét hy dat dit is wat ek moet hoor? Hoe kan hy so diep in my siel sien en die pyn verstaan wat daar lê en woed? Ek voel kaal en blootgestel, maar my siel verwelkom ‘n mede-reisiger. My siel weet dat mense nie pyn verstaan tensy hulle dit self ervaar nie. Mense is nie so onbaatsugtig nie. Nee, hy weet, want hy weet.

Dis natuurlik verspot. Vir al wat ek weet het hy geen bybedoeling met hierdie keurspel van hom nie. Die idee van ‘n oudisie is tog om jou vaardigheid ten toon te stel. Om mense met jou passie te betower en nie om jou gehoor te vervreem nie.

Tot my verbasing verander die deuntjie weer. Daar is hoop hier, die belofte van meer as ek kan kyk verby die seer. Luister verby die seer. My mede-reisiger het sopas my siel laat juig en my gemoed laat val. Verraai is die woord wat in my gedagtes opkom. Kon ons nie maar langer in die wroeging van die pyn smeul nie? Hoekom moes jy my laat voel soos ‘n ongeluk omdat ek nog nie moed gehad het om my pyn in die gesig te staar en die dag aan te gryp nie?

Ek draai om en die stilte sny deur my. Die hoop is weg, maar die pyn is ook weg. Die water het ophou vloei en die stof in die lug voel droog en hard. Stadig draai ek terug en my oë flikker oor die verhoog. Dis leeg en iewers in my siel weet ek, ek het my mede-reisiger verloor.

by Anneke Smit

YESTERDAY

Yesterday was one second ago and one century ago at the same time. It gnaws at my heels and covers me like a soft blanket. It haunts me and soothes me.

Yesterday is gone, but also present. It mocks me, showing me the magic of my former self, but I know I had no peace. It beckons me to let go of it, but what if I do? What will I have left if my memories fade? What will I have left if all of my yesterdays stop getting in my way?

My view is blocked. I know why. I know the fault is my own. I feel it. I feel it every second of every day. I carry my yesterdays with me. Everywhere I go, it’s with me.

It’s on my thighs, my belly, my face. It’s on my arms, my neck, my face, I’m in its embrace.

It’s not letting go, because I’ve built it a home.

It’s weighing me down, it’s holding me back.

I’m done with this. I need magic in my life.
I want peace.

Yesterday has no power over me anymore.
I yearn to believe it.
To live it.

To be free!