Richard Wright Trip On Teacher Tube

Here is the video from our trip. It has been posted on TeacherTube. TeacherTube is a great resource for teachers to use in the classroom. You can sign up for a free account. Enjoy!

Natchez Trip Photos

I have just posted photos to our Flickr group: The 4Ws. Don't forget to join and post photos you took on the trip!

NewTube Your Classroom!

YouTube is everywhere. Kids watch diet colas spurt into the air after adding one, little candy Mentos. Coworkers sit mesmerized through a ton of pass-along e-mails such as this Christmas favorite. Sheri, our Natchez videographer, is working on placing her work on Teacher Tube for the classroom. Even I—the book person—sat through an hour long lecture on my laptop instead of buying The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

Streaming video is the future, and I am pleased to present a website that provides this service. Films on Demand is a sub-group of the Meridian Films Media Group that provide films on VHS, DVD, DVD and 3-year streaming , or 3-year streaming. It is expensive, $149.95, but the cost includes public performance rights. The librarian or media specialist can pay through the library’s budget, and provide one with a laptop and display monitor. All a teacher needs is a blank wall or screen and the willingness to teach.

On this website I found: Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black Writers (53min) that includes Richard Wright for 12th graders or college freshmen, Tennessee Williams and the American South (45min) for grades 11 & 12, and Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path (32min) for grades 9 & 10. An interview with Miss Welty by Beth Henley concludes the short film. ~ Maggie

Note: The photograph is a still from the film. Notice the details like the sunken Natchez Trace, her lack of coat, and the umbrella skeleton. ~ Maggie

Trip to Natchez

I tried to reflect as we rode back from Natchez about my experience. I kept wondering if everyone felt as empowered as I did from the entire experience. Having the opportunity to reflect with colleagues about their take and perception of the entire trip, reinforced the impact everyone felt from being apart of the 4W's Writing Institute.

Traveling down the Richard Wright Memorial Highway and being lead down the trail that Wright himself took was monumental in itself.

Special thanks to Charles Wright! He gave us the greatest tour ever! He was so down to earth and knowledgeable. Yet what intrigued me the most was his passion and desire to continue the legacy of Richard Wright. I felt the screams of his utmost respect for Richard Wright's existence in history and the literary world. I understood the underlying inspiration to continue informing Natchez, Mississippi, and the World of his gifted and talented family member, who felt the tragic beaming of terror, hunger, and cruelty for his race and for himself.

I am unable to process all that I saw - the Forks, the ruins of the Ace Theater, Richard Wright's Home, Rhythm Night Club Monument and Slab.

We made history today, and I just can't grasp hold of what I saw, heard, and discussed. After returning from Natchez, I basically flew to Barnes and Nobles. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to discover that they did not have the book about Prince Ibrahim, entitled Prince Among Slaves. However, I have ordered it from Barnes and Noble's online website.

Being a part of the 4W's Writing Institute is really great! Being a part of this institute is opening a whole new world for me. I learn so much more about the writers, about my colleagues, and about Mississippi. I am forever grateful!

*Please click on all the links. They are linked to wonderful sites, even a letter written by his daughter!

And the Countdown Begins...

Our wonderful, knowledge-filled extravaganza is quickly approaching. As I am counting down the days for our Natchez trip, I am completely overwhelmed with being apart of the such a landmark opportunity. Not only am I becoming re-familiar with a long time favorite author, but I am able to greedily indulge in the knowledge and expertise of my colleagues, who possess the same love I have for reading. Taking care to create a list of all the technology I will be dragging along the way, I am anxiously awaiting to indulge in intense conversation with you and to be stimulated intellectually. What are your expectations for this trip? Do you possess the same excitement for the trip?