Hi WinkWorld Readers,

It is that time of year again when more than 100,000 of my very best friends and I gather at the University of Arizona to celebrate literacy: kids, families, books, music, science projects, writers, artists, scholars on the grass mall and in many buildings. It is very much a highlight of my year.

Posted below are a few highlights from this year, and also a few links of previous years at the very bottom. We begin with a little prairie reader, as I couldn’t resist.

Highlights for me from 2024

Kate DiCamillo – she opened the world of fantasy books to me  about 10 years ago.  Until then, I just did not “get it,” although I always pretended like I did for my grands.

Abraham Vergese – The Covenant of Water and Cutting for Stone – I have not read the former, and it is time to re-read the latter.

LeUyen Pham, author and illustrator, and new for me.  I was so impressed that I bought and will read her graphic novels, which have never interested me.  We had a dinner with her at our table of 10 friends.  She sketched an image of each of us.  At her storytime the next day, she even drew the face of EACH child there. Here is the image she drew of me in about a minute.

Here LeUyen is telling a story to the children and then drawing each of their faces as her gift.

Sarah Cooper– I am still laughing. Because of her, I also learned of two other new young artists: Patti Lin and Aparna Nancheria. We will hear more about these three, for sure! This year I focused on new young writers and artists:  It was thrilling.

Of course, I always love the novels by William Kent Krueger (his latest is The River We Remember) and Luís Alberto Urrea (his latest is Good Night, Irene).  Both of these novels are on my bedside table now.

Orbus Pictus (in Latin, the visible world, thank you, Mrs. Johnson of MHS, circa 1960) Award Books for 2024

Caryl Crowell and colleagues shared several of the winners and recommended.  I have already ordered some of these amazing books, but their website went down today.  If you are interested, I am sure that the website will be back up soon.

Previous posts  on Tucson Festival of Books

We conclude with a photo of one of my  many new books, because I just couldn’t resist.

Thank you, Annie Hlavka and Susan Henley Spreitzer!

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you have followed our prairie pedagogy series, you will know that Missy Urbaniak is the stellar and beloved teacher at Atall (K-8) school. She just received a great award.

I hope you enjoy this short video of Missy.

Thank you to Anna Hamelin of News Center 1, 2/29/24.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Recently, a dear colleague/friend of many years called me spontaneously and asked if I had anything she could use about story. We had a 15 minute conversation about the value of story telling, and I shared some links with her. I thought some of you might find this information about storytelling useful also.

“Joan, why do we use stories?,” she started.

I responded: I more and more think that stories are simply a part of our DNA. We all create our own identity with stories, and others find themselves in our stories and create their own identity. We all make meaning with stories. As time marches on, we hopefully each become a story in another’s life.  For example, when I am gone, I hope I become a story in my family’s and friends’ and former students’ lives.

• All We Want is a Story

Stories are our way of making sense of the world. If we can’t make up a story about something we encounter or experience, we can’t make sense of it. . . E = MC2 makes no sense to me. I have no idea what a C is, let alone a square one.

(Frank Smith, The Power of Story, p. 55)

“Why stories, Joan?”  she asked next.

• Why Stories?

Next my friend asked about theory. I responded the theory can be embedded in story and history.

• A Little History: 100 years in a 1,000 Words

My friend continued and asked about how she should get her recipients reflecting. I responded with the following story.

I almost always use the reflective cycle or socratic circle. Here is one way to visualize it.  (Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real  World, 4th edition,  p. 173)

• Repeated Feature Reflective Cycle
• Overview of the Reflective Cycle

I have lots of reflective cycle materials posted on my webpages. Use the search bar on the left of first page of joanwink.com to see more examples.

Some of my favorite stories which I mentioned with my colleague/friend.

Storytelling is not something we do. Storytelling is who we are.

(Carmine Gallo, 2016, in The Power of Story, p. 43)

• Oh, Fudge
• Keep Your Eye on the Chalk
• The More, the Better

Credit:  All stories and images are in The Power of Story (2018) originally published by Libraries Unlimited, which morphed into ABC-CLIO. Presently, Bloomsbury Publishing has purchased ABC-CLIO.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a reader of WinkWorld, you know that I love it when someone discovers their own home run reading book. This is what recently happened. In this WinkWorld, I will share three previous examples of home run reading, and I will add a new example.

What is a home run reading book?

A home run reading book is that particular book that opened up the joy of reading to you. It is the book that made you want to read another book. The idea is that none of us are readers until we find our own home run reading book. We parents, teachers, and caregivers just keep sharing books with the hope that someone else will discover their home run reading book. Thank you, Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus for sharing this idea with us.

A Personal Example

Some of you are aware that my home run reading book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This happened when my own two children, Dawn and Bo, didn’t want to hear me read it one more time. I remember how sad I felt. It was at this moment that I decided to read it just for myself. Eureka!  Up until that time, I read every assignment any teacher and/or prof told me to read, but I was not a reader.*

However, after The Secret Garden, all of that changed. From The Secret Garden, I went straight to a decade of reading all of Hemingway and Michener. Bo, our son, immediately went on to motor bike magazines, and from there he jumped to Stephen King. Dawn, our daughter, went on to read chapter books by the tens and tens.

A Second Example from Deb Harrison, a teacher in WY

I loved it when one of my teacher graduate students discovered her home run reading book was actually a book written by Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading. I remember how she struggled with me so much as a professor, and I just kept handing her books to read.  After she discovered that book, she was on fire in class. Since that time, she has written and published about her home run reading.

A Third Example: Junk Literacy and Henry

I can never forget little pre-K Henry whose Mom worried that he was only reading junk. Dear little Henry developed his own literacy by reading all of that junk mail that came to them daily. For him, it was compelling.

A New Fourth Example: Emmahleigh and Meadowlark

Emmahleigh is an undergrad student. She was never a reader until she grabbed Dawn Wink’s novel, Meadowlark, about my grandmother.

Missy Urbaniak captures the experience she recently had with Emmahleigh.

Recently, a friend of mine reached out with some questions about Meadowlark. Her name is Sandy, and she had given the book to her daughter, Emmahleigh, a college sophomore at Northern State University in Aberdeen. It turns out Emmahleigh is NOT a reader, and never has been, even though mom is an avid reader and dad (Pat) is a middle-school teacher. But after reading Meadowlark, Emmahleigh texted her mom, telling her she couldn’t put the book down and that it might be the best story she’s ever read. Mom then texted me, as I had gifted her the book, and said, “She has follow-up questions.” The questions included, “How is the author related to the main character?” and, “What area did the story actually take place in?” I shared that Grace is Dawn’s great-grandmother, and that the story took place near Howes, south of Faith, SD. I added that Dawn’s parents, Dean and Joan Wink, live in Grace’s house.

Since reading Meadowlark, Emmahleigh has asked to borrow more books from Sandy, and is seeking out books similar to her home run book, Meadowlark.

Thank you, Missy, and to Annie Hlavka for their help in creating this WinkWorld.

*Fortunately, I am no longer such a compliant reader. Now, I make sure I read all the banned books and any other book I want to read….

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Readers of WinkWorld know that I have been writing about prairie pedagogy because it fascinates me to see the powerful teaching and learning (a.k.a., pedagogy) that is going on in these tiny, tiny schools on the prairies. In addition, I want to help maintain the history of these schools. Missy, the teacher, is my second cousin, and I find her exceptional as a teacher. She pays no attention to me when I’m in the classroom which I love.

I am crazy in love with the students of this school.

However, let me be honest: The reason I am particularly motivated to finish this document is because I feared that the enrollment (seven students) was just too small, and the district might have to close the school. However, at the beginning of January 2024 we had a population explosion with five new students being enrolled.

Dare I hope? Perhaps what I feared will not happen; perhaps, the end is just a new beginning?              

In this issue of WinkWorld, I will share several news items which interest me. First, I will share two short stories of the first week of school when five new students joined the previous seven students. Next, I will share about an international teacher literacy book club. In addition, I plan to update my photo on my web page. Finally, I will share a bit of health news.

Two Short Stories about the First Week of School in January 2024

It has been cold and frosty on the kids’  playground.

During the first week of class the reading lesson was on inferences. Suddenly, one of the new students had an a-ha moment. In their family’s chicken coop, he found some broken eggs, and he inferred that they had a skunk in the area.

Two of the new students and one of the previous students were studying the American Revolution by making invisible ink quotes like the spies used during the American Revolution.

The students and I each have an amaryllis plant. We share pictures every day or two as our flowers begin to open. Missy said that when the students entered the classroom on January 3rd after a long two eek break, there were audible gasps as they saw what the amaryllis had done in their absence.

A Story about an International Teacher Literacy Book Club in Montenegro

Out of the blue I received a message from Marina Avvakumova, one of my treasured Masters’ students from years ago in Mallorca, Spain. She had a very specific question: What should be the first book which they use in an international literacy teachers book club? I have considered this question in other occasions, and I knew immediately what my answer would be.

The Power of Reading

by Stephen Krashen

I believe it relates equally well to first language acquisition and also to second, third, etc. language acquisition. Experienced and novice teachers will find it meaningful and compelling. Teachers in this group represent the following countries: US, UK, Turkey, Russia, and South Africa.

Here are a few links about this Krashen book

Deb Harrison, a teacher in WY, wrote this article telling about her experience with The Power of Reading when she was a grad student in one of my classes.

The post below is a fun Powtoons created by Deb, also.

Marina now lives and teaches in Montenegro. Where in the world is Montenegro?

Meet dear Marina

Time Marches On: A New Photo

Turns out, I no longer look exactly the way I did about 10 years ago when that previous photo was taken.

A word about health

This is the first WinkWorld I have done totally on a dictation program. The reason for this is that I have been diagnosed with essential tremors in my hands. I always sort of knew I was going to get this as it is hereditary, and I have watched several in my family who had it. It has taken my script away from me and much of my ability on the computer keyboard. This is a real bummer, but the good news is that there are no negative cognitive consequences that come with essential tremors.

Thank you to Missy Urbaniak, Marina Avvakumova, Stephen Fleming, Deb Harrison, and Dawn Wink.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a regular reader of WinkWorld, you know that I am writing about a  tiny school, Atall, on the prairies.  You also know that I find Missy Urbaniak, to be an awesome teacher of Atall School (K-8).  In the photo above, Missy meets reknown children’s author, Jan Brett, who is autographing a book which I gifted to Missy and students of Atall.

Recently South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) did a feature on the tiny schools in our county.  We, prairie people, have enjoyed many parts of this video, but for our purposes today on WinkWorld,  I invite you to meet Missy.  Thank you to SDPB for sharing this link  publicly. The video is about 5 minutes total.  Missy first appears at about 57 seconds, and again at about 4 minutes.  She concludes the video at about 4:40  when she spontaneously says, “It’s my dream job.”

The  Rural School Traditions of Meade County, Dakota Life, SDPB

SDPB Radio | By Tim Davison
Published December 8, 2023 at 6 AM. CST

Rural schools brought people together before they were called South Dakotans. Today, those schools continue to keep strong and unique rural traditions alive for the next generation of students and teachers.

Link to article on SDPB Radio website:
https://listen.sdpb.org/rural-life-and-history/2023-12-08/the-rural-school-traditions-of-mead-county-dakota-life

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you are a reader of WinkWorld, you know that I am focused on pulling together prairie pedagogy stories which I have collected; this post is part of that series.

As we think about these tiny schools on the prairies, sometimes people wonder:  How do these students do when they move into town for high school and on to higher education?

Tiny Prairie School Emeriti*

As I reviewed the 10+ years of my observations, I am comfortable that these rural kids go on to thrive and make their ranch families very proud.  As I collected the 10 years of photos, it was so clear that the kids are productive, and they are great citizens.

You may see these photos in the post below.

Prairie Pedagogy: Pulling the Past 10 Years Together in One Big Story

“Hard Rules”

Recently, I noticed on social media that two of our tiny school emeratae* were talking about their self-imposed “hard rules” which guides their first year at the university.  These rules help keep them keep on track physically and emotionally.  When I  saw this, I thought: A-ha, there is a story here somewhere. So, Wynn Wink and Dawn Wink (my trusty assistants) and I checked in with them on ZOOM.

Mariah and Shaniah are twins and attended Atall School.  Jeslyn attended another tiny school, Hereford School, about 30 minutes away, mostly on gravel, which is a close neighbor for prairie people, who have to drive miles and miles for the basics of life. Mariah and Jeslyn are in their first year at the University of South Dakota, and Shaniah is ranching and driving big equipment.

On the left meet Mariah, Jeslyn, and Shaniah. On the right you see them today in their dorm room.

Above you see Jes and Mariah in high school, and on the right you can see what they look like today at the university.

When I think of Hereford School, I always think of the kids riding horseback to the first day of school.

See this previous WinkWorld.

Riding Horses to the First Day of School: Hereford (K-8) School

In addition, I have fond memories of Jes when she used to attended with her mom a grad class I was teaching at Black Hills State University. Below is Jess in that class.

A Peek Into Our Class

Shaniah, Mariah’s twin sister. is ranching and driving large equipment. See below.

Alanah, their younger sister in high school is getting her pilot’s license in her spare time. 

Respect and Collaboration

I asked the young women what part of their tiny rural school experience did they most value? They reflected that they went forward to high school and higher education with greater respect for others (including teachers and professors) and a greater ability to work with diverse groups of people on multiple projects.

Tiny school emeriti*, if you leave us with these two characteristics, respect for others and the ability to collaborate with others, our tiny prairie schools are doing fine and dandy!

*I doubt that I have ever used emeriti or emeritae in my prairie pedagogy blog  posts, but it is time.  My Mobridge High School Latin teacher would be proud.  Thank you, Hazel Grace Johnson.

It is an honorable  title awarded to a former exceptional member, professor, or student.

Emeritus – singular male

Emeriti – plural  male and female

Emerita – singular female

Emeritae – plural female

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

As I shared in the previous blog post, we are working on Prairie Pedagogy.  Our purpose is to save the stories and the history.  Missy Urbaniak, the teacher at  Atall School, has already prepared the history, and selected  sections will be each chapter.  In addition, we have more stories prepared than we can possibly use, but here is  a peak into some of the stories which might make the cut.

We appreciate the help of Wynn Wink in the preparation of the manuscript.

Below on the left is the enrollment of Atall 2012-2013, and on the right is that of 2023-2024.

2002-2014

• Prairie Pedagogy Index 2002-2014. https://www.joanwink.com/prairie-pedagogy/

2015

• March 3, 2015. Books Beget Books: Burnett Did This to Me. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/books-beget-books-burnett-did-this-to-me/
• April 21, 2015. My reading of “Book With No Pictures.” https://www.joanwink.com/latest/my-reading-of-book-with-no-pictures/
• October 22, 2015. Critters, Polacco, Novak, and Atall. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/critters-polacco-novak-atall/
• December 16, 2015. Strega Nona, Atall School, and Country Kids. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/strega-nona-atall-school-country-kids/

2016

• November 21, 2016. Flat Stanley, or Jaylee on a Journey with Joan. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/flat-stanley-or-jaylee-on-a-journey-with-joan/

2017

• May 10, 2017: Prairie Pedagogy: Paul Interviews Missy, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-paul-interviews-missy/
• October 7, 2017. Prairie Pedagogy: The Scientific Method. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-the-scientific-method/

2018

• January 15, 2018. Jack Frost or Robert Frost. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/jack-frost-or-robert-frost/
• February 22, 2018: Prairie Pedagogy: A Story about a Bromeliad and a Geranium, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-story-bromeliad-geranium/
• August 19, 2018. Many Ways to Begin the School Year: Annie, Missy and Tammy. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/many-ways-to-begin-the-school-year-annie-missy-and-tammy/
• August 29, 2018. Riding Horses to the First Day of School: Hereford (K-8) School. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/riding-horses-to-the-first-day-of-school-hereford-k-8-school/
• December 18, 2018. Writing Projects: 2019. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/writing-projects-2019/

2019

• February 18, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: The Book Challenge, or Just Read, Read, Read. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-the-book-challenge-or-just-read-read-read/
• February 19, 2019. Research Rapture and The Din In The Head: Part Two. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/research-rapture-and-the-din-in-the-head-part-two/
• May 21, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: A Reflection on Free-range Reading, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-a-reflection-on-free-range-reading/
• June 11, 2019. Beautiful Books by the Churchmans. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/beautiful-books-by-the-churchmans/
• September 27, 2019: Kids, Cows and Community: Prairie Pedagogy, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/kids-cows-and-community-prairie-pedagogy/
• October 2019. A Year at Atall. https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atall-SD-Mag-final.pdf
• November 2019. The Prairie School Post. https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Prairie-School-Post-15-NOV-DEC-19.pdf
• December 5, 2019: Prairie Pedagogy: Grandparents’ Day Program at Atall School, https://www.joanwink.com/latest/kids-cows-and-community-prairie-pedagogy/
• December 21, 2019. Prairie Pedagogy: A County Christmas Celebration. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-pedagogy-a-country-christmas-celebration/

2020

• January 17, 2020. Prairie School Post (PSP): A Student Newsletter. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/prairie-school-post-psp-a-student-newsletter/

2021

• January 31, 2021. Eulalia (Sister) Bourne: Rancher Schoolteacher. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/eulalia-sister-bourne-rancher-schoolteacher/
• May 2, 2021. Free-range Reading. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/free-range-reading/

2022

• January 27, 2022. Reading a Story in a School: Imagine! https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atall-SD-Mag-final.pdf

2023

• January 5, 2023. Books 2023, January. https://www.joanwink.com/latest/books-2023-january/

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

If you read WinkWorld consistently, you are aware that I have been taking books and reading stories to students in a tiny little school on the prairies, Atall School. If you want to read any of those previous posts, just type in Atall or prairie pedagogy into the search bar over on the left of my main page, www.joanwink.com   On my computer, Chrome works well on the search bar–less so, Firefox and Safari. 

Missy Urbaniak, the teacher at Atall and my cousin, has been gracious and welcoming as I bopped in and out of the class for 10 + years. She is central to this project and is also my co-author.  In addition, I very much appreciate the support and kindness of the families and community, who has allowed me to share stories and photos of their children.  Families, if there is every any photo, which you do not want me to share, please just tell me.  I also wish to thank Wynn Wink who is providing tech support.

This year we hope to write a history of these years at Atall School. Our purpose is to save the stories and maintain the history of prairie pedagogy for the students, families, and community.  I will post selected drafts of these stories first on WinkWorld.

Each of the following years will be organized in this manner.

A Photo

A Story

A Story Book Used in Class

A Glimpse of the History

And, of course, the heart of the book, the students.

Posted below are the school photos from each year which will be highlighted in our history.

Atall School 2012-2013

Atall School 2013-2014

Atall School 2014-2015

Atall School 2015-2016

Atall School 2016-2017

Atall School 2017-2018

Atall School 2018-2019

Atall School 2019-2020

Atall School 2020-2021

Atall School 2021-2022

Atall School 2022-23

Atall School 2023-2024

Oh, how I love these kids!  Now, I also have the joy of following them through their high school years and beyond.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Some of you may remember the snake story.

Ranch Visitors: Blue Racer Snakes

Others of you may remember the skunk stories: First, there was the dead and rotting skunk in our cistern. Below, I am copying/pasting that story from  my July 3, 2003 newsletter.  This was before our interactive blog.

Skunk in the Cistern
We never put water in the cistern without remembering the time a couple of years ago when a skunk got into the cistern and drowned. We slowly began to notice the smell of skunk in the house and guessed that a skunk was passing through the yard during the night. Throughout
the course of the next few days, the smell increased and eventually seemed to permeate the house. Finally, one Saturday evening while Wink was in the shower, he realized what must have happened, as he smelled skunk in the shower water.  We raced outside and could see a slight opening between the concrete lid of the cistern and the rocks surrounding it.

We lifted the lid, and the horrible smell hit us in the face. From here the story goes straight downhill. We put an 8-foot ladder down into the water, but Wink was too big to get through the opening into the cistern.

I went down the ladder next, and tried to shovel that mass of rotting skunk into a bucket, but I just couldn’t stay down there long enough to finish the ugly task.  Eventually, we  brought the tractor over and hooked a chain to the front-end loader.  I slowly lowered Wink into the cistern as  he held onto the chain hooked to the front-end loader. He could squeeze through the opening of the cistern if both arms were held up above his head.  In this way, we got the skunk out, and then we had to disinfect and clean the cistern.

See the original post.

Second there was the mama skunk and 3 babies, which we caught in one trap.

Still  others of you may know my dear friend, GinnyWink#5, the most precious laborador ever; she follows GinnyWink#1, #2, #3, and #4, who were also precious.

However, GinnyWink#5 and I just had a very scary encounter with a badger.  I did not bother to snap a pix during the scary 5 minutes, so the following photo is courtesy of Wikipedia.

I was outside picking up branches under a  tree on a gorgeous fall day about 30 yards from the house.  I suddenly heard hissing and growling under the next tree about 10 yards away, where the badger and Ginny were running around and around the tree, the badger chasing Ginny. The badger was making horrible rasping, grunting, grating sounds.  I was yelling to get Ginny to come.  She tried to come once, and the badger took a little nip.  Off they went in a circle again.  I was about 10 feet away when I suddenly realized I didn’t have anything for protection.  I ran to the porch where  I remembered Wink had left a 3 foot bolt cutter. I have no idea what I was going to do with it.  Fortunately, when I ran for the porch, Ginny came right behind me.  We watched as the badger was forced to slink away in defeat.

I have since learned about a children’s book about a Canadian boy who was lost in the woods when a mama badger befriended him as he took refuge in the badger hole.  Is there a hint of truth in this story? I do not know, but I intend to read the book.

Incident at Hawk’s Hill (Newbery Honor Book)