I was in kindergarten in 1980. I graduated from high school in 1992. Want to know the first time I “met” an author? I’m guessing 2009 when I first attended a national conference. As a child, authors did not travel to tiny rural towns in the middle of cornfields. My little hamlet is about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, but that is quite a distance for authors on busy schedules who really need to be writing.
The lack of authors in my life created a mystique around them. When I thought of Judy Blume I thought of this person that was completely unlike me, doing something I couldn’t dare to dream of as her job – writing. Writers weren’t real people; they were smarter, braver, more talented, etc. While I still think they are smart, brave, and talented, I am now very well aware how my earlier perceptions of writers was so very wrong.
Attending conferences like NCTE and being on Twitter has brought me into contact with so many authors – many of whom now feel like friends. Last year I really thought about writers and my students. There is no reason why my students can’t dream of being authors just like they dream of being a teacher, doctor, hair stylist, etc. My dilemma was how to make these authors real to them. I wish with everything in me that I could transport my school down the street from Anderson’s Bookshop. Since that is not reality, I settled for the next best thing, Skype.
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| Skyping with all my reading students |
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| My homeroom during a Skype visit |
In the last
month my students – both in my homeroom and reading sections – have had the
opportunity to Skype with five authors. Sometimes we Skype as one large group
of about eighty students, sometimes it is only my homeroom. If it is an author
Skyping in about a book, I schedule it with all three classes and give my two
colleagues a break while we meet with the author. If it is geared towards
writing, my homeroom hosts the Skype since they are my only language arts
class. Every experience has been unique and meaningful to both my students and
myself. To share a bit, and give you some impetus to Skype yourself, let me
introduce you to our guests.
Our first
read aloud of the year was Chris Grabenstein’s amazing Escape from Mr.
Lemoncello’s Library. I read this in all three classes and the students
were crazy about it. We loved keeping track of clues and characters and trying
to solve the mystery before the main characters did. I have had several
students go back and read it on their own, looking for the clues to solve the
mystery that lays unsolved in the book.
Chris agreed to Skype with us after many students Tweeted him from our
classroom Twitter account, @SagesHoots. His Skype was hilarious. He drops into
voices/ characters at any given moment. He shared stories from when he was the
age of my students and made them laugh repeatedly. He was also an excellent
sport about our poor connection and made even that seem fun. Chris was an
unbelievably kind guest and made one student’s day when he followed her on
Twitter. One month later, the kids still talk about him.
Ame Dyckman
has Skyped into my classroom and home on numerous occasions. Her
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| Note the boa in honor of Tea Party Rules |
enthusiasm
never fails to engage students and make them smile – as does her blue hair. Ame
kindly sent goodies ahead of our visit, and the kids were thrilled to get them.
We read her picture books in advance of her visit and they’ve been checked out
again several times since she Skyped in. Ame was also an excellent sport about
trying on her “writing hat” for the students to see. (A Viking helmet – which
she has been known to wear to the post office!)
Kathi
Appelt was a Skype visit I won on a blog this summer. We had such a terrific
time reading nine of her picture books in anticipation of her visit. The
students learned a lot about the bayou, cats, and Texas. I shared a chapter
from The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp with them and they were
mesmerized. After Kathi’s visit many students have gone on to read that book
and her other novels. They loved her “accent” and how kind she seemed. To have
eighty students in a small classroom hanging on your words and not talking to
their friends they were squeezed next to is amazing.
My last two
Skype visits were with Linda Urban and Penny Kittle. To be honest, I scheduled
these as much for myself as I did my students. To say I am in awe of these two
ladies is an understatement. Both Linda and Penny are amazing writers who
believe in the power of the writing notebook. This is something I wanted to
work on this year – for myself and for my students. I want them to see the
purpose of the notebook and how they can use it to live as writers do.
Both Penny
and Linda inspired my homeroom students to write after their visits. They both
shared their notebooks with the kids, showing entries, ideas, sketches, and
more. Both shared how they weave writing into their lives – sometimes very
early in the morning. When Linda mentioned to my students that they
could Skype her again and share their narratives, they were beyond excited.
When Penny showed them the pocket in the back of her notebook where she stores
quotes and poems, they had to make their own. (Side note – when Penny moved and
they glimpsed The One and Only Ivan on her shelf; I thought half of the
class was going to completely lose it. IVAN was shouted from more than one
child. My reading teacher heart melted.)
I cannot
adequately express my gratitude to these amazing people for taking the time out
of their days to Skype into our classroom. By doing so, these kids have the
chance to: meet their heroes, be inspired to read more, and be inspired to
write. Skyping takes planning and a great deal of class time. Sometimes the
event is stressful as I try and make sure it runs smoothly- darn technology- but it is always
worthwhile. Thank you Chris, Ame, Kathi, Linda, and Penny for being guests in
our classroom. You are welcome back anytime.
