National Day on Writing - Write to Connect

What does it mean to Write to Connect? I had to pause and think about that when I saw it was the theme for the National Day on Writing this year. What connections resulted from my writing?

Writing has formed many connections for me – blog readers have become my writing group. Encouraging me when I am worried that I don’t have what it takes. The comments, emails, tweets, and posts give me courage to write on when I lacked courage.

My students connect to each other through their writing. We share notebook entries and leave comments on post-its for each other – writing what inspires us, moves us, snippets we loved. This year we’re adding blogging to our writing – creating a larger audience to grow from. The students are a bit nervous about this, as am I, but I believe the payoff could be huge.

Sample journal I wrote in front of my students on an
issue that was bothering me.

Writing also formed a bond with my class last year and has already begun this year. Sharing my writing in front of them was scary – what if I couldn’t think of what to write? I felt naked – laying my soul bare at times to a group of fifth graders. I clearly remember sharing an idea or passage and you could almost feel the silence. And then their quiet comments would come, encouraging me, cheering me on, telling me I was brave. The more I shared, the more they shared back. Relationships grew over a river of words.

Before I was a teacher who wrote, I didn’t know the impact I was missing with my students. Occasionally I would write up something like I had asked them to write at home, never in front of them. I wish I could get those moments back.

Now I can stand there before them – tell them I am a writer. That we all have stories. Everyone’s story is important. Everyone’s story deserves to be shared. Our stories are woven through the classroom like an intricate spider’s web – binding us to each other. When one student moved from our classroom the other day, we had a hole in our web. Through tears I assured my students we would miss Ashanti, but she would not be forgotten. Joey looked at me and said, “Now we have one more piece to our story of our year together.” Yep, he gets it.

The connections we develop as a community of writers are real. Who will tell your story if not you? What will you write today? What will your students write?

If you have written on your own blog regarding how your students write to connect – or anything about writing in general – please leave your link in the comments below. Or, if you’d rather, just share your ideas in the comments. And on Twitter the hashtag is #write2connect to share your tweets today. Go forth and write!  

Working Out Issues in Workshop

I mentioned in a previous post that one of the few issues I am having this year is the noise level in writing workshop. Reading workshop is relatively silent – in all three of my classes. Writing workshop’s noise level has approached ridiculous levels.

Starting the year with a free choice unit was in some ways brilliant, in others insane. They are extremely excited to write daily. I’ve been begged on more than one occasion to extend our writing time. The noise level, from what I can tell, is on task. They are all sharing ideas for stories – it is just LOUD. I’ve talked about voice levels, being considerate of others in the classroom, asked if we should abandon partnerships, but nothing has worked. Today I glanced at my plan book with some trepidation.

I wanted to end the free choice unit after two weeks. When I originally looked at the calendar, I had thought that a quick free choice unit would give me some opportunity to teach workshop, get a short piece to publishing, and allow the students the freedom to write anything they’d like. With the end of the unit approaching on Friday, I scheduled extra time to write today and tomorrow to allow ample time to polish pieces up in class. With the issues we’ve been having with noise, the idea of writing for almost 90 minutes today was more than a bit intimidating.

We began our workshop this afternoon with a blank chart. I talked to the students about how I was feeling with workshop, the issues I saw, and asked for advice. It was interesting – I had no idea what the solutions they would come up with were, just that I wanted to talk about it. What we ended up with were their thoughts about what workshop should look like on the chart below. They each signed it signifying that they would strive to exemplify that model in our workshop today.

Was it 100% successful? Nope. But I’d say 95% of us were there, instead of 25% most other days. I consider that some major progress. Add that to the fabulous writing I saw happening as I moved around the room and I’m calling it a day to remember. 

Lessons on Conferring

Sometimes inspiration strikes you when you least expect it. I tell my students about this. How writers live their lives with their eyes wide open – paying attention – waiting for inspiration to strike. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes it comes when you are sitting wrapped in a loosely draped sheet in a doctor’s office.

Yesterday was my annual skin check. I have a great uncle who died from skin cancer. Chris has an aunt who passed away from it far too young as well. Not one to take this lightly, every year I trek to see my dermatologist and have an all body check. There are a lot of freckles on my short frame, so it’s important to get the all clear.

As my doctor came in, talked to me, and asked questions, I was struck with how very similar this interaction was to a conference with my students. When I talk to teachers about conferring, they are often intimidated, nervous even. They ask if I have a list of questions, a list of teaching points. I don’t think they believe me when I say I just listen to the kids, but that is indeed what I do.

My doctor came in the office and greeted me, asking how I was doing. I said something about the summer speeding to a close. He laughed and said he often sees teachers in this last week as they rush to check off their “to do” list before returning to school.

He proceeded to scan my body while I asked a few questions, pointed out some concerns. Although this is a speedy doctor – my appointment was at 7:30 a.m., I arrived at 7:15 and was walking back to my car by 7:30 – I never felt rushed. He made eye contact, would ask follow-up questions to ensure he understood my worry, and give me an answer. His focus was on me the entire time and by the time I left, I felt lighter.

My reading and writing conferences are so similar to this – I greet the kids, often asking how they are doing. There is a quiet give and take. They need to lead the conference, just as I led the appointment. I listen to their questions/concerns/comments and reply as needed. If I see an issue, we will discuss further. They should leave the conference feeling lighter as well – on track to read their book or work on a piece of writing.

My doctor left the room, scribbling a few notes. I smiled as I prepared to go, thinking of my own hastily written notes after conferring with students. Using my iPhone and the Evernote app, I record our discussion and anything I’m wondering about or concerned with. I assume what he wrote was very similar to that.

In just thirteen days I will meet a new group of kids. The numbers this year are, I fear, going to be much higher than I’m used to. I plan on keeping my doctor in mind – to make each child feel like I have all the time in the world for them, that I am there to listen, and that there is no place I’d rather be. I’m grateful for my doctor; he gave me just the reminder I needed. I can’t wait for my first conference this year.

Inner Editor for Sale

Yesterday I sat down with my notebook and looked at the prompt for Teachers Write. Scribbling away in my notebook, I felt ok about my writing. Shared it on Kate’s website and put my notebook aside.

Looking at my laptop screen, I sighed. After what felt like an eternity of staring at a blank page in Word, I began to type. Words flowed out, but they felt wrong. Not to be deterred, I opened another document in Word – one I’ve already worked on. Still, that voice in my head said my writing was off. Grasping at straws, I opened a third document – again one I had worked on previously. The inner editor was now speaking loudly, sharing wonderful and helpful insights with me like:

This writing is horrible.

Do you really think you can write, much less a book?

What is the “so what” here? You don’t have one.

Everyone knows this stuff already. You have nothing to contribute.

I kept at it, turning on music, attempting to tune her out. After writing about a thousand words through the three different documents, I closed them for the day. Frustrated, I took to Twitter and tweeted this:

Logically, I know that I am not the only one to struggle with the inner editor. I heard so many people I admire at All Write – Ruth, Donalyn, Penny, Chris, Terry, Jeff, and more say the same thing. I loved learning that Terry often stops writing to go look in the fridge. Donalyn calls this #prewriting. I loved knowing that theses people – who write beautiful and important books – struggle with the same internal conflict that I do. That being said – how do I get rid of this voice?

Linda Urban on Twitter shared that Cynthia Lord sends hers on a vacation to the beach complete with margaritas. (I think I should just drink the margarita myself – that could make my writing more interesting!) Donalyn said that was too nice, I should just send the inner editor out to weed. Hmm, my flowerbeds are looking a bit neglected. Over and over I heard from friends on Twitter and knew more than ever that I wasn’t alone.

It was that realization that made me stop and pause. Isn’t this why I started writing to begin with? Because if I feel this way, I know with absolute certainty that my students are as well. I suppose I can’t tell my students to have their inner editor go drink a margarita, but I can share how I felt this day in June. (And surely will again.) By talking about our inner editors in class my students can realize that we all feel this way, it isn’t a reason not to write – or worse, stop writing.

Yesterday was a reminder to be kinder to myself. I can see my own growth in my writing since starting this blog. I know with certainty when I look back three years from now, my writing will have continued to improve. This is where I am; this is the message I need to share. I need to go do it. The inner editor will just have to play nice or she’s out of here. 

Slice of Life - A Visit from Brenda

Slice of Life is sponsored every Tuesday by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers

Last Wednesday I was thrilled to welcome Brenda Power to my classroom. I’ve written for Brenda’s website, Choice Literacy, for almost a year now. My students laughed at the idea that I adored Brenda, considered her a friend, but had never met her in “real life.” Such a crazy age we live in.

Many people have visited my classroom over the years; Brenda amazed me in that I truly forgot she was there quickly after beginning our day. It was a wonderful way to spend my morning; made even more special when she sent me an email with hundreds of photos she had taken that day. I loved looking them over, it was truly a slice of my day.

I’ve added a selection of the photos into an Animoto video below. The photos span two classes, reading workshop and writing workshop. In reading the students followed along in the chapter Last Kiss from Ralph Fletcher’s Marshfield Dreams. We were using a six box graphic organizer that day to locate signposts from Notice & Note. I showed in the mini-lesson how I found these signposts in this one chapter. This was a culminating activity after studying all six signposts over the past two weeks.

In writing we were taking about Marianne Malone’s book, Sixty-Eight Rooms. Marianne is visiting my class in two weeks and we are doing a writing project before she comes. The students were using the iPads to study the Thorne Rooms and decide which room they’d like to shrink down and enter like Jack and Ruthie do in the book. They then filled out an organizer to capture their thinking on that room and we’ll return to it and write out a story soon.

Enjoy the video below! Feedly users - you might have to click over to see it.