I'm attempting to write everyday in March.Today is post 13 of 31.
I love watching people dream big and accomplish those dreams. This feeling is even better when you know the person reaching those dreams is a truly good person. And when you actually know that person? Consider them a friend? And then see them accomplish something amazing? Bliss.
In 2011 I met Colby Sharp at the NCTE conference in Chicago. I had "talked" to him on Twitter several times, but spent an entire day at NCTE hitting different session with he and Donalyn, sharing Cliff bars since we didn't want to stop for lunch, and gave him grief about his lack of Smart phone and inability to tweet from the conference. A couple days later I remember a late conversation in the lobby bar of the Palmer House. Colby asked me what I was going to take away from NCTE and I said I realized I needed to write more. He encouraged me to start a blog. And he said he knew he needed to write more too. That he was a good reading teacher because he was a teacher who reads, but needed to do the same as a writing teacher.
Life had certainly changed.
Today Colby's book comes out into the world. The Creativity Project is a book for everyone. In it Colby has gotten over forty authors and illustrators to join in, share an idea, swap those ideas, and then create.
It's amazing.
It would be great in a classroom as a mentor text to get kids to do the same. It is filled with individual stories to get kids inspired. My students have loved taking the prompts and creating their own stories off of them. The first one we used was by one of their favorite graphic novelists, Victoria Jamieson, and her prompt of I remember...
I am so proud of Colby for the thinking that went into this book. I love that my students love it. I love that it makes them want to create. And I love the dedication when I open it, it gives me chills each time I see it. His mind is always on his students (and his family).
Just last week as we studied Dr. Jane Goodall my students and I had a conversation about what the phrase you can talk the talk, but do you walk the walk means. Colby walks the walk. This book is one you need. Get it for your classroom today.
