Slice of Life Story Day 16 A Community of Writers Begins To Emerge

Today I watched as a group of teachers shared some of the entries from their writer’s notebooks with students. They read from their notebooks and explained to the audience seated before them the inspiration behind the writing. They talked of connections and speculated on future entries. They displayed the pages of their notebooks and pointed out various pictures, and artifacts. The pleasure derived from the writing experiences of the teachers was most apparent. This was powerful sharing. They were setting an expectation for their students to follow. The writing is becoming a shared journey for teachers and students alike. All participants have accepted the challenge to write. I saw the genesis of a writing community in these scenes.

 I look forward to watching the progress as the school year unfolds.  Writing in this school has begun to move beyond the four walls of the classroom. Students are taking their notebooks home and finding a host of places to gather writing inspiration. One student was keen to show me a photo.  In the photo she is shown standing with her family at a sporting event last weekend. In the photo she is holding her writer’s notebook.  Writing has moved beyond something that you do for a teacher. There is genuine ownership of the writing life here.

A group of students were keen to have me look at their notebooks and where they were at in their development. They were proud of their efforts and the collected pieces I read were varied and interesting.  The energy around writing is highly visible.  I could not wait to share my uplifting experience with the Principal and further validate the great things happening here.  Good news deserves to be shared.


Comments

  1. Bonnie K16 March 2011 at 23:35

    That sounds wonderful Alan and do I see on new look to your blog? Very cool,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda B17 March 2011 at 00:38

    It is so important for teachers to join the community with their students. Thanks for your inspiration this time. It is great to hear this about the writers' notebooks, too. What a wonderful experience you had.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous17 March 2011 at 01:48

    That's great that your students are taking ownership of their writer's notebook and using it outside the classroom!! I love it when my students start to become real writers...not writing just b/c it's a class, but b/c they want to!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wanda Brown17 March 2011 at 08:05

    I had two little first graders call each other up and create a story on the phone. One of them word processed the piece. They brought it into me with huge smiles. I agree...when they take their writing outside the classroom, you know they are hooked. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Heather17 March 2011 at 09:55

    There is nothing comparable to when teachers share their writing lives with students. A completely different kind of magic is witnessed. Students become enamored by the examples set before them and desire to imitate. Great happenings, I would agree. Congrats on the accomplishment and may you continue to move forward with this amazing community.

    ReplyDelete
  6. CSPeterson17 March 2011 at 13:27

    This is so exciting to watch young writers take off and write because writing has become valuable to them! Thank you for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous17 March 2011 at 14:36

    Great to see us on your site. Our students and teachers were very impressed by the lovely comments that you made. We do indeed love our writers notebooks! 5/6 W and B :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous17 March 2011 at 19:03

    Powerful motivation for our students...teachers sharing their literate lives. It is seeing readers and writers in action. Look the look of your blog.

    ReplyDelete

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