Living Life Twice

Looking forward to presenting at the 10th Annual Thinking & Learning Conference conducted by Hawker Brownlow Education. Would love to see you  at Caulfield Racecourse on May 17th to discuss 'The Write Stuff.' For more information contact- www.hbe.com.au     www.hbe.com.au    

The challenge for those of us who are teachers of writing is how do we maintain our authenticity? How do we ensure that the words we speak in the name of writing are enacted in our deeds? How do our actions and beliefs about writing influence our student writers? I am a reader and a writer. The things I do as both reader and writer are at the core of my teaching. I believe I cannot ask students to embark on learning tasks I have not experienced myself. If I want  students to adopt writing as a meaningful part of their learning, I need to demonstrate the intrinsic value of being someone who chooses to read and write.  I can show them how writing can be a way of solving problems. I need to be the embodiment of a positive model for these literacy siblings. Such actions provide confidence for students. They know that where they are going as writers is a path I, as a teacher, have already been down and continue to travel. I am blazing a trail and inviting them to join me. If I a

During the just completed Slice of Life March Story Challenge I was alerted to the potential of Sound cloud for sharing information. I have fellow slicer,  Kevin Hodgson to thank for bringing this App to my attention. Kevin uses Soundcloud regularly, and effectively, so I am following his lead and venturing into a new realm... Today, I am repackaging a couple of poems I wrote some years ago as part of  the 'Greedy Pig, Greedy Pig' collection of food inspired verse for young readers. Soggy Beans In My Jeans http://soundcloud.com/alwrite/soggy-beans-poem-at-mornington Pasta Joke http://soundcloud.com/alwrite/pasta-joke-poem Poem by Alan j Wright, illustrations by Terry Denton     SOGGY BEANS   Auntie Bess I must confess I didn’t eat my greens When you got up to make dessert I hid them in my jeans   I then walked home to my place As quiet as a mouse My pockets full of soggy beans Until I reached my hou