The Important Work of Growing Readers And Writers

Each and every time a teacher enters a classroom they must be conscious of bringing with them all the reading and writing they have ever done. They must bring with them all those 'unwitting collaborators' as Frank Smith so aptly called them.

Young learners should be encouraged to do the same thing. All that prior knowledge and experience has potential to inform the work currently under consideration.

For teachers this background knowledge represents a powerful armory. When we consciously consider this mountain of knowledge, we are never alone in our teaching. We are not isolated as educators. All those authors sit at our shoulder ready to support our valuable contributions to the reading and writing lives of students.

Quite understandably, I can't recall the titles of every single book I have read, but they remain a part of me. As my reading life continues to expand in various directions, the reading I am currently engaged in frequently allows me to connect to earlier texts. Quotations, fragments, memories, form in my mind. They enter my conversations, They squeeze their way into my writing. These moments and memories dance and swirl in my head. Reclaimed versions of personal truths mingle with flimsy recollections. All this history informs me, comforts me, validates me as a literate being. At different times it propels me forward or back. I am returned to childhood memories or launched forward in joyful, speculative and affirming ways.

‘When the writer tries to reflect the world, he/she is obliged to deal with broken mirrors, some of whose fragments have been irretrievably lost. But the broken mirror may actually be as valuable as the one which is supposedly un-flawed. The shards of memory acquire greater resonance because they are remains.’

Salmon Rushdie

This notion of valuing fragments and shards of memory is an important building block for teachers of writing.

Richard Peck, the American novelist provides a timely reminder with these words:

 'Nobody but a reader ever became a writer. We write by the light of every story we have ever read.'

I understand that the more I read, the more I write because reading is what goes in and writing is what comes out. Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winning author, further reminded me about my reading choices when she wrote- 

'Be careful what you read, for that is what you'll write.'

For these reasons we must remind young readers to choose books that make them think, rather than books that do too much of the thinking for them.

Both my reading and writing lives require conscious focused attention. It is not merely an escape, but a kind of meditation. I emerge more knowing than I was before.
Georgia, a young Grade 4 writers happily informed me during a writer's workshop session,
 'The more I wrote, the more I remembered.' While her classmate Maya told me, 'I was so involved in my writing just then that I actually forgot I was in school. I was in another place. The place I was writing about.'

Given all the usual distractions existing in a classroom, given that writing is viewed as a solitary action, these reflections are revealing.
They remind us how important it is to create a climate and culture in the classroom that actively fosters growth and reflection. 

The fostering of a genuine sense of community becomes paramount. A reading and writing community.

I always introduce myself to a new group of students by saying, ' Like you, I am a reader and a writer.' I want them to know that I definitely identify with them in this very important regard. I further establish this connection by consistently making my reading and writing life visible. I reveal myself as a fellow learner. A learner both curious and vulnerable. I talk about the books I am reading. I bring books I consider worthy of their attention into the classroom each time I visit. I share the gatherings of various notebooks. I tell them about my writing projects and the processes I am following as a writer.

 I consciously demonstrate my willingness to be a risk taker. I venture along new pathways in my reading and writing, I share my questions, doubts and new discoveries. I open myself up to their questions as well. I highlight how I deal with the problem solving aspects of my literate existence and celebrate special moments where my knowledge grows and a small part of my ignorance recedes.

I invite the less experienced learner to join me in this learning journey, constantly encouraging their tentative efforts and gradually growing their self belief. 

By showing our own willingness to be reflective learners, we are setting a powerful model for the curious learner to follow. These are some of the essential actions we must embark upon in order to grow a reading writing community.