Living Life Twice

In my home state of Victoria, Australia, we have returned to stage 3 lockdown conditions due to a resurgence of Covid cases in the last three weeks. I have been consciously using this home time productively as I continue my journey trawling through old notebooks.  After almost 40 years, I have a plentiful supply of notebooks from which to mine potential treasure and hidden gems. As most of us appreciate, conversation with family and friends remains important. More so right now. This prompted me to gather some conversations and dialogue captured across my notebooks. I am a practiced eavesdropper. I sit, I listen, I note.  Learning to capture authentic conversation is a most valuable thing for any writer to develop. So, this morning I went gathering some examples of authentic exchanges and words overheard . Hope you like what I unearthed. I present it here for your consideration. ‘It’s ridiculous! Jeans in January. I don’t associate jeans with January. What’s happening?’ Cool su...

Some Writing  Fundamentals… Some fundamentals beliefs and actions need to be considered when thinking about our teaching practice. It is no less important when we consider how we undertake the teaching of writing. What are our fundamentals? What are our non-negotiables? The role of the teacher in assisting the inexperienced writer to grow assumes paramount importance once we begin to consider what fundamental beliefs surround our pedagogy. It drives how we conduct ourselves in the classroom. It is helpful to revisit what we hold to be true about the essentials of writing. With this in mind, I have revisited my own fundamental beliefs regarding the needs of young writers. This is what emerged: Young writers need to be encouraged to develop and choose their own writing topics, their own ideas and projects. How do they learn to do this important work- by watching and observing how more experienced writers go about the very same process. When young writers choose their own topics ...

POWERFUL Practice in Writing At this challenging time across the world, from the relative safety of home, I have had more time to reflect upon my writing process and its capacity to inform my teaching and learning. This week, I  am happily revisiting the notion of teacher influence… I remain very aware of the influence a teacher’s own writing has on impressionable students. Some teachers believe they have little actual power when it comes to the attitudes of young learners. The reality is, teachers control the very climate in the classroom. I frequently find myself invoking this quote from educator, Haim Ginott. ‘I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations...