Living Life Twice

  Shining A Light On Writing Processes I have long tried to practice and advocate for the highlighting of process when teachers share examples of their own writing. To be a teacher who writes is a critical first step in helping young writers see that you value something you are asking them to wholeheartedly embrace. However, a further   mindful step is required in order to maximize the writing the teacher brings to the classroom. There is more that can be done than simply reading our writer’s notebook entries… When it comes to sharing a piece of writing with young writers, the story surrounding it, the process undertaken, becomes a vital part of the share time. As teachers, we must be prepared to invest time shining a strong light on the processes that brought the words to the page. There is real value to be gained explaining the procedures followed, the craft moves employed, the discoveries the process revealed, as well as the lessons learnt along the way. Unpacking t...

This is a message for teachers. Teachers who teach poetry, Teachers who wish to teach poetry more effectively. Take a wander through your school's library and take a closer look at the poetry collection. Have a really good look at the assembled books. Take some books from the shelves and open them and examine the poetry within the covers. If what you are seeing is a  collection of dated, unattractive titles and there doesn't appear to have been any additional texts added to the collection in over a decade -or possibly longer, then it's time to morph into a Poetry Warrior! Don't get me wrong, there may well be some great poetry hidden away within those tired looking covers. It would be sad not to bring some of that treasure to the attention of your probationary poets. However, it's time to begin agitating for more books to be added to the collection -and fast. Something contemporary. Something more relatable to the many worlds young readers inhabit. It becomes diffic...