Writers need time. We will never improve students’ writing if we don’t build a daily writing habit. Time is always in short supply, so writing time must be sacred and predictable. When writers have a routine expectation of daily writing they begin to take themselves more seriously and come to class ready to write. SOL has reinforced that truth for me.
Writers need models of great writing. Writers read--a lot. You can’t DLI someone into graceful writing. That comes from lots of reading. Writers need to be immersed in writing that is worth emulating: mentor texts in fiction, nonfiction, genre studies, and micro-mentor texts, a.k.a. mentor sentences.
Writers need an audience. An audience increases the stakes, provides focus, engagement, and inspiration.
Writers need purpose. Writers need to understand why they should put forth the considerable effort it takes to become a good writer. What’s in it for them? They need to learn all of the things writing can do in the world. They need to know that writers have power, not only the power that lies in influencing others on Snapchat or Yelp, but also the power to create worlds that will live in readers’ heads. As many authentic purposes as their are for writing in the world, why should we waste time on writing that only ever exists in school?
Writers need to write. As much as it is a vessel to hold thoughts they’ve already had, students need to learn that writing can help a person clarify their own thinking. That the very act of writing is generative--it creates new thoughts. Writers move the pen across the paper, even when they think there is nothing there, following their often surprising trail of thoughts.
Writers need choice, voice, ownership, agency. Most of the time writers need to choose their own topics. The more opportunities they have, the better writers get at generating rich topics.
Writers need teachers who write. Teachers who write have credibility and authentic enthusiasm, because they, too, are in the arena. Teachers who write can also address the struggles all writers face; they have empathy.
Writers need words. Writers are word collectors. Students need to find their own wondrous words. They need to see that words are born from great big families with shared roots, and those roots can give you hints about who that word is. Writers need models for the fun it is to play with words, their sounds, their multiple meanings, and rhymes.
Writers need to know how to use their tools. Verbs move sentences. Modifiers are weak. Specific nouns carry meaning. One word is not the equal of another. More does not equal better. Writers need to know that how words are crafted into sentences matters, and that those word-structures are opportunities to play as well.
Writers need grace. Communities where attempts are celebrated nurture writers.
Writers need to be close observers of the world. Writers write in their heads all day long. Writers need to learn that great ideas don’t come from staring at the page, but from moving through their everyday as a writer. Writers are curious people who notice.
After reflecting, I’ve decided there’s nothing in my beliefs about writing that I need to compromise. Which beliefs about writing are you unwilling to compromise?
This is beautifully written and so true. So many lines here that capture what I believe about writing too. And you are right: all of this is non-negotiable. And I'm still reeling from the comment you received that you might have to compromise your beliefs next year. How can we be asked seriously to teach against what we know to be true about how children grow and learn? And yet so many of us are asked to do that very thing every day. I shared this on Twitter and was trying to find you but couldn't? Are you on Twitter? If so, can you let me know your Twitter handle so I can follow you?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and offering your encouragement. We’re in the midst of fierce conversations around how we, as a team, can best meet our intervention requirements. The conversations are hard. I’ve appreciated having a lot of autonomy in the past, but in this case I need to come to an agreement with people whom I respect, but who do things differently. The downside of having strong beliefs can be inflexibility, so I may need to pry my mind open a bit. In the end, we will find a way to make it work and we’ll all be stronger and clearer about what matters. But in the meantime, the conversations can be hard. I followed you today on Twitter with both my personal and classroom accounts.
DeleteI love your list and it pretty much matches mine. My most important beliefs are that writers need time every day to write. The other is that writers need to write a lot--in the classroom more than a teacher can grade. But it's hard . But don't compromise. Kids need this
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. I agree that kids need all of these things, and more. And I agree completely about writing more than the teacher can grade. I'm getting better at that, but it's still not comfortable.
DeleteThis has me very curious about what you are being asked to compromise. . . All of these beliefs you have shared resonate with me as a writer and as a teacher of writers. It's hard when we are challenged to defend our own professional (or personal) lines in the sand. Sounds like you have great clarity around your beliefs and your practice. (Lucky students!)
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth would you need to compromise? And especially not on such great beliefs as the ones you listed. I'm curious about the motivation behind telling you that. I was once told I would have to change my syllabus because there was no way my students would be able to handle the level of reading material I had chosen for them. As if. My students handled the material just fine. I wonder if whoever told you that you'd need to compromise is making an unfair assumption about what your students can and can't do.
ReplyDeleteI measure my beliefs about writing with my "What would Don G. do?" I think he would approve of all of these. None of them seem like they should be compromised. I've been thinking a lot recently about authenticity, and time to write for one's own purposes, and opportunities to play and write in different formats. Maybe its because it's this time of year but I am so sick of five paragraph essays!
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing and feeling lighter after your comment, Carol. There may or may not have been a bit of a tense conversation about "the five paragraph essay." As an ardent fan of essays, that particular type is a hot-button issue for me. Obviously, I need to lighten up. And then I need to dive deep into the writings of Don Graves...Ralph Fletcher...Katherine Bomer.
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