While going through a plethora of saved materials from my teaching career, I discovered an excellent article on maintaining a writer’s notebook/journal. In this article Ralph Fletcher shared, “I always tell kids that the most important book I’ve written is one that will never be published: my writer’s notebook.” In the same article Don Murray writes, “The writer’s notebook gives students a place to react to their world, to make that all-important personal connection. . . [it] provides a safe place – no grades, no one correcting their grammar.” JoAnn Portalupi wrote, “One of the best ways to encourage writing and develop fluency is to invite students to write regularly. Don’t forget to write with your students!” These three authors helped to shape my writing instruction, and I continue to seek insights from authors that I admire.
During this pandemic current authors have been offering online opportunities for us to gain some of their wisdom. In the past month it has been my privilege to watch presentations from Tara Westover, author of Educated; a conversation between writers Leif Enger and Peter Geye where they shared origins of ideas and influences on their writing, and an exchange of experiences between Ann Patchett and Kate DiCamillo. Just this past Saturday, our local Walker Art Center hosted a virtual reading of author Kao Kalia Yang's forthcoming picture book The Most Beautiful Thing. During the Q&Q portion Kalia shared these strong reasons for writing: “Memories flavor my life; We become the dreams of our ancestors; I see into the world; I see into myself; Writing is a picture of you in time.”
The experiences of these authors fuel my ideas for my own writing, and my journal is a fantastic storehouse. Here I am able to reflect/react to the life around me without any judgment. I hope you are encouraging your students to do the same! Whether on paper or online, the journal/notebook is an invaluable archive.
No comments:
Post a Comment