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For Educators and LibrariansI used to be a teacher. I know how hard it is to get kids to read and write. But that was over twenty years ago (today some of my former fifth grade students have kids as old as my youngest daughter!) If I were transported back to the classroom today, would I do things differently than I did back then? You bet your lesson plan I would! Perhaps you will find some of my thoughts helpful in the classroom. You in the Back Row --- Listen Up! Maybe you always knew this, but it has taken me most of my life to realize that there are different kinds of writing. Often we teach only one kind. When I was a student, I wrote for my teacher. That was the kind of writing my teachers expected of me. So I learned to write while looking over my shoulder. What a pain in the neck! But I'm glad that's the way I was taught. Facing Reality Let's face it. Most of the writing students do in school must be done for the teacher. Kids must learn the mechanics of writing - spelling and grammar - all those things that don't get in the way of communicating with a reader. I say that, even though I remember (painfully) how difficult it was (and is) for me to spell correctly. Writing was hard for me - I was continually blindsided by slippery words and tricky grammar and pugnacious punctuation. (You may want to know how long it took me to look that word up? Forget it. I've got my pride.) As hard as it was for me, I felt compelled to write, anyway. My teachers weren't very encouraging. But I persevered. But, most importantly, outside of the classroom I did a lot of writing on my own, in private. I didn't share that writing with my teachers. I didn't want to risk being criticized for things that were heartfelt. Even when teachers asked for us to get personal in our writing, I didn't. I pretended. More for Educators and Librarians
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