Teaching Writing

Writing is one of the hardest subjects for students to master.  Not only does it have the specific grammar demands, but it also requires a level of creativity that can challenge even the most gifted students.  There's nothing worse than a straight A student who cannot create depth in their writing.  Everything seems in place, but when it comes to being able to truly communicate with language in a way that explains something, or creates a feeling or memory, some students are left with a blank page and a blank stare.  I love to change their minds and have them fall in love with the words that speak deep in their soul.

Often in school, when we encounter writing, we are given a prompt and told to write about it, in this certain amount of time.  What if we don't want to write at 10:45 am, but we do want to write at 4:30 pm?  Much of writing is a creative process, and that process can exist at many times during the day.  In the classroom, I had to create an environment that would elicit writing from every student, no matter what time of day, no matter if they were hungry, or so full they wanted to take a nap. I believe that learning is everywhere, but we must be able to attune to it, and it is in the stillness that we find our true selves.  Creating a stillness classroom was one way I fostered creativity amongst all of my students.

In my classroom, I did not have anchor charts or traditional educational posters, instead, I had one wall covered with clouds and the ocean, and the other wall decorated with paintings and poetry.  The room was a calm space to exist in, and it was through creating this calming environment, that I would help reluctant writers become the intense, confident writers I saw in them.  Sometimes we had to write from prompts, but I always assured them, that if they wrote from their heart, with their words, I would truly have 30 different essays.