My last pick for my 2020 professional development learning journey and I just can't put it down!!!! It is thought provoking and ignites a reflective moment for all writing teachers like me. Every teacher friend would agree with me that teaching the elements of writing to young children is not easy and the hardest part is getting them to write.
The comforting truth that Kelly mentions in this book is that all writers at some point will not want to write. She adds that once we have accepted the fact that all writers will experience reluctance, we will learn to empathise and offer grace behind the struggle.
Every chapter helped me to stop, think and reflect on what I can do to make my less-enthused writers feel safe in their writing spaces.
I enjoyed foraging each of the six field-tested strategies that she has collated:
* Use mentors and modelling to fuel engagement
* Create a safe and daily space for writing
* Expose writers to real readers
* Offer choice
* Maintain a healthy perspective on conventions
* Shape writing identity through assessment.
BIG BIG BIG take away for me is modelling writing in front of your students. It is a very powerful way to show them the kind of resiliency writers develop. When teachers write in front of their students, they are letting their guard down and showing their struggle and discipline as they engage in their writing.
My favourite phrase etched in my memory -
"If we don't show our students that struggling is actually part of the process, we do them a great disservice." (Kelly Boswell)
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