They claim they can't write. WHY?

Teacher: I have students who claim they can’t write about anything! 

That’s usually pretty common. They don’t think they can write. The problem is that they have always been TOLD what to write and the focus has been on SCHOOL writing. To develop writers, we have to start with what they know – themselves. This is even more important with those egocentric adolescents that fill your classroom. When I went through writing training with Dr. Joyce Armstrong Carroll, she taught us that we must start with the reflexive act of writing (writing for self) before we can awaken the act of extensive writing (writing for others). And truly, this makes more and more sense to me over the years. Until kids can see the ideas in themselves and from themselves, we aren’t going to get anywhere in writing.

I’ve written more about it here. 

And there are lesson plans and resources here.

I’m going to show you how to do all of this when we come together. But you might dig into the resources and try out the blueprinting lesson with your kids if you’d like to get started.

Matthew showed me a poem that one of your kids wrote – it was amazing. You ARE doing good things with those kids. Teaching isn’t one of those things you ever master. It’s like they talk about in medicine or yoga – it’s a medical practice, a yoga practice…you never arrive. Don’t get frustrated by your teaching practice, give yourself grace.

Shona