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One of the reasons I wanted to participate in Slice of Life was to give myself an opportunity to write more freely. I began to realize that most of the writing I did was technical. A letter to parents, a proposal regarding instructional materials, newsletters, and more have made up my regular writing. Even my blog was primarily technical - book reviews. Yet, it would seem that coming up with what to write about is more of a challenge than I expected.
I wonder if this is what writing is like for the students that I work with? If I as an adult with reasonable writing abilities struggle to find the words to put down on a page, how is this any different for my students, especially for those who are English Language Learners or the others ones with special needs? Maybe when they stare out into space or play with their papers or lean over to talk with a peer, it's similar to my staring at a computer screen praying for words or thoughts or phrases to come. Maybe it isn't a lack of what to say or even the lack of words, but the struggle to decide on what is important enough to talk about? Do they wonder if their words are valuable enough to put down on paper or that others would want to read those words?
This will not be a long post today. I just don't have the words I need to put my thoughts down in a coherent manner. Maybe next time. However, I hope I remember this moment and that the reminder of it will help me discover ways to provide my students with the understanding that what they have to say is important, that others do want to read their words, and that there are ways to support their journey as writers.
