I had an ah-ha moment this past week, but I’m not really sure what to do about it at this point. As a grade level we have been focusing our writing instruction on showing action and reaction of the characters in our piece. Basically, this involves the characters sharing their reactions and feelings. It’s been quite the struggle getting my kids to put emotions into their writing. The few that have attempted it have been very cautious about who they share their pieces with and in the event that they start crying while they share, they try very hard to hide it from others. That’s when it hit me, the magic that their writing needs is the personal touch that comes from adding emotions that truly come from the heart. I realized that they are afraid to do it though, they are afraid to show their true feelings out of fear of being laughed at.
I probably haven’t been a very good role model when it comes to adding emotions this year, I suppose in many ways I feel the way some of my students do…I question whether or not the support is there. How will they react if they see their teacher crying over a heart wrenching story? Will it touch their heart and make them realize the power that comes from a story that has true emotions embedded within it? Or, will it just be an opportunity to talk about just another something crazy that their teacher did?
How can I expect them to unlock their hearts and let their emotions guide their writing when I myself am having trouble doing it?
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February 13th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I like how you said ”ah-ha.”
February 16th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Well, writing this is a start. Now you just need to read a book that makes you cry! Even if they talk about something crazy their teacher did, at least they are talking about it…and THINKING about it. That might just be what they need.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:36 am
I think you should start small. Model and ask them to reflect on simple stories and then progress to more complicated situations. You have a very warm classroom, they will come along. Keep it simple, and it’s true, even if they talk about you they will be thinking about it.