We Are Writers

I remember the bright yellow and bouncing folders greeting me that morning. New faces gathered on the rug; some sat together, some others took a few minutes to inspect the situation before committing to a spot for the next 5 minutes. I held my writing folder, magic pen, and eagerness, leaving the load of expectations on the desk. Leaning in, I said, “Writers, I am so excited to sit here with you. I can’t wait to write together!” as if inviting them into a secret and special group.

None of these kindergarteners corrected me when I called them writers. Some of them nodded in agreement, some others smiled at the discovery of a new part of their identity, and from that day on, every time we met on that rug, we were writers. And they knew it.

Fast-forward to the fall of 2019; this time, I sit in front of eager and curious third-graders. Some lock arms with someone they know and love, some chat and giggle, others sit still, hoping I notice their fantastic listening skills. I begin, “Writers, this is such an exciting day for me. I am looking forward to building our writing community and get to know you through your writing. I also hope you get excited to discover your voice!” As expected, I notice signs of disbelief. As if I had called them by the wrong name.

Most of these students elaborated on why they weren’t real writers. Their reasons went on and on. “We haven’t published a real book!”, “Writers are people who actually write books… like, the long ones. You know? Harry Potter!” Some nodded in agreement with each other. I smiled, listened, and knew what my first goal was. These third-graders would, hopefully, see themselves as writers.

It took me many years to believe I was a writer; sadly, I didn’t have a writing teacher to help me develop my writing identity. It didn’t happen in third grade or high school. College? Hmm, no. During my masters? Perhaps, and just because I had to write a lot. I knew I could write for the sake of learning, but I never thought I could write. It wasn’t until, after years of blogging, I met my mentor who switched that light on for me.

In reality, I keep reminding myself of it. On dreadful days, I sit at this desk, pretend I am someone who writes, and I go through my weird process. A process I had to understand to teach it. A process that, many times, protects my writing from my nitpicking ego.

My own experiences as a student and struggles as a writer drive my teaching. As a writing teacher, I know that students need to see themselves as writers who go through a process when they write; and that when they do, their ideas can become a book. The thought of a final product feeds my writing anxiety because it’s taken me a long time to see and appreciate the process.

I don’t want students to have to fight this fear when they’re older. I want to help them overcome that shadow and turn the lights on the specific stages of the writing process to see that, yes, we end up with a product, but that it takes a lot of hard work for that to become something. I want students to believe they can all write amazing things.

Luckily, the writing process in elementary is less complicated than the one adult writers create for themselves. The writing process I learned from the Workshop philosophy helps writers see how an idea can grow into stories, poems, biographies, fairy tales, “How-to” books, essays.

A path that doesn’t have to be linear and encourages a little bit of back and forth, risks, and a ton of strategies to find that voice. And the most important thing, in my opinion, is that this writing process helps protect the ego of young authors by seeing the journey their ideas go on before becoming “a real book.” 

With all these thoughts, I also started to think of how I could support colleagues in the teaching of writing. I want to see all students, not just those 12 faces on my rug, develop a writing identity. So, I’ll share what I’ve learned about the writing process in lower and upper elementary in a series of posts. Initially, I thought I could do just one, but I have way too much to say!

For now, thank you for coming along with me as we look at ways we can support writers in our schools.