It was a privilege of mine today to visit an elementary school who was involved in a schoolwide "Write-In." This was the final of three such events held this year. After announcements, students, teachers, and staff are asked to pick up their Writer's Notebooks, get a pencil, and find a comfy spot. I immediately made my way to the Kindergarten wing of the building, anxious to see what these baby writers were up to. I was first greeted by a red rug just outside the classroom door where three students were sitting with notebooks in laps, pencils in hand. Very quiet conversations were happening between writers as I made my way into the classroom. While there were a few "Who is that?" remarks, most completely ingnored me, intent on the opportunity to use the feathered black pen to jot down some ideas into a self-decorated notebook. As I peered over backs and shoulders, I saw lists of boys and girls in the class, a letter to Mom telling of how she is loved, and illustrations to match a writer's own version of No David! just to mention a few. Busy baby writers.
And then I realized, I am a baby writer too. I am a baby writer when it comes to the integration of technology as a tool to express my ideas, amazed at what I am able to do, to create. I am a baby writer when I prepare and present information to shape the instructional lives of teachers of writing have just stepped out of the classroom herself. When I share ideas with my family and friends out of my own writer's notebook, I am a baby writer insecure and fearful of the response I may receive.
I was encouraged by these Baby Badgers today. They reminded me that babies are writer's too!
Wow. This makes me think that ANYONE can be a writer, and EVERYONE is a writer. Recently, I wrote a series of scary stories, I shared them with the class, and everybody loved them! That was when I thought I was a true writer. When people liked my writing and wanted more. But now I realize that that is not true. Everyone is a writer, whether they know it or not.
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