January 12, 2015

Classroom Zoo #20 - I Don't Have Anything to Write About

I am pretty even-keeled and can be pretty flexible in the classroom, but everyone has buttons that can be pushed that might send them into crazyville. I certainly do. One such thing that always gets me is when students don't write. Now I am not including students that struggle with the process in my frustrations. One of my silly sayings is "I can do crazy, but I can't stand lazy." When I hear or see a capable student avoid writing or tell me they have nothing to write about, I almost laugh, cry, cry while I laugh, or laugh while I cry. My writing workshop is laid back, almost to a fault. I put little constraints on what my kindergartners can create during our time together. If you're writing, you're doing your job. I love watching their creativity flow. However, this freedom makes the times of minimal writing even more heartbreaking and mind-exploding.  Write about your dog. Write about your breakfast. Write about your dog's breakfast. I really don't care. Just write! A great way to become a better football player is by playing football. Likewise, it's hard to improve your writing if you don't write. You gotta start somewhere. 

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