Dear Mrs. Wagner,

TO BE HONEST, I NEVER REALLY LIKED WRITING . . .

Dear Mrs. Wagner, I never really liked writing . . .

And so begins the letter from my student that served as my inspiration for starting this newsletter. As she warned me on the envelope, her letter was long, so instead of posting the entire letter, I am going to share bits and pieces. [Both my student and her parents gave me permission to share this on my blog, which I greatly appreciate.] I think that this letter is the perfect introduction to my teaching philosophy and techniques, and since that is the focus for this newsletter, it makes sense to use her words in this early post--with the occasional side comment by me.

After that introduction, she continues:

. . . that is, until you became my teacher. If you don't hate me for saying this, but at first, I didn't really like you. 

Ahh, the honesty of middle school students. Don't you love it? And no, I don't hate her for saying so. I am glad, though, that she gave my class and my teaching techniques a chance. And this statement is a great reminder to me that our first impressions are many times wrong, and we all need to "give others a chance" before dismissing them and their ideas.

In all of the writing classes I have had none of them had been like yours. Every day in elementary school I had dreaded the end of the day because that was when I had writing.

This, I think, is the saddest line in the letter, and the reason I feel this newsletter is necessary. No student should ever dread writing time, and yet I know (and so do you) that LOTS of students (and their teachers) feel this way about writing and the teaching of writing.

But now, I am always way too excited for Core 2  . . .

I can't tell you what joy it gave me to read that she no longer dreaded my class, but that she is always "way too excited" for it (especially given the fact that she came into the year already prepared not to like it--or me, the teacher.)

I am just way too stubborn to write at the beginning of class.

In case you're wondering about this statement, I encouraged each of my students to begin their writing day by free-writing in their notebook for 5 minutes while I took attendance. As you can see, not everyone felt that was a great use of their time! And luckily for this student, that wasn't their only choice. They could also choose to read or sketch during this time.

There is something different about you and I don't know what it is.

I hate to admit it, but I have heard that before. I never know if that is a good thing, or a bad thing!

I have told you more than I have any other teacher, even my first grade teacher, and I told her everything. But not as much as I told you.

This statement is really important--because it showcases one of my philosophical teaching points: the best writing is honest writing, and you will only get honest writing from your students if they know they can trust you. The choice about what they share and who they share it with should always be theirs. Let them know this right from the beginning--and they will be more willing to write from their gut and heart, where their best writing hides.

You taught me confidence and practically that anyone and everyone is a writer and with every good writer there is a good reader.

I hear it all the time--from both students and teachers. "I am not a writer." But my student was right. I really do believe that writing is a craft that anyone and everyone can learn. And I have total confidence that all of my students can become good writers if they just give themselves the chance--and learn to read as a writer, not just as a reader.

I think you are amazing, no matter what anyone tells you . . . you taught me a teacher can have so much kindness for one lousy little girl. I may be a good student but to most people I am just a person but I don’t know. I can’t explain it. You are just amazing.

I love this . . . not because she said I was amazing . . . but because it shows the true power of a writers workshop is that students have the opportunity to tell their stories, and to know that others are listening to them . . . truly listening!

After I had read her letter, I asked my student if she could give some specific examples of the things that I did that helped her learn to love writing in my class. I want to end today's post with those reasons, since I think they provide a great summary of who I am as a teacher and what I try to accomplish with my students:

Reasons Mrs. Wagner helped me love writing:

You make it fun. Example: ThADD

You teach it slowly. You don't just tell us everything and say "go."

You aren't afraid to ask questions.

You repeatedly ask if we understand.

Today, as you work with your students, remember these tips from my student. Don't be afraid to ask questions, to take it slowly, to make sure they understand, and most importantly, to make it fun, for both you and them!