I had my students write on the first day of class so I could get an idea of their writing abilities and get to know them the littlest bit. I gave them the prompt: What are the things in your life you are most proud of and why?
And then I made them write.
For 10 minutes.
Without talking.
On the first day of school.
At the end of those 10 minutes, they had two minutes to share ideas, ask each other questions, and build their thinking. Then I had them write for another 5 minutes without talking.
Some of the writing looks like this:
Some of the writing looks like this:
Because I had them write, I learned that Abel is proud that his sister attends one of the best universities in the country, but he is even more proud that his younger brother has learned to eat different foods and behave better in public. I learned that Jaquelinee’s grandfather died the day before school started and that she is most proud that her family didn’t cry too much. I learned that Phuc is not proud of the way he treats other people when he’s angry or frustrated.
The best thing I did was ask them to go back and put a star, underline, or circle around their best line. Students immediately reread their writing and found some beautiful lines of gold.
I made posters of those lines because I want my students to know that they are all writers and have something important to say.
Today, when Brianna had her head down because she was struggling with the reading assessment, I didn’t ask what was going on or what was challenging about the work; I had her walk over to the poster with me. I pointed out the line, “I’m proud of my mother for fighting through pain. I would describe her as a fierce person.” She beamed at her writing, went back to her seat, and struggled with new pride on that assessment for the next 10 minutes.
When Romeo entered class today, I told him I was really impressed by a line of his writing. He said, “Mine? Really? Swag!” We looked at the line together and smiled at his work. He then worked hard the entire hour of class. I am hoping this means that Romeo, whose goal on the first day was simply to graduate from 8th grade, sees himself as a capable scholar who has many more years of education ahead of him.
Some days my feet hurt and my eyes hurt from reading and my heart hurts. But I am honored that they share their stories with me. I get to tell them that I hear them, I see them, and I believe in them. This is what I get to be a part of.
msellendorr 