I recently read one of Tricia Eaton's blogs, Today I Love Writing, where she asks the question, "How do you write?" This question got my mind wondering...how do I write? It depends on a number of things. Such as what I am doing, how I am feeling or the purpose for my writing.

There are times that I just need to put my thoughts and feelings on paper. I don't carve out time, like some do. This type of writing, for me, comes from more of a necessity. Perhaps if I devoted a specific time just for writing I would feel differently. When I write like this I tend to ramble on and on. Sometimes my thoughts just go in circles or one thought will jump to a memory before it makes the leap to another idea; like stream-of-consciousness writing. I may be the only person who could even follow this writing of mine and its ALWAYS full of mistakes, but that is okay because this writing is just for me. I am generally a very private person and I only allow a select few know my inner thoughts and feelings. So, putting pen to paper is very therapeutic during these times. 

If I am working on a paper I like to write a brief outline of the information I want to include prior to planting myself in front of the computer. I'll surround myself with a variety of books, notes and have websites readily available then I jump right in. I let my outline guide me as I combine my thoughts and questions with information I have gathered. Editing and revising is something I do constantly in this process. When I finally "finish" it I will walk away for a chunk of time. I need to let it be, to settle my mind a bit before I check it again. Then I will read it a few more times, tweaking as needed, before officially declaring it finished. When I write like this I need to have an outline. It drives me crazy when I am working with someone on a paper and they don't have a plan. I NEED A PLAN, MAN. I NEED A PLAN!

What I am discovering about blogging is that I want to have a plan but it feels better just letting go...somewhat. I will start out with an idea. This idea may have come from something I have read or a discussion I have had or perhaps a lesson I have learned, but I need to have an idea before I even attempt to write something. Why is this? Simply put because, with any luck, SOMEONE will read this. They will read this and they will form an opinion or it will trigger a thought or a million other things. The point is that this IS public. I can't just throw my personal thoughts and feelings out here all willy-nilly! That's craziness. And honestly a blog that sounds more like a formal paper is BORING. 

Blogging has become the bridge that connects my two worlds of writing. I am surprised by the joy and the freedom I am feeling from blogging. Remember, this is coming from someone who was very hesitant to even start this! I have turned into someone who now looks forward to it. Even now as I am typing this I am thinking about what I should write next! I didn't see this one coming. Why didn't someone warn me that blogging was SO addictive? I might be turning into a blogaholic! I wonder if anyone else feels the same way?

Being a newbie in the blogging world there is something I need to confess. When a group of my peers were discussing how much the comments on their blogs meant to them I didn't fully understand. Yes, I understood that they liked receiving comments on what they had written. I can relate to that. Every time I have been observed teaching I have appreciated the feedback especially when it helped me grow and improve my teaching. What I could not relate to was the feeling they got when someone commented on their blog. I get it now. I am totally going to sound like a nerd here, but comments are like Christmas morning. When I get an email that says someone has commented on MY blog, on something that I wrote...well, I can't wait to see what it says. I get the same feeling I had as a child waking up on Christmas morning. It is an exhilarating feeling and something I didn't expect. 


I am aware that I don't have many comments and you may be wondering why I would choose to write about receiving comments. In the past I would have told myself that I tried and blogging just isn't for me. However, I am not going to do that today. Instead, I am going to focus on the fact that even though I don't have an abundant amount of comments that at least two people took time out of their busy schedules to not only read what I had to say, but comment on it as well. I feel honored.

This experience started me thinking about a book I have been reading, Celebrating Writers by Ruth Ayres. In her book Ruth writes about expanding writing celebrations. For me the comments that were left on my very first blog were a celebration. Receiving comments has encouraged me to continue blogging. This, like many other things, started me thinking about my students. I work with English Language Learners (ELL). Writing, for many of them, is NOT their favorite activity. Just speaking the English language can be difficult on its own; putting those words on paper is a whole other beast. Knowing how hard learning English can be for them I've always been pretty good about congratulating them on their triumphs. However, as I was reading Celebrating Writers I became cognizant of the fact that during the past few months I have gotten away from celebrating their writing. Sadly, I have been doing more assessing than celebrating.

I realized this when I told a group of my first graders that we were going to have some free writing time, time to write about whatever they wanted to write about. One of my students looked at me and asked, "We don't have to write about the book?" My heart sank a little as I realized that I had spent SO much time having them write about things I wanted, or needed, them to write about (in order to help me with a state mandated assessment for ELL students) that I had neglected to let them write about what was important to them. How are they going to learn how to put their thoughts and feelings in their writing when they aren't given an opportunity, or the freedom, to write about what is significant to them? Then I thought about that Christmas morning feeling I got from the comments I had received about my writing. How can I expect them to find the joy in writing and the courage to push on if they don’t receive 'a comment' that encourages them to keep writing and celebrates them as writers?

I am changing this today. I am taking a bite into the Slice of Life Challenge and am giving my students a little bit of free writing time each day. It won't always be easy, but it will be powerful. And we are going to celebrate every step of the journey!