Getting the Courage to Write!

Getting the Courage to Write

This year I am teaching 1st graders. I have spent most of my teaching career working with 4th, 5th and 6th grade student, and I loved it. In the older grades they can tie their own shoes, zip their own jackets and there is very little nose picking, and I loved it. There are a few things I love about my 1st graders. They come in happy everyday and they are eager to please. This comes in handy when it is time to try something new. Even though they can't spell very well and they often lack the ability to write a complete sentence but, they love to write. We start by drawing a picture and then write about it. My students have so much courage to dive in and get going. I often think of them when I need to get started on my writing.

I have been writing since I learned how to string a sentence together. As a young girl, I would write poems and short stories. When I was in high school I wrote all kinds of things including sci-fi thrillers. Over the years, I have started writing fiction and non-fiction pieces. Everything from self-help books to autobiographies to kids picture books. There are a lot of unfinished projects in my closet. When people say writing is easy, they are crazy! Writing is hard, scary and nerve racking. Coming up with ideas and making them sound exciting is insane. It takes a boat load of courage. Yet, schools require 1st graders to write a well written piece of work and they have to courage to at least try.

Teaching older children to write is very hard. Teaching adults to write is very hard. I start my students off by telling them to just tell their story. Speak out loud and tell their story. Most people have no problem telling about what has happened to them at the grocery store, that weird dreams they had last night or that funny joke. I often have to tell myself to grab my courage and just tell my story like I'm a 1st grader.