In their book 180 Days, Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle explain an assignment they give to their grade nine students on the first day of class: a letter to themselves. “We ask students to share their hopes, their dreams, their goals, and their fears. We encourage them to ponder the questions they have as they enter high school, and we ask them to make predictions as well” (p. 25). The letter is returned to the students at the end of their senior year. 

Regardless of the grade you teach, the idea for this assignment is powerful. Day one: a letter to self. Students become actively engaged in authentic and meaningful writing immediately. The expectation is set: writing will be a part of your daily classroom work.

Good practice reminds us to spend time in discussion with our students to ensure they have generated some ideas before it comes time to write. For those students who need further support, consider prompting them to begin three paragraphs with starters such as: I hope…, I’m nervous about…, I predict….

And while the students are writing a letter to themselves, write one to your self as well…

In Book Love, Penny Kittle challenges us as teachers: “Every student needs to know the power of a reading life. Dickens simply won’t matter to most twenty-first-century teenagers unless they have developed a love of books first – a trust that even the most difficult ones can be worthwhile. We can and must develop that trust every year in school.” (2013, p. 23)

Despite the grade we teach, we can undertake the mission to hook our students on books and instill a love of reading. Share your favourites. Read to your class every day: no exceptions. Talk to your students about books. Let them see you reading. Reveal your excitement. Feign excitement if you have to. Just do what it takes to hook them on books!

I urge you to read Neil Gaiman’s speech: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The twelve or fifteen minutes it takes will confirm this all important mission that we undertake together as teachers.

This summer, I visited both the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway and the Nobel Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

Surrounded by screens displaying pictures of past Nobel Prize winners and reading the brief descriptions of why they were chosen, I couldn’t help feel inspired. Over the last few years, I have found listening to the news especially disheartening. Yet these museums reminded me of the remarkable, positive impact that individuals can have on our world: something we don’t hear enough.

Alfred Nobel himself is quite an inspiration. By seventeen years old, he was fluent in five languages. In his lifetime he held 355 patents and established countless factories throughout the world. Nobel died in 1896. In his will, he explained his wish for his fortune to be used to honour those who demonstrate the greatest benefit to mankind in five categories: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. The annual honours were first awarded in 1901.

In 2017, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was the organization ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). Part of the exhibit which featured this winner was directed at children. The exhibit made me realize that the Nobel Prizes would be an excellent topic of learning and discussion for our students with links to the curriculum in science, social studies, language arts, health and for those of us in faith-based schools, religion class.

Upon my return home I took a look at the Nobel Prize website. The organization clearly values teachers! In their words: “Without great teachers, no new Nobel Laureates. Therefore, teachers and students are especially important to us.” 

The website has lesson plans, slides and many videos available for teachers to use with their students. How might the awarding of this prize or these inspirational laureates make their way into your classroom? A few minutes of exploration on the website will likely spark an idea or two!

Today I’m giving the last word to the youngest Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014:

You did it! You survived another year.

This summer, I wish you:

• longer than 4 1/2 minutes to eat lunch
• time to go to the bathroom whenever you please
• time to read at least one of the books on the stack you have waiting
• every day moments of beauty
• a little bit of adventure
• and, of course, some well-deserved rest!

As for me, I won’t be posting for a few weeks… see you in August!

With one week left of school, it’s not too late to write!

Ask students to write a letter! To who?

• to a student entering their class next year telling them what to expect
• to next year’s teacher sharing accomplishments or anything they want the teacher to know about them
• to you, their current teacher, sharing their learning and memories from the year

Another engaging writing task? A summer bucket list! Encourage students to research activities within your city or community including prices. Challenge them to make a list of ten things they would like to do, half of which are free.

To promote summer writing, provide students with an envelope addressed to you at the school. Invite students to write to you over the summer highlighting their adventures.

If you have older students who love to write, suggest one of the websites within this link: http://www.readbrightly.com/6-great-websites-teen-writers/

So… enjoy fun day and the end of year celebration, but in between, find a few moments to write!

My favourite gift to give my students at year end is a book. Some children live in homes full of books; for others a book is a rare treat.

Books are more than words on a page. They can be a window into the lives of others, a place for children to find themselves, an opportunity to connect with family members, and possibility the inspiration for a lifelong love.

Yesterday I finished reading Brown Girl Dreaming. I revelled in the beautiful words of Jacqueline Woodson… not wanting to finish… finishing and then wanting to start again immediately…

I had parents who nurtured a love of books and words and reading when I was a child. Teachers too. Giving the gift of books has the potential to change lives. 

 

On Friday I had the opportunity to attend my first staff meeting as part of my new department for next year. Yes, it was a long time to sit and listen for someone who has been in control of her own schedule for a year. But…

I was energized. Energized by the people in the room who seem to value professional learning as much as I do. Energized by the willingness and openness to understand that we are all on an ongoing journey of learning. Energized by the ideas that were bouncing around in my brain: ideas that were already there and some new, all given permission to take life. Energized by the possibilities that lie ahead.

So although I didn’t get my daily steps in to feed my body, I was surrounded with ideas to feed my mind.

I love words. I really do. And right now I have the luxury of spending my days enveloped in words: writing, reading and writing some more. Much of it, outside on my deck.

I’ve been reflecting on my process too. A few things I’ve noticed?

1. Reading fuels writing. I continuously move back and forth between the two.
2. I’m working even when I don’t look like I’m working. Those midday walks with my dog are deceiving.
3. I thrive with multiple projects on the go. Near the end of the day with non-fiction, I turn my attention to fiction for a surge of creative energy.
4. Praise can be motivating. That email from an editor last week inspired me to keep plugging away…
5. And when I’m really hard at it, I seem to nibble while I work. Go figure!

Of course, I realize that the creative process varies from person to person. But, I wouldn’t be a teacher without considering how these thoughts on process might be applied to the classroom… I’m sure you’re doing the same!

Looking for an authentic writing activity for your class from now until the end of the year?

Try introducing a few class journals. The format doesn’t really matter: coiled notebooks, extra scribblers, dollar store journals. These shared class journals can have various titles: Favourite Moments of the Year, The Day I Will Never Forget, What I’ve Learned This Year, or The Best Thing About 5B. You get the idea.

What a wonderful way to encourage our students to read and write, to hear the voices of their peers and to help them reflect on the school year.

P.S. My students always liked to draw for them at the end of June…

I grew up in the same city, on the same street, in the same house for the first twenty years of my life. I always felt safe: thoughts of brutality, violence or war never crossed my mind. My parents never considered packing us all up and travelling to a new country to begin a better life.

And yet, this is the reality that millions have faced in years past and still today. It is a reality I simply cannot imagine. To leave your job, your home, your country – to leave all you’ve ever known – and start over.

We saw a performance at the Citadel Theatre on Saturday night entitled Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story. Consider this lyric: “Where are we welcome? Where will we thrive? Where are we going? Will we survive?” 

The journey itself can be treacherous and many do not survive. And those who do face the shock of a new country and all that goes along with it: the people, the culture, the climate. 

The refugee story is replayed time and time again. Stories from our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. Stories from the family next door. Stories from the children in our classrooms. From different countries, cultures and specific circumstances, sure. A similar story all the same. Stories of fear, heartbreak and loss. Yet also stories of hope.