As I read all the blogs about All Write it is amazing to me all the "take aways" that everyone has posted. As I reflect on Day 2, I realized there was a common theme for me that carried over from Day 1. To be a writer you have to write.
This thought along with it takes 10,000 hours to be great at something has lingered. Along with the call by Kate Messner announcing Teacher's Write 2013 I realized I am not really a focused writer. I write blogs, articles and occasionally (rarely) write in my NB which is entitled: Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake. Thanks to Mary Lee for encouraging me to write. I had a few days to ponder, and I decided to start small with a suggestion from Jeff Anderson: as you are reading think as a writer. That stuck with me like glue because I am defiantly reading this summer, but I haven't been writing in my notebook. I loved his idea of collecting phrases, words that spark, unknown words and finally your thinking about the book. This was a simple place for me to start. I was reading The Real Boy. I was struggling with organizing the characters along with the setting. After I started writing, I was more connected to the story along with gathering ideas for writing. It was a powerful lesson for me to feel like my students do when they get confused with their own reading.
It is a beginning and just the start of my 10,000 hours thinking as a writer. One of the best steps for me will be sharing this journey and my WNB with my students in September while I encourage them to start their 10,000 hours at age 10 instead of 49.
Oooh I love your connection with the 10,000 Hour Rule! I have been so focused on collecting things online -- other people's thoughts -- that I haven't spent any energy collecting my own. Time for me to get out a writer's notebook. (See how I said A, not MY? That's because I don't have one. Writing teacher/writer fail. A Google Doc of ideas doesn't count, right?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking time to share your reflection!
The best thing about teaching is that we can always learn something new about ourselves as readers, writers, mathematicians and scientist - and then bring that back into the classroom to enrich our teaching. How lucky are we??? PS. SO BUMMED not to have been able to go to All Write!!!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed the All Write conversations across blogs. I wish I could have been there, but have has the pleasure of learning from everyone who attended. Reading like a writer is an important reminder for us all. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCathy
I like this peek into your thinking about THE REAL BOY (saw your Goodreads rating :-) ) Knowing what I know about you, I'm not surprised that you collected juicy words and phrases!! Now...how will that transfer to YOUR writing?!?!?
ReplyDelete:-)
Have another cupcake! :-)
I love how comments pull your thinking together even more.
ReplyDeleteGretchen: I need to learn more about google docs.
Tara and Cathy: Yes we are all lucky with our connections through blogging and next year Allwrite14 Aug. 20-21
Mary Lee: enjoying a cupcake and thinking about the transfer :)