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Late last week, this book came in the mail. Write Beside Them, by Penny Kittle has me glued to the couch, with highlighter in hand. I’m beginning to think it may be easier to highlight the stuff that I don’t want to remember than all of the words that are striking me at the moment.
I think it is so powerful because it is all about tapping into powerful teaching by being a writer yourself. It’s one of those books that has landed in my hand at the perfect point in my journey as a teacher. The past few months I’ve been on this track of being a writer in order to be a better teacher — I’m ready to be stretched and to absorb. I joked today at a meeting that I may just keep it close, hoping to absorb all of the wisdom via osmosis.
In all seriousness, if you’ve not checked out the sample chapter on Heinemann, hop on over right now. Urgh, well, check it out on Amazon, because it’s still down on Heinemann. But then be prepared to spend 30 bucks for the book + DVD. It’ll be well worth the investment. Either piece on its own is phenomenal, but together, well, that’s like getting a really sweet birthday present. 😉
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Wow! I can’t believe I’m following up the author! This was one of the required books for some of the members in my summer institute this year. I wondered if this book had applicable ideas for fourth grade? What do you think?
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Ah Ruth, you are so good to me! I love the photo. Here’s a funny story. Tom Newkirk is using the book at UNH with one of his classes and meanwhile in comes his freshman composition class. He has my book there and he looks at the kid in his class and says, “Owen, is this you?” And it was… the kid in my author photo on the back. How funny is that?
Writing today… this ‘piece’ that I’m writing in my head tonight started last summer. I was in Oregon to check on Mom (Dad died in May) and while there my husband and I drove down the Oregon coast all the way to where I was born (North Bend) and I got to eat at the restaurant where my parents went when they were dating and see the movie theatre where they had their first date, etc. I also visited the cemetery where my baby brother is buried. But I didn’t write about any of it. Still too deeply sad about my dad. So then in August, Tom Romano sends me an essay he did for Ohio Public Radio and it is about visiting a cemetery. So I wrote the word in my notebook and just a quick write of the moment when I visited my brother’s grave.
Weeks later I’m sitting in a required professional development day for my district that was not inspiring me, to say the least, and I started just playing with those lines. A poem emerged. I do not write poetry. I have no confidence in poetry. But there it was. So I sent it to Romano and we talked about using both our experiences in our memoir session at NCTE in November… and I left it there.
Then today… talk about letting writing percolate…. I saw it in my notebook while I was waiting to pick up my exchange student after her volleyball match and there was a photo of my dad I had just glued in today.. and wham. I have a very different piece to write. I never asked my dad about losing his only son. I always just took Mom’s version of the experience as what it was… for both of them. It hit me hard that it was probably very different for him and now I can’t ask him. It’s a whole new place for grief and I want to write it.
I just wish that my classroom will provide such rich writing opportunities like this one for my students.
Now, enough blogging and back to email.
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This sounds like a great book! Several times in the past, I have pulled the students into my little world as a writer. However, considering the amount of words that I produce per day outside of school, I haven’t brought them inside frequently enough. All I know is that, since I have taken on the identity of a writer through the sports sites that I publish for fun, my writing instruction has improved significantly.
On a different note, the site that I emailed you about the other day is starting to take shape. I bought a domain name and have started to create a site for it on Ning. The goal is to not only create an open source reading program, but to also create a community/tribe around it. I will let you know when it is ready!
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I was inspired by Carl Anderson (at Teachers College this summer) to become much more transparent as a writer with my thirdgraders.. I now keep my writer’s notebook with me, and incorporate how I use the “teaching point” into my mini-lessons. I also am more intentional about allowing our mentor texts to mentor my writing, too. It brings another element of joy into the classroom! My blog is directed to the parents of my students–that keeps me more honest as a writer, too! Thanks for the recommendation– Here comes another Amazon package! Everytime one comes, my husband reminds me that my Visa card is NOT a library card!
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