Reflections on a Year of Writing in Pre-K: Straight From the Classroom

A Backstory:

One of the books that I enjoy reading time after time is Julie Diamond’s Kindergarten: A Teacher, Her Students, and a Year of Learning, in which she tells the story of a year in the life of her kindergarten classroom. In it she writes, “One essential piece of teaching–of wanting to do it year after year, of sticking with it so that you get better–is the will for connectedness, the determination to find out who these children are, which is not entirely separate from finding out more about oneself” (p. 206).

When I think of Diamond’s quote within the context of my teaching, it resonates deeply. Like so many of you, I have stuck with teaching year after year. And every year, I learn as much if not more about myself as I do about my students. After teaching kindergarten for 11 years, this was my first year teaching pre-kindergarten, which presented its own set of challenges and opportunities. I was as curious and excited to see what pre-kindergarteners could do as writers and I was unsure of the path that lay ahead.

As a Teacher:

Coming into this school year, I was hopeful about the writing work that four and five year olds could do. I anticipated an environment very much like kindergarten, where a child’s sense of real and imaginary were intertwined, and where language flowed freely from one child to the next. I knew that writing would be mostly drawing with some children attempting simple labeling or invented spelling. I also knew I would be taking a lot of dictation. I knew I would not be teaching anything related to sentences, writing conventions, or punctuation. I wasn’t sure what the actual writing period would look like or if there would even be a set time in which everyone would write. There were many unknowns, and with that I had a lot of questions for myself.

How would I nurture a classroom culture that valued drawings and stories as modes of self-expression? What would I say to the child who called their own drawings or the drawings of their classmates, “scribble scrabble?” How would I encourage the child who either did not want to tell a story or did not know how? How would I support each child’s unique perspective, regardless of their ability to communicate their ideas? How much would I incorporate the kind of structured mini lessons I was used to giving in kindergarten? What would a writing lesson even look like? What kinds of writing could kids do on their own? What kinds of writing could kids do with support?

Along with asking questions, I have also been reflecting upon surprises and successes. For me, this was in the form of the blank book, or a simple book consisting of two or three pieces of blank paper, folded in half, and stapled along the spine. I had introduced the blank book format as an option early in the school year, and while some children caught on quickly, others were less interested. Perhaps they were not ready? Or maybe they needed some time to see how others wrote and told stories? Hoping to encourage everyone to try it, I provided children with the opportunity to share their books with the class during meeting times. After that I began to see many more kids writing books and telling stories across multiple pages. By the spring, everyone was excited to share and celebrate their work with each other during our publishing party, Each child got to sit in the “author’s chair” while I helped them read their book to the class. It was amazing to see them, beaming with pride, as they each told their story and received a round of applause from their classmates. I knew that the blank book was a powerful tool, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much freedom it gave each child to express themselves–transforming them into real authors right before our very eyes.

One Thing to Remember:

Whether you’ve been teaching writing for decades or you’re just completing your first year, there are always so many questions to ask oneself when reflecting upon the school year. As Diamond says, “In choosing to teach, year after year, we learn to teach; we gain conviction and we discover again and again who we are as teachers” (222). And as teachers of writing, we are so hard on ourselves. But ultimately, we are in pursuit of those magical moments when a child’s face lights up with an idea, the story clicks, and the whole classroom is abuzz with drawing, talking, and writing.