Becoming your own expert, Whose writing is it anyway?........

Gillespie's article supports exactly what I have been realizing this past week. I have found a new empathy for my students when it comes to writing. I didn't realize how easy it is to forget what it is like to be a student and specifically how hard it is to put your true thoughts on a piece of paper.

I love what they have done at McNeil Canyon Elementary, I wish the same was done in my school district. It makes me realize that it can be accomplished. Many of my students shut down with the writing process. If I could make things less intimating and let them use their creativity more I think I would see better results. I plan on starting the year out with a new approach, I think I am going to just free write for a few weeks before I really get into the formalities of the writing process. I want the kids to see that they too can put thoughts on their paper so they trust and believe in themselves. I would be ecstatic if I could make my little students trust themselves so much that they wouldn't want me to help them come up with ideas to write about. I want them to create their own voice. Of course, I am in charge of guiding them to that place especially since writing is completey new to them when they enter the realm of writing. But how wonderful would it be, if by the end of the year they became "annoyed" with me if I tried to intrude upon their personally writing. I have a whole new plan... I am starting to get really excited about this upcoming school year. =)

I personally think that the use of technology is just going to continue to expand. It has become a great way for many people to express themselves. I wish my fourth graders could have more skills by the time they make it to class and I wish I had the capability to utilize a computer lab for content area purposes more often.