One student responded by saying they were working on some "wonderments." What a great response! Things that children wonder about lead to great writing pieces.
Unfortunately, the teacher responded by telling the student they needed to remember to put ending punctuation at the end of every sentence. He felt proud of the interaction; he thought working on "wonderments" was a pointless activity, and was confident he had given the child a great direction to go.
As writers, and teachers of writers, we need to realize that every writer is different, and often the way we arrive at the "end" of a writing piece involves a twisted journey, with lots of crossroads. We have to celebrate the wondering that children engage in.
William Stafford wrote these wise words about writing as he dealt with the importance of process instead of substance:
" Writers may not be special---sensitive or talented in any usual sense. They are simply engaged n sustained used of a language skill we all have. Their 'creations' come about through confident reliance on stray impulses that will, with trust, find occasional patterns that are satisfying.
But writing itself is one of the great, free human activities. There is scope for individuality, and elation, and discovery, in writing. For the person who follows with trust and forgiveness what occurs to him, the world remains always ready and deep, and inexhaustible environment, with the combined vividness of an actuality and flexibility of a dream."
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| photo by stewartbremner |
We have to nurture writers' confidence. We have to celebrate their elation. We have to keep it free...
