Lamott

I haven't done a post about Bird by Bird yet, so that's what I decided to do this time. As I have been reading the book, I was first looking for quotes that I liked for whatever reason. When I read back through those, I didn't see any connection to how they would help me as a teacher. From then on, I have only marked passages that I could apply to kids (which are few and far between, but really great ideas!)

"If you write a long piece, and it is your first, and you are wondering if it's publishable, and it isn't, even by a long shot, someone should tell you this in a way that is gentle and yet not patronizing, so that you are encouraged - maybe not to pursue publication, but to pursue writing. Certainly this person might suggest you get a second opinion. But if he is too strident or adamant, ditch the sucker. Would you stand for someone talking this way to your children - for instance, telling them that they are not a very talented painter and shouldn't even bother? Or that their poetry is not very interesting? Of course not. You'd want to pay this person a little visit with your flamethrower" (Lamott, 169-170).

This idea directly relates to what my vignette is about. It is a teacher's responsibility to help kids learn to write. If they are harsh and say ideas are not good or that the child is not a good writer it will completely defeat them! Of course you want to point out what needs to be fixed, but it needs to be done in a way that is constructive; a way that is also a learning opportunity. This passage also relates to what Routman says in Chapter 9 of Writing Essentials. The chapter is all about conferencing with students and teaching them how they have the tools to be good writers. Children need encouragement in order to feel comfortable taking risks; however it should not get to the point where they are so dependent on it that they need approval at each little step along the way. Showing children that you value their efforts and letting them know gently when something needs to fixed will help develop strong, confident, young writers.