Free-writing and changing school

I start every AS Language class with a free writing prompt and my students have to write for 4-5 minutes straight in response. They don't all love it and still at times groan when I tell them to take their journals out (you would have thought by Week 4 they would realise the daily routine but they're teenagers) but sometimes they write really beautiful, clever, quirky responses. Sometimes not. But sometimes.

I've known, since student teaching, that it is a good idea to join your students in writing. To show them that you value writing too and model it for them. But I've hardly ever done this. This is something I'm trying to change. One small way is to join this class in every writing prompt they do. And I'm finding that I really enjoy it. I love writing. I wish I was more disciplined to make time for it in my regular life. At the end of 5 minutes we have a sharing time and volunteers read their writing. They all have to do it at least once in the term but the more enthusiastic writers or sharers share frequently and I think this also helps those less inclined to be creative or fluent as they hear fairly decent, original writing out loud. Sometimes they ask me to share and I always do. I think they enjoy that too. The other day I shared mine even though they didn't ask and that was because it was important to me, and to them. So I thought I'd share it with you to. Remember, it is free-writing, unedited or perfected.


If I could change school. For Real!
I would make it full of students who wanted to learn. Who had love and joy of learning for learning's sake. Who were interested and engaged. Who didn't have to be motivated by what was going to be in the exams. I think I might abolish exams too. What else? I would get rid of hierarchies and privilege and respect for privilege's sake. I would have every person from the so-called bottom to the so-called top be treated with equal respect and dignity. No one would ever be humiliated. I would make it a place where every person felt safe, no matter who they were or what they had done. I would make it a place where every teacher always loved to teach because they loved their subject and their students and every student loved to learn. Just because.


Maybe this will grow into a well-thought through blog post one day. For now, it is freeing to just call it free-writing and end.