I have had a blog post on my mind all weekend to type as we returned from time with our family. I have had several ideas jump through my head, and I even started to type some of them out. And then I stopped.
Annie shared such a moving post about reflections on Sandy Hook this weekend. I started to do that. I'm not ready yet.
Then I saw she shared the books she is giving on Christmas this year! Yay! I do love a good selection of title recommendations. But we aren't finished purchasing our gifts yet. And I don't feel ready to write about this either.
I thought about writing about what I'm learning from blogging. (But I just did that a few days ago.)
I've even started this cute file folder with ideas and lists of things I can write about. None of it captured my attention. I turned my nose up at all of it.
I have been huffing around here all night getting ready for the week. We have to-do lists to finish our Christmas preparations. I have lesson plans done. My math data is ready to share with some colleagues. But this blog post kept hanging over my head. So I huffed some more, because I want to move on to the next thing on my list!
Then it hit me. I'm shifting as a writing teacher. I have true empathy for how my students feel if I'm insisting on writing and they don't feel like they have anything to say. I've had students turn down all my suggestions for topics, and I never understood that, and was probably too quick to label them a reluctant writer.
I'm so glad I sat down and typed out this blog post that doesn't seem to say anything. It has captured for me what it feels like when you don't have anything to write about. I can have an honest, empathetic conversation with students when they don't feel like they have anything to say. Hopefully this will encourage students to continue to press forward, even when the words don't seem to be there. Thanks #nerdlution!
Joy!
Kendra
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