In March, his class wrote daily, inspired by The Two Writing Teachers “Slice of Life” challenge. I loved having a slicing partner, watching my kid become a writer.
“You can still write slices even though it’s not March! Open your google doc!” I smiled, internally rolling my eyes: Kids! Like you can only write in March...
Then I paused. Even I haven’t written much since March. I still notice slices and write in my head. Writing every day for a month makes me a forever-noticer. I see patterns and characters everywhere. In March I race to write them down. After March, there are many forgotten stories. Why does the March Slice of Life Challenge help me live my writerly life? How can I keep that all year?
Time. In March, I know I need to write every day. It’s a priority.
Focus. Every day I write a small slice of life, not a long story, lesson, or essay. I notice a slice, and I write!
Choice. I write in paragraphs, in poetry, in 6-word memoir… Any format - the choice is mine.
Audience. During March, more people read my blog than any other time. It feels good, real people reading my words.
Feedback. More readers equal more comments. I notice the kinds of comments I get depend on the writing I do, so I grow as a writer.
Community. Commenting is part of the March challenge, so I read more blogs than usual. I get to know other writers, getting new ideas, giving feedback.
Time, focus, choice, audience, feedback, and community. . . How can I keep these all year? How can I offer these to my students?
Ona Feinberg is a K-5 Instructional Coach in Central Pennsylvania. She began her teaching career in second grade, and started teaching 6th grade in 2001. She is passionate about teaching, reading, writing, authenticity, kindness, and her three children. When she isn’t at school you might find her writing, reading, or walking her dog, Finnegan Foxy Feinberg. You can follow her on her blog onathought.com, or on twitter @OnaFeinberg.
We all struggle with this, I think. I think Community is one of the biggest factors to keep us writing consistently. We like to know that our words have been received by a supportive audience. Thanks for writing with us today, Ona! We hope you’ll do so again. Keep writing!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that community keeps us writing, but I've noticed that a few of my students turn to writing to help them process stuff that happens. My students and I keep slicing once a week. Have you joined the weekly slicing? The community continues.
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