When Our Own Notebooks Open Doors

I am a notebook wannabe. I admire the sketch notes from notebookers on social media. Maybe envious would be a better word.  I have started more notebooks than I care to count.  I have tried different sizes, different bindings, and with and without lines.  Sometimes I think my notebook has to be perfect; they have to live up to images I have in my mind.  And when they don't, I quit using them.

And I start over again.

A few weeks ago, I started another new notebook. We were testing, so I thought this would be the perfect time for my students to shake the dust off of their own notebooks.  We did a quick write after we watched a Kid President video.

I wanted to write along with my students in each period because I believe that is what good writing teachers do.  As I was summarizing my morning entries to my afternoon class, I told them about an entry about not forgiving my dad before he passed away.  One student quietly raised her hand and asked me to read the entry. This student typically does not freely participate in class, so I knew my writing must have struck a chord with her.

When it was time for them to write, this student immediately began to write in her notebook, which is something she does not like to do.

The next day, this student was behaving poorly and not making good choices.  She became defiant and argumentative.  I held her back after class, and I tried to get her to open up about what was really going on.

She was full of anger and was taking it out on me.  Finally, after the tears began to fall, she admitted to me that a special day was coming up, and she had not heard from her dad.

I knew then, the chord I struck earlier in the week when I shared my notebook was ringing and needed to be heard.

So I listened.

That day, I realized the power our own notebooks hold for our students.  My writing about my dad opened a door for her.  A door she needed to walk through in order to let go of all the anger she held in her heart.

That was also the day I noticed my notebook no longer had to be perfect.


Leigh Anne is about to wrap up her 11th year of teaching.  She has taught 4th, 5th and currently teaches 6th grade ELA at a middle school in Indiana.  She is currently working on her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Western Governors University with a goal of becoming a literacy coach.  Leigh Anne has a passion for connecting kids with books and helping teachers develop a writing life.  You can connect with her on Twitter @Teachr4 or on her blog, A Day in the Life.