Independence Day by Leigh Anne Eck

One of my favorite summer days is the 4th of July.  I love the food - grilled burgers and hotdogs, homegrown sweet corn, cheese potatoes, and pudding cake!  Plus it always includes a pool party with the family and fireworks as the exclamation mark on a fun day.

Summer is not only a time to celebrate our independence as a country, but it is also the time to celebrate our independence as writers.

During our chat Monday night, many teacher-writers tweeted about the freedom of summer writing.  The freedom to play and explore in writers' notebooks,

to discover new genres,

to write early in the morning or late at night,

to develop a habit,

to push ourselves into new writing territories,

to slow down without the constraints of a schedule.

These independence days beckon many of us as our school year winds down.  We long for those summer days with our favorite pens and notebooks, or maybe our laptops and iced beverages.  Those summer days where writing takes over the busyness of our school days and the words flow with much more ease.

Much of my writing this summer will revolve around my work in my graduate program.  But I also have some personal goals that I have set, and summertime gives me the freedom to accomplish them and celebrate them as I choose.

Yes, I look forward to Independence Day.  How about you?

Leigh Anne just wrapped 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.