Time is the epitome to my writing.
When was the last time you allowed yourself a designated time to sit down, maybe with your favorite beverage in hand, and just… WRITE.
Over the summer, I was fortunate to visit the Ohio Writing Project summer graduate program. The first hour of the class allowed students to just… WRITE. They were free to write about whatever they chose. At the end of the day’s class, students were asked to share a “golden line” from their pieces of writing. I sat in the room, awestruck, at how powerful one simple, golden line, showcased each writer’s piece.
After coming back home, I realized I do not set a designated time for myself to let my creative writing flow.
As always, I thought about my students and my practices in the classroom. Each and every day, I referred to my students as “writers.” I taught the importance of writing every day to build writing stamina. After these thoughts ran through my brain, I noticed I was not practicing what I was teaching my students to embrace.
It can be hard to set time to write for YOU, and just YOU. My advice for educators, and honestly, all people, is to keep writing. If not for you, write for your students.
Time is the epitome to my writing.
Cameron Carter teaches first grade for Worthington Schools in Columbus, Ohio. He currently is the Elementary Lead Ambassador for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), as well as the Elementary Liaison for the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA). He can be found on Twitter @CRCarter313 and Facebook @MrCartersClass.
I'm working to build the practice of writing (and sharing!) into my professional learning, even though folks sometimes look at me with a quizzical eye (and I predict they're thinking "Who is this lady?!"), but you are right: to create strong writers, we must practice the craft ourselves. Now -- let me get offline and spend a few minutes with my journal! xo xo!
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