It is amazing to get the chance to get together with the remarkable teachers that I am lucky enough to work with and share and discuss new ideas. Today in our group we discussed how different teachers organize their notebooks, what goes in our notebooks, and the struggle to find the balance between writing with our students and conferring with our students.
All these are areas that I am constantly thinking about and tinkering with in my room. It is the last idea that I struggle with the most as a teacher. I want the class to see me as a writer. I want them to see that I struggle. I want them to see me work to make my writing better. I want them to see me be successful. I want them to see how I work through the writing process. I think when the class sees me as a writer they realize that authors are not these mystical beings who produce these amazing texts out of the blue. They are normal everyday people who take the time to notice things in the world, write them down, and then work hard to make their ideas better.
At the same time I want to have conferences with my students. I want to be able to know exactly what they are working on in their notebook. I want to be able to see the strategies that they are experimenting with in the notebook. I want the chance to sit and just talk one-on-one about writing.
In the end I do not think I should pick one over the other. I think, as with almost everything in life, I need to find a balance. I need to write with my students and at other times I need to put on my conferencing hat and have conferences. I think year after year I get better at deciding when it is time to be a writer and when it is time for conferences. Hopefully by thinking about these ideas and discussing them with great teachers I will give our students exactly what they need.
Thanks to Mrs. Reuber for organizing and facilitating this book club.
I hope everyone is having a great week.
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