Publishing Writers

I was much more of a writer when I was in third grade. Probably because then, in my heart, I knew one day I would be one. Though I'm not published in the larger market, I think my younger self would be glad to know I've now authored three separate books available exclusively in my classroom library.

I remember spending a great deal of time devoted to publishing and reproducing my work at my father's work place. I sat in a corner of his secretary's office in front of a great, electric typewriter. As Regina tapped the keys of her new computer keyboard, I tapped out the stories of a kangaroo named Hopper and his forest pals... slightly more letter-by-letter. Upon the completion of a one page story (in all capitals), I would take my paper upstairs to the copy machine. I decided on some number and hit the big round button. In a matter of hours I was published and ready for distribution.

It was as instant as my publishing could get.

Yesterday in my own third grade classroom (this time with me as the teacher and my 15 students as the writers) I showed them how instant their own publishing can be with BLOGS :) I expected them to be excited (they were), but I didn't expect how speedy and truly autonomous they would be with this form of publishing and distribution.

We took a tour of my own Blogging interactions, looking into my personal art blog and that of our school librarian. I talked about my "Reading List" and we explored the make up and set up of the two blogs. Then the kids talked to each other about what other things they imagined could go into someone's personal Blog. When they decided you can write about things in your Blogs we turned to an example I received in my Standards Based Technology course.

You could tell the fire was lit when we found a list of kids' names to click on to see what he or she had written. We found another Nick in the world ("Not the one in our class, though!" they said). We read what he wrote and they discovered the link to his "Comments". They read the compliments from his classmates and Nick's own mother ("not the Nick from our class"). When we started to give Nick our own compliment, filling out the criteria for our post: name, email, website.... At website we stopped (dramatically because it's more fun that way) and I ranted about how cool it would be if we, 3-206, had our own website - or better yet - our own BLOG!!

The kids cheered, my partner teacher hoorah-ed, I said "WOOOOO... we already have one." And took us to the start of our own blog site.

The kids planned and wrote short articles about Ancient Egypt (the final project to a social studies investigation). When the first partnership published over my laptop, one of them typed as the other jumped up and down with glee, reading their work to the other as their writing glowed over our interactive whiteboard. The whole class clapped when the first post was made - then continued feverishly to finish their own to type in their own entry space. The next group typed brilliantly!!! And located the blue "Publish" button on their own when they were done. By the end of the day half of the students had published - with a solid promise to finish on Monday.

Afterwards my partner teacher told me she wished the day were longer so she could even learn more about our new blogosphere. One student said he "thought we were going to make our own. Can I at home?" It felt great to have all that excitement!!

School lets out on a Friday at 2:40 at our school. Arriving at home by 3:45 I checked my email when my home computer finished booting up. Already in my in-box was a comment from a parent to moderate :)

Getting Declarative

I am a public school teacher.

I wake up before the sun and am probably in my office before you brew your morning coffee.

I didn't get into this by default or because spring, summer and the three o'clock hour offer freedom.

I didn't get into it because it's easy (it's not) or because it was the only thing to do.


I got into it for the kids, but realize I'm in it for the world.

I don't babysit... A 16 year old babysits - I do more.

I talk, I inspire, I enhance - I'm more than just one teacher, I'm more than just one job.

I flip through my roladex of skills and understandings with the speed of that businessman and then execute with the knowhow and precision of a surgeon; sewing up wounds in reading, mending bones in math, helping kids stand in new situations.

I experiment. Guess and check and guess and check to ensure I am finding ways to turn what I know into what they know.

I am on my tippy-toes longer than a ballerina, dancing with and around the pressures put on me and my students by this city.

I paint on canvases Van Gogh and Divinci never touched, swirling my paints into activities far away from chalkboards and boredom.



I still believe a kid can be a kid can be a kid can be a kid, especially in a classroom, even though others  have such a hard time believing it too.