Tuesday, April 22, 2014

A few kind words

Tuesdays at Two Writing Teachers!
I think I could listen to Chris Lehman talk about poetry all day. The past two Saturdays I've enjoyed taking a break from my usual morning languor to dive deep into poetry with his group of TeacherPoets. Each hour flies by, a flurry of reading, writing, listening, and tweeting. Each hour leaves me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to spark renewed vigor in our writing workshop. Each hour reminds me of the atmosphere of joy and purpose I want to create in my classroom.

Last week, Chris made my day when he tweeted me about my reflection on our first session:


Words are so powerful. Even though he's never met me, he could see my enthusiasm through my writing. And with a short reply, he made my day just as much as he claimed I'd made his.

Then, on Saturday, I almost fell out of the bed (That's right, bed. I won't pretend I'm sitting in a chair at 11:00 on a Saturday!) when this happened:


I couldn't believe it. Right there, in front of everyone, in the midst of all the talking and tweeting and reading and writing, he interjected that I "wrote an awesome blog post" and thanked me for my "energy"!!!

For that minute, I was really special. He noticed who I was. He remembered my post.
I mattered. And I wanted to work even harder. That's the power of a few kind words.

6 comments:

  1. I know what you mean. I've had some authors contact me about my A-to-Z Challenge, and it feels kind of neat to be in communication with them and have them appreciate your work.

    Donna Smith
    The A-to-Z Challenge
    Mainely Write

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  2. That is so cool! I would be so excited too. I need to join in on these sessions. I'm heading to your blog next :).

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  3. WOW - famous and connected. What more could you ask for?

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  4. Woo hoo! He was right, you did write from the heart and with enthusiasm. One day you could be leading a session too.

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  5. Well you did write an awesome post. And this #teacherpoet thing rocks! Looking forward to Saturday and seeing you there.

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  6. That is awesome! You are on your way to becoming a "famous teacher." :) I agree with Elsie...you could (should) be leading one of these sessions one day! Good reminder about the power of positive feedback, how it can encourage writers, and inspire them to work even harder!

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