 |
| Day 16 of 31 at TWT! |
"What don't you like writing?" It breaks my heart that Sweetie has made it quite clear this year that writing is her least favorite part of 1st grade.
"It's so long, and I don't have any ideas! I can't think of anything to write about!" She sighs in the backseat as I drive her home from Irish Dance practice.
"You're always talking, sharing your ideas and stories! Writing is just talking but on paper!" I pause. The line between mom and teacher is getting blurry. "Think about your favorite people or places. You could have so many stories to tell about Emilia or Daddy! You should make a list of writing ideas! That's what I do!" The mom-teacher line is going from blurry to erased. "Sometimes I have my students make something called a heart map..."
"Oh yeah, my teacher had us make those!" she interjects, but then admits that she doesn't really use it to help her write.
"Maybe you can add some new things to it to give you fresh ideas! Like what about favorite places? I bet you'd have so many stories to tell about Myrtle Beach or the zoo, or Wildlife Camp..."
Her eyes start to brighten in the rearview mirror. "Oh! Yeah! And I'm thinking of Girl Scouts..."
"That's right! See, you have so many stories! All writers get stuck for ideas sometimes or have days that we feel like we don't know what to write about! That's why I keep a list!" I giggle. "In fact, that's what I wrote about last night! Remember how I'm doing that writing challenge to write a new story about my life every day in March? Last night, I couldn't decide what to write, so I looked at my list, and it had so many good ideas that I ended up writing a story about my idea list and how I use it!"
"Really?" she giggles too, then pauses. "How long is March?"
"We're halfway through! So I've already written 15 stories!"
"Even on the weekends?"
"Yep! I'm trying to write every single day in March! It's hard, and sometimes I feel like I'm running out of ideas, but that's when my list really helps me!"
We turn the corner into our neighborhood, and a familiar song comes on. "I'm thinking of a story about (our favorite local Irish band)!" she declares, then adds slyly, "but I'm not going to tell you yet."
"Oooh, see?!" I grin. "Look how many stories you can find in your life!"
Love this post and I want to read your daughter's story about her favorite Irish band:) Love the way you used your teacher self in a way that your daughter could relate to and that inspired her. So well written too, I was hanging on every word to see how this would turn out. Job well done mom and teacher!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jennifer! Hooray for that sweet mom-teacher blurry line that taught Sweetie something today and reminded her of the role model she has at home. Perfect! Now I'm going to read last night's post.
ReplyDelete