Last weekend, on a Saturday afternoon, my 7 year old son Daniel, who was a bit of a late bloomer in reading and has always struggled with writing, cuddled up in bed and laughed out loud reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid for over an hour. He went from reading 20 minutes independently to over an hour literally overnight. On Sunday, he read for 100 minutes (he wanted me to time him), and fell asleep with his book on top of him. On Monday, Daniel shared that the best part of his day was publishing his first long writing piece at school, and that if he could have changed anything about the day, he would have liked to have finished it earlier so that he could start his second narrative writing. On Tuesday, Daniel asked me to get him a composition book so that he could start writing his own story, and he spent two hours that evening writing and illustrating the first 4 chapters of his book, titled Wizard World.
And then on Wednesday morning, when I mentioned to Daniel that I'd always wanted to publish a book, too, he lit up.
"I can help you, Mommy. Tell me about your idea. Have you thought of a title? I like to think of a title first because that helps me think about the story I'm going to write."
That night, he brought it up again.
"Soooo have you thought about your book today? Let's talk about your ideas more. We need to have a writing conference!"
Daniel grabbed a couple pieces of paper and started writing notes as I answered his questions.
"Talk about the characters- who's in your story?"
"What's going to be the problem in the story?"
"Is there a lesson in the story? I think there HAS to be a good lesson."
At the end of our conference, he said, "Now you have to make sure you make time to write EVERY DAY." You need a goal. Every day you should have a goal. And it's okay if you get stuck. I'll write some reminders for you in case you get stuck."
15 minutes later, he handed me the index card above, and told me to put it in a "good place." My heart warmed as I read his words, and I knew that a "good place" to hold his card would be right here in this space, sharing it with teachers.
I hope it serves as a reminder that:
1) The things that you do and what you say matters. Your students will go home tonight and use your language. At times, they'll even quote you verbatim. They'll surprise their parents with new knowledge and they'll be their little teachers. I have no doubt that Daniel was leading my writing conference in the same way that his teacher, Mr. K, led his earlier in the week. He was encouraging and supportive while offering sound advice, just as I know Mr. K must have done.
2) You are growing your students and making them even better than they were before they arrived at your door. You are turning on that switch that makes them scientists, mathematicians, readers, and writers. When you are passionate about what you're teaching, your students will be passionate about what they're learning. Sometimes it takes all year to turn on that switch, and sometimes it will flash on overnight, but know that you are a constant light for our children and sooner than later, they'll be lit, too.
3) You need to keep your goal in mind, always. When you start to get frustrated because progress seems slow, think about your goal, focus, and don't give up.
4) You must stay positive- attitude is everything! You've got this.
5) When you need help, reach out and ask for it. There is always someone who can help. You are not alone in this work.
And last, but not least, remember that you are heroes not only to the kids in your classroom, but to their families at home as well. When I shared Daniel's index card with a friend and told him about Daniel's obsession with reading, newfound love for writing, his can-do attitude, and the inspiring words that he had for me, my friend commented, "You must be so proud." I answered, "Yes, I'm proud. But much more than that, I'm grateful. I owe it all to his teacher."