Today I opened Junior Writer , a free website for writing stories that supports students' through spelling lists, and word games, and found a pleasant surprise. As I was browsing through the stories, I found the piece one of my students had been working on yesterday. I started reading it and was blown away. I wish I could post it here for you to see but I didn't ask permission so I can't. This student, recently arrived from a non-English speaking country is in my ESL class. She writes with a strong voice and a clear sense of story. What was fascinating about this piece is that it turned the idea of writer's block on its head by telling the story of a writer who one day finds himself without any writing ideas. He is baffled and doesn't know what to do. I wondered if this was my student's way of saying that she didn't have any ideas for writing herself? Unfortunately, the story is not finished so I can't tell you how it ends, but I am dying to find out. ...
This blog is a place to ruminate on the problems of teaching. If I am thinking thoughtfully, my posts will hopefully raise more questions than answers. By problematizing teaching we reflect on those questions that are constantly behind, in front, and at center of everything we do in the classroom. Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what other teachers are thinking about on these and other issues. Cheers! Elisa