Henley Students and the National Day of Writing

Personal Response on the National Day of Writing

I love to write.  I have, from a young age, drawn joy from school writing assignments, a journal entry penned at the end of the day, or a creative story start that grew from a childhood experience.  Something ethereal occurs when you start with the slow drip of ideas and gradually build up to the smooth flow of cohesive thoughts and story lines.

October 20th of each year is celebrated as the National Day of Writing. Mr. Miller’s students in 7th grade had the opportunity to reflect on what writing is and does for them. Their thoughts are poignant, their words are crisp, and their reflections capture what writing can be for all students who persevere through the process long enough to experience learning more about themselves and what they think.

Here are the students’ responses to the question: “What, how, and why do you write?”

“We write because writing is stronger than spoken words and can be passed down through time. It also can be used when we can’t speak the things we’re thinking.

Why you write is pure passion. For an author, a pencil and paper are the keepers of their secrets.

“I mean I know what good writing looks like but I would love to illustrate an image in your head, like a snowy night up in the vast mountains of Russia. But somehow when I try sometimes it falls apart. I want to improve or should I say fix the way I write, more description, more Adventure.”

We write because writing about different places can bring you there and away from where you are.

How do I write? With a pencil. (Just kidding.) I write with a very colloquial voice that sounds like my real life voice (You have no idea how long it took me to spell “colloquial”). I don’t usually try to make my writing sound amazing right off the bat, or plan it out that much.  (I didn’t plan any of this!) but I usually edit for a very long time.☺

“We write to create characters to remind ourselves of what we want to be and who we don’t want to be. We create characters that have what we aspire to be in them, and everything we are scared to become.”

We write to imagine who we could be or what we could be like. We write about how we feel directly or through someone else.

How you write is not a textbook full of rules and punishments, and even if it was, I would still be here writing these word and symbols.

When we write, we express the feelings that we have had, the experiences we have been through, and the vivid pictures that make up our life.

Whenever you write, write well. Write with purpose and feeling. Write about what you know and don’t know. Write about what you want to know.

What we write may be dependent on how we feel: We may, when angry, let our words rush onto the paper and won’t stop until the red is flushed from our faces and our minds are clean; we may, when sad, let our teardrops splatter upon the paper in place of ink or graphite; we may, when joyous, scribble so quickly or press down on the paper so hard that the lead snaps to get the right words between the lines. When writing for a topic, there is still an open door to the world of imagination, where the words can slide onto the paper however you want.

Writing is a piece of art, a thing to cherish. Writing is something we do, something we feel. Writing isn’t a monotonous action. It is a colorful, creative expression of you and your world.



Passion Based Learning

We had an opportunity as a staff to participate in school based professional development on September 28, so I offered a session around Passion Based Learning. We met in the Blue Sparks Space and the teachers and I had a phenomenal working session on igniting passion in students and giving them opportunities to direct their own learning. The session left me energized and I have received a lot of feedback from teachers that they continue to look for entry points for students to extend the curriculum in ways that are relevant, meaningful, and engaging to them. The energy around Passion based Learning is on super charge here at Henley. Stay tuned!