liz.blogspot.com

The snow is mostly gone from this part of Massachusetts where I live.  The mornings have grown lighter earlier these days, and as I leave my driveway I can see the bare grass that used to be covered with snow.  There's a patch here or there, but for the most part it's gone.  It's that time where you either mourn the passing of winter, or look forward to the beginning of spring.  I choose spring.  I choose spring knowing that it will likely snow at least one more time.  We may even have one more snow day, we often do.  But the days are growing longer, and I can see the bare grass as I leave my driveway.

My first post here. Why am I trying this?  Part of what I do is to help kids to write. It’s the smaller part of my day and even after all of these years I am often at a loss as to how to help. Too many times I feel if I give suggestions I will take their voice away. I will often start with a conversation. A child tells me about her dog. She is supposed to write about how she takes care of it. She doesn’t know where to begin or what to write. I ask her to tell me something her dog does. "When I get home she jumps on me as soon as I walk in the door." "Write that!", I say, "Just like you said." She looks at me for a moment, then says, "I don't want to write that."  So we begin again. This often happens after long conversations when a child is trying to figure out what to write.  When she finally comes out with something that encapsulates just what she is trying to say, I will again say,  "Write that,  just like you said it!" And s...