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Reading, reading, reading…
The unmistakable voice of my daddy checked me out of the Anxious Hotel and back into reality. Elizabeth Tow, 8th grade
In the midst of the stacks of student-written stories about monsters and disasters and parents dying in car crashes, there were a few gemstones.
Monday was the annual LA Writes judging at my home. Teachers gathered around fruit and muffins and coffee to read 622 entries from Kindergarten to 12th grade writers from around our state.
Amidst the state standards and curriculum mandates, we writing teachers hold out hope that someone is cultivated creative writing in their classrooms. Interestingly, most of the best writers came from only a few teachers. Either these are the teachers keeping writing alive or these are the teachers who take the time to enter students in contests.
I have been coordinating the LA Writes contest for a dozen years, and I look forward to this day every year. I get to see some of my favorite teacher-friends and share my home with them. We talk and read, read and talk.
We find favorite lines. My friend, Nettie picked these lines to share.
The radio comes alive like low heeled boots. By Lily Adam
Alone together in a room for all
A kiss meets lips like stroking midnight buds. by Jasper KoelbelResting on the back of a goose wing, trying to blend into the cream colored feathers. By Rangasri Narayanamoorthy
When we started this contest, we created an acronym for our judging criteria with the word VOICES.
Voice
Originality/ surprise
Imagery/ figurative language
Clarity
Economy
Significance/ insight
As a teacher, I am in tune to these elements and encourage my young writers to reach not only for clear and precise writing, but writing that sings and makes the reader look at something in a new and surprising way. These elements are hard to teach, but we all know good writing when we see it. My students know good writing. They don’t always know how to name it, but they know it when they see it.
Yesterday we culled the stacks and stacks of writing down to 5-10 in each category in each grade-level division. It was hard work. It was good work. We will send these finalists on to our author judges, authors from our state including our new state poet laureate. We hope that they will see the gemstones that we saw and enjoy the looking.
How marvelous for you to be a part of this process, Margaret, to bring your own gifts as a writer to this process.
What a wonderful history for you and a great teacher community. Writers, LOVE THEM ALL!!!!!
I love when small lines of student writing jump off the page like that ….
Kevin
How interesting the majority come from just a few teachers. And how wonderful these writers are. You and your colleagues are doing important work. Finding the gems in those entries and admiring them. Beautiful!
I too find that students recognize good writing, even if they can’t always name what it is that is good about it. I wonder what those few teachers who are producing those outstanding writers would teach us if they had the opportunity.
I know Lisa! I would love to pick their brains.
Love that you started this contest for students, Margaret. It’s so important for them to have authentic purpose. I can picture you spending the day with your teaching/writing friends searching for the gems.