I love what you're doing Joel and plan to check out your links. I'm a retired educator. I was an elementary school teacher and head of school. Even as an administrator, I continued to teach. I taught guest lessons on every grade level and a literacy course in the 4th grade that involved loads of reading and teaching kids how to write, critique, rewrite and produce a finished product which was a new chapter that fit into Lewis Carroll's "Alice Through the Looking Glass." I'm telling you all this, because I am very interested in student writing and think what you're doing is terrific. I'm also eager to check out your writing. Do you have a particular recommendation?
Hi Sandy. I finally got signed up so I could reply!
Thanks so much for your comments, it really means a lot to me, and it's wonderful to hear from other educators (retired or otherwise) who put passion into their work to help students, especially with skills that aren't as easy to measure and quantify like creativity.
If you have any tips or insights from your time working with students, please do let me know! I especially find it difficult to get students to critique and rewrite their work or the work of their peers, so please let me know if there's anything you found helpful in that area.
I would be happy to send you an outline of how I approached teaching writing to fourth graders. Rule of thumb: I took nothing for granted, so the kids and I went on this adventure together and it was very successful.
I love what you're doing Joel and plan to check out your links. I'm a retired educator. I was an elementary school teacher and head of school. Even as an administrator, I continued to teach. I taught guest lessons on every grade level and a literacy course in the 4th grade that involved loads of reading and teaching kids how to write, critique, rewrite and produce a finished product which was a new chapter that fit into Lewis Carroll's "Alice Through the Looking Glass." I'm telling you all this, because I am very interested in student writing and think what you're doing is terrific. I'm also eager to check out your writing. Do you have a particular recommendation?
Hi Sandy. I finally got signed up so I could reply!
Thanks so much for your comments, it really means a lot to me, and it's wonderful to hear from other educators (retired or otherwise) who put passion into their work to help students, especially with skills that aren't as easy to measure and quantify like creativity.
If you have any tips or insights from your time working with students, please do let me know! I especially find it difficult to get students to critique and rewrite their work or the work of their peers, so please let me know if there's anything you found helpful in that area.
As for my writing, I'm particularly fond of my stories 'In Two Minds' (in the anthology Multispecies Cities: https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p176/Multispecies_Cities.html) and 'Fire and Wisdom' (in the anthology With Ash and Blood: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ash-Curse-Magic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B08PB3NRW7). Or if you're happy to hear me drone on even more, I've got a reading of possibly my proudest ever piece, Evidence, on my rather neglected YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ZaOGpHJIw (please forgive the mid-lockdown hairdo)
Joel, here is my email: sandyshaller@gmail.com
I would be happy to send you an outline of how I approached teaching writing to fourth graders. Rule of thumb: I took nothing for granted, so the kids and I went on this adventure together and it was very successful.
I also ordered "Multispecies Cities."
Sandy! Thank you, as always. Joel is considering signing up to Substack himself so he is able to respond personally, will keep you posted!
I hope Joel does join. I think he has a lot to offer. And thank you too, Jim.
I really enjoyed Joel's Dream Merchant piece- beautiful world building within such a concise word limit.
Thank you so much, Alice, I really appreciate that! It's definitely a piece I've always been very proud of.
Thanks Alice, for listening, and this response to Joel's work!