The Power of Words

I always love authentic writing experiences that pop up by chance and that result in students seeing the power of words, even though they were not part of the year long scope and sequence plans. This spring we had such an opportunity. My students knew that next year as the school grows to the 8th grade and we have our first graduating class we would need to add one more teacher to the middle school team. In a conversation with our director some of the boys in my class happened to mention that they wanted a retired teacher who had been in to sub for us regularly this year to be the third teacher.

The director mentioned that they should send him a letter inviting him to apply. I guided them through gathering ideas. Even though it was the boys who mentioned the original idea, all of the students were excited about the possibility and the student scribes quickly filled the board with the class' ideas. Next, I helped them think about organization as they grouped their thoughts. I drafted the sentences that they mentioned on the Smart Board, and they also gave suggestions for revision along the way. Once we had a complete draft I pointed out aspects such as noticing repetitive sentence structures. I talked about how in the beginning it was great just to get the ideas out but that they should go back and reword or combine some sentences so that it would flow better.

Throughout the whole process students were very active - providing ideas, giving opinions, crafting sentences... They also had their own voice. While I was the scribe and guided them along, I made sure to not put words into their mouth. There were some fun lines, such as them telling him they liked his sense of style. For a split second I was tempted to sway them against that line since it was not professional. However, I am glad that I quickly remembered it wasn't about what one professional would say to another, it was about what 7th grade students would say to an educator they admire for many reasons. The final result had ideas about him as an educator, as well as showing their personality and why they thought he would enjoy being their teacher.

I could not have been more thrilled when we completed the application and interview process and he was welcomed on board as my new colleague. I love that my students had a chance to be involved in the application process, which in my experience is rare, and even better, they were also able to see how their writing influenced something so important to their lives. I am proud of them for their role in the process.