books by Kate Blocher

When I was in the fifth grade, my teacher told us to bring a notebook to use as a journal. We took fifteen minutes out of each day to write whatever we pleased, ignoring grammatical errors. There was no specific instruction, just quiet writing.

At the end of the session, she would collect them all and read them. The only comments she ever made were “good job” or “keep it up” so that we were encouraged to write more. Once, she did single me out and ask me to read aloud. That was a moment of immense pride.

I try to encourage my little ones to write something each day, even if it is just simple numbers or letters, although most of the time they prefer to color.