As a teacher, I encourage my students to use the writing process. It is a way for young "writers" to develop their writing skills. As I teach this process through the varying genres of writing, I tell my students that they are writers and to believe that of themselves. I wonder why it is so hard for me to embrace this title?Â
Journaling has always been something I did as a way to release the thoughts that ran through my mind during the day. At times, writing in my journal helped me to make peace with things that I had no control over, creative ideas that would spill onto the paper finding a pathway to reality, and just overall "unloading". I guess I should give this writing a more specific name than "journaling" because while I am writing in a journal, it really is a deeper experience. I think a proper name should be something along the lines of "Meditative Writing", or "Peaceful Wonderings".
It strikes me that finding a quiet time and space to write can bring such a release and many times provide a burst of creativity. One pen stroke leads to another and suddenly my thoughts become clearer allowing me to make decisions or blaze a new path. Thinking a bit deeper, giving myself this meditative, peaceful writing time does release what is on my mind creating space for new thoughts, creative ideas, and writing adventures to come alive.
Professional writing seemed to be a bit scary until I decided to dive in and give it a try. I told myself it was a leap of faith and a way to allow my inner thoughts to step out into the light of day for others to read. As an avid reader, one book genre that I find very interesting is professional texts focused on education. There are many books published each year, and I am curious to learn about the various ways authors present information. As an educator, I have the opportunity to meet other educators who are incredibly interesting and are published authors. Reading their work put me on a pathway to writing book reviews for Middleweb, which is a wonderful site "All About The Middle Grades". More than just learning from their books, I have been able to connect and network with wonderful authors/educators/speakers such as Jenny Grant Rankin and Stephanie Affinito. With each book I review, I feel my writing style and skills grow. Reading how others write is truly a masterclass in style, voice, word choice, and flow.
My writing life continues to grow as I now write articles that pertain to ideas and activities I use in the classroom. I have written on a range of topics that include virtual teaching, math, reading, and educational technology. Please check out the links below to read my professional book reviews, as well as my articles. I am always looking for opportunities and ways to branch out in my writing. One final thought- I guess it is okay to say that I am a writer.
Professional Book Reviews and articles:
https://www.middleweb.com/tag/kathleen-palmieri/Authors mentioned in this blog:
Jenny Grant Rankin
https://www.middleweb.com/43273/sharing-your-expertise-with-the-world/Stephanie Affinito
https://www.middleweb.com/38201/adding-digital-strategies-to-literacy-coaching/
