Writers Are Writers Are Writers

When the teacher asked me to conference with her first-grade writers I was afraid – I was very afraid. I had years of experience working with high school, college, and adult writers. I knew the questions to ask and when to let silence hang between us. I knew when to take possession of the writing in question and when to hand it back. But first graders? They were so new to literacy, so young, so fragile. What if I broke them? The teacher smiled at the panic in my eyes in the reassuring way only an experienced primary educator possesses – a mixture of comfort and steely will. “You can do this.” Meaning, of course, you will do this.

Read the full “Writers Are Writers Are Writers” post on my Metawriting blog at: http://metawriting.deannamascle.com/