My Fun School Visit Today!

photo credit: Global Partnership for Education - GPE Early childhood education in Nicaragua via photopin (license)

I was so happy today to be able to visit a third grade classroom! I got to talk about what it takes to be an author and interact with one of the most attentive and engaged classrooms I've ever seen. I love it when that happens!

One of the first things we talked about is how to exercise our imagination. We made up a story together, naming the hero and heroine (Mr. McChubbyFace and Felicity) who had a pet dragon named Thor, who were fighting Stinky the large troll on the other side of the forest that kills everything with his rancid breath. We were laughing really hard, but making up a fantastic story at the same time! The best part was seeing them all build on the basic plot. Thor isn't a regular dragon, he's actually an ice-breathing dragon who could freeze the stink. Or how Stink just wanted friends, but didn't know how to be a friend because of his smelly issues. Their imaginations were going a mile a minute and it was a wonder to see. I loved the excitement and energy in the class as we worked on the story together, and how it showed that one idea can build on another and if we can imagine it, we can write it!

We also talked about why we need to know spelling and grammar, what revising means, and how sometimes you have to be brave to show your stories to other people. But my second favorite part of the visit was when I passed out their little writer's toolkits I'd made for them. It was a little tote bag with a neon pencil, a mini-notebook, and a bookmark (leaving room for a book.) They were so excited and asked their teacher if they could start writing right away. It just made my heart melt a little to see how eager they were. I loved that! I wish I could bottle it up and take it out whenever I need a boost. It was definitely a sweet moment that I'm going to put in my Happiness File so I can always remember it.

I really love my job on days like today!