Making Time to Write

Everyday I look forward to writer's workshop.  I've looked forward to this time of day for many years.  Like many of the blogs I've read today, I too love books and intentionally share that love with my students and that naturally carries over to our writing.  The difference between the me that loves writer's workshop now and the me that loved writer's workshop before is that now I really write and up until two years ago I did a little bit of writing with my students, but I really was just 'playing'.  In the last two years I have been training at Lesley University as a K-2 Literacy Coach.  One of the biggest differences in my thinking has been my reading what Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover have to say about working with young writers.  When I read that Katie Ray said that in order to be able to authentically conference with young writers you need to come from the stance of a writer that made total sense to me. That's when I started writing on a regular basis.  I write in the genre we are studying for writing workshop and I try out whatever it is we are trying out as a community of young writers and have used the mentor texts that my students are using to help me as a writer too.  Writing has definitely changed what I think about and see as I conference with young writers. They not only see me as their teacher, but as a writer.  It has been awesome to share my writing with them and have them conference with me like I conference with them.  BUT... now I want to move forward from that.  I want to do writing for me.  So I still have 2 1/2 more weeks of school, but I am going to dedicate 20 minutes to start with first thing in the morning.  It'll be easier to do that once school is over, but I want to establish the habit whether I'm in school or not!  I am ready to start.