Don’t Forget About Modeling: It’s Money!
I knew I would lure you in with that title, but I am not talking about fashion week here. I am talking about a tried and true teaching technique that I sometimes forget – modeling. I had an experience this week that reminded me of its importance.
We have been studying and writing various forms of poetry in my creative writing class. Normally this would elicit collective groaning from students, but this is an elective and students are generally motivated to write. But this group was having a hard time becoming inspired and expressing themselves with their writing. Remembering how I adored my creative writing class as an undergrad I dug out my old marble notebook and brought it into the class. I put the class in a circle and began to read from the ancient tome, each angst filled verse was like a snapshot of my past. The students giggled as I told them the story behind each one (if I could remember it), but some of the poems were pretty good. What was more important though was that the students saw me as a writer and a learner in that moment, they saw the evolution of my writing over time, and they saw that I practiced what I was preaching. Show your students a little bit of yourself, you will be surprised how far it will get you.
December 5, 2009