A friend from church asked my husband and I to come to her classroom and share what we do regarding writing. Considering we had eight inches of snow two days ago, I was somewhat concerned, but as you can see the picture above - it was a gloriously beautiful day and much of the snow was already gone.
This very rural, small town school had a total of nine kids, spread out from 1st through 3rd grade.
The kids were wonderful and so much fun. I started by telling them that I'm a storyteller. We talked about where stories come from and why it's important to tell stories. We quickly progressed into what it takes to get a book into a published form, and Jim rounded it off with visual aids about the research.
The kids had lots of questions and were so smart. One little girl even told us that she already has a story folder at home where she writes and keeps stories. All of them told us they liked to read - that learning to read was their favorite thing in school.
The teacher is a phenomenal Christian woman who has the patience of a saint. She has this wide range of teaching to give, but always seems to be up-beat and positive. She even has her daughter Sydney in the class! I've always respected teachers - my hat's off to all of them whether they are teaching now or plan to teach or have retired.
Knowledge is power and children are incredible sponges who love to soak up information. Who knows - maybe these are our future storytellers and best-sellers.
When we finished every last child came up and assaulted me with hugs and thank yous. It was incredible fun. I find myself praying for them even as I write this blog.
If you haven't connected with a child lately - I highly recommend it. You'll be amazed at what the world looks like through their eyes. As one smart little guy told me, "I like stories because they tell me about things I don't know."
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