Day 9 Did you write about that?
Today one of my fourth grade students told me about a horrible experience he had when he was a kindergartner. It involved a guest teacher collapsing, and the kindergarteners not knowing what to do. I looked at him and said, “I can see this experience is still with you. Did you write about that?”
He replied, “No, I didn’t. But I should!” He then proceeded to tell me about the wacky spring break trip last year which included him being stuck in an elevator alone. He looked at me and stated emphatically, “We got home about 10:00. I sat right down and wrote about that terrible trip!”
I’ve realized that most of my writing comes from a place of hurt. And yet, I can’t help getting it out on paper. It’s almost like allowing the paper to hold the grief, the anger, the frustration, the negative for me. So I can then work on letting it go. Sometimes I need to go back & reread, so I feel it again, and can move through it more.
This year I am determined to write about positive events too. Now I have extra motivation for paying attention and looking for those positive events- Slicing!
#SOLSC21
Teachers Write 
Isn’t it funny – what we can write about and what is hard to write about? I had someone suggest to me that I write painful things down on paper and then burn them …
I love slicing in March because it really gets me in the habit of trying to write a little bit every day … and include some fun in there too!
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It’s been suggested that I burn the hard writings, too. At this point, I want to remember some of the hard stuff at times – just not ALL the time. : )
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Difficult and painful events stick out so much more readily than the positive. Good for you for noticing that and deciding you are going to try and write more like it! I love that you asked the fourth grader about their writing — I do the same with my students in high school!
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I love the automaticity of your question – “did you write about that?” I am dying to use that line with students; may I??
Also, I know what you mean – I’ve normally approached writing as working out my thoughts. I started writing a line of gratitude a day some months ago, and now it changes my perspective about the day, but also about writing.
Happy paying attention 🙂
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Yes! I don’t know when I heard that phrase or from whom, but I use it all the time. I’ve also been known to say, “It sounds like you should write about that!” I’ve been talking with elementary kids (since I moved from 2nd to 3rd) about that fact that writing can help us deal with the sh** life throws at us. Maybe not using those exact words. Lol
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LOL! My high schoolers may appreciate those exact words?! 😉
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I loved this phrase:
allowing the paper to hold the grief, the anger, the frustration, the negative for me
I do think when bad things happen, I process and feel better after writing about it.
I also know gratitude journals are good for me too. I guess writing works for both the ups and the downs!!
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Thanks for sharing this… I’m the type to hold it in. Maybe if I trust paper enough to hold it for me, I’d have an easier time releasing it. Thanks for being so vulnerable in your slices- what a special moment you shared with your class!
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I can hear your voice saying, “Did you write about that?” I find the hard hard to write about and sometimes it’s because I know who reads my blog. There’s a blog waiting to be written about my mother-of-the-groom dress that I never got to wear but I don’t want to make them feel bad because we still had a very nice small wedding. We’ll see.
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I would love to hear that story! That reminds me of some stories from my wedding… Hm, maybe more slice ideas!
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What a wonderful exchange with the fourth grader! I love that he has come to feel compelled to write about his experiences! And I love how you transform that exchange into a reflection on writing yourself.
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