Nothing excites me more than combining my two passions: teaching and writing. This November, I was given the opportunity to mentor a class of 5^th graders in the art of creative writing. These students participated in the Young Writers Program of National Novel Writing Month. Their teacher set the goal for each student to write a novel of 1,000 words (or more) in length.

Sharing the Joy of Writing

Many teachers admit their frustration with subject based writing assignments. Unfortunately, there is little room in the required curriculum for creative writing. Always having students write accurate factual information about a specific topic, combined with correct grammar, stifles the creativity and imagination that kids naturally do so well. With open arms, these 5^th grade students and their teacher welcomed the idea of writing ‘just for fun.’

The joy on those students’ faces was priceless when I shared that their stories would not be graded on the correct use of grammar or the accurate retelling of facts. Instead, I shared the goal of the Young Writers Program is to enjoy the act of creative writing. Questions immediately arose regarding how silly or how gross or how futuristic their stories could be. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” were my answers.

Several days into the project, students stopped me in the hall to tell me what they had written the previous night. Their insightful questions gave me a glimpse of their creative thoughts. I couldn’t wait to read their stories.

At the end of the month, seventeen of the twenty six students (plus their teacher) participated. Their collective word count was 31,311 words. They exceeded their word count goal by 13,311 words! A big thank you to Heather Bartlett for allowing me to work with you and your students. It nourished my soul!

*NOTE: The featured picture is 12 of the 17 students who were present on Awards Ceremony Day. Permission to use this picture was given by each parent.

Your Passion Can Benefit Young People

I share this post because I strongly believe in pouring into the lives of young people. I choose to mentor young people in the hopes that they too will enjoy writing creatively. Even if they choose not to pursue journal writing or creative writing, they’ve learned a valuable lesson: they can do something they never thought they could do.

Each of you has something (a passion or an area of expertise) that you can “pour into” a young person. You will make a difference in their lives even if they never choose to adopt your passion. What you do will have a ripple effect and touch the lives of many!

Share Your Story: Share a few sentences about the way(s) you pour into the lives of young people. If you don’t currently mentor kids in some way, please revisit this blog post in a day or two as you will likely get some great ideas about how you can touch the life of a young person.