After attending the UNCC Writing conference I felt refreshed and excited about writing- just what I needed to bring back to my writing classes at Olympic.

My students are constantly coming to me when they are handed a writing assignment with endless questions consisting of: what to write about, when to write, how to format the paper, where to get their ideas from…the list is endless. At the writing conference a specific quote really spoke out to me- “To Write in the Language that you dream in”.

Writing is not universal.

There is not a specific language or even format to write in- therefore, it makes writing accessible to every single person. The current events that are happening with school shootings is unfathomable. Especially as a high school teacher, I can’t help but to feel like a “sitting duck” in the middle of the current country crisis. I wanted to give my students an outlet to express themselves regarding the recent shootings.

After explaining to my kids that writing was a universal act, they were able to eliminate the intimidation factor and actually reach out to the high school students that survived the shooting in Parkland. Each letter was drafted by a student, revised by another, and finally published on bright colored cardstock. My students became confident with the heartfelt letters of support that they had created ON THEIR OWN with minimal to no guidelines from myself. I was able to direct them to create these letters saying whatever they felt necessary and showing support.

We were able to collect over 100 handwritten letters of support to send to Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland for students to have waiting for them when they were able to return to school. I hope to create penpal opportunities for these students with mine and continue to connect through writing. The conference refreshed my love for writing and allowed me to relay this back to my classes to spread to students who needed it most!