This One Time in Writers Camp…
What’s your why? “I don’t understand what that even means,” whispered a rising 2nd grader. He was one of a delightful group of summer campers attending the Young Writers’ Camp in July 2017. And that was our theme for two weeks. We explored activism, artivism, social justice, taking action, all while using writing and the power of words as our medium. These young but prolific writers filled their daybooks with notes, sketches, reflections, first drafts, all crossing various genres. For an educator, this was a dream job for me. Writing all day with writers who love to write! No testing. No required curriculum. No pre-packaged program. Instead, I checked out piles of books from the library to use as authors’ text and together we read and re-read examining their craft and trying out new ideas in our own pieces. Our daybooks were full of starts and stops and writing in progress. We shared our writing, and in doing so, learned so much about each other and ourselves in such a short time.
We learned about each other’s why. Corinne loved animals, Catherine had concerns about the environment, and Isabell wanted everyone to know that kindness is free. And for me, my why is what I’ve been doing for 20 years now, learning with children, laughing each day, and sharing in joyful moments. In the words of Isabell, “The writers’ camp is great because you get to learn how to write. Also, you get to write stories and publish them. Writers’ camp is great because you get to meet new people and learn new things. Writers’ camp is great because it is fun and you also get to explore UNCC.” I couldn’t agree more with this camper. It is fun!
This is just one of the opportunities sponsored by the National Writing Project at UNC Charlotte. Simultaneous to the camp, teacher leaders were participating in the Summer Institute. Teachers were able to write, reflect, interview and respond to questions with the student campers. Education majors also stopped in to support writing conferences. These special guests provided authentic audiences for our campers. At week’s end, campers shared a published piece of their choice in an open mic setting for family and friends. Grand applause was confirmation of the work the writing campers had produced. The best part of this experience is…I get to do it again this summer! To see our campers’ in action, check this out.
