How to teach/learn heart
One of the first things I realized, when encouraging my students to write, is that that my students need something to focus on. I can't say "Go write about how you feel today." That is way too open of a topic. But even more importantly they need to know that no matter what they write about, it wont be "good" if it doesn't have "heart."
This doesn't mean that it has to be mushy and overly feeling. It means that there is a kernal of truth, something that drives the writing, some essence or point that makes what you write intriguing, interesting or thought-provoking.
How does one teach "heart?" I do this through modeling. I was gave all three of my classes the same prompt to write about a word. The word I choose was courage. I wrote a piece in 2nd block, then 3rd and then 4th. I realized that as the day progressed me pieces got better. That first piece, as I told my 4th period class, was trash. I was able to show them what something looked like when it didn't have heart. My 3rd piece moved me. It brought tears to my eyes, it resonated a Truth-and that is the goal.
My focus in teaching my students to write isn't nearly as much on proper grammar, punctuation or MLA style as it is in being real to yourself, your subject and your reader. This is what makes the books we love, lovable, the poetry we drown in, deep and the music we cry to, emotional.
Heart is what makes a writer readable.
This doesn't mean that it has to be mushy and overly feeling. It means that there is a kernal of truth, something that drives the writing, some essence or point that makes what you write intriguing, interesting or thought-provoking.
How does one teach "heart?" I do this through modeling. I was gave all three of my classes the same prompt to write about a word. The word I choose was courage. I wrote a piece in 2nd block, then 3rd and then 4th. I realized that as the day progressed me pieces got better. That first piece, as I told my 4th period class, was trash. I was able to show them what something looked like when it didn't have heart. My 3rd piece moved me. It brought tears to my eyes, it resonated a Truth-and that is the goal.
My focus in teaching my students to write isn't nearly as much on proper grammar, punctuation or MLA style as it is in being real to yourself, your subject and your reader. This is what makes the books we love, lovable, the poetry we drown in, deep and the music we cry to, emotional.
Heart is what makes a writer readable.
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