#WhyIWrite

My lesson plan for today was to take a detour from regular lessons to celebrate NCTE's National Day on Writing. I got the ball rolling (or the pen flowing, as it were) with Shane Koyczan's tremendous "Troll" spoken-word video. Heading outside with an overflowing bucket of chalk, the kids had the time to create a sidewalk square with a proclamation of #WhyIWrite. The first student finished - far earlier than I expected - but I walked over to check his masterpiece. Loud and proud, it stated, "Because my teacher makes me." Whoosh. THUD. My heart fell. THIS was the takeaway of one of my greatest passions, one I try to share with teenagers daily in my classroom?! 

Despite some nominally better offerings from others, my enthusiasm waned. I attempted to invigorate my voice and ideas and thoughts for each class afterwards. And as I wandered around the sidewalks in front of the school as my kids worked, I continued to be shocked by what I saw. 

Like this...

And this...

And this one, too:

They were wonderfully honest...

And up-to-date...

And they didn't just use words. There were colors and pictures and, in the case of a few boys with a passion for the sciences, equations and algorithms:

After seeing the creativity and humor and thoughtfulness of my students, I thought back on the day's first submission: "Because my teacher makes me." And, as writing has the tendency to do, I was able to reflect on the day differently. If these creations are what I "MAKE" my students do, I'll make them do it every single day.

Jose Rizal, a revolutionary infamously renowned for the strength of his writings, said, "The youth is the hope of our future." 

He is right...and I'm so grateful for that hope.