4 Benefits of Writing by Hand

4 Benefits of Writing by Hand

What's Lost as Handwriting Fades

What's Lost as Handwriting Fades

Take It to the Next Level

First quarter grades are out, and you’ve had nine weeks to get used to the routine of sixth grade and your new classes. You’re feeling pretty good about your progress, but you want to take it to the next level. So what can you do?

Show up every day with all of your supplies. Whether you’ve forgotten a pen or need to return to your locker for your novel, if you don’t have everything you need, you are affecting your performance. Consider this: Mr. Dunning is teaching when suddenly you realize that you don’t have a pencil to write the notes. So that you won’t interrupt the class, you decide to ask one of your table mates to borrow a writing utensil. No harm done, right? Don’t be so sure. While you may not have distracted everyone in the room, the kids at your table just lost track of what the teacher was saying and may have missed important information. Of course, you could always ask to go to your locker, but what happens when you’re gone? Obviously, class continues. Even if you’re out of the room for only a few minutes, you will return to find yourself behind the rest of the group. As a result, either Mr. Dunning will have to stop and repeat what he has just said so that you are able to fully understand the activity, or you will need to disturb your table mates to find out what you missed. Neither situation seems fair to your teacher or your classmates. So what can you do to reduce forgotten supplies? To start, try not to throw things willy-nilly into your locker. Taking the extra few seconds to put books and binders away neatly will pay off the next time you visit your locker. How about arranging items on the shelves according to class? Keep the science binder with the science notebook and the novel you are reading with your English binder. Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of stocking and carrying your pencil case. That way, when your teacher asks you to take out your Sharpie, you are ready to go.

Be ready to do your best. We’ve all had days where we just don’t care. Whether we’re tired, bored, under the weather, or a little cranky, we don’t feel into it. There’s nothing unusual about those feelings; they happen to the best of us. It’s how you respond at times like those that can help you take your game to the next level. Students who are able to set aside what they want to do and focus on what they need to do, experience greater success in the classroom. Their performance is consistent and persistent and it results in greater progress.

Produce high-quality work — daily. Whatever the task may be, complete it neatly, carefully, and thoughtfully. To your teacher, it will be obvious that you take pride in everything you do. When you try to produce high-quality work, your handwriting is neat, your papers are not crumpled, and your projects do not appear as if they were done the night before class. Ask yourself: Am I proud of my work? Is it worthy of being put on public display? Could it be shown as an example to other students? If you can’t answer those questions with a resounding yes, it might be time to redouble your efforts.

Go beyond what the teacher expects. When you’re asked to write one half of a page, what’s stopping you from writing a whole one? If your project requires at least three examples from the text, why not use four? You have a presentation to give in history, did you memorize it without being asked? Your teacher will be impressed by your initiative, and more importantly, your learning will increase. Remember, if you’re only completing the minimum, you can’t expect to earn the maximum.

Set reasonable, sustainable goals. Maybe you’re interested and a little inspired. You’ve realized it’s time to step up your game. Start small. By setting goals that are realistic, you will lessen the chance of failure. Deciding that you will read 30 minutes every night, when you’re currently reading 30 minutes in a week, is a pretty tall order. Your chances of immediately implementing that change, and then sticking with it, are slim. Make incremental changes that allow you to experience regular success. Eventually, you could be reading 30 minutes a night, and your new habit will be more likely to stick.

It’s the beginning of another quarter and a fresh start. Are you truly content with your progress? Let’s face it, even the best of us can find ways to improve and reach the next level. I hope you will make the decision to grow. By reflecting and making changes, you can reach your full potential.


photo credit: Paxson Woelber via photopin cc

Report Card Comments from a Can?

At my former school, report card writing was an easy task: calculate the grade and check the boxes for the corresponding canned comments. I could write report cards for all 150 of my students in just a few hours, and I thought I loved the system. Not because it was in the best interest of my students, mind you, but because it was easy and required minimal time commitment. Selfish, I know, but not illogical. Coming up with all of those comments from scratch would have been a laborious and time-consuming process.

My first year at USM, I was introduced to writing report card comments from scratch. No template, no prewritten quips to copy and paste, just a blank, ominous computer screen. I sought the advice of my peers, and while they were exceedingly helpful and offered useful advice, I was overwhelmed. Other than my master’s action research project, that first set of comments was the most challenging thing I had ever written. But, I was rewarded when I finished. As a result of the reflective process that was necessary to creating a thoughtful and accurate comment, I knew my students comprehensively. And, while looking at kids individually, group patterns started to emerge as well. It became clear where my instruction had been effective and where it had fallen flat. I had no choice but to reevaluate my methods, and I became a more contemplative teacher because of the process.

Since that first year, I am more intentional in the way I gather data about my students. Each child has a digital folder in which I save notes from our one-on-one meetings, copies of written feedback that I have provided on their writing, and examples of their most recent work. This has improved the efficiency of my comment writing. What’s even more important is a side effect of creating these digital records: As I gather information, I am able to analyze it, meet individual needs, and adjust my instruction on the fly.

While comment writing may never be easy for me, it will always be valuable. It has made me a more reflective and purposeful teacher, not just for two weeks in October and February, but for the whole year. And, though I’m relieved each time I finish another round, I don’t miss the canned comments. Frankly, they don’t do a student justice.

From the Makerspace to Language Arts

Two weeks ago, I received a much-anticipated package from Amazon - a wireless document camera! I was excited by the possibility of being able to mark-up a book or write in my Writer's Notebook and have it project to my whiteboard. Unfortunately, the camera did not play well with my Apple TV, and I could not get it to project wirelessly. I had to send the device back. Needless to say, I was bummed; until I ran into Mr. Mussoline. Rather than viewing my issue as a setback, he took it as an opportunity to exploit the potential of our makerspace, Nerdvana.

Together, we planned to have students compete in teams to create a document camera stand for my iPad. The makerspace would provide all of the parts and tools, and the kids would supply their ingenuity and know-how. Through a first come, first served process, three students from each advising class signed up to build a device that would allow my iPad to function as a document camera.

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During two days of Community Time last week, the teams of students planned, gathered materials, and constructed their document camera stands. Mr. Mussoline and I helped them only when they needed assistance operating a tool, otherwise we let them explore and learn on their own. It was a powerful experience, and the excitement was palpable as kids measured, sawed, and drilled. Over and over again, they tried ideas and made adjustments in order to make their visions a reality. I was astounded by the level of engagement with the project as well as the students' perseverance in making their team's product the best one. In the end, all four document camera stands made it to completion with varying degrees of success. Yet, it wasn't really about the final product, it was the process. Kids were there because they wanted to be there, not because they were forced to comply. They were encouraged to follow their instincts and use their individual strengths in order to meet the expectations of the activity. And, they were allowed to fail with the chance to recover.

I'm not sure who took away more from the experience. In those two days, I learned more about passion, choice, and coaching than I ever expected. Now, it's time to figure out how to bring those insights to my English classroom.