Debbie Miller…My literacy hero!
“Where have you been?” you ask. I’ll tell you. I was fortunate to attend the 100th Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English in Orlando, Florida! And yes, the convention was held at the Walt Disney World Resort. Okay, Okay, I did see Mickey and the gang, but enough of that. It was a magical week being in the company of such “famous” educators! Kamehameha was very proud to have the second grade teachers from Kapalama Elementary present a session on critical literacy. They did an outstanding job. I mua!
My first session was attending a writing workshop for teachers. I’d like to challenge all of you parents to take a pen out and engage in a “quick write”. You will have ten minutes to write rapidly without stopping to edit or make revisions. Ready? Think of a line that your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. would constantly share that has become a rule that you live by.
Yes, writing is hard. Put yourself in your child’s shoes for 10 minutes when they are asked to write in school. Before you begin I will share my “quick write” with you that I wrote at the actual workshop which hasn’t been edited or revised. Deal? When asking questions about other ethnicities my dad would always tell me, “We all the same”. (Disclosure: I had 3 minutes to write : D)
We’re all the same,
no matter where we come from
or who our parents are.
It doesn’t matter what clothes we wear
or how we eat our food.
We’re all the same.
Our cultures teach us
to be pono, to be respectful, to love.
We breath in the same air
even the same pollution.
We’re all the same.
We have hopes, desires, and
multides of feelings that validate us
as human beings.
So…get your pens ready, and be sure your child sees YOU writing!