Recently, while traveling down the expressway, I marveled at the beauty of the autumn leaves that surrounded me on all sides. The vibrant colors basically took away my breath as we rushed in and out of traffic. Muted oranges, rustic golds, burgundy reds, and blended browns were interwoven throughout the towering evergreens. My initial thought was how lovely a painting this scene would make and then, as if by magic, I was back in my classroom teaching descriptive writing and seeing the students’ faces lighting up as they realized that they really could write.
I didn’t just assign a topic and leave it up to them to figure it all out on their own. We worked together on a plan that involved sitting outside in nature, sometimes in the spring and many times in autumn. We observed. We took notes. We experimented with the language. We read descriptions by others. We sought out descriptive language in their library books. We took time to get in touch with our senses as we proceeded to paint a picture with words for others.
We built confidence. I was back in the day when we were free to teach students to have fun with the language. We need to get there again, and it can happen. We can teach those standards and still remain true to ourselves as educators.