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Immerse them in writing with your Writing Room

© Gloria Campos-Hensley

First Day, I picture my first day of class like this...the bell has rung, and one by one each one of my new students walk through my classroom door. I watch their jaws drop, their eyes open wide, their heads turn side to side, up, down, and the word, "cool!" suddenly leaves their little mouths. Then, they look at me and smile.

I look forward to this day, because I have worked hard to find a way to excite these students about coming to my class, after all, it is a creative writing class, and what is creative writing to them? To these students this class is just another boring class in their miserably boring school lives, and they just cannot wait to get out of here. In fact they will write anything or nothing at all to get out of class. Then there are the other students who have poor writing skills. Due to this, they are too embarrassed and too ashamed to write or show what they have written. Fortunately, once in a while, there are students who will look at this class as a new exciting adventure.

Regardless of the type of student you have, you must pay attention to all of them equally, and encourage them to write. This is why it is so important to catch their attention on the first few days of class.

How do I do it? I use my imagination and cover the room corner to corner with anything about writing. I cover the walls in pictures and new vocabulary words. I hang editing posters over the chalkboard. I fill bookshelves with writing and reading books. I cover tables with journals, pens, crayons, pencils, markers, and binders filled with writing prompts. Instead of small hard wood and metal desk, they have sofas and pillow seats to relax on. I have filing cabinets, a typewriter, computers, and a bulleting board to fill up with stories, poems and best of all a bookbindery. I have a room they can get lost in only long enough to find themselves as poets, story tellers, comedians, journalist, screenwriters, freelancers and even creative writing teachers.

How can you do it? Use your imagination and read this book called, Cornering Creative Writing written by Imogene Forte, Mary Ann Pangle and Robbie Tupa. It is a 177-page book showing you several ways to decorate your classroom to fit the theme of what your class is writing about. It also shows you how to create learning centers, word games, activities and ideas you can use on your students. I found it at a Half-Price Books store a few years ago. This book inspired me to have fun teaching creative writing and reminded me not only to make it fun for them, but also to make it fun for me. After all, who wants a teacher who hates teaching the subject she is teaching?

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