Anti-Bullying Video February 9, 2011

I have to post this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYyAa0VnyY

Bullying is a huge issue in schools, and I love it when students themselves speak out against it.

You may be wondering why, out of all the anti-bullying videos out there, I chose to draw your attention to this one. Well, the answer is simple: Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver is my alma mater.

I’m proud of those students, proud of the teacher and administration sponsors, and proud to be a former Churchill student as well as a teacher working to end bullying in schools.

Kids are amazing. They are our future, and this video seems to suggest the future is in good hands.

Way to go, folks! Way to go!

C.

NaNo Editing December 7, 2010

Now that NaNoWriMo is over, I have been working with my students on editing their work. I have to admit, the lessons provided by the YWP are fabulous and I am really enjoying taking what they’ve put together and making it my own. But the part I am enjoying the most is being able to relate our discussions to the whole publishing process.

For example, one of the “rules” for giving feedback on someone else’s novel is to ask a lot of questions. Not only does it force the reviewer to be specific, it prevents students from saying something potentially hurtful. We talked about this, but the lesson became far more powerful when I was able to show them that this policy isn’t limited to students (and isn’t in place to force them to be ‘nice’ to one another). I put the first round of edits I received from my editor on the projector and we read through what was said. Students very quickly noticed that most of the comments were, in fact, questions.

Seeing a “professional editor” following the same rules I expected of them turned the period into a serious editing session. The level of focus and attention to their peers’ stories was intense!

C.