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When I was a first grade teacher, the end of summer always made me reflective (actually, it still does). If there was going to be change, it was going to happen in the sun-drenched days of September.
Like the first day of school.
The intoxicating smell of new.
Scents of wool sweaters with price tags barely clipped off and the fine shavings from freshly sharpened pencils. You know, the big old black ones that 6-year-olds could grasp in their pudgy fingers?
On the first day, I walked along the rows of tidy desks, placing a flat box of Crayola crayons on each one. Even today, all I need is a whiff of that heady wax scent and it takes me right back to the classroom.
Those, and the rectangular pieces of modeling clay that reeked of oil and stained your hands in one of three butt-ugly colors: Army green, chocolate brown or steel gray.
Most kids had the first day jitters. Giving them some clay kept them busy working to soften it—so busy that they forgot about their fear.
They were full of fears, yes. But I learned so many things from them. One of them was how to blog.
5 reasons first graders would rule the blogging world
When I worked with my start-up blog coaching clients, I could kind of see the first grader thing going on. It’s true that as bloggers, we want to get past that newbie stage. We want to be grown-up bloggers.
But I’m thinking I never want to lose that way of looking at things, as long as I blog.
In the spirit of of back-to-school and new beginnings, I offer this: five reasons why first graders would rule the blogging world.
1. They haven’t lost their sense of wonder and curiosity.
What they are like: For first graders, life is full of wonder. From losing that first tooth to reading their first word, every day holds surprises.
They are constantly asking. And one question just leads to the next. And the next, and the next.
They take the world in with all of their senses. That means when they were gathered on the carpet for story time, I would hear that methodical rip-rip of their Velcro sneakers as they listened to Green Eggs and Ham.
Or one of them might slowly rub my foot just to feel the texture of my socks. (First time that happened, it freaked me out a little bit.)
They want to know how things sound, feel, look. And this is how they learn.
What they taught me about blogging: I will remember to see the wonder in small things. I will appeal to all the senses of my readers, so they can see, hear, and touch my words in their mind.
2. They think anything is possible.
What they are like: They are imaginative and brutally honest because they haven’t had it beaten out of them yet by well-meaning adults who just want them to conform so they don’t grow up to be axe murderers.
When two of them were locked in a conflict, all I had to do was give a hand puppet to each of them and they started a conversation—in the puppets’ voices—that resulted in making up and being friends again. They were not afraid to try on new hats.
What they taught me about blogging: I will tell stories in blog posts when they help me illustrate a concept. Take different points of view. Try on other perspectives. (And I still like to make puppets talk. But that’s another story.)
3. They think about weird stuff and sometimes they try it out to see what happens.
What they are like: First graders proudly own their ‘weirdness.’ To them, it’s a badge of honor. Like the time in the lunchroom, when Josh bet another boy that he could make a spoon stick to his nose.
Another time, when we were learning place value during math by gluing 10 beans on a tongue depressor, one little boy got a bean stuck in his nose. Okay, that one was kind of odd.
But the point is this: 6-year-olds are not afraid to think differently and try new things.
My blogging lesson: I will try writing all kinds of posts. I won’t throw an idea away just because it’s a little different. I may get a bean stuck in my nose every once in a while, but I will also never run out of shiny new ideas.
4. They are ‘in the moment.’
What they are like: First graders are blurters. If they have a thought, they just say it. Now. It may not be the most perfect idea, but they don’t care because they are testing their world. And if you ask them a question, they will give you their best and most honest answer.
What they taught me about blogging: I’ll respond to my readers in the comments section now, not tomorrow. When I get a new idea, it may be at 2am, but I will run into the office and scribble it on the whiteboard before it goes poof.
I won’t try to analyze my posts to death. I will let them pour out of me I will edit (but not too much because then I lose my real self), run spell check and let them go out into the world.
5. They have stories and they need to share them.
What they are like: Have you ever been in a first grade classroom during ‘show and tell’? Hands waving wildly, squeals of excitement, little bodies leaning forward, waiting not too patiently for their turn to captivate the audience.
And they tell their stories with such excitement. With passion. With utter abandon.
One little girl got a box of Fruit Loops for her birthday. (I learned later from her mom that she was only allowed to eat a sugary cereal once a year, on her birthday. Which explained her excitement. But still…)
A boy brought his umbilical cord in a jar and proceeded to take it out to pass it around.
Okay, that one was a little strange.
But their fellow classmates were always in awe because the kid ‘showing and telling’ did so with such enthusiasm.
What they taught me about blogging: I will tell my stories and share my thoughts with passion. I will ‘show and tell’ with enthusiasm—but always with respect for my readers. (That means maybe no umbilical cords. But you never know.)
What about you?
Were you more excited about blogging when you were just starting out?
Do you ever feel like you are running out of ideas?
What do you do to refill the bank and keep the spirit of a 6-year-old in your blogging?
This post originally appeared on For Bloggers By Bloggers.
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Oh, Judy!Seldom am I moved to use the awful word ‘awesome’ (whatever that might mean), but today I take my hat off to you – that was my version of ‘awesome’.Although I wasn’t a teacher, for many years I worked in children’s services. The parents were pants, but the children were absolutely the ‘bees knees’ (as we say over here in the UK). How well I remember from my preblogging days the wonders and ways of primary school children – they made each day a joy and it was a pleasure to go to work.I have to admit I might be a little on the mature side, but in my head the story-teller of yesteryear still reigns supreme. I have cultivated a little world of online ‘friends’ whose inboxes I regularly invade with my stories of ‘Linda’s Lunacies’ – just stuff from everyday life that I wrap up with a lot of love, a large dose of humour and more than a little embellishment!The outer covering may be a little worn and tatty round the edges, but I know that the 6 year old inside is as curious and excited as ever. Blogging is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me – now I can bore the pants of folks with gay abandon!Kind regards,L x
lindaw So, you have worked with children, too. Just keep that 6-year-old self front and center. That is all we ever need!
Ms Swanson…..my first grade teacher, which was my best grade ever BTW.It was new and exciting and I discovered girls….other than my sisters and thought that was very cool; girls smelled and looked good. No Velcro; I’m way old-school.When I jumped into social and commenting and eventually blogging; it was very new and exciting and you could get away with being a bone-head. After only 18 mos, I know feel like a grizzled veteran. Now I get called out when I’m a bone-head….:)I’m having fun; the writing is flowing for me right now. Some good, some bad I’m sure but it’s all about me anyway, so what do I care……..:). Thanks for sharing and giving me a moment to remember ‘back in the day.’
bdorman264 I am having great troubles commenting on your amazing blog post. Absolutely loved what you had to say. I am pre-velcro, too, but, unfortunately, by the time I grew up and became a teacher, the danged thing had been invented. I used to curse the person who came up with it.If you have truly only been blogging for 18 months, you are way ahead of where I was at that stage. I was just getting me sea legs! Thanks for the comment, Mr. Bill. “Oh no! Mr. Bill!” )Probably before your time?)
Nah, I know Mr Bill well.
I was a Delt at Florida State the time Animal House came out; we were a true Animal House as we were far from the ‘traditional’ fraternity. That was about the time Saturday Night started taking off…..
Good times indeed.
Bill Dorman recently posted..Wag more, bark less…
Oh, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Ralph,
I was always amazed at how many Canadians were in the original SNL cast. They are just the best at comedy. Wonder why that is. : )
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted.. 10 Reasons No One Notices Your Blog Comment
ahem……CDN……:-)
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Haha. Animal House. You and Belushi and the Florida State Delts. I can almost picture that. Did you wear togas?
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..5 Hollywood Sequel Tricks to Turn Your Sizzling Blog Post into a Series
A really evocative piece, that took me to another place. Nice use of language. And I liked the way you parlayed your years as a teacher into powerful life lessons.
@yvette Carol Thanks for reading. We all remember back to school in some way or another, right?
Judy, your storytelling spell has been cast again – you have transported me back to my first grade year! The only other smell that features strongly in my memories though is metho. No, not for drinking
I can’t even recall what the machines where called (maybe someone does?), but they magically produced wonderful copies of pages (before copy machines) with lurid purple text…but they smelt. Certainly beat sniffing glue for the boys….
Di Mace | Word Swords Yes! It was my favorite part of day—making copies of worksheets. Ours was called the mimeograph machine (pre-copier days and boy does that make me feel old!). You had to prime it by pushing this button. And attach the master, lining it up on that big drum. Then it started and produced a rhyhtmic clickety-clack sound. And the fumes? Man, they were the best part. (Is that what sniffing glue is like?) Haha. We sound like crackheads now. Also, the teachers walked around with purple hands all day and students, too, if they did too much touching before they dried. Ah, the memories…
This is a test comment.
Love this. Wonderful lessons, all.
We can always learn so much from kids, if we just slow down long enough to pay attention to them.
You do such a beautiful job of pulling us back to that physical and emotional world of The First Day of School. A perennial student and teacher’s pet (in only the best way), I also hold a special place in my heart for all that September brings (or, as is more frequently the case these days, August). My daughter is entering the third grade this year, but she still holds on to many of the magical qualities of your first grade students.
Thanks for the gentle and beautiful reminder. I wish my daughter could have had you as a teacher.
Isn’t that the truth? More school districts start in August these days than September, I think. And, yes, I still think of September for new beginnings, more so even than New Year’s Day.
And that last sentence of yours? That is very sweet. : ) Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jamie. Especially since the site was down with the switching of the theme.
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted.. Show And Tell: What I Learned About Blogging from First Graders
Always a pleasure.
Suddenly Jamie recently posted..Beyond Branding – Marketing that Really Matters
Old school. Love that. I remember all that stuff; the crayons, the plasticine…..yeah, right. That was 40 years ago. Not a clue. I was a little German boy back then and had to learn the English language in Grade 1. I am all ESL like that. Naturally, my German speaking parents were told I was developmentally challenged.
Love the analogies here. Make perfect sense.
I have actually lost a bit of fire lately but it comes and goes so I never worry. I am a kid at heart so No. 3 resonates with me. Love that.
One thing I am doing is going back to old posts when I first started out, tweaking them, and re-posting them. There’s some good stuff there and through all the learning I have under my belt from the past year it seems to make sense to share those “improved” posts again.
Thanks Judy. Great post.
Ralph recently posted..Tuesday Take-Away: Three films that will challenge your perspective.
Your story is especially meaningful to me, Ralph. In the late 70s, early 80s, I was a teacher in the bilingual program in Spokane, WA. We worked mostly with kids from Southeast Asian refugee families (Laos and Viet Nam), with a smattering of other cultures and languages (Soviet Armenia, etc.) Worked with interpreters in the classroom, so kids could learn the core subjects as they transitioned to English.
Your comment about your parents being told you were “developmentally challenged” struck a chord. I was constantly defending these kids to their regular classroom teachers. They weren’t stupid. They just spoke a different language. In fact, they could put native English-speaking students to shame, especially in the areas of art and math. I would help these little kids write and illustrate their stories (in Laos, they had BA-nah-nah trees!) and tack them up on the hallway bulletin boards for everyone to see. One day the superintendent of schools was at this elementary school and asked the principal if he could meet the teacher of these students. It was so rare in those days for anyone to even notice these kids and the wonderful richness they brought to this country.
So I applaud you and your parents while recognizing how difficult it must have been for you. Hoping you had at least a few teachers who celebrated your uniqueness because you turned into a darned talented guy. : )
Judy Lee Dunn recently posted..‘Do What You Said You Would Do’: 3 Blog Post Headline Fails
blushing…..but thanks.
Ralph recently posted..Tuesday Take-Away: Three films that will challenge your perspective.