Jennifer's Journey: The wonderful world of blogging

I'm a writer!

     Everyone has ambitions and passions in their lives. One of mine has always been to write. I always have something floating around in my head that I'd enjoy writing about. When I most need to vent or work things out, I write. When I am bursting with joy and gratitude, I write. Over the last few years, one of the mediums I have used for writing has been this very blog. In 2011, I was inspired by my friend Carrie who wrote a blog about her life and family. She told me that the main purpose of her blog was to chronicle the life of her son, C.J. He has so many relatives and friends who want to "follow" what's up in his life. Check it out at: www.joelandcarrie.com/ . She has done some fabulous things with her blog. Carrie was my inspiration. Well, her and "The Pioneer Woman" who has made a living out of blogging and writing cookbooks (and helping her husband run their ranch). Check out her blog at: http://thepioneerwoman.com/. You'll be impressed.
   I recently had a fun coffee date with a friend who is interested in doing some blogging. I was able to show her the process of how I got started using Blogger. That small exchange was a big deal to me because I am "technology challenged!" Just ask anyone at school and they could tell you that Jennifer Sapp is a beginner in the world of technology. I basically need help with everything!

     But, blogging is something I have a passion for. My young friend Eleanor began blogging in 2011 after I helped encourage her to begin. She is an excellent writer. She uses so much "voice" and expression in her writing. Check our her blog at http://elliefarmgirl.blogspot.com/ to see the kinds of things that this exceptional tween has written about. I had the honor of giving Eleanor a list of writing prompts to help get her started. She took it from there and really enjoyed it for a time.
   This fall I attended a day of technology-focused workshops and was inspired to begin doing a blog with my class. You can check it out at http://kidblog.org/JenniferSappsClass/. But, you won't get to see much. It is password protected (but very easy for the kids). Starting a blog with my students is one of the best things I've done as a teacher in a long time. It's so great to see the kids so excited about writing! The students have to write something in their writing journals during writing time in the classroom and then they type it onto the blog during computer lab time. On certain days my students get to read the blogs their classmates have written and then write positive comments and questions underneath. Each child has a photo by his/her name (just like Facebook) and each has his/her own page where he/she can see all the posts he/she has published. It's quite exciting for an 8 year old. And, it's exciting for this 36 year old too!
   Most of the student posts have been about Halloween, pets, or playing with friends so far. One girl wrote about a recent car accident and how she felt when she heard about her friend's dad getting hurt. Another girl is writing her own version of "The Gingerbread Girl." Two boys are writing about football practice and another is explaining about a Disney Infinity video game. I'm seeing comments like, "I like how your story ended!" and "Sounds like a fun practice." I'm seeing questions like, "Did you get a lot of candy?" and "What do you like to do with your dog?" I LOVE IT! The kids are reading and comprehending and writing using sentences and questions. They are being positive and having fun! And, writing has meaning for the kids! I'm tempted to let them write all day and skip all other subjects, but of course I know better! Perhaps one day one of my kiddos will be a writer professionally. But, I think my bigger hope is that my kids will grow to love writing and choose to continue writing on their own long after they have forgotten about 2nd grade!