“Education is not the filling of a pail. It’s the lighting of a fire.” – WB Yeats

One of my greatest joys is seeing young readers engage with a writer’s notebook. On my school visits, I endeavor to help students dive right into a writing prompt. We write in short sprints, and it’s their goal to “keep the pen moving” during the sprint, unworried about revising or editing, enjoying the simple pleasure of helping a story take shape. Of course, as writers and teachers know, once those words get on paper, we can then share tips and tricks that improve writing. At the end of the session, whether they are ready to share their work aloud in a small group or not, they’ve begun a piece of writing that can serve as a standalone exercise or – who knows? – be submitted later on to any number of writing contests, which I can make available to teachers and students at the conclusion of the visit.