We tend to think of schooling
in terms of
units
quarters
or
semesters
However,
these are not usually
timeframes that
produce
remarkable results.
Even an entire single school year
is not
as long as we perceive it to be.
great works, great things
are often created
over years or even decades.
Professional writers,
for instance,
don’t throw away their
notes, or notebooks
or drafts after a year.
They don’t pick a single piece or two
and hide it in some folder
to prove that they did some work.
No. Their drafts, their notes, their notebooks
stay with them. They get carried around.
Always there to be mined.
Just like professional writers,
we need to help our students carry
their work with them
through the units,
through the quarters,
through the semesters,
and through the years.
This is how great work gets made.
The new year shouldn’t start with a blank notebook.
It’s inefficient
and
dishonors the creative process.
Staring at a blank notebook
at the start of the school year
is not fair to students
or teachers.
Trevor (@trevorabryan)