The Teacher Becomes the Student

As writers, we know that inspiration is everywhere—the books we read, the people we meet, and the places we visit. This week, I’ve found inspiration from a group of 13-year-olds.

I teach Grade 7 English as an Additional Language. The students have been working on a unit where English and Science pair together. The final product the students will produce is a short science fiction story. And I’ve found, as anyone who has ever taught before knows, that teaching creative writing also fuels creative writing.

In guiding my students through a framework of exposition, rising action, and climax, I find myself preaching all the things that great writing teachers have taught me: show instead of tell, always use specific details and descriptions, make it sensory, and don’t use 10 words when 9 will do.

When I explain to a student how to build tension in a scene or use dialogue to reveal something about a character, I’m going back to storytelling basics and reminding myself of the things I try to achieve in my own writing. Teaching structure and explaining craft tools is an introduction to the mechanics of creative writing for the students and a refresher for myself.

And something happened that I didn’t necessarily expect from a group of thirteen-year-olds: some of them have really great story ideas! I get to see them catching the power of their own voices for maybe the first time. They take risks, show vulnerability, and they write free from the weight of trying to be brilliant. They’re enthusiastic about their stories, and I’m enthusiastic to give them feedback and offer suggestions, so now we are circling around in an enthusiasm loop. It is impossible not to get caught up in the magic.

And with all this optimism for writing swirling in the classroom, I’ve also taken the opportunity to try my hand at a science fiction short story—something I’ve never written before. I’ve learned a lot by writing outside of my usual genre: the importance of world-building without info-dumping, using the setting to establish a sinister mood, and exploring moral issues without moralizing. By participating in the same task I’ve set for my students, I’ve become a student again, too. It has been difficult, and I struggled with some parts of the story, and it’s not perfect. However, I’ve used some of the lessons I’ve learned from my students: be brave, don’t give up, and keep trying to make it better.

All of this just goes to show that we can all be teachers and, hopefully, we are all learners.

_{Image: Unsplash}