Hello there, and thank you so much for checking out Scribbles & Stories!
In this, my very first blog post on my NEW site, I’d love to tell you more about my mission and what I hope to accomplish with your students, especially in this time of distanced and virtual learning.
Starting very early on in life, I told stories. Sometimes, yes, to get out of trouble, BUT, mostly, the kind you write down. I loved a blank page and a perfectly sharpened pencil, the race of thoughts that couldn’t seem to slow enough for me to get them out. I won all of my life’s writing awards before 7th grade in a local writing contest, you might say I peaked early.
Here’s why. Maybe you and/or your student can relate.
As I grew into my tween years and onward, writing became less about creativity, and more about an academic approach, computers, printers, margins, citations, etc. All of which are so important in academia, absolutely. The frustration continued, and in college, even while pursuing creative writing through my degree program, I felt increasingly insecure about my abilities as I tried to meet everyone’s expectations for my writing. So, I stopped. I’d still buy a new journal from time to time and write a few pages before my job or my babies or life took over. And, then, the years passed on by as they do.
Before starting my lifestyle (story-telling) photography business in 2011, and shortly after pausing my Master’s program in Secondary Education-English, I explored starting a Creative Writing program for Homeschoolers, but with a two year old and a baby on the way, that got shelved away with other unwritten stories. It really is a-ok, I wasn’t really ever pining for another life. It just happens, right? I loved being home with my babies, and I felt creative again in my business, just in a different way. I happily began to write and read again, and to continuously create stories, if only in my head, all day long.
Ok. Let’s talk about NOW.
So, here we are, we’re in this global pandemic. In recent months, I began to notice my children encountering some of my same struggles with creativity, especially now during COVID-19 life.
Lack of motivation, getting bored, not putting forth a ton of effort–just a race to finish the required work.
It occurred to me that now, now is the time to use my talents in working with children and families, not just with my Canon camera, but also with own own creative struggles! I get it. And, I know how to help!
I’ve designed my lessons to help your student to simply BE creative, to create whatever suits them, with zero expectations, just encouragement to imagine and see the story through to the end. Using “sandwiching” story techniques, we will focus on a beginning, a middle, and an end to our creations. We will journal, and each week we will focus on a new creative prompt to further establish our storytelling abilities. See additional blog posts for sample lesson plans!
I hope to work with your student in one-on-one Zoom instruction, or in a 6 week on-line or in-person small group, as we pursue our stories and add confidence to our tales. Mostly, I want your children to have a safe place to express themselves, to feel good, and to look forward to a newly simple creative outlet.
That’s enough for now, I’d love to answer any additional questions you might have about my background or goals, but for now, thank you for reading. This is a dream of mine, and I’m so excited at the opportunity to help your children navigate these inconvenient times we are in!
Thank you for being here!
Becky
Scribbles & Stories for Students 