Creative writing…am I right? So many benefits for our students. Writing for expression. Empowerment. Literacy gains. Ownership. Imagination. Empathy.

I don’t do enough of it with our students. I’m working to change that. One of my goals is to make creative writing a cornerstone of my library practice.

A group of students recently participated in the creative writing exercise–“I wish everyone knew that…” This exercise is not new, of course—it’s not a revolutionary concept, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful. I love this activity. I added another writing prompt in case any student wanted to extend the idea:

I wish __________ (a specific person or group of people) knew that…

I thought that some students might choose that option and write about family, teachers, girls, etc. How small and limiting my thinking was! As always, our students are big thinkers who care about national and global issues.

I’m reprinting the work of one of our writers—J—with his permission and my thanks. No commentary from me is necessary, other than to say, our students deserve the world—and our time and respect as they work to one day change it.

I wish Donald Trump knew that not all Mexicans and foreigners come to the United States of America to sell drugs or rape or commit other crimes. Immigrants like me come to America or came to America to live a better life. To escape from their horrible jobs and get ones to provide for themselves and family. WE come to get better jobs. WE COME FOR OPPORTUNITIES!    —J

I’m Julie Stivers at @BespokeLib—and my students are amazing. I look forward to seeing them every Monday!