This week I had the pleasure of visiting one of our Year 7 English classes. It was the last period of a very hot day, and the students were wilting. Their teacher had begun the lesson with a reading from Anh Do’s memoir The Happiest Refugee. This account told of the writer’s harrowing boat journey to Australia after fleeing war-torn Vietnam. Pirates and wild storms were just some of the frightening aspects of Anh Do’s experience. While the students were listening to their teacher, they were encouraged to doodle – to sketch things they were hearing. This is an excellent activity as it encourages both attentive listening and comprehension. After the completion of the reading, students were encouraged to share their doodling with a partner and discuss aspects of the story their sketches revealed.

The teacher then put a writing prompt on the board – a challenging incident – and asked the students to compose a reflection with this as its title. I had the opportunity then to speak to the students about writing.  I told them that after four terms’ work in English at Mount Carmel, they would all be able to say confidently, ‘I am a writer!’. I acknowledged that writing was difficult and that it took time and effort to develop the craft. I assured them that this effort was most definitely worth it.

The importance of talk in the writing process is critical. Talk enables ideas to develop. It also functions as a type of rehearsal for the real thing – putting pen to paper. One student raised his hand and said, ‘But nothing bad has happened to me… What do I write about?’ This question started a wonderful discussion about the word ‘challenge’ and possible scenarios were offered for consideration. I asked the class had anyone experienced fear or failure. Had anyone lost a grand final and been hugely disappointed? Had anyone had a falling out with a friend and felt sad? Had anyone lost a pet? Another student raised his hand at this point and suggested that COVID-19 had been a challenge for him … and others nodded in agreement. They were off! I watched as every student was composing their own piece of writing and taking the time to do it as well as they possibly could. As I left the classroom, I was confident that this class of Year 7 students would very shortly be able to make the claim, ‘I am a writer!’

Clare Murphy

English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach