Deb Lund ad lib

When I was planning this trip, a friend reminded me that our friend SuzAnne Payseur was teaching in Japan. I found SuzAnne on Facebook and sent her a note. Her response was, “I’ll see if our school wants you to visit.” And then, later, “They already have you booked!” SuzAnne and Mike have worked at Sullivans in Yokosuka for several years now. It was good to see old friends, to share the journey with people who know “where I come from.” I even got a chance to share SuzAnne and Mike stories with a few of the staff. They especially liked the Knight in Shining Armor proposal, and the wedding complete with carriage.

Sullivans invited me for three days of teaching. It’s a large school, so the first two days were presentations. On day three, we turned their multi-purpose room full of 4th and 5th grade classes into a giant writing workshop. I gave them oodles of ways to generate ideas. Pencils sped through papers, and I kept apologizing for needing to stop them, but after all, they were getting a several-hour workshop in an hour. They left armed with ideas to last them several weeks — especially if they hold up their vows to give themselves permission to write “the worst junk in the world.”

In the presentations to the older kids, I read a piece I wrote about my inner critic, and a fifth grade teacher shouted out, “I need that book!”

In addition to the workshops, Jan Nicholson planned grade-level opportunities for teachers to talk with me about writing workshop in the classroom. SuzAnne’s husband Mike, Mr. Monteleone, another fifth grade teacher, said, “I wish we had taped this!” The first grade team kept the questions flowing, and Jan shared writing folder ideas in the second grade gathering that almost mirrored mine.

I’d love to give every school I visit a three-day opportunity like this. What a difference it makes to have the time to “Show, Don’t Tell” (to borrow a well-worn writing sentiment). Thanks, Sullivans, for the time and space to make a difference. Time. Space. Necessary basics for writing.