5 Ways to Help Reluctant Writers

Reluctant writers will fight, flight, or freeze when confronted with writing. The same system the brain uses to deal with the threat of the saber-toothed tiger is the same system that tried to protect them from the threat of writing. But we as teachers can show them that writing doesn’t have to be scary!

Model

First and foremost, modeling writing helps students understand that writing A. isn’t the easiest thing. It takes thinking. My student love to try to “help” me by telling me what I should write, but when I say, “This is my essay, let me think!” it shows the reluctant writers in the class that writing isn’t magic. It is okay to pause. Additionally, you are using also sorts of positive brain theory – like mirror neurons – to help bypass anxiety. I usually write for about 5 minutes with my students when beginning a rough draft and then circulate around the room.

Empathize

Brené Brown has a wonderful explanation of what empathy – as opposed to sympathy – is and how to express it. If you have a student with acute anxiety, it is a perfect time to tap into your own experiences with writing anxiety or writer’s block. My go to story involves my BFA thesis. Once I’m able to say, “I know how you feel. I felt the same way when X, Y, Z happened. Do you want me to show you some of my tricks to overcome it?” it usually makes them way more open to some of the other tricks below. I think it is very easy for teachers to make it look like writing is easy. Showing we go through the same emotions and struggles shows that anxiety is actually totally part of a writer’s process!

Change up the paper

“I know sometimes when I need to write the scariest thing about it is the big white paper and me filling out how to fill it up. Want me to give you some special paper?” It is amazing how much giving a child a smaller piece of paper can help. These are my absolute favorite Special Papers. They combat the two scariest things about a piece of notebook paper: color and size. And the lines let my students write neatly and in an organized fashion.

Aromatherapy

You can find sprays, gel beads, and even car fresheners that have lavender scent. Finding your class as a whole a bit stressed? Breakdown the word parts of aromatherapy, explain science has shown lavender is a calming scent, and spray a bit (make sure you know if any of your kids have allergies or are sensitive to strong smells). Don’t want to spray the whole room? Put a bit on a Kleenex and give it to the kiddos who need it. No lie, I have sprayed lavender scented air freshener on the paper mentioned above.

Be flexible

When dealing with a students who fight you on writing, have no mistake they are scared. I’ve had the students before that would instantly become highly confrontational anytime there was writing. One child in particular, read at a second grade reading level and was fourteen in 8^th grade, sported tattoos, and had some rather dubious older friends. He would turn from “kind of a smart alec” into “get out of the chair confrontational with me” when writing would come into play. When he really wanted was for me to kick him out of the room so he wouldn’t be forced to write. In the fight, flight, or freeze response, he picked the fight. This is where private conversations with the kid that are very honest and the teacher being flexible are very important. Over the years I’ve had quite a few of these private conversations that began the same way, “I am totally open to being flexible with you. Tell me what you need from me or what your concerns are and I will work with you.” Concerns and my flexibility have been the following:

Concern: Grammar and mechanics are weak  

Flexible: “I’ll work with you one-on-one when we get to the editing stage, but for right now you don’t have to worry because grammar and all that stuff isn’t the focus with a rough draft. Yes, author’s try to use proper grammar on their rough drafts, but if they aren’t sure how to spell something or were the comma goes, they don’t let that stop them. They know they can come back to it after all their ideas are on paper.”

Concern: Peers may make fun of writing/grammar (this is especially a concern for workshop style classes)

Flexible: In conferencing, my students read their essays aloud so this is easy enough to explain this. However, I have allowed students not to conference their work with peers. I still ask them to give feedback for the other students’ works and then offer to conference with them one-on-one. But most of the time once the kids start conferencing and the reluctant writer sees how supportive the other group members are they are willing to go last. I reinforce this bravery with positive feedback.

Concern: I don’t want to write about myself. (for personal narratives)

Flexible: This is a biggie for some of my kids who have hard lives and learned early on to internalize those feelings instead of expressing them. I do let these kids make up realistic stories of themselves, tell a well known family story of a family member, or write a story about a fun time they had with a friend.

Concern: I can’t write that much (for length requirements)

Flexible: I tell the kids I won’t deduct points for short essays. That my length suggestion is just a suggestion.