Sept. 28, 2025: First Writing Club Meeting of the Year

This past week we had our first meeting of our Student Writing Club at my elementary school.  This is a group of 4^th and 5^th grade aspiring writers, and we meet after school in my classroom. Another teacher and I have been running the club for 5 years now.  The first year we started as just a journalism club. My fellow club sponsor was himself a journalist before he went into teaching, so his expertise and passion were a driving force.  We published articles onto our website page, and students gained experience in interviewing and writing.

The second year we expanded to include all types of writing, and a third teacher, a published poet herself, joined us.  As more students joined our group, we outgrew my classroom and began meeting in the Media Center.  The more than 45 students crowded into the space and seemed to naturally break up into interest groups.  We had students working on articles, poetry, screenplays, and narratives, and the three of us would float around reading pieces, giving feedback, and supporting our budding writers.

By the third year we realized we needed to limit the number of students in the club so that we could really give them the coaching and mentoring they needed.  The club was back to only 20 students and two teacher sponsors. With the more manageable number we were able to start our club meetings with mini-lessons and directed writing prompts, and we grew into a community of writers as students began to reach out to each other, as well as us, for feedback on their writing. We even introduced Writing Contests, which I found to be a great way to help focus their energy and desire. Yes, it was time consuming for me to research and track down legitimate and appropriate writing contests for our student writers, but it was well worth it. Last year we even had 11 of our students have pieces of writing place and/or be published in various writing contests.

So as the first Writing Club meeting of the school year got underway in my classroom this week, the excitement was palatable. There were some returning writers, and some new faces as well.  As we gathered, made introductions, shared information, and completed a few fun getting to know you writing activities, I began to wonder what discoveries and adventures await us this year.  Because as we start this new year as a community of writers, anything is possible.