Guess Who's Part of the Furniture at St. Thomas High School

There are some schools I've visited so often that, as the expression goes, I feel like "part of the furniture"! When I arrived at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire this morning, I knew exactly where to park my car, where to find the library, and where to set up for my talk. I also knew the students would be focused and attentive -- and they were!

I met with four groups of grade nines and I'll be back next Monday to meet another three groups. So I'll have a chance to work with every ninth grade student in the building.

My presentations were only 40 minutes long each, but I think I packed a lot of information in in a short time. I talked about the importance of WRITING and READING A LOT. I explained how writers need to pay attention to details that can help them tell their stories and of course, I discussed my favourite subject: TROUBLE. Without trouble, we don't really have stories. I advised the students to do their best to stay out of trouble, but I told them how if they've had a taste of trouble (most of us do at some point in our lives), they should USE it in their writing. Feelings that come from lived experience are powerful and can be the source of stories that will touch our readers.

The pic in today's blog entry was taken at lunch time. Three students, now in Grade 10, whom I met last year came by to fill me in on how their writing is going. And guess what? Together, we came up with a seriously cool idea for a writing project! I don't want to give too much away, except to tell you it involves fan fiction.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you will also know that I "collect" interesting body language. Well, I found a new one today: I saw a student unpeeling the cellophane wrapper from his juice box, then shredding the wrapper into tiny cellophane flakes. I think I'll use that in my next book!

And two students, Eric and Matthew, taught me something new: a new description for the semi-colon. Together, they came up with the term -- are you ready? -- "winky eye." I like it! Here's a demonstration of the winky eye semi-colon  ;

For those of you at St. Thomas who saw me today and would like to show me some of your writing, don't forget to come by next Monday at lunch. And bring your lunch with you. As long as we don't crumble, Mrs. Pye, your wonderful librarian, is going to let us eat while we work! 

One last thing: there wasn't time to tell the last group the story of the little brass man on my necklace. So here's the story -- when my mum arrived in Theresienstadt (a Nazi concentration camp), she was 13. Her 14th birthday was two weeks later. On that day, she was crying on a stoop, when a woman (another prisoner who was about 30 years old) asked my mum what was wrong. My mum told her, "It's my birthday and no one gave me a present." So the woman gave my mother the little brass man. My mother never saw the woman again, and chances are, that like most prisoners at Theresienstadt, this woman would have been transported to Auschwitz where she almost certainly perished. The little man, and the story of her generosity, may be all that is left of her. Ever since my mum gave me the charm, I have worn it every single day. It reminds me that stories matter -- and that we need to listen to them, tell them, and pass them on.... To my friends at St. Thomas, see you all next week!