New Friends at The Priory School

I knew I was going to have a good afternoon at The Priory School yesterday when I opened my book bag, laid my books out on Mrs. Riggs's desk... and I was SWARMED by students wanting to see the books. That's when I realized THESE KIDS LOVE TO READ!!

Ahhh, that's a good feeling for a writer!

So, I talked about all kinds of stuff, even Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (my favourite book ever, and the subject of my master's thesis). The school is celebrating "I Love to Read Week," which is why Mrs. Riggs, the Grade Six teacher, invited me in. I worked with her students and also with Ms. Sherriffs's Grade Five class. These kids were really keen. Also, a fun coincidence is that I taught two of their elder sisters (Stephanie and Gina) when they were students at Marianopolis College. 

We talked quite a lot about ways to get ideas -- in the shower, on a run, and sometimes even at the computer! I got the students to do an ideas exercise and my favourite part of the afternoon (besides getting swarmed by eager readers!) was reading what these young people came up with. One student had a story about being pushed into a lake by his cousin; another wants to write a story about a fun, but sometimes kooky family that speaks in three languages at once. When I told them I had an allergy to chalk, Mrs. Riggs thought that would make a good detail in a story, too -- a teacher who's allergic to a vital part of teaching equipment! And even Mrs. Riggs and Ms. Sherriffs did the ideas exercise. So, all in all, a super fun day. Waiting to get the all-clear from Mrs. Riggs before I post a picture I took during yesterday's visit. Glad I got to celebrate "I Love to Read Week" with my new friends at The Priory School!