Return Visit to John Abbott College & a small something lovely

See today's picture? In it, you'll see two two CEGEP teachers having fun with the students we teach. Now you can understand why fellow YA writer Lori Weber and I can't give up teaching college! (That's Lori in the green blouse and white jacket, by the way.)

This afternoon, I visited Lori's "Writing for Children" class at John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. How about I don't spend today's blog entry telling you all the stuff I talked about -- such as that writing takes stick-to-it-ive-ness, that details help tell a story, and that though it might sound corny, you have to write with LOVE...

How about instead I tell you what was fun about Lori's class? You will notice two twins in today's pic (meet Adam and Paul). Now here's something else I discovered: A certain person on the left side of the pic knows the twins from high school and GUESS WHAT? She's been taking notes for years about funny things they say and trouble they have caused. Some of the things they say are a little too risqué to mention on a blog that is sometimes read by younger students!!

A student named Tara (in purple in today's pic) shared her very moving story idea with me. She asked what I thought about using her own experience in a story. I suggested: Start with the REAL, then go on and improve it, elaborate it, SPIN it, to make it AN EVEN BETTER STORY!

I had the feeling (I think I have a talent for FEELING stories in the air!!) that a student named Fatima has interesting family stories and maybe even secrets she is getting ready to share. She left the room at the end of my session, but then I was very pleased when she returned (wanting to know the title of my novel based on my mum's experience during the Holocaust.)

... speaking of my mum, I want to tell you a little lovely thing that happened yesterday -- now this was at Marianopolis College, where I teach. My mum and dad were coming to pick me up after school (we were going to a party for my brother, who is changing law firms) and I tried to talk them into popping into my classroom to say hello to my Journalism students, only my dad said absolutely not, that my mum (she's 81) could not handle the stairs. So I suggested to my students that they might want to come outside to meet her. And I must say I was very touched when many of them came, and waited quite a while, too, and then were so kind to my mum. They lined up to shake her hand and introduce themselves. You know what I told a friend today? That if I had a big enough house (and they all promised to be very very neat and not leave any crumbles on the floor), I'd adopt every single one of my students this term! Thanks you guys, for braving yesterday's windy weather, to come and meet my good mum. And thanks to Lori Weber and her students for being so much fun today! Wishing all of you a good weekend with time enough to get important things done, and also to do another important thing: RELAX A LITTLE!!