The Stages Unlocked: Why My "Emergent to
Fluent" Classroom Will Never Be the Same
For fourteen years, I've been a faithful
scribe to my students' imaginations. My mantra was simple: "Write whatever
you think." I'd model, become their human dictation machine, and we'd
navigate corrections together, a trusted captain on a familiar sea. I thought I
knew the entire voyage of teaching writing by heart. But this week in LIT102,
my tutor didn't just review the stages of writing we dissected them, and in
doing so, it redrew my entire map.
Hearing stories from my peers from her daughter’s (preschooler’s) first phonetic spelling of ‘famaly’ to a middle-schooler’s structured essay was the spark. My "aha" moment landed like a gentle thunderclap: I have been teaching a single coastline, oblivious to the vast continent behind it. My classroom isn't one destination; it's a land of emergent scribblers, developing planners, and fluent novelists, all coexisting. A child can be a fluent storyteller yet an emergent speller, their journey a unique topography shaped by their personal exposure.
My trusted method of "I write, we correct" was a monologue, when what this continent needs is a chorus of differentiated voices. I was showing them the polished city, but sometimes skipping the wild, beautiful forests where real exploration happens.
Armed
with this new skill I will return to my classroom as a different guide.
I will consciously celebrate each student's coordinates on the map. I will
create targeted expeditions for my emergent writers building confidence and my
fluent writers refining their voice, ensuring every child feels their journey
is seen and valued.
Ode to the Unfolding Writer
The
page is soil, the mind the rain,
A child’s bold mark, a growing stain.
First, scribbles rise, a stubborn weed,
A thought made visible, a planted seed.
Then
letters burst, a tangled vine,
A secret code, a sacred sign.
Words then climb, a shaky fence,
Bridging wonder and sentence.
So
let them sprawl, let lines be crossed,
A lesson I have learned, no matter the cost.
Don't just correct the leaf and stem,
But praise the soil that nourishes them.
For
in my class of fourteen years,
I’ve learned to cheer the messy, brave frontiers.
It’s in the wild, untamed design,
That their true writer’s voice will shine.
Hello Reshana,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading “Ode to the Unfolding Writer” and your reflections on the stages of writing. Your imagery of the page as soil and scribbles as seeds beautifully captures how growth happens in unexpected and unique ways for each student. I love how you recognized that fluency in storytelling does not always mean mastery in spelling or mechanics. It’s a crucial reminder that every child’s journey is unique.
Your shift from “I write, we correct” to a more differentiated, student-centred approach is inspiring. Celebrating emergent, developing, and fluent writers equally shows the care and insight you bring to teaching. Your poem also made me reflect on the “wild forests” in my own classroom. The spaces where exploration and creativity often flourish most.
Thank you for sharing such a vivid, heartfelt reflection. It reminds me why teaching writing is as much about nurturing voices as it is about teaching skills. Niola Patrice
Hello Reshana,
ReplyDeleteYour post moved me deeply. I felt like I was walking beside you through that “continent” of writing stages—each child’s voice a landmark, each scribble a compass point. Your metaphor of the polished city versus the wild forest resonates so strongly with what we’ve been unpacking in LIT 102 this week.
Your poem is unique yet relatable. That line—“It’s in the wild, untamed design, That their true writer’s voice will shine.”—is going on my classroom wall. It’s a reminder to honour the process, not just the product—to see the courage in every scribbly, messy yet authentic draft and the brilliance in every brave attempt, even when the path is nonlinear or unexpected.
Thank you for sharing your transformation so vulnerably. You’ve inspired me to become an even more intentional guide, one who maps each child’s journey with curiosity and care.
Anique