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Blog #3 Dear Mr. Henshaw

Writing- some of us love it, while some of us hate it. Whether we are writing for work, stress relief, school, we all have taken part & shared a feeling about writing thus far in life. Personally, I have always love writing. I think I have a pretty neat handwriting, no calligraphy script or anything, but nice, neat, & legible. I also enjoy writing with colorful ink pens. It just makes writing more fun and engaging. 

Our friend Leigh, the main character in the story, Dear Mr. Henshaw shares a passion for writing like me. He write letters frequently to one of his favorite authors, Mr. Henshaw. He would share personal experiences such his feelings towards his dad, being the new kid at school, and challenges he faced with his mom after his father left. Leigh would write a letter almost yearly, sometimes twice a year. To Leigh's surprise, sometimes he got responses back, other times he did not. 

Once Leigh learned of Mr. Henshaw's busy schedule, he stopped writing direct letters & created a personal diary, advice given to him by Mr. Henshaw himself. This is where Leigh's passion for writing truly started to show. To Leigh, writing was his escape. From the journal entries, I can definitely infer Leigh took writing seriously. 

Reading this Newbery award winning book allowed me to reflect on the importance of journaling. I stopped making journaling a part of my daily routine, and I can tell the difference in my thought processes. Journaling is a great stress relief outlet. It helps to get thoughts out of your head & on to paper. When we write, we are more like to process our thoughts in a better manner. 

My key takeaway from this particular book was to find ways to encourage writing along with reading in the classroom. Giving students the option to choose who they write to would also enhance classroom participation in what can sometimes seem like a daunting task. I also want to encourage journaling for many different reasons. One reason is so they feel heard. Our students sometimes fight silent battles, and journaling would be a way to combat those ill thoughts.



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