Content

The word "content" has been haunting me; you see, I just reached 100 posts on inklingspot. Go me! However, that word has also hung over my whiteboard for weeks because it is one of the domains essays are graded on for the Arkansas Benchmark exam. The other domains, or categories, all have helpful hints underneath them to encourage children to gain more points. "Style" has lots of figurative language; "Usage" and "Mechanics" basically say don't screw up the English language and you'll do fine.

The problem with my children's content scores is simply that they have very few of the life experiences necessary to produce content. They simply don't have the foundational experiences that lead to imagination, creative thinking, and interesting writing.

I started the year thinking I had plenty of the life experiences needed to produce content; after all, I've been a pretty okay writer in college. But. What have I actually tangibly produced since starting this teaching gig? A couple of bulletin boards and a grand total of six hats over Christmas break. I don't even have any photos of my first apartment, my classroom, my holiday.

I feel like I'm running low on content. I need life experiences. I need an adventure. Soon.