Journal On! Daily Writers’ Workshop

I’m doing this, Everyone.

I will be offering this online workshop to teachers, parents, and caregivers as a resource for their children during the COVID-19 crisis.

Schools are closed, and it is not for just a day or two of snow play. COVID-19 has isolated all of us from our friends, routines, and comfortable habits. Our daily schedules are not familiar, and we find ourselves stressing throughout the very long days. Children also feel the pressure and anxiety despite the freedom from school and schedules.

Developing a journaling habit can relieve stress, articulate confusion, and exercise writing and problem-solving skills. Solutions reveal themselves through daily writing practice. There are reams of studies and evidence exalting the power of writing words to express thoughts and feelings freely.

Journaling also keeps the stories that fill our lives. Life has its shares of highs and lows and plateaus. We wake up, meander through our routines, and return to the day’s end. Along the way, stories collect. They are born from our observations, our interactions, and our adventures. We celebrate the upside of life. The hardships are pondered and wrestled with as we attempt to find answers. The stories that stand out are shared. Memorable ones are retold and remembered through the generations. We become the storytellers. Let me take you and your students on a journaling journey.

Journal On! Daily Writers’ Workshop features short lessons on a journaling topic or writing craft. Each lesson ends with prompts. There are three levels of prompts so that children between Pre-K to middle-grade ages can participate. Many of the topics and prompts may engage older students to seasoned adults to pursue a journaling habit.

Teachers and parents may access the videos and use them as a resource from my YouTube channel. Please send me suggestions via email, storiesserved@gmail.com. I value all thoughtful commentary.

As long as we are in shut-down mode and schools are closed, I will post a Write On! video with prompts. There will be three levels to each prompt: Primary (Pre-K-1 grade), Intermediate (2nd-4th grades), and Upper-Intermediate (5th-8th grades). Students can upload their assignments to their teacher’s virtual classroom and/or save them as a portfolio for their return to school. If students can upload to their teachers, I suggest one of three modalities.

Send an actual document. Although I profess that handwriting journal entries provides a richness and memory to the writing process, transposing to a word processing program has its advantages.
Take a clear picture of the entry and upload it as a jpeg.
Video the student reading the journal entry out loud.

I’m very excited to lead you on a journaling journey. I hope these workshops are a helpful resource for teachers and parents during this stressful time. Feel free to share the YouTube link.

Please send comments and suggestions to my email, storiesserved@gmail.com. It is the best way to share and grow on our journeys. In the coming days, I will be figuring out how to best present this ongoing project on my website, Stories Served Around The Table. Stay tuned.

Are you ready to begin?

Let’s Journal On! together.

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.