A few days ago, I read the following excerpt from a post by Leila, a student, from the Intrepid Classroom. She said:

First, I have a shikayat, a complaint against anyone reading this. Currently only two people are commenting on this blog. I put a lot of work but I guess it’s going to waste. The amazing two people I’m talking about are Mr.R and Julia. Thank you both. I would probably give up if it wasn’t for you. So those of you reading comment and you two amazing people keep on commenting and please send my blog link to anyone you know. Why? Well I don’t are if they think it’s a blog by a wired girl who has an average life. Even if they think so I don’t care just get them to mention that they came; by comment.

I wrote her the following post as advice to a young writer. I think our exchange demonstrates how much writers, no matter what age want to make connections. When I had a classroom, I found it very difficult to make blogging engaging for most of my students. I was stuck in the “blog as filing cabinet for homework” stage with most of my students.

Now that I am out of the classroom and interacting with students on a purely cyber level I am realizing that not all students are ready to connect and communicate. I have assembled a small group of students from around the world and the trait they all have in common is that they understand the power of writing; they realize that it is their most powerful tool to communicate their expanding vision of the world. I am not referring to writing as a solely textual experience, but rather writing as a way to use any tool necessary to communicate and connect. To be effective bloggers must first understand the power of writing on a personal level. They must first be writers. You cannot force students to start a blog and expect them to fall in love with writing.

Leila’s post shows that although, she is not sure exactly what it is she wants to say, she wants someone to listen and respond. This is the first step in the development of a writer. It is the more experienced writer or teacher’s role to teach students that they must first find out what they want to say, show them the most effective way to say it, and then to simply write, without need for reciprocation. Once the young writer realizes the power writing has for them as human beings, they will write freely and obsessively. It is at this stage that blogging works best.

It is difficult for the writer’s ego to relinquish the need for an audience. I don’t know about many of you, but I am still learning these lessons myself. It must be pretty difficult for someone new to the game. We writers are sitting on the fence of needing to write to stay sane and wanting to communicate every experience we have with a larger audience. A blog is a great tool for any student who has come to this realization. For others it is simply another assignment or homework assignment they could careless about.