Always Fun to Visit Vanguard School

We're all unique with our own particular assortment of abilities -- and disabilities. If you know me, you know I have a surplus of energy; it's hard for me to sit still; and I tend to jump in during the middle of a conversation! Also, I'm good with words, but awful with numbers!

Maybe it's because I'm well-aware of some of my disabilities that I fit right in at Vanguard, a school for students with learning disabilities. Believe it or not, I met teacher Ms. Forlini nearly 20 years ago when she was in high school and came to the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival to take part in one of my writing workshops. And all these years later, I am doing writing workshops with her kids!

Yesterday I worked with her Grade 11 class -- and I think it's not an exaggeration to say we all had fun. There were 15 students and six confessed they "weren't into writing." I hope I managed to convert a few of them!

Okay a few highlights from yesterday's workshop:

I had learned during a visit to Vanguard last year that the school had been a hotel (you can tell from the sumptuous lobby and mirrored elevators), and before that the site of an orphanage. Do you smell a story there? (I do!) A student named Aiden told us his grandmother had worked at the orphanage. I told Aiden if he doesn't interview his grandma about her time there, I will!!

A student named Jessiah impressed me when he used the word "hesitant" to describe his classmate Jayden's answer to one of my questions. I can't remember what my question was, but boy did I ever like the use of the word "hesitant." It was spot on!

Later, during one of the three writing exercises we did together, Jessiah wrote something powerful about a memory of being ten years old: "I legit could not smell anything because I was born without a sense of smell." I love how he used the word "legit" -- and a story about a boy without a sense of smell fascinates me (and will fascinate other readers too, Jessiah!).

Georgie wrote about her tenth birthday: "I was excited to be double digits." I love that line too! I even suggested to Georgie that Double Digits would make a great book title. To which she replied, "You can take it!" Thanks, Georgie, but you're the one who came up with that phrase, so you're the one to write the book!

When I came to take a peek at what Christopher had written, he told me, "You'll like it because it's about books." And he was right! He wrote about a library visit where "teachers let students be themselves."

What a gift to students to let them be themselves! In fact it's a gift for all of us. I'll be back at Vanguard -- where students, teachers, and visiting authors can be themselves -- on Friday for another workshop with a different group of students. Thanks to Ms. Forlini for the invite, and to you, Ms. Jasmine, Ms. Tanya and Ms. Hannah for sharing your students with me. 

PS: I was keeping track of my favourite students -- first there was Noah, who's a morning person like me and has a beautiful smile; then there was Jayden who insists his beautiful hair is not the result of hair products (ahhh! it's when I asked Jayden about hair products that Jessiah used the word "hesitant" to describe Jayden's answer!). But for the record, by the time I left yesterday, I had fifteen favourites!