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One afternoon, Katherine Paterson, the author of Bridge to Terabithia, was in the backyard with her son, when they came upon a cicada bug trying to shed its skin. At first, Katherine was ready to walk on to other things, but her son said, “Look!” And so Katherine and her son sat by side and watched as a tiny slit appeared in the bug’s back and then the whole skin split and one wing came out, then another, until finally the bug came out with a whole brand new skin! As that bug flew off, a wake of wonder washed over Katherine. It was like she had just watched something magical because her son made her look.
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In third grade, students are taught that as writers, they could change the world not just by looking at what’s broken, but also by looking at what’s beautiful. Writers write to get others to pay attention to noteworthy people that they might otherwise walk right past. In writer’s workshop, third graders wrote a persuasive speech about a noteworthy person whom they thought deserves more attention and recognition.
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Writing can be a powerful tool to change the world. Third graders at PNA are now able to look at what’s there in the world and see not what’s broken, but what’s beautiful. And seeing beauty, celebrating beauty, makes the world a better place.