Is There a Doctor in the House?

Did you catch the season premier of Grey's Anatomy?

Possibly inspired by a new season of drama at Seattle Grace, Yashica Brooks, fifth grade writing teacher at West Point Elementary, shared a fantastic medical analogy with her students. It's just too great not to pass on....

She told her students that they are all nurses. (Yes, there are male nurses out there-- does Grey's Anatomy have any male nurses?) The writing pieces on which they are working are their patients. She, as their writing teacher, is the doctor.

Who spends most of the time with patients in the hospital? Nurses. They talk with the patients, get a feel for their symptoms, and chart their information. This is what they are doing with their pieces. They are the ones doing the work.

When does the doctor get called in? She gets called in when there is an emergency, for a consult, or to write a prescription. So the writing teacher(doctor) consults with the students (nurses) about the what they are struggling with on their pieces (patients). The nurse has to give the doctor the information on the patient. The nurse knows the symptoms and the struggles the patient is having. The doctor doesn't just jump in and fix everything, however. She may write a prescription, or tell the nurse what to do to help the patient, but the nurse does the work most of the time!

This analogy really helps students take ownership of their pieces. It helps them realize that they are the ones in charge; the ones rolling up their sleeves and getting to know their "patients". They can consult with you, and you can give advice, but ultimately it is their responsibility to make that piece healthy and strong.

Grab your stethoscope and your prescription pad and share this analogy with your young writers! STAT!