Imagine having South Korea-born American children’s book author An Na, virtually visiting ISKL with more than 500 students from Grades 8, 9, and 10!
That is exactly what happened, wherein in the one-hour workshop, An Na encouraged students to express fear about their early childhood writing without directly labeling the fear itself.
Here, Grade 10 student Aayush N. shares his piece about fear:
“Strolling through the dense forest with the sun high directly above my head. My feet were shaking with every step I took. In the front, in the back, on the left, or on the right, I was desperately trying not to be caught by it. THUD! I lost my attention and fell right on the leafy jungle floor, and there it was. An eight-eyed and eight-legged creature silently sitting on the center of its newly woven silk web.”
After the visit, many of the students shared their comments and what they learned:
“I liked how she connected her story to our lives. We share many similarities as I left my country at a very young age and have been exposed to foreign influences for most of my life.”
“Bringing An Na to visit our school was a great idea. I thought her past was very interesting and loved hearing about her book.”
“I enjoyed hearing her writing process since I know that different people have different ways of doing so. She was a kind person who seemed eager to share some tips and stories about her journey.”
“I enjoyed how she got us engaged by letting us write our own short piece and share it. I liked how she didn’t just talk about her books but also herself. She was also very enthusiastic and looked like she was enjoying it as much as we were.
“I like how she presents things and how she always has a friendly smile on her face.”
“I liked how we got to write our own little story about our fears when we were five years old. She showed us how to use all our five senses to describe something and not give it away by saying what it is. I also loved how she showed us that it’s ok if you don’t ‘fit in’ by telling us the story of her life.”
“One thing I enjoyed from An Na’s talk was how she talked about fitting in and all the different ways she tried to be like an American.”
“I enjoyed hearing about the reasons why we write books. We write books to help other people realize that they are not the only ones who have had an experience and are not alone.”
Many thanks to An Na for inspiring and teaching our Middle and High School students in this captivating learning session!
While you’re at it, head over and read the must-read books as recommended and reviewed by Middle School students!
