Today, I spent almost all my waking hours at the condo pool with my boy, which created a conducive space for me to think about Show Not Tell phrases.

As a father of two, I can share with my students that phrases like “jumped with joy’ and “she whooped in merriment, her hands punching the air” aren’t cosmetic changes you input to make a composition sound nicer. My daughter exhibits such behaviour when she’s in a good mood. Often enough for me to notice a pattern. But I guess the thing is, children don’t respond in such overt physical ways when they’re happy. So, how do I get them to incorporate SNT phrases?

As you might have expected, my school gets kids to learn good phrases for spelling. But here’s the thing: if everyone is trained to write about “their eyes sparkling” or “grinning so widely their cheeks hurt” or “twirling in the sunlight, do they actually notice how their bodies are reacting in a burst of jubilation? That’s what I want to try to avoid this time round as a twice-again elementary school teacher.

Yet another thing. I don’t think people necessarily display their happiness when they’re happy. I’m watching my boy play with a newfound friend at a pool. He must be thrilled, but I don’t know how to describe his happiness. The most I can do is write “Excited shrieks punctuated the air.” since he’s excitedly exchanging banter with his new friend. I wonder how I can get my students to write authentically from the heart when I hardly know how to do so myself.