Writing in my ghournal

Lindsay: Whatcha doing?

Andy: Writing in my gournal. I write my thoughts in it every day.
Lindsay: Oh, you mean a journal?
Andy: Yeah, whatever. I guess I'm not all smart like you.

-Wet Hot American Summer

I'm feeling a bit rusty, but it's time to get back to my roots and actually use a journal.  Even though it is a class requirement, utilizing this blog and my in class journal is an oddly welcome activity.  Maybe this will be an important step in getting me back to the point where writing simply for my self is a natural, daily activity.  There is no greater method of catharsis than some good old fashioned journaling.  

I can't recall who encouraged me to start journaling, whether it be a teacher or therapist, but I owe them a big fat thank you.  It taught me to view writing through a larger scope.  It's not simply an academic endeavor, but something that can be deeply personal.  I've always found self expression easiest via writing, and in the past, my journal was always present when I needed that release.  I vividly remember furiously scribbling as fast as I could, distraught over some adolescent trauma.  Writing it all down would push me to tap into some deeper emotion or understanding of the situation.  Not just what happened, but why it happened, how it made me feel, and what this reaction said about me as a person.  When I would finish, nothing about the external situation would have changed, but I always felt sense of relief.  Relief that all of that emotion and turmoil had a place to be directed, a place to go.  Better on the page than brewing in me.

I understand that journaling in the classroom can be used in a variety of ways.  Students can practice writing, brainstorm, and develop a sense of their voice as a writer.  While I hope that my students benefit academically from writing in a journal, I hope a few of them find a home for their innermost thoughts and self realizations, as I did.