An Awesome Summer with OLL

I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly and that my last day at OLL has come. It has been such a great experience, and I wish that I could continue through the school year, but a packed semester is ahead. Before I head out, I've got to tell you why it has been so good!

Every day I walk in to the sound of energetic voices and the site of wide smiles welcoming me to work. The office is a fun, upbeat environment, complete with a friendly, positive staff. It has been great to attend weekly meetings where everyone shares what they were working on and their goals for the week. This helped me understand more fully what the Office of Letters and Light is doing on a daily and weekly basis to make sure programs function smoothly and effectively. It also helped me learn what's in motion to make it all even more fantastic. There are even colorful charts and stickers to keep track of progress!

I've also had the opportunity to work on awesome projects, like helping Chris A. read through the YWP July Writing Contest submissions. With each story, I was transported to different worlds with different characters that grabbed my attention. Who could ask for a better task to complete at work? Another project I enjoyed was reading through the YWP NaNoWriMo Curriculum to brainstorm areas for improvement. I've seen how creative writing projects shape young writers in the classroom. In my experience, it often helped students gain a new perception of themselves as writers. That is what the YWP curriculum can help create, along with important state standards taught along the way. I'm pumped to incorporate the curriculum into future classrooms!

Blogging is also super-fun. I've really enjoyed creating reflections on writing this summer and sharing them with all of you. I love your feedback and have learned a lot from your comments! Thanks for talking with me here this summer.

The bottom line is that it's so great to be part of such an encouraging environment where writing is valued and there is support to pursue it. Writing a poem a day for a month was certainly a challenge, but I received positive comments when I checked in at staff meetings or simply got a "Hey Jenelle, I really like the poem you posted on the blog today" from Tupelo before I walked out the door. This was my first internship outside of the classroom setting and I didn't entirely know what to expect. I'm thankful for the opportunity I've had to work on interesting projects that have helped me learn, work alongside the awesome OLL staff, and to simply be welcomed as part of the team.

Thanks for an awesome summer!

– Jenelle