Writing as a Second Language

Winner of the Storytelling World Award




“Stop talking! You're supposed to be working on language!” —overheard in an elementary classroom by award-winning writer and storyteller Donald Davis. From the moment they are born, we encourage children to talk. We enunciate for them, applaud their expanding vocabularies, and hang on their every word. That is, until they enter school.

At that time, we expect them to stop talking and measure their language abilities through a new medium: writing. While ...