Challenge: Be A Word Collector and Word Wizard!

One of my favorite books to read to my students every year is The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds. It's about a little boy who collects words of all kinds, and then shares them with others.  In our class, Ferny the Dragon loves words too- he's always learning new words to share with our students and wants them to be Word Wizards by learning them; their spelling, meanings, and how to use them in writing. 

Being a Word Collector or a Word Wizard isn't just for students- it's for us too! One of my favorite things to do is listen to others speak- whether it's a podcast, lecture, TED Talk... and hear words that I don't use often or are new to my lexicon. Whenever I hear these words I like to write them down and keep them to remember and use them in my own writing. I make it a goal to use the word more often when I speak in general conversations. 

This week, let's take on a small challenge together. Grab a pen and paper and keep your ears open for new words that sound dazzling to you. Write it down and start "collecting" words and watch your list grow. Next, share these words with others... don't keep them to yourself! Let your students know you learned a new word or heard one that you haven't in a while. Share these with your colleagues too. What I like to do is use the word at least once in a conversation with someone. If the word is powerfully inspiring, use it as a compliment toward another teacher friend. You never know when that compliment is most needed by someone else!

Words are the most powerful tool we have. They can be used as a sword that can either do harm or save another, and my vote is that we use them to make a positive difference for others! A true "Word Wizard" tries to inspire others by his or her words. As educators that is our goal everyday, so let's keep the collection growing so we can make that impact on our future. 

Final thoughts: Keep looking for new words to collect and remember. Keep growing as a Word Wizard and use your words wisely. Keep sharing these words with your students and other educators. Keep the challenge going so it naturally becomes a part of your teaching, and finally, Keep enjoying the process of word collecting and sharing your love of words with others... be a Word Wizard! 

Share your words here with me and others! I'd love to hear what you discovered on your adventure!

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