Have You Read My Latest?

If you search through our media center's database, you're bound to uncover the names of many unknown authors. That's because they're students at our school, and their published works are new to our collection. San Jose Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL, is a magnet school that offers an English as a Second Language program. With 28 different languages spoken in our community, some 45 percent of our nearly 800 students speak a primary language other than English. Their families come from places as far-flung as Vietnam, Cambodia, the Middle East, Bosnia, and Guatemala, and many children come to our school with no knowledge of English at all.

Having arrived as the new media specialist last fall, it was obvious to me that these students were no different than the English-speaking children I had worked with in the past: they loved reading and were extremely proud of their writing. That's when I decided to start a "publishing company" for my new students, a project I launched years ago at two previous elementary schools.

Our in-house publishing company began last fall, when I learned that children's author-illustrator Mark Teague would visit our school. The San Jose Publishing Company is open to all of our pre-K–5th grade students, and there are no restrictions on subject matter and word count. Submissions range from poems about the war in Bosnia to stories about sleepovers, magical clowns, and surfing. I promote the program during regular visits to classes and during weekly class visits to the library. This year, 25 fourth and fifth graders decided to participate. The students worked individually with their teachers, who edited the manuscripts and forwarded the final versions to the school library to begin the bookmaking process.

I fold the appropriate amount of 8 ½" x 11" sheets of paper in half and a volunteer from one of our corporate sponsors, Prudential Insurance, types the stories, leaving enough space on each page for student illustrations. The manuscripts are wrapped with colorful end pages, and the books are sewed together with dental floss. The pages are then bound inside their covers—two 6" x 9" pieces of cardboard overlayed with contact paper. I place library bar codes on finished books, add call numbers (we created a special "SC" call number for "student collection"), and enter the numbers into our database. Each student's composition—regardless if it's a one-paragraph poem or a 10-page story—is made into an individual book. The books are kept on a special shelf reserved for San Jose Student Authors and never stay on the shelf for long. Students read each other's works and bring their own books home to show their parents. Although some parents can't read English, it's obvious how proud they are of their children's writing achievements. Dustin, a fourth grader who wanted to be a construction worker, is now considering becoming a writer when he grows up. And two fifth-grade girls from the Middle East, who would not have been friends in their respective countries, collaborated on poems about friendship.

Prudential, one of our school's 10 corporate sponsors, provides our publishing company with a volunteer. Next year, Costco has agreed to give us funds and volunteers. This three-month-long project cost me about $75 for materials, and several parents have already signed up for next year. In the fall, I plan to expand the program with a weekly "Author's Club," where students will meet at lunchtime to discuss the craft of writing, share ideas, and talk about works in progress.

The high point of this year was Teague's much-anticipated visit. He spent time with our young authors, answering questions about the writing process. It's incredibly satisfying to see the joy in the faces of these international students, who are struggling to acclimate themselves to a new culture and master a new language but are proud to be called "authors." The entire publishing experience boosts self-esteem, and teachers say it motivates kids to write. And that's the most rewarding gift of all.