Changing sports, changing genres

Shortly after football season last year, my son started basketball season.

He hopped into the car that first evening after two hours of practice and said something like, “Once on the court, I had to learn how to play basketball again.”

I paused.

Trust me, I have never played sports, so most of what I know about playing organized sports, I learned from him.

I looked at my teen teacher as if he had lost it.

He’s been playing basketball since he was old enough to hold one.

What was he talking about?

After months of mulling it over, I see that changing sports is like changing genres.

Learning how to write for children takes me away from what I usually write: nonfiction books, articles, and book reviews for teachers and librarians.

Every time I shift genres, it’s like I have to learn the “rules” all over again, the conventions of that genre. I have to remember my audience for that particular genre, too.  

As I thought about this, I began to wonder what I can do in the classroom to help my students see it’s OK if they forget the rules. That’s what practice is for.