We ALL Are Writing Teachers
Many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was recommended for the Tidewater Writing Project at Old Dominion University. This was a professionally rewarding and life changing experience. The seminar was a four week course that met every day. In those days, participation for selected teachers was free, the teachers received graduate credit hours, and teachers even received a stipend for gas and materials. I'm not sure it is the same now, but it was quite a deal at the time!
The participants were teachers from all grade levels, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Once a week a nationally renowned expert in writing visited and presented a day-long seminar on writing. Everyone came away from the course with a variety of proven strategies to use with the students in our classrooms. Most of all, we wrote. We learned about the writing process by writing, getting feedback about our writing, and sharing our writing with the class as our audience. When I finished the course, I was a writer. I also understood that to teach writing, I needed to work on my own writing. I needed to show my students that we all have the same experiences they do as we go through the writing process. I had to write with my students. Writers write.
Here are the core principles of the National Writing Project from the NWP website:
NWP Core Principles
The core principles at the foundation of NWP’s national program model are:
- Teachers at every level—from kindergarten through college—are the agents of reform; universities and schools are ideal partners for investing in that reform through professional development.
- Writing can and should be taught, not just assigned, at every grade level. Professional development programs should provide opportunities for teachers to work together to understand the full spectrum of writing development across grades and across subject areas.
- Knowledge about the teaching of writing comes from many sources: theory and research, the analysis of practice, and the experience of writing. Effective professional development programs provide frequent and ongoing opportunities for teachers to write and to examine theory, research, and practice together systematically.
- There is no single right approach to teaching writing; however, some practices prove to be more effective than others. A reflective and informed community of practice is in the best position to design and develop comprehensive writing programs.
- Teachers who are well informed and effective in their practice can be successful teachers of other teachers as well as partners in educational research, development, and implementation. Collectively, teacher-leaders are our greatest resource for educational reform. ~~~If you are a teacher, I encourage you to get involved in this program. If you are an administrator, I encourage you to get teachers involved with it. There is a program near you. Believe me, you will never regret participating, and your students will never be the same. Here is the NWP link: https://www.nwp.org/