By Kaily Valenti When I was a high schooler, the importance placed on standardized tests, my GPA, and the thought of not getting into a “good college” was detrimental to my growth as a writer. I felt immense pressure to give the teacher “what they wanted,” instead of using my reasoning skills to reply to…
by Spencer Van Tassel As an undergraduate student studying English Education, I’ve noticed that there is a substantial gap in my educational program. There is a distinct lack of preparation around the teaching of writing. Specifically, my program at Westfield State includes just one concrete course that includes detailed writing pedagogy. What often goes amiss…
In this interview, Amy Vetter sits down to chat with Nadia Behizadeh about Powerful Writing Pedagogy. Nadia has written about this concept in English Journal and Pedagogies: An International Journal. In the discussion, Dr. Behizadeh defines what she means by Powerful Writing Pedagogy (PWP) and why she believes this framework is valuable for teachers. She…
by Jaime Lewandowski It was March of 2020. The kids were newly home from the public school for the “two weeks to flatten the curve” period at the start of the coronavirus outbreak. It was the tears from my 8-year-old, who rarely cried about anything, that initially alerted me to a problem. Admittedly, at first,…
with Margaret Simon Whispering in the Wind by Linda Rief, 2022 Heinemann, is a guide to deeper reading and writing through poetry. Linda worked with eighth grade students and wanted to immerse them in poetry that she knew had “the power to make us see and hear each other– one human being at a time”…
by Charlotte Land “Have you ever noticed that, if a student in school pays attention to her own thoughts, we say her mind is wandering? She’s considered off-task because she is not giving over her thinking to someone else’s words. Instead, especially in English class, we need to teach students to attend to their thinking,…
By Sadie Petta When I first decided to go to college to become an English teacher, I was mainly concerned with the literature that I would be teaching. I was determined to make it more diverse, contemporary, and enjoyable for every student. Creating a safe space for students is something that I have always been…
by Barbara Vokatis and Lucinda Ormiston Is it possible to incorporate dog therapy in such a way that it increases children’s motivation, engagement, and literacy achievement? In this blog, Lucinda, a second-grade teacher, and I, a college teacher and therapy dog owner, highlight positive results from an innovative experiment in which we designed literacy activities…
Are you interested in authentic writing instruction? Will you be in Anaheim for this year’s NCTE Annual Convention? If so, we hope you’ll join editors, contributors, and reviewers of Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care at several sessions and events throughout the conference. Meeting other writers who care in person is a great way to…
The Importance of Keeping Up with the Times While Honoring Our Past By Shelbie Bell I recently had lunch with one of my favorite former colleagues. She retired a couple of years ago, so I value any time we are able to get together. We were in the middle of a fun conversation about young…
by Margaret Simon The National Writing Project has teamed up with the National Parks Service to offer an annual event known as Write Out. This year will be the fifth year of this unique and free writing opportunity for teachers. “Write Out is a free two-week celebration of writing, making, and sharing inspired by the…
by Autumn Carter It was a chilly day in Texas, before spring break. He strolled toward our entrance, paused, smiled, and took a photograph of the chalk graffiti that read, “Rashad is Absent, again today!” Denicia’s art was paying homage to his novel’s character, Rashad. The chalk faded, but the love for reading and writing…
Pre-service teachers have a unique perspective to add to the Writers Who Care blog. This call is for all preservice teachers to share how writing lives in their lives, their teacher preparation programs, and in their fieldwork. We would love to know more about the following: How are you being taught to teach writing? What…
By Jessica Cira Rubin Earliest Writing as Joyful Creation and a Means of Connection My son Wesley was born during my second year in a language and literacy PhD program. His arrival meant I was suddenly a single mother in a still-new city, and the women in my program responded by circling us both in…
by Ann David As teachers, students, families, and communities continue moving through this school year, they are reflecting on what was a words-fail-us kind of year. Many teachers I’ve talked to are thinking about what’s working, what isn’t, what they want to keep trying and what they want to leave behind. This reflection is grounded…
Writers Who Care 