An Invitation...

If you are a dreamer, come in

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...

If you're a pretender, come sit by the fire

For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in! 

by Shel Silverstein

The Writing Project experience is one I look forward to every year. This institute is always a huge blessing to me an an educator. A coming home after a school year filled with plans, goals, and commitments. For me, the Central Texas Writing Project is:

And ending and a beginning

A finish and a start

An accomplishment and a goal

It’s graphite and eraser

It’s student and teacher

It’s sense of urgency and laid back

It’s the reason and the outcome

The hope and the promise

The day before our last day together, we went as a group to watch the documentary about Mr. Roger’s career and the mark he left on the children’s programming industry. We were reminded of the icon’s passions for communication, reverence for children, inclusivity, and kindness. The Mr. Rogers movie ended the way the writing project began: with an invitation.

An invitation to notice

An invitation to wonder

An invitation to question

And what we are now extending you you...An invitation to write.

Teacher writers,

• Angel
• Veronica
• Julie
• Brittany
• Megan
• Zach

at the beginning of this institute, you weren’t comfortable with the title, “writer,” but you have engaged in a writing battle. You have been vulnerable, exposed, and validated for the ideas you have and how you will implement them in your classrooms. You will now (as Mem Fox says) have empathy for the comrades in your classrooms who must learn to fight this writing battle for themselves. May your summer be filled with rest and relaxation, with time to reflect on what you want to cling to tightly and practices you are willing to let go.

I am so proud to have been with you on this journey and I look forward to hearing stories of how you are changing the world.

Joy Write

Lucky me! I am back working at the Central Texas Writing Project. CTWP is a month-long institute that is dedicated to developing Teacher Consultants through research, writing, and demonstrations. Each summer, teachers from central Texas gather at Texas State University to learn from each other and develop a confidence for teaching writing that can only come from writing themselves.

Each participant gets to choose a book that will help him/her on the path to developing a demonstration. I had the opportunity to share about the book Joy Write by Ralph Fletcher. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost that lovin' feeling about teaching writing.

As I read through this book, I was immediately drawn to the motivation aspect of its message. This is not a book about programs, curriculum, or standards, although those certainly can help us reach goals for our students. The premise of this book is to help students and teachers understand the joy that can be found in writing and the idea of play that surrounds the writing process. 

                                      

What can we do as educators to ensure our kids discover the joy in writing? How can we capitalize on the enthusiasm and tools of our students to increase motivation, engagement, and creation? How might we infuse our writing instruction with wonder, quirkiness, and passion?

                                      

Please read this book, and share success stories below!

A Day in the Life of the Writing Project...

It's almost time for the Central Texas Writing Project! Last weekend, a group of teachers, professors, and authors gathered at Texas State University for our first pre-institute meeting. We gathered to share food, make introductions, and learn a bit about how the Writing Project works.

                                                "my mom holds her accent like a shotgun, 

                                                 with two good hands. 

                                                 her tongue, all brass knuckle 

                                                 slipping in between her lips

                                                 her hips, all laughter and wind clap."

The day began with a poem by Denice Frohman. Her poem, "Accents," set the stage for our journal writing time. After we had several minutes to write, we opened up the floor and got to hear from several brave teachers. Participants used Denice's poem as a springboard that turned into stories about their mothers, words they remember from childhood, stories of pain and strength, and the love of a family. Author's chair is one of the most special parts of any writer's workshop, and especially of the Writing Project.

Next, I got the opportunity to model a demonstration based on the book A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen. I've blogged previously about this gem of a book. We focused on kindergarten writing goals, invented spelling, and how important student ownership is in the writing process. The teachers put themselves in the place of 5 & 6 year old writers and practiced writing from a student point of view.

During lunchtime, the teachers met with their coaches to work on preparing the demonstration lessons that will be presented during the Writing Project. This time allows the future teacher consultants to match their classroom practice with behavior and education theory. They get an alternative viewpoint, a new mentor, and the encouragement of someone who has been through the Writing Project experience before.

We ended the day much the way it began. We watched a brief video on the What's Your Sentence project by Dan Pink.

After the video, we all reflected on the day, the video, and wrote our sentence. We shared our sentences around a circle, with bold statements about the teachers, men, women, and people we wanted to be. We wrote of how we want to be remembered, who we want to influence, and the children we hope to affect.

If you ever want to be a part of a professional development experience that will change your life, please look into a local Writing Project site. I cannot wait to get started!