When I entered the teaching field, they handed me a binder full of lessons on writing, sent me to a day of professional development, patted me on the back, and said, "Teach."
That first year I tried to live by the pretty white binder. I really did. But it wasn't long before I found myself shaking my head in disbelief.
I knew there had to be something more to teaching literacy.
I threw myself into the pursuit of this "something more."
My ideas were a little strange, I suppose, but my students seemed happier. They wrote more. And I was definitely happier. Our classroom was coming alive.
The binder began to collect dust in the corner.
I did my own lessons. I kept them to myself. Partly, I was afraid I'd get in trouble for not following along. But in all honesty, I was afraid to share. Afraid to put myself out there. I lacked professional confidence.
A few years went by and I found new resources, like Jeff Anderson's amazing books on grammar. A new teacher told me about something she did before moving to Texas, called the Oklahoma Writing Project. A chance trip to the bookstore brought me Donalyn Miller's incredible read, The Book Whisperer, which has forever changed what reading looks like in my classroom.
Somehow I found myself applying to join the Summer Institute at the North Star of Texas Writing Project. I don't know what I was most afraid of: applying and not being accepted, or being accepted and making a fool of myself. But something inside me kept telling me to push forward; I was finally getting closer to that idea of something more.
I entered Summer Institute the first week of June -- barely able to contain my excitement (writing! five days a week! all month!) and scared beyond reason (writing! five days a week! all month!)
There are not words that can shine bright enough or shout boldly enough to define my NWP experience. The relationships, ideas, and beliefs that have grown from my one month at Summer Institute have taken root in the essence of who I am. Not just as a teacher, but as a person.
I am stronger -- I fight for what I believe in.
I am confident -- I share my ideas and beliefs freely.
I am proud -- my students have grown emotionally and academically because of my confident, positive approach to teaching.
The National Writing Project changed my life, and some might say that one person is a small thing. But I know it is because of NWP that I am able to confidently share resources with teachers. And perhaps more importantly, I know I have changed the lives of my students.
Just ask the boy who came to me in August, grumbling about how much he hated reading and writing. This same boy is currently writing a screenplay about his favorite superheroes. He also wrote me a poem this morning about how camouflage is his favorite color, because you cannot see it.
His poem made me reflect on the nature of the National Writing Project. You may not realize what you are looking at when you walk through the halls of a school. You may not realize how many hands from a writing project site have touched the teachers, sculpted the minds of students, forever changed someone into the person they were always waiting to become.
But we are definitely here. We are working to change lives, we are reinventing the landscape of literacy as we move forward, and we are necessary. Removing the funding for programs that heighten student achievement and bolster teacher leadership is the exact opposite of the kind of progress our country needs.
I finally found the "something more" I knew was out there, if I just kept searching.
And I don't intend to let it go.
