My twin sister was my swing-set buddy and sandbox pal.
But man oh man did we get into a great deal of trouble.
I remember being twelve-years old sitting in Father Festa’s confession box.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” – he sternly asked.
I wanted to write plays and poems and songs and TV shows and horror stories and tales of woe and love.
I’ve always known that I wanted to be a writer.
Father Festa certainly wasn’t warm or fuzzy, so when he began to softly talk to me about Issac Newton, I paid special attention.
He rubbed his hands together like he was building a fire. He then leaned forward and whispered these words to me: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
That was some of the best advice I’ve ever received.
At fifteen I wanted to be the next Kerouac, Ginsberg, Bukowski – a great Beat writer able to ramble eloquent prose.
And now that I am twenty-years into my teaching career with a few books published, I know a thing or two about the shoulders of giants.
I stood with my idols and I learned from them. Studying the craft from the experts, I learned how to write bop-rhapsodically like only a teenager can aspire to do. I wanted my own words to match the power of these men … so I plugged into what they said and studied how their pens moved across paper.
And the same goes for my teaching career – I’ve taught alongside some mighty giants.
But here’s the kicker … if you want your students to truly grow and mature as writers in your classroom, you must position yourself as a GIANT of a writer.
Giants write with their students. Giants provide endless models and exemplars of their own writing. Giants are unafraid. Giants position themselves as the experts … experts that have a boundless wealth of knowledge and knowhow.
I have worked with countless teachers over the years, and when it comes time to Bob Ross their instruction – many freeze in fear.
The idea of writing before a group of teenagers is a terrifyingly scary scenario.
TEACH IT WRITE helps us overcome those fears.
How can your students possibly learn how to write if you are not modeling for them how to do it?
True learning necessitates a transference of wisdom from an expert to a novice.
TEACH IT WRITE provides the structure and foundation for you to become a giant in your classroom so that your students can learn from the best writing instructor in the classroom … YOU.
Once you have positioned yourself as an expert in the classroom, half the battle is won as far as transforming your students into adept and confident writers.
Teach It Write is a live, two-hour hour professional development intensive to show teachers how to teach writing in a way that feels aligned and engaging while helping their students grow and mature as effective writers.
On August 28th at 11 a.m. EDT, we will meet in Zoom and learn how to position ourselves as veritable Bob Ross’ of composition so that we can build our student writers from the ground up.
By the end, not only will you be prepared to assume the role of a giant, but you will be equipped with the necessary tools to see your students flourish as writers in your classroom.
If you’d like more information, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can also learn more about Teach It Write by visiting my webpage at http://teachinghow2write.com/teach-it-write/
Happy teaching and happy writing!
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