Writing Response

Foreward

First off, I like the idea of being a "writing project groupie" for the next twenty or so years. That sounds like fun to me! ;)

I liked hearing how the quarterly has evolved through time. I think this will be a great opportunity for the NWP to put into practice what they support so strongly: technology's impact on communication and writing.

Letter to our Readers

Art Peterson says:

The Quarterly took advantage of this alliance by providing a forum where
teachers of all grade levels could publish their ideas, their research, and
their classroom practice in a single journal. Though most university-level
teachers were not new to publishing, The Quarterly broke ground when it
responded to the NWP assumption that significant expertise resides in the hands
of classroom teachers by giving K-12 teachers a vehicle to write about that
expertise.

How true is this? So many great teachers have a huge knowledge base but don't neccesarily get to share it because they are in fact in the classroom and not in a scholarly setting. The Quarterly is a way for these teachers to share their knowledge with the entire academic community.

Twenty Minutes of Fluency...
I liked this article, but I found my sympathy sided more with the students more than the writer. In our workshop today, I experienced both sides of the writing spectrum.

The first writing assignment, about a person that has inspired you, came easily. I had vivid descriptions, a clear message, the whole works. I was surprised at how well it came out in 15 or so minutes.

The second writing assignment- about finding your green stone- wasn't as pretty. I couldn't find that seed I needed to get moving. I fidgeted, I stared at the screen, I stared at Christina's screen, but all to no avail. I couldn't get moving. With six or seven minutes to go, I finally got the idea I needed to move forward. I typed frantically for the last half of the time feeling pressure to get a product that I would be willing to share with little time left. (After all, there was also the first day presssure!)

To make a long story short, writing within a time limit is hard at first. I have a feeling those same students writing would be so much better if they repeatedly were given opportunities to write in 2o minute increments.