Nonfiction
Yes. Life is also a series of conspiracies against doing ny PhD work. Sigh.
Had to include a picture of the contrast between types of writing workshops - the model on the right actually goes on to the following page as well.
Paperback
202 pages
A dear teacher friend abruptly left the profession mid-year. She left behind everything, asking only that we box up some of the personal items. Everything else she asked us to take, share or trash.
(Teachers, many of them, are not okay.)
This was one of the books she left behind. She was only on the second or third page of the introduction, according to her annotations. I snagged it with a two-fold goal: 1. to improve my own Creative Writing Class and 2. to help me plan some of the procedures for my dissertation study.
I took a lot of notes and flagged a lot of passages. There are so many powerful moments in this book - thought provoking, liberating, and affirming.
I flipped to a couple at random to share in this post:
I don’t need to love my students to do well by them, but I always strive to treat them with respect & dignity, to get to know them. I do love my craft and my subject matter.
There is an element of control that needs to be present in a high school classroom, but that doesn't mean students need to be silent and still. I love a chatty room more than crickets. I like when they talk and participate. I don't mind if they choose to sit on the floor, as long as they're learning. I have some rocking seats that students often end up vying for.
Grading and assessment have been at the heart of a lot of conversations and debates in (our) school(s) lately.
It took me about a week to read this book, even though it's a fairly slim volume. However, it really prompted me to examine my own practices and rethink some things. Also there were some things I'd experimented with in my class that I now can improve, but it was nice to know I was on the right track.
I would totally recommend this book!
