At this point in history, there are many reasons to be concerned. Some have lashed out, offending others. Some have chosen to remain silent, avoiding conflict. Neither keeps the democratic conversation alive.
But, we as educators have an opportunity to interject a powerful voice–one that pushes against the alternate views that are attempting to crowd out critical, deep thinking. As always, we will do this in order to ensure that our students are empowered to do more–to become more. Why? Because we always do what we do for the kids.
Today, we devoted #cwpchat to this important topic–Empowerment through Writing.
The following questions were discussed:
- Q1: What is your writing routine?
- Q2: Who/What inspires your writing?
- Q3: What has been your writing journey–what has given you the confidence to write boldly?
- Q4: In what ways is empowering ourselves a private/personal act; how is it public?
- Q5: What responsibility do teachers have with their writing?
- Q6: How can we use our acts of writing to bring about equity and a more open dialogue?
- Q7: What are you writing about (now more than ever)?
Here are some highlights of our discussion:
A1. I have written in a gratitude journal every night for 400+ days in a row. It’s been life-changing. I use @GridDiary. #cwpchat
— Jenn Wolfe (@thisjennwolfe) January 22, 2017
@onewheeljoe So true…it’s about taking advantage of time, not always about “finding” the time (that’s like “finding a unicorn”). #cwpchat
— Jackie Smith (@jaclynsmith345) January 22, 2017
@ibMrB Just that I am terrified that I am doing it wrong.EVEN THOUGHT I UNDERSTAND COMPOSITION. The fear of the rubric is powerful. #cwpchat
— Tara Woodall (@TaraWoodall) January 22, 2017
A2: Students – ugh! I want to write about so many other things, but they occupy a lot of head space! #cwpchat
— Greg Raney (@GregRaney1) January 22, 2017
A3: My writing journey started at five when Grandmom told me I’d be a writer; then I took CW in HS; and then I… #cwpchat
— Melissa Glusac (@meliG43) January 22, 2017
A3 Been a writer (off and on) since I was a reader. First story at 6 had memorable line,”Drop that cake.” Family joke for years. #cwpchat
— Kathleen Rowlands (@KathleeRowlands) January 22, 2017
A4: Self-empowerment privately feels like a luxury we can’t afford. In this climate, we need to empower each other openly. March + #cwpchat
— Janin Spoor (@JaninSpoor) January 22, 2017
A4: This makes me think of yesterday’s march. Going was personal, but quickly became public. Group-fueled empowerment #cwpchat
— Greg Raney (@GregRaney1) January 22, 2017
A4: Twitter’s tweet button can empower. The decision to save a blog post as a draft or publish to the world is an agentive choice. #cwpchat
— Joe Dillon (@onewheeljoe) January 22, 2017
A5: Responsibility in argumentative writing to explore issue thoroughly and evaluate sources and evidence critically. #cwpchat
— Tara Woodall (@TaraWoodall) January 22, 2017
A6: opportunity for change starts with writing, questioning and thinking. We teach, it’s how we help. It’s what we do. #cwpchat
— Janin Spoor (@JaninSpoor) January 22, 2017
A7 Writing a lot about giving grace to Ss. Have to touch the heart before you can touch the mind. #cwpchat
— Katie McNamara (@KatieJMcNamara) January 22, 2017
You can read the archive of the entire discussion here. We would also love to have you join us for our next chat on February 12 at 9AM (pst). We meet the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
In the meantime, don’t stop writing.