The Rogue Scholar

As a teacher-writer and a teacher of writing, I enjoy learning as much about writing instruction as I can. I recently found out about an amazing podcast called Writing Matters with Dr. Troy Hicks. Dr. Hicks presents the who's-who of writing experts, each bringing a unique perspectives to each conversation. So far, I have come away inspired by the knowledge, strategies, and insight the interviewees highlighted below share with Dr. Hicks. Jennifer Laffin - September 1 Jennifer currently runs TeachWrite, LLC, an education consultancy company, she started to help teacher-writers become teachers who write and thus becoming better writing teachers. In her interview with Troy, she recounts being a 4th and 5th grade teacher, not really knowing how to teach writing, and how she sought out the resources to learn on her own. She quickly came to realize that writing teachers needs to be teachers who write. Listed below are the changes she describes that occurred in her classroom as a result of...

On August 25, I published a blogpost about an amazing podcast called, "Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore. I hope you have taken the time to listen by now. I find her strategies and resources invaluable and I know you will also. Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to the latest episode called "I'm a Teacher Who...3 Steps to Saying Yes to Opportunities That Will Help You Grow". Staying true to form, this episode has proven to be just as insightful as the others. I was drawn in the moment I read the title. So, I decided to take notes as I listened. I am very glad I did. In this episode, Dr. Schmidt Moore walks listeners through a 3-step strategy for refining their teacher identities by defining what they stand for, identifying what is important to them, and providing a plan for growth. Teachers who follow these steps will be well-equipped to  "say no to opportunities that don't align to who they are/what they believe and yes to those that do...