A teacher dropped a bomb in my collaboration group today. She has decided to seek a teaching assignment elsewhere. Sandy, a passionate high school teacher in a local private school is someone who values the writing workshop philosophy and applies it in her classroom. And why is she leaving her position after several years... read more
It had seemed like a good idea at the time: a trip to San Diego, a chance to meet colleagues from around the state, a hotel with a bar. ISAW, the conference was called, for “Improving Student Academic Writing.” I would receive training in the principles and practices so that I could turn around and someday (soon)... read more
In Frank McCourt’s memoir Teacher Man, he ends his penultimate chapter with the words of one of his former high school students: “Hey, Mr. McCourt, you should write a book.” The first time I had a lengthy conversation with Mariana Figueroa, a first grade teacher at Christopher Elementary School in Oak... read more
In his widely-acclaimed book Bowling Alone, Robert D. Putnam laments the loss of community in the United States. As we all know, the San Jose Area Writing Project is the very antithesis on that notion, and in fact, we promote community. In that spirit we have begun a reading group. We are meeting for the first... read more
It was a Saturday morning. I had another meeting. And I was looking forward to it. Last year teachers across grade levels from all over the bay area chose to meet in a small intimate group over coffee and pastries in the modern, sunlit Martin Luther King Junior Library. We discussed and explored topics of our choice. We shared student work, frustrations and road... read more
November 4: What Your “Grammar” Never Told You
Marty Brandt (Independence High School, East Side UHSD) Opening Speaker Laura Brown & Pam Cheng (K-3) (Mt. Pleasant Elementary, Mt. Pleasant SD & Cumberland Elementary, Sunnyvale ESD) Resuscitate Your Grammar Suzanne Murphy... read more
The AB466 training took place in a fancy hotel. They provided 3 course luncheons, including coffee and dessert. At the front of our assigned conference room, a display of our grade level Open Court teacher’s editions, sound-spelling cards, supplemental books, kits, and CD’s reminded me of the past... read more
I was drawn into the field of the teaching of writing somewhat accidentally. It was the late 1970’s, and I was slogging through a doctoral dissertation in Victorian Literature at Yale University when I chanced across a job announcement at Teachers College, Columbia University. The job required teaching experience at the secondary level,... read more
Choldenko, author of the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts, was the featured author at the San Jose Area Writing Project’s December 10 Super Saturday Workshop. Reprinted with permission.
1. Write for yourself. Not for your teacher. Not for your mother. Not for your best friend. Not for your dog. Write to please yourself.... read more
Mariana Figuerao, SJAWP Teacher Consultant:
Teacher of the Year, Oak Grove Elementary School District
Jeneva Sneed, SJAWP Teacher Consultant,
Teacher of the Year, Cambrian Elementary School District
Cindy Cohen, SJAWP Teacher... read more