Thoughts on Teaching Writing Effectively

1. Writing teachers need to be writers.
2. Good readers make good writers - students need to be surrounded by "wondrous words"
3. Kids who do the hard work of inquiry themselves will learn much more than kids who are "spoon-fed" curriculum.
4. My students need to view themselves as writers.
5. As in other crafts, it is valuable to learn from mentors. Our mentors will be published authors.
6. My students will only become better writers if they spend a significant amount of time writing.