As I sat down to write out my very own “writing manifesto”, I thought about how each and every day I talk with students and teachers across the country about what I believe about writing. Through Google Slides presentations, demonstration lessons in labsite classrooms, and discussions with administrators, I share my views about writing. And yet, in 17 years of teaching, I don’t know if I have ever written it down and shared it in a formal way.
As a former fourth grader teacher from New York and a current literacy consultant who works with teachers and students spanning kindergarten centers to middle school English classrooms, I have many wants and wishes for both student writers and writing teachers. After jotting down notes, rereading flagged portions of some of my favorite professional texts, and thinking about my own journey as a writer, the following “writing manifesto” started to take shape:
Writing is a process and therefore, writing takes time.
Writing is powerful and therefore, writing needs to be treated delicately and with care
Writing is difficult and therefore, can be frustrating at times.
Writing is risky and therefore, it can be scary.
Writing is about a reader, and therefore, intention is everything.
Writing is carefully crafted and therefore, the more beautiful texts we read, the closer we come to crafting our own beautiful pieces.
I believe that all writers, from the most reluctant five year old to the most jaded eighth grader, should have the opportunity to play with and experience the power and purpose of writing. All writers should be asked to consider their audience, the features of genres, and the purpose for which they’re writing each time they set pencil to paper. I want all teachers of writing to read as much as they can to discover the greatest models from which our students can learn. And lastly, I believe that in order to convince our students of all of the above, we need to ensure that writing is a real, consistent, and non-negotiable part of our daily lives; the more attention we give to writing, the more our students will believe that writing matters.
As I started to wrap up my own “ writing manifesto”, I realized that crafting this writing:
took time,
had to be written (and rewritten) carefully,
was frustrating at times,
created some anxiety/fear (I would be sharing this with a very large audience!),
was intentionally crafted thinking about my audience, genre, and purpose,
was written after reading other manifestos from the #TeachWrite Chat blog
This is what I believe about writing, in my head, in my heart, and now, through my pen.
Sarah Cordova works as the Director of The Distinctive Educator’s Institute, a literacy consulting firm who works in elementary and middle school classrooms across the country supporting administrators, literacy coaches, and classroom teachers in developing and implementing the most effective and engaging reading and writing practices. She received a Master of Arts Degree in Education from New York University, and worked as a classroom teacher for many years in the Smithtown School District on Long Island, New York. You can connect with Sarah by following her on Facebook by searching for "D.E.I." or on Twitter @sarahdcordova.
This month, the #TeachWrite Chat Blog will be sharing the Writing Manifestos of our community. What do you believe about being a writer? Would you like your Writing Manifesto featured on this blog? Are you interested in writing for us at another time?
Thanks for sharing your personal writing beliefs. Everyone who has written so far has similar beliefs, but each post was written in the voice of the writer; therefore, each was different. And that's how writing is, individual and authentic.
ReplyDelete