My Writing Makes Me a Better Teacher by Alexis Teevens

Summer felt like the perfect time to develop a writing habit. I have read books and books about the importance of being a teacher-writer to help support students, and I love to write. I’ve just been very good at finding other “more important” things to do besides writing since graduating from college.


I’m learning that structure and accountability are as important for me as they are for my kids. Joining a TeachWrite summer course that focused on developing a writing habit introduced me to veteran teachers who have built writing habits.


While it could have been intimidating to talk to these teachers who already seem to do what I want to do, it wasn’t. The honest admission that writing is always hard, no matter how long or how often you’ve done it, was just what I needed to hear.


With the support of that group, I decided to start a blog. I’ve stayed away from blogging in the past because I felt that I didn’t have anything worth sharing. Honesty, though, I think I worried most about not being able to develop an “audience”.


Then, I realized, who cares? I want to write in a more structured way so that I can relate to my students and so that I can reflect on my teaching practice.


That’s given me a why. I don’t want to write just to have a blog, or to reach a million people, or to make money. I want to write because it will make me a better teacher and a better person, and I hope having that why will help me build and keep momentum well into the school year.



Alexis Teevens is a 7th grade English and social studies teacher in East Boston, MA. She’s about to start her 6th year in the classroom, and she feels increasingly humbled and entertained by her kids. Alexis is excited to start connecting with more teachers on Twitter (@lexteevens), and she just started blogging at http://msteevens.blogspot.com/.