Five Tips for Becoming a Summer-Time Poet by Stephen Briseño

After eleven years of teaching, there is one annoyance that stands out to me more than others. It’s not kid’s failing to turn in assignments or meetings that should’ve been emails.

No, it’s realizing that it’s August 8th, in-service starts in a week, and I have little to show for my summer.

Society scoffs at how teachers get summers off. While that topic can be a bit touchy, it forces me to pause and reflect on the gift that is summer. All year long we’ve planned lessons, attended PD, connected with students,  given feedback on essays. Yes, rest is good and we all deserve it. 

Let’s face it: we’re given two solid months off!  It’s like a mini built-in retirement--every year! Make the most of it and write.

This summer, I’ve resolved to write more poetry than I ever have before.

But why poetry?

Nancie Atwell says that no other genre of writing is as compact and dense as poetry. The craft lessons contained in poetry are inexhaustible. Inferencing? Check. Writer’s craft? Duh! Literary devices? Yup. Theme? ABSOLUTELY! Now, imagine the brain power that you’ll be using writing poems! Plus, for those of us that are apprehensive writing fiction or non-fiction, poetry’s length requirements are much more forgiving.

Here are my tips for a summer poetry-writing extravaganza:

Find a quiet place. No distractions, a.k.a. NO PHONE! Play some music that you love and get to work.

Consistent time. 30 minutes? An hour? Every Monday/ Wednesday? Whatever you decide, be consistent.

Read great poetry. Discover poets who inspire and challenge you. Study their moves; notice their use of craft.

Find your “threshold.” Poet Gregory Orr talks about thresholds, “the place [in life] where order passes over into disorder.” There--at your thresholds--is where you find inspiration for poems. Where are those areas of life that cause you rub? Is it a certain memory? An emotion? A topic? Mine those “thresholds” for inspiration!

Just write. Don’t censor yourself. Just get it all out, revise later, and see what you produce. You will surprise yourself!

I can’t wait to see what comes out of a summer of writing! Will you join me?


Stephen Briseño is an 8th Grade English teacher in San Antonio, TX. After 11 years in education, he’s finally decided to be as brave as his students and share his writing with others. Additionally, along with his wife, Kayla, he leads district writing professional developments  for teacher/author Gretchen Bernabei’s consulting group, Trail of Breadcrumbs. You can find him on Twitter (@stephen_briseno),  at his class site brisenoin209.weebly.com, and at trailofbreadcrumbs.net

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The Hidden Gem of Summer Writing by Sara Pommarane

Summer Writing…  The freedom to create, to invent, to grow. 

As a teacher, I spend lots of time on my computer drafting emails, writing report card comments, and thank you notes for the sweet end-of-the-year gifts I receive from the middle of May up until the last day of the school year. 

Summer writing, however, is all mine!

Up until a few summers ago, I did not consider myself a writer.  Sure, I wrote the above-mentioned pieces, but I wasn’t a creative writer who could write on the spot, develop a character or setting, or pluck a line out of a novel that would become the bedrock of a short story that nagged at me to finish.  That all changed when I joined the Wyoming Writing Project.  I saw myself as a writer and that summer I found my voice.

Each summer since I have found that I am a better writer.  Not just because I continue to work with the WWP, where my writing family lifts me up inspires me, but because there’s something about summer that brings the writer out of me.  The freedom, the long warm days, reading books that have piled up on my nightstand, playing with my children, riding my bike along the greenbelt, walking and talking with a good friend in the mornings.  All of these things inspire me and in the summer, I can really pay attention and find the hidden gems that are lurking around every corner.

Find those gems. Use your summer to create characters and worlds you’ve only imagined. Who knows what you’ll find?


Sara Pommarane is a fourth-grade teacher in Laramie, WY.  She is heading into her 14th year of teaching and her first group of Kindergarteners are graduating from high school!  Sara received her National Board Certification in Literacy in 2018.  She is married to a fellow educator and has two children.  Sara loves all things reading and writing.  You will often find her family fishing and her nearby with her nose in a book and her writer’s notebook not far away. You can follow her on Twitter @SaraPomm or through the Wyoming Writing Project @wyowriting.  

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The #TeachWrite Twitter Chat Blog is dedicated to providing a space for our community to connect and share their voices about writing and teaching writing.  We are looking for guest bloggers who would like to blog on topics related to being a teacher-writer. Educators and writers of all levels are invited to join us in this space. More information can be found here. 

It's My Turn by Carrie Foster

Since students become what you tell them they are,  I often jot on their draft: "You are a writer!"

There are words that I use for the prose less polished, too:  “You think like a writer,” I say.

It works, and they work.  We find spots of strength together, and in their newfound pride of profession, they start to choose words more carefully.  They scribble and tap and pace and revise, and their pieces become more precise and revealing reflections of who they are… as writers and not just as 7th graders.

Now in summer, it is my turn.

“You’re a writer,” I say to myself.  “You forget this sometimes from September through June, but you know you’re a writer, so go bust out some creative grammar and make it dance on the page!”

My teacher brain dictates that I keep a strict schedule, of course.

I wake up, have a leisurely first breakfast.  I exercise, grab a motivating second breakfast.  Make a list full of chapters and word goals and other things that are luxuries between the months of September to June.

Next, I haul my trusty Mac past the tourists and puddle comfortably in a coffee shop. I find myself typing to whatever rhythms the barista blasts.  I drink as much caffeine as I please, and fall into a pleasantly tangential research hole, because in summer that isn’t an issue. (Or at least not one that’s time-sensitive.)

I dawdle over lunch, daydreaming of the perfect words, but trying all the wrong ones first.  I eat things, complicated things of which the cafeteria wouldn’t dare to dream.

I punctuate with a satisfying flourish because it’s mine.  I revise with a critical eye for the exact same reason.

Summer is my time again, and because people become what you tell them they are, in summer I say:  I AM a writer.


Carrie Foster is a National Board Certified Teacher of middle school social studies in Portland, Maine.  She logs her adventures in and out of classrooms all over the world on her blog Follow Miss Fooster, and you can find her on Twitter @carolineadele13.

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The #TeachWrite Twitter Chat Blog is dedicated to providing a space for our community to connect and share their voices about writing and teaching writing.  We are looking for guest bloggers who would like to blog on topics related to being a teacher-writer. Educators and writers of all levels are invited to join us in this space. More information can be found here. 

Independence Day by Leigh Anne Eck

One of my favorite summer days is the 4th of July.  I love the food - grilled burgers and hotdogs, homegrown sweet corn, cheese potatoes, and pudding cake!  Plus it always includes a pool party with the family and fireworks as the exclamation mark on a fun day.

Summer is not only a time to celebrate our independence as a country, but it is also the time to celebrate our independence as writers.

During our chat Monday night, many teacher-writers tweeted about the freedom of summer writing.  The freedom to play and explore in writers' notebooks,

to discover new genres,

to write early in the morning or late at night,

to develop a habit,

to push ourselves into new writing territories,

to slow down without the constraints of a schedule.

These independence days beckon many of us as our school year winds down.  We long for those summer days with our favorite pens and notebooks, or maybe our laptops and iced beverages.  Those summer days where writing takes over the busyness of our school days and the words flow with much more ease.

Much of my writing this summer will revolve around my work in my graduate program.  But I also have some personal goals that I have set, and summertime gives me the freedom to accomplish them and celebrate them as I choose.

Yes, I look forward to Independence Day.  How about you?

Leigh Anne just wrapped up her 11th year of teaching.  She has taught 4th, 5th and currently teaches 6th grade ELA at a middle school in Indiana.  She is currently working on her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Western Governors University with a goal of becoming a literacy coach.  Leigh Anne has a passion for connecting kids with books and helping teachers develop a writing life.  You can connect with her on Twitter @Teachr4 or on her blog, A Day in the Life. 

Stretching into Summer Writing by Michelle Haseltine

I believe summer is the time when my life as a writer encounters a rebirth or renewal. School year writing is fast and furious and it fits inside the margins of other deadlines and requirements. Summer writing feels free-er to me. I stretch into the minutes and hours of summer writing and allow the words to percolate and bubble out. It's a delicious luxury to have that time.

A few summers ago, I spent a week away at a writing retreat and it changed me as a writer. I was at this retreat...with real writers...to write. I couldn’t hide anymore. I tried. I stumbled over myself when others asked about my writing. I denied my writing self. I uttered phrases like, “I’m trying to write.” That week put me in the company of published writers who accepted me as a writer, even when I argued against it. That week solidified my identity as a writer. That week, I began my book.

My goal this summer is simple. Write my book. Write my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first draft. The entire terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first draft. I have fifty pages or so already written, but I need it all to come out...ugly and messy and disorganized...this is my primary summer writing goal.

How will I accomplish this? I need three things to guarantee my success. I need time, a plan, and a friend for accountability. The time is there and set. The plan is already printed out in my notebook. Starting on June 19th...that's when the writing begins. The accountability means that I will have someone checking in on me and nudging me and encouraging me. It's like a living deadline. I need to know that someone else will be calling to check in on my progress. Here's to my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first draft! May it be completed by August 15th.

Happy Summer Writing to you...

Michelle Haseltine spends her days with middle schoolers in Loudoun County, VA. Together they write, read, think, and create every single day. Michelle is a co-facilitator of our #TeachWrite twitter chat and a Teacher Consultant with the Northern Virginia Writing Project. She blogs regularly at One Grateful Teacher and Your Story Matters. Michelle tweets regularly at @Mhaseltine and instagrams at @Mhaselti 

Summer Writing to Build Momentum by Andy Schoenborn

In the twilight of the school year, if you listen closely, you can hear the sound of teachers coming up for air from the deep end of the pool.  You hear it when the last of the final grades are entered.  You hear it in their voices as they reflect on the highlights of the year.  And, you hear it in their contented sighs when the classroom is finally organized again.

It is summer.  It is time to write.

It is time to take the glowing irons out of the writing fires and get to work.  Among my workable irons are presentation proposals, summer institute planning, blog posts, journal articles, and book proposals.  In other words, a lot of writing.

Still, it feels good to have tangible writing goals!  But, in my experience, goals without habit and routine can dissipate like summer morning fog.

Fortunately, I know what it takes to meet my writing goals.  You know what it takes to meet your writing goals.  We need to put out butt in the chair and write.  Every successful writer I know establishes a non-negotiable writing routine - and they stick to it.

The routine I am planning scares me.  It will shake up my usual morning routine of waking at 6:00 am, scrolling through Facebook, checking Twitter, playing Clash Royale, brewing coffee, and preparing for the day.  I am comfortable with this routine.  Yet, I know if I want to grow I need to move outside of my comfort zone - and, if I am doing it right, it will hurt a little bit.

My alarm is set for 5:00 am; the NaNoWriMo goal tracker is set for 500 words per day; the "9 Writing Hacks for the Most Prolific 100 Days of Summer Writing Yet" is fully engaged; the TeachWrite Academy "Time to Write" accountability workshop in on my calendar; and my writing territories are visible:

Truth be told, it seems daunting, but I am not afraid.  These routines will begin a writing momentum that will become easier over time.  Words will flow.  Ideas will generate.  Learning will happen.

All that is left to do is to put the plan in motion.  I'm game.

My habit starts today.

The Long and Low Days of Summer Writing by Jennifer Laffin

Welcome to June!

Did you hear the sigh of relief as you flipped the calendar page this morning?

I love summer days.

Summer days have a different feel to them than the days of the rest of the year.

Summer days are horizontal -- long and low. Time stretches out and I give my energy level permission to match it.

Days of the other season are more vertical -- my energy climbs high quickly, but the time is short. There is so much to do. I go through the day checking items off my To Do List.

Check.
Check.
Check.

In summer, there are items on my To Do List, but they don't get checked off in a day. Their due date is September 1st.

Summer writing is more about building up a habit, with less of a focus on actually finishing a project.

We want our writing to be focused more on ourselves, and not something else like lesson plans, IEP forms, or meeting notes.

Writing that makes us happy.
Writing that makes us feel fulfilled.
Writing that makes us writers.

I've always wanted to write a book and this summer, that is where I will be focusing my writing attention.

I plan to write long and low, to dig deep into my heart as I put the words on the page.

That's what summer writing is all about.


Jennifer Laffin is a teacher of teachers, the owner of Teach Write LLC, and a co-moderator of the #TeachWrite Twitter Chat. She is committed to helping teachers and their students grow as writers because she has seen how writing can transform you both personally and professionally. You can find her learning with others on Twitter at @laffinteach and @TeachWriteEDU or at www.teachwrite.org.