Welcome to the ELA Field Book

Any journey begins with a purpose or some far off idea of what may come.  It is the latter that can be a source of inspiration or a web of fear ensnaring the best of intentions.  As I begin this endeavor trepidation looms around every corner.  The desire to write is strong but the gremlins of my writer’s mind seek to hold me down.  I have found distractions and reasons to not write for years though I really want to share.  I have spent hours merely considering which blogging platform to use.  

Do I use WordPress, like the professionals I do?  

Do I use Blogger? I really like Google’s writing spaces.

Or, do I use Weebly as a blogging space? I am most familiar with it, but would it seem childish to my audience?

In an act of desperation I asked my mentors for help and sent this tweet to my trusted advisors @writingproject, @NCTE, and #IMMOOC:
 Within minutes @NCTE replied:

I was astounded as my PLN came rushing to my aid.  In response, I shared:

It turns out encouragers like being appreciated:

The process is reciprocal.  Trust the process.

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) reminded me of what I so often try to be to my students – an encourager.  I am grateful to have @NCTE – and all encouragers – in my life.

You see as a teacher of writing I DO want to know what students have to say.  I DO want them to get in touch with their inner writer.  I DO want them to slay (or perhaps hold at bay) intimidating gremlins seeking to stop the words from escaping their minds.  I DON’T want them to be afraid to share and be vulnerable for we are all learning together.  

What a wonderful reminder to seek encouragers when doubt creeps into our lives – writing or otherwise.  Perhaps, just as important, be an encourager to others.  We are all in this together.   I have chosen to take the advice I give my students – just begin.  

Welcome to my writing/learning journey.

When I started my teaching walk I did not know which direction to travel.  As I looked for direction I sought educators I admired and hoped, in some way, to emulate their pedagogical approaches.  

My first step was to seek teachers in my building who seemed to have positive influences on their students.  Finding these folks was relatively easy – though not everywhere I looked.  

They were the ones students said have taught them the most; they were the ones who enjoyed talking about the profession in positive ways; and they were the ones who were always learning and growing their craft.  They were the ones who lit up when a new idea struck.  They were my tribe and a desire to surround myself with these mentors settled in.

As I spent more time with teacher-mentors two questions were always on my tongue: how did they do that? and would they teach me?

It turns out that when I asked these questions the words of author Paulo Coelho in his novel The Alchemist rung true.

 

Teacher-mentors do, indeed, conspire to help others achieve their goals. They introduced me to local conferences such at the Michigan Council for Teachers of English (MCTE), the Michigan Reading Association (MRA), the Chippewa River Writing Project (CRWP), and the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL).  It was at these conferences where I met an abundance local teaching heroes who had the innate desire to push themselves and others to seek effective ways to help students learn.  Many of these heroes spent their time experimenting in the classroom, curating their ideas, sharing their practices, and inspiring other teachers who needed encouragement.

The idea of sharing personal discoveries intrigued me.  The teachers who influenced me didn’t shut their classroom door and hide their learning away – they took the risk to share; they encouraged others; and they sought to share their voice.  And, the best of them, sought to understand before trying to be understood.  

It is my intent to follow in the footsteps of these teacher-mentors by sharing the experiences I have gained over the course of my ongoing teaching career.  

You will read of my successes and failures (with lessons learned).  You will follow my personal (and sometimes messy) extrapolations of ideas that begin with a kernel of thought.  You will learn with me as I strive to better my approach for the benefit of the students who walk through my classroom door.  

At its core the tenets in writing the ELA Field Book are as follows:

1. Focus on the process of learning – it is a process;
2. Maintain a student-centered approach – students are the reason;
3. Know the power of reading/writing/digital workshops – honor student voice and choice; and
4. Stay grounded in sound methods – educational fads burn bright then fade.

Welcome to a journey in learning where the aim is to experiment, share, and learn together.  I hope you find my discoveries valuable – you are the inspiration – let’s see where this journey takes us.

Andy