Chapter 3 - Share Your Writing Life

You are a writer. Allow the possibility to sink in. (pp. 35) Routman's notion that we are writers is absolutely true, and I believe it completely. However, the challenging part is getting ourselves and our students to believe such notion.

I especially liked Routman's idea to talk before writing, but I disagree with her idea that we need to write together as a faculty before we make a concerted effort to lead our students down the path of becoming great writers. Yes, it might be helpful for teachers who don't view themselves as writers, but I'm not a fan of doing something with my peers before doing it myself. The best way to become a writer is to write, with or without our peers . . . just write!

Everyone has a message, a story, something to say! And it's our job as teachers to help writers overcome their hesitations. We need to enable our students to put "pen to paper" and capture their stories. Writing comes very naturally for some. For others, it's a struggle! How can we get everyone to write, to capture their thoughts? Again, Routman's suggestion to talk before asking students to write is relevant.