Lately, I've been trying to share the works of my "teachers" with my students. From writing a quote about writing and reading on the board to having several students take home Thomas Newkirk's The School Essay Manifesto , I've been hoping to show them that I'm still learning and wrestling with writing and reading theory, and I want them to do the same. Just yesterday I introduced Peter Elbow's metaphor about itching and scratching, and my students haven't stopped giggling every time I mention it. With that said, I've been thinking a lot about the state of reading and writing. How often do we invite students into the experience of reading and writing rather than the task ? How do we get them to develop a reading or writing itch that needs to be scratched? They might seem like the same thing, but I've read enough of Thomas Newkirk's Minds Made for Stories lately that I'm really reconsidering what I've been asking students to do
Lessons from a novice teaching life