Last week, a friend asked how I intended to spend my brief summer break, ahead of great travel for work and for pleasure, too. “Wandering,” I said, with a wistful smile. This is what I love most about summer: Long stretches of uninterrupted time to stroll around farmer’s markets, local parks, and the garden in my backyard. Time to think. Time to read. Time to write. A number of teachers that I support began building…
In response to multiple requests from teachers I support in virtual and face to face professional learning networks, I am thrilled to announce this affordable summer session! Are you new to writing workshop or teaching a whole new grade level? Are you a seasoned workshop practitioner eager to elevate your practices and attend to the emerging needs of those who continue to dislike the process or struggle? I’ve designed this day for you. Take a peek at the detailed description, and click on the date of your choice below to register:
Sessions will run from 10:30 am-3:00 pm at the Town of Tonawanda Library Kenmore Location.
The $25.00 registration fee covers only the cost of materials, as this event is not for profit. All participants will also receive a copy of my book, Make Writing.
Ten years ago, I founded a wonderful little writing studio in my very own community. Every week, and for weeks at a time in the summer, I’ve worked with kids and teachers from all walks of life there. Our space has evolved in response to their ever-changing interests and needs, but one thing has always remained the same: Our studio is a place where we make writing. We’ve been fortunate to write in many different…
This post is my fifth and last in a series about organizational story writing. In the first post, I described the form and spoke about why organizational story writing matters. In the second post, I shared my approach for facilitating a listening session. The third post defined story writing as more than a mere marketing tool. It’s a process that leads to individual growth and organizational improvement. The fourth post focused on the importance of…
This post is the fourth in a series on organizational story writing: The first post defined why organizational story writing matters. The second included the interest survey and listening session protocol that I use with new clients during the pre-writing phase of the work. My third post framed story writing as a learning opportunity that can inspire improved leadership and organizational growth. Each of these posts includes links out to other helpful resources and tools…
This post is the third in my organizational story writing series. In the first post, I defined the form and shared ten reasons why organizational story writing matters. Then, I introduced a current client, Jackie James Creedon, in my second post. Here, I included the interest survey that I ask most clients to complete ahead of our work as well as the approach and tools that I use when conducting my initial listening session. These first meetings…
Jackie James Creedon shares a map of future soil testing sites in western New York State. Jackie James Creedon is the founder of Citizens Science Community Resources, an organization that is committed to promoting science-based activism and empowering grass-roots environmental justice and health campaigns. In 2014, Jackie received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for her courageous efforts to lead an investigation in our community that took down Tonawanda Coke, a local factory…
More and more often, I’m invited to work not only with school districts, but with other organizations that are interested in telling their stories. Stories matter. They center us. They propel us forward. They change the trajectories of our work and our lives and the lives of the people we serve. They’re bigger than branding, and they’re far more than marketing tools. That’s why it’s important to value the story writing process as much as…
Recently, several colleagues asked me to begin a professional writing support group. If you are eager to begin blogging, publishing articles, or drafting a manuscript, you are welcome to join us. If you have any of these things in the works and are in need of good company, you are welcome to join us. And if you can’t attend face to face but would still like to be a part of things, you may still plan to join…
Nearly ten years into my career as an independent education consultant, I can say with confidence that a large portion of my time has been devoted to supporting teachers with assessment design. If you’ve walked a similar path, then you know how hard and humbling this work is. Perhaps, like me, you stand on the shoulders of assessment giants like Douglas Reeves, Rick Stiggins, Dylan Wiliam, Susan Brookhart, or James Popham. Perhaps you still define yourself as…