The idea came to me months ago – a teacher’s summer writing retreat – held at my lakefront home, where teachers could sit leisurely and write and think and spend time discussing toolkits and student engagement.
The retreat wound up being one of the highlights of my summer. The six of us wrote, and laughed, and even cried together. We wrote and read our small moment stories and our not so small moment stories. We supported and commented and read some more. And then we reflected.
What did I discover today?
The answers were very similar among us all:
- I need to write more.
- I want to capture those small moments in a journal as they happen so I won’t forget.
- Talking about writing is extremely helpful.
Then the big question was asked: How will the work of today guide me as a teacher of writing?
The answer was unanimous:
I need have have my students write more, journal more, and talk more!
I call that a successful writing retreat!
