It is late. I am tired. \u00a0It has been a long but fun day of sharing and learning with educational leaders. But I made a commitment to blog every day and blog I will. \u00a0So, I’m going to write about writing.<\/p>\n
As part of a recognition of National Day on Writing, on October 19, Steve J. Moore at Edutopia writes about why he writes<\/a> with his students and the role writing plays in his own life:<\/p>\n Beginning to see myself as a writer, and coming to understand that this wasn\u2019t some magical and unreachable status, was a crucial step on my journey in teaching. I encourage you to start writing for yourself and share what you do with your students. You won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Like many ideas, this idea is not new. As a young teacher, I read Nancie Atwell<\/a> and was completely hooked on the idea of reading and writing workshops and loved spending time writing with my students. Ini 1985, Tom Gillespie<\/a> suggested that writing himself makes him a better writing teacher:<\/p>\n Thus, as a writer paying attention to my own work, I learn to be more keenly attentive to my students’ work. My careful observation and listening to them is enriched by my careful observation and listening to myself as I write.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I don’t mind that a younger generation is adopting an old idea. \u00a0It’s a good one a worth refreshing in this era of online publishing.<\/p>\n And I was reminded of one of my favorite leadership writers: Warren Bennis. \u00a0In his classic, On Becoming a Leader,<\/em><\/a> he describes the importance of writing to leaders:<\/p>\n Writing is the most profound way of codifying your thoughts, the best way of learning from yourself who you are and what you believe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And here’s a short video interview of Bennis talking about writing his memoir. \u00a0He encourages others to do as, starting at an earlier age than he does.<\/p>\n