They Never Get Old: Writing Conferences with Students, Even if They Were Back-to-Back for Four Hours Last Night. Progress Was Made

I always love when elementary, science, history, and math teachers ask me how I learned to teach the way I do, and I simply say, "It's easy. Brown School. National Writing Project. Teachers teaching teachers." I also love Foxfire methodologies, action research, student participatory research, high standards, and creativity. I know how to plan backwards, and when it all comes together as it usually does they wonder, "Where'd you get this style from?" 

30 years in classrooms. Best mentors in the world. Learning the poetics of research. Curiosity. 

Last night, 20 students met with me regarding their data collected over 5-months after they did a two week action-research course with me in the winter session. They had a data plan, reviewed literature, and now have to do something with what they collected. This is an academic process that is heavy, developmentally, but light in terms of research authenticity. It is inquiry all the way and what the National Writing Project does best. Truth is, K-12 teachers rarely have a second to digest the academic jargon so many of us put forward to maintain our careers. They are in the field daily, understand kids, and need to know they powerful enough to put their work in front of larger audiences. They need to share their studies and what they learned from collecting data on their students.

Ah, I was shy of two hours - the usual for parent/teacher conferences. Same pace and energy. Not stop meeting, working on my toes, taking notes, guiding, and building relationships. It's the best that teachers do...and it brings me back to all the writing conferences each year with K-12 youth. SO SO SO important and where much of the great teaching occurs.

But can I admit something? That exhausted me. Conveyor belt conversations...productive, but they take a lot of mental energy. So I went to bed early last night. I had to. I was fried.