Teachers Need Writing Space Too
At the NCTE Annual Convention in Denver last week, I caught up with a teacher friend who also writes. We’ve participated in Teachers Write together, blogged alongside each other over the years, and supported each other as writers in different ways. She congratulated me on publishing my book Living the Life of a Writer.
And then she paused, shook her head, and said, “I’m so inspired by you.”
What a great celebration!
It is such a joy for someone to tell me I’ve inspired them, but also such fun. This quickly turned into my excitement for her because I could see so much possibility for her. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has a story to tell, and I’m thrilled when I get to help them figure out how to tell it. To think that my writing would lead to others writing is such a celebration. A celebration that feels like a ripple.
When my friend shared that she was inspired, I heard three things:
“I think I could do that too.”
“I want to do that too.”
“Can you help me do that too?”
I was instantly all in. Eager to hear more, I asked questions about what she wanted to write about and what she felt might be holding her back.
Soon, our conversation turned into possibility — what she was passionate about writing about, why she wanted to write about it, what she could share, how she might share it, how she could find time and see the project through.
I could feel her momentum growing after that one simple statement.
I love working with the middle school student writers in my classroom, but I also love working with teachers who write. Moments like this remind me that teachers spend a lot of time holding space for students — inviting them to recognize ideas, face the blank page, take risks, try new strategies, revise their writing for meaning — but we we rarely give ourselves that same space.
Sometimes we need someone else to say: I see you. I see what’s possible. Let’s explore it together.
And here’s the truth I’m reminded of again and again: When we take time for our own writing lives, even if it stays in a notebook, it changes how we support student writers.
You don’t have to dream of publishing a book. You don’t need a big project. You just need a little time, a safe space, and a desire to explore what matters to you.
If you’re feeling called to explore your story, I’d be honored for you to join the next FOR TEACHERS workshop on Saturday, 12/6. This month we’re exploring celebration and it’s a perfect opportunity to celebrate how you show up for student writers and to celebrate the spark inside of you that’s saying, “I want to do that too.”
Join the December FOR TEACHERS workshop here.
I wholeheartedly believe celebrating all steps, especially small ones, is worthy and meaningful along the writing journey. I also resonate with the word “ripple” because I chose it as my word during my first Highlights Retreat.
I’m sure there are many who have been inspired by you, but your advice is echoing in my ears. I’ll be with grandchildren next weekend (and every one after that through the new year; three of our 5 have birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas), so I’m setting a goal to start my new project with the new year. Thanks for showing me what is possible.