Living Life Twice

The basis for conducting writing conferences with student writers is to remember that it should unfold as a conversation between two writers. It is important to establish an expectation of the student writer that they arrive at the conference prepared. -Prepared to talk, prepared to discuss aspects of their writing.   It is not the sole responsibility of the teacher to prepare for a conference. There needs to exist within the classroom writing community a clear expectation that the student writer has attempted to identify a purpose for the conversation.  By establishing this expectation, a shared responsibility for moving the writing forward is clearly articulated. Both participants bring something to the party. This challenges the notion the teacher alone is here to ‘fix my writing for me. It means both teacher and student are genuine partners in learning. The student writer is no longer totally dependent on the teacher to provide insights on the writing. When teac...

I have been absent from these pages for a period of time. Not from choice, but for health reasons. However I am experiencing a resurgence. A somewhat measured and careful resurgence, but I am certainly heading in the general direction of rude health. Like the Black Knight I am claiming, 'It's just a flesh wound.'  I wish to thank all those people who have inquired after my health. I'm doing fine now and I am gradually getting back into the swing of things. I am returning to my preferred position of living life twice.  I'll spare you all the gory details of my health scare, suffice to say I find a sense of irony in the fact a poet should encounter issues with arrhythmia, but it is now under control and my heart appreciates the renewed certainty with which it now beats.  To celebrate my return, I want to focus on conferring with writers, so my next post shall deal with matters surrounding the matter of writing conversations. I hope to see you there...