Writing

#WhyIWrite – National Day on Writing

By on October 17th, 2015

This is one of several posts celebrating Connected Educator Month during the month of October. October 20th is National Day on Writing and we are joining The National Council of Teachers of English to celebrate how writing helps us connect. Join the #WhyIWrite and #CE15 discussions on Twitter to share your thoughts!

National Day on WritingI taught Language Arts and English for many years.

As far back as I can remember, I have loved the English language. Having the opportunity to teach my passion was truly such a gift. Part of teaching English was teaching writing. And that by far was one of my greatest joys. Passing on a passion for writing to my students has always been an important goal for me. So dedicating an entire day to the celebration that is writing, well, that’s pretty special to me. This year we will celebrate “National Day on Writing,” on October 20th. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Why I Write.”

I write for so many reasons. I write to tether intangible emotions to something as concrete as words. I write to inspire, to grow, to change. I believe that language is a powerful tool and shaping it into phrases to share my story makes a difference. Continue reading


Writer’s Block? What NOT to Do

By on March 24th, 2015

writers blockWe all can relate to the moment when you’re writing – or sit down to write – and then boom, you have no idea what to tell your fingers to do; you’re just blank.

It’s the writer’s worst enemy and can be the hardest, and rarely the easiest, thing to get over. We would do anything to get back on track and out of this torturous, uncreative state. We stare at blank sheets waiting for things to happen and bang our head into the wall repeatedly thinking our brain just needs a kick start. If you’ve done these things, we’re not judging, but…maybe it’s not the best way to handle the situation.

Here are some do-nots that, if you resort to them, could resort to the demise of your story; but he’ll most likely live, I promise. Continue reading


Getting Past the Fear of DBAs

By on March 19th, 2015

This article is based on student work published in the FLVS student newspaper, News in a Click.

DBAIf discussion-based assessments make you nervous, these tips from FLVS students may help!

DBAs are verbal assessments and are often the most dreaded assignments for FLVS students. Instead of comfortably typing essays and worksheets on their laptops, students communicate with an instructor one-on-one over the phone.

But why is this so terrifying? Surely the verbal component of the DBA is not intimidating, especially when the assignments are approached by the instructor as a conversation instead of an oral exam.

TIP: Did you know that DBAs can be completed in a live lesson setting or over a video call? Ask your teacher about this option! Learn more in this post about mastering the DBA.

However, if you compare talking on the phone for twenty minutes to being the only student called on to answer random questions for 20 minutes in a classroom, you can see why students are reluctant to dial their instructors’ numbers. Continue reading