Summary
Introduction to the brand new SoFlo Writing Project, a local writing site for South Florida, as part of the National Writing Project, supporting justice-oriented writing in K-12 classrooms across the region.
Summer Institute countdown: 14 weeks
It’s not yet Spring Break, but we can already predict the word of the year here at the South Florida Writing Project–inaugural. Welcome to the inaugural blog post for the nascent SoFlo Writing Project from your new graduate assistant coordinator. So far, we have progressed from a planned two-week to fully-funded four-week institute in July this year, thanks to huge support from Nova Southeastern University which will allow for greater depth of learning and reflection for Fellows.
Like any well-planned curriculum, the hard work happens ahead of time and Dr. Adele Leon, founder and director of this local site, has been planning, networking, and applying for grants for the past year to make this project a reality for South Florida teachers.
As a high school English teacher, I am incredibly excited to be involved in this project. Like 40% of new teachers in Florida, I was trained through the Alternative Certification for Educators (ACE) which has no assessment for teaching student writing. Similarly, for prospective teachers taking a BA in education there are reading specialist endorsement options, but no writing equivalent. We face with the dual challenge of students struggling to think as well as to write and the increase in Florida’s standardized testing–from once to three times a year–encourages both a narrow focus and formulaic writing. Becoming a graduate student in composition, rhetoric, and digital media is confirming what my classroom experience has taught me: writing and thinking are infinitely intertwined. In order for our students to think critically, they must be allowed to develop a range of writing styles and skills.
Our local site will be an incredible opportunity for South Florida teachers to use writing more effectively to help students learn and develop as writers.