The National Writing Project offers invaluable resources and opportunities to teachers that directly affect students. I became involved with the Boise State chapter of NWP in 2005. I have taken more than a dozen classes in the last five years that would never have been made available without NWP. Courses like Teaching Through Inquiry, Teaching Grammar Through Writing and Responding to Writers have completely revolutionized the way I teach and how I get kids engaged in learning. I have also enjoyed networking with other teachers and sharing resources. NWP has made it possible for me to participate in the Holocaust Educators Network Summer Seminar and bring back countless resources to use with my students and share with my colleagues. No other in-service or teacher training I have ever attended even comes close to the value of one week-long Writing Project Institute- on ANY subject. At no other time have I felt as valued and respected as a professional as I have by BSWP. There have been multiple occasions over the last decade when I have truly considered pursuing another career, so to say that my affiliation with NWP has ‘saved me’ may sound dramatic but is nonetheless true. I care too much about education and kids to stop teaching because so many of them need many of the things I- and countless other teachers- offer in the classroom, but I get worn down by school politics, budget woes and the baggage students bear. Our own districts and local professional organizations cannot provide what NWP has been able to offer- support, empathy and innovation. I understand the need for cutting government spending, balancing the budget and choosing carefully where our educational dollars get put, but NWP is NOT the place to cut. Please recognize the value of teachers teaching teachers and restore funding for this organization!

Kellie Hannum, Skyview High School, Nampa ID