Dear Superman,

 

I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.  You are, after all, single-handedly saving the public school system.  But I’m hoping that despite all you are doing,, you might come to the rescue of a program that is actually making schools and teachers (and their students) better: the National Writing Project.

 

You see, Superman, while so many people were waiting for you to fix their failing schools, thousands of educators were actually doing something about the problems they saw.  Instead of waiting or blaming or complaining, they decided to look for solutions and find ways to ensure that all students were able to express their ideas in writing.

 

These educators joined the National Writing Project and spent their summers, their weekends, and their evenings learning how to work with and learn from other teachers in order to improve the teaching of writing.  And in 2009, I was lucky enough to join them.  You see, Superman, the ability to write, is the ability to not only advocate for change, but to demand it.

 

We live in an era of accountability (and thank goodness we do because for far too long, too many children didn’t have access to the education they deserved).  And because of that, we now have data – tons and tons of data, years worth of data – that shows how much work we still need to do.  And when you look at the data, there is no other program – no other literacy initiative – that is doing so much to change schools.

 

You see, Superman, the National Writing Project is the most accountable program I know.  Every time a teacher leads a workshop on a writing strategy he has used, he opens up his classroom so other teachers can watch him teach, look at student work, and learn from his mistakes.  Every time a teacher joins in a Writing Project-sponsored Lesson Study, Inquiry Group, or Teacher Research Project, she opens up her teaching to her peers.  And it is because of the Writing Project that hundreds of teachers – some I have only met once – have evaluated my teaching, have looked at essays my students have written, and have asked me questions to not only improve their teaching, but also mine.

 

You see, Superman, the problem we face is not accountability.  It’s not high standards.  It’s not even the standardized tests that so many have put so much hope in.  The problem is that setting high standards and assessing them is only the beginning.  The true challenge facing schools and teachers is the conversation that so rarely happens about where to go once we know what doesn’t work.  And that is what the National Writing Project does best: it demands conversation and reflection.

 

If fixing the public schools was so simple, Superman, we would have done it by now.  But somewhere along the way, we stopped talking with each other, stopped listening to each other, and stopped learning from each other.

 

But thankfully, Superman, the Writing Project still knows that honest reflection and authentic conversation about what works (and what doesn’t) will not only improve the teaching of writing in our schools, but our schools, as well.

 

Simply put: I am a better teacher and my students are better writers because of the National Writing Project.  And it needs to be here so other teachers and other students can get better, too.

 

I’m waiting, Superman.  Please help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Greg Moffitt

Area 3 Writing Project