Pausing for the Summer: Announcing Our Blogging Break & Some Changes

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“Smart Brevity” is Coming to TWTBlog!

Starting in August, we will use a shorter format to provide high-quality information about the writing workshop to respect educators’ busy schedules. After reading Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz, our co-authors, and contributing writers have adopted the shorter, not shallow approach they suggest. This approach will better serve our audience through compelling and succinct communication. We want to continue providing valuable information while respecting our readers’ limited time.

Catch Up on TWTPod!

Melanie and I closed out the first season of the Two Writing Teachers Podcast with an episode on professional development.

We’re taking a break in June and July. We’ll return with new episodes on Sundays starting on August 6.

In the meantime, if you have liked what you’ve heard during season one, we’d be honored if you took a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Of Note:

Beth Moore has been my valued writing colleague and friend for a decade. Through our interactions, I have gained immense knowledge and insight from her. Beth is making a shift in her career and won’t be in classrooms next year. Beth’s final TWT post was on May 26. While we will miss her presence at TWT, Beth’s contributions to the field of education will have a significant impact for years. She has written practical content that will benefit teachers and literacy coaches alike. I am grateful for my time working with Beth, and I wish her all the best as she embarks on this new chapter.
Amy Ellerman has been a consistent and inspiring voice within the TWT community for four years. Amy’s thoughtful posts have conveyed her deep passion for working with young writers, and I have benefited from her reflections that have challenged my thinking about teaching writing. Amy will be moving on from TWT at the end of June. She recently completed her MFA and has been accepted as the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI. I am thrilled for Amy and the opportunities that lie ahead for her. I am grateful for the time we have had to learn from Amy, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Go Deeper:

Our past blog series posts are a treasure trove of ideas, visuals, and tools to get you on the right path. Check out our back-to-school blog series round-ups for hyperlinks to topical posts so you can confidently start planning the 2023-24 school year.

August 2014: Sharpen Your Workshop Routines
August 2015: Creating Classroom Environments to Launch the School Year
August 2016: Starting with What Matters Most
August 2017: Writing Workshop Fundamentals
August 2018: Dreaming Big for This Year’s Writing Workshop
August 2019: Nurturing Independence from the Start
August 2020: Seen, Valued, Heard: Writing to Establish Community
August 2021: Our Favorite Things
August 2022: Resetting Our Workshop Practices

What’s Next:

Join us on Tuesdays for our weekly call for slice-of-life stories hosted by Amy in June and Melanie throughout July. Summer is the perfect time to share your story! Write it on your blog, share the URL in our comment section on Tuesday, and leave comments for at least three other bloggers.
Have something to share with our community? Submit a Voices from the Community post!
- Click here to learn more.
- Click here to read past Voices from the Community posts.
- Click here to pitch us your idea.
We’ll return from our summer blogging break on Wednesday, August 2. Our back-to-school blog series will launch Sunday, August 6.

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