Features
by Meagan Frank
For decades, Nancie Atwell has been delighting in the words consumed and created by classrooms of middle school students. Many teachers find comfort at the front of a room, but what Nancie has discovered is the power afforded to students when a teacher subtly operates in the middle of everything. Her book In the Middle presents decades of teaching experience, hundreds of student writing samples, and access to the highly successful educational approach that earned her the Global Teacher Prize in 2015. […]
Turn the Page
by Naomi Krueger
Student access to interesting books and time to read them is key to academic—and life—success. Educators agree that books are important, but current trends in education standards may be a barrier to cultivating strong reading and writing habits. In fact, students may be “fake reading” their way through school. Teacher and author Kelly Gallagher uses key strategies to get more kids to love reading, one book, one student, one group of educators at a time. […]
Community Connection
by Terri Barnes
Closely tied to her own experiences, Sara Horn’s books are often catalysts of change and growth in her life throughout the writing process and beyond. She freely reveals her own shortcomings, from cooking mishaps to examples of when she was the one who was in need of forgiveness. Readers appreciate her transparency and honesty. “It all goes back to that idea of community and realizing you’re not alone,” she says. “We all struggle with stuff. We all deal with mess.” […]
