In the last weeks of my entire formal education career, I´ve found myself reflecting on how I arrived where I am today. As my interests changed and developed from childhood to young adulthood, one thing I remember permeating my education remains my love for reading and writing.
As a child, I stuck my nose in any book I could get my hands on. Not many people can say that their parents grounded them from extracurricular reading because they read "too much". I'm positive I hardly had any friends because I would brag that I could read an entire book in a day. I read the entire Boxcar Children series before entering second grade, dominated the Accelerated Reader programs at the several elementary schools I attended, frequented Pizza Hut during my summers as part of the Book It! reading program (anyone remember those holographic rainbow pins you filled with stickers to get a free pizza?), and read the young adult section of my local library in its entirety. It never occurred to me that the excessive amount of reading I did as a child would positively impact me as a young adult entering the workforce. I consider my childhood reading obsession the reason I developed into a strong writer.
My freshman year of high school consisted of 5 honors courses, including English. We started the year off with a typical freshman English curriculum...until one day. Mrs. Darlington stormed into class and slammed a stack of all our writing assignments on her desk with a loud thud. I'll never forget my frail, elderly teacher with her deep Southern accent yell, "Y'all are the worst writers I've ever seen! This an HONORS class, children. There is nothing honorable about your writing!"
She tossed our curriculum out the window and sternly announced we would spend the remainder of the school year on an intense study of fundamental grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary lessons. The class erupted into moans and whispers of cursing the poor lady under their breath. I sat in silence because I secretly love diagramming sentences and learning "big" words. (Please don't tell anyone.)
Mrs. Darlington's grammar bootcamp resulted in my first "C". A single letter in my life had never traumatized me like that "C". Although an "A" supposedly indicates mastery of a concept, the lowest grade I ever received represented the most comprehensive understanding of a subject I'd ever experience. We reviewed every punctuation mark, homonym, and grammar rule in the English language. We learned 40 new vocabulary terms per week. Even I wasn't as smart as I thought. We may have covered EVERY modern American English literary concept in existence. Worksheet after worksheet after worksheet permanently engraved the rules of writing in my mind forever.
Throughout my upperclassman years of high school and undergraduate college education, I've repeatedly identified that class as the most influential class of my education. No other class provided me with a stronger set of skills for academic success. I frequently hear that strong writing skills will emerge as one of the most powerful agents for my success. Quality writing instruction is the greatest educational gift I've ever received, and I have Mrs. Darlington to thank for that.
Teachers like her are the kind of teachers that drive the success of the National Writing Project. NWP educators provide students with access to a world of opportunities through an enhanced ability to learn and communicate through written expression with the world around them. These teachers take responsibility for the lack of attention given to quality writing instruction by going back to the basics and laying a solid foundation for students' futures. Spend ten minutes on www.nwp.org, and you will quickly realize the NPW is the premier professional development program for quality literacy education. (Check out the evidence here.) The NWP has clearly impacted millions of students since its inception in 1974 and sparked hope in those passionate bout about education reform. Without it, our education system faces a dim future.
The National Writing Project aims to improve the writing and learning skills of all people by building upon the knowledge and leadership skills of our nation’s educators. Through a network of over 200 college and university sites, the NWP offers a unique professional development model that provides educators with innovative, effective tools to improve the quality of writing instruction across all levels and subjects.
As I conclude my formal education, I wish to share my immense gratitude for a teacher who took the time to provide me with the fundamental writing skills that have positively influenced every aspect of my education. I also want to express my gratitude to NWP teachers and site leaders who don't take the easy route through their job and actively fulfill our nation's need for a higher level of literacy education. If you or your school have not become involved with the NWP yet, I highly encourage you and your colleagues to use this incredible organization to your advantage. Raise the quality of student writing by raising the quality of education you provide. The teachers who support the NWP's mission are truly national heroes and powerful ambassadors for the future of our youth.
