Writing program rewrites teachers' approach to the craft

George Mason University professor Donald R. Gallehr remembers the dark ages of writing instruction. In the 1960s, when he started teaching at the school, most of the writing teachers he encountered considered themselves topic-assigners and graders -- not writers. Usually, the most they wrote were comments on student papers.

Back then, "teachers walked into their rooms and closed their doors, physically and mentally," he said. "They didn't allow other teachers in."

In summer 1977, Gallehr spent two days at a writing workshop in California that was organized by a relatively new group, the Bay Area Writing Project. There, teachers told other teachers about what worked in their writing classes rather than listening to lectures by out-of-touch professors. They spent hours writing and sharing their work.

"It was such a radically different way of doing things," Gallehr said. "Up to that point, it was the most exciting two days of my life."

That program developed into the National Writing Project, a professional development program for public and private school teachers at elementary, middle and high schools as well as universities.

The program is based at more than 200 universities and other sites in all 50 states, including six in Virginia and three in Maryland, and one in the District. The Northern Virginia Writing Project, based at George Mason and started by Gallehr in 1978, is one of the oldest.

Each summer, the group selects 25 teachers from all levels and disciplines to attend a five-week summer writing institute. Each morning, they listen to presentations from teachers who have previously attended. Teachers try out the same writing exercises they will require of their students. The topics vary broadly, but at the core is learning how to foster a love for the written word.

"You might have a kindergarten teacher, and you are learning about revision with 5-year-olds, and then have a university professor talking about teaching writing across the curriculum," said Kimberly Sloan, a Fairfax County public schools teacher who attended the institute in 1997 and teaches reading and writing to students in group homes. "We always say: 'Writing is the cornerstone of learning.' When you are writing, there's no way to avoid thinking."

Afternoons at the institute are spent writing short stories, essays or poems and sharing them with one another. Many teachers have their work published within a year of attending the program.

All are expected to inspire their fellow teachers. Many work as "teacher consultants" for the project, leading workshops and in-service sessions at schools.

The goal is for teachers of all subjects -- English, social studies, science, even math -- to encourage and help students to develop strong writing skills, think creatively and organize their thoughts. Although the project's focus is on teaching teachers to write well, the group also hosts workshops for young writers during the summer and on Saturday mornings in the fall.

The project has been undergoing a drastic shift in the past several years. Dozens of baby-boomer teachers who became involved and rose to leadership positions in its first 25 years have retired and been replaced by younger instructors. Instead of breathing life into the teaching styles of veteran instructors, the project is chiefly training and mentoring the next generation, heavily using new technology and the Web.

"In some ways, we're starting over. It's a different clientele," Gallehr said. "But the culture is different. Bringing a teacher up to speed is easier now. They are used to people coming into their class, listening in, offering suggestions."

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