Amy Rasmussen
AMY RASMUSSEN, Blog Administrator/Writer
AP English Language and Composition & 11th grade English Teacher — Lewisville, TX
Advocating for choice reading and authentic writing in all English classes — because choice matters. Many administrators and teachers make the move to readers and writers workshop for their students who struggle because they know when children are readers they are better thinkers and better writers. Often, they are better citizens. Imagine the possibilities if we transform instruction by moving to readers and writers workshop for our proficient and advanced students, too. A workshop pedagogy works in ALL classrooms, gen ed, honors, AP. I know. I’ve done it, and I write at this blog to help other teachers do it, too.
Memberships
National Writing Project / North Star of Texas Writing Project/ National Council of Teachers of English, Chair Nominating Committee 2015-2016 / Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts/ North Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, President 2015-2016
Publications
Adams, M., Rasmussen, A., & Cato, H. (2011, Summer). An Educational Chop Shop (Nothing Illegal – Just a a Classroom Overhaul): Moving Learning for the Grade to Learning for Life. English in Texas, 41.1, 50-56.
Old Class blog Citizen Scholars — a place for students to stay connected and show what they know
New Class blog (fall 2015) Challenge Accepted — where I write what I ask my students to write (sometimes).
Contact Email amyprasmussen@yahoo.com Twitter @amyrass
Goodreads Amy Rasmussen
All posts by Amy ©Amy Rasmussen, 2011 – 2015
SHANA KARNES, Blog Co-Administrator/Writer
Shana Karnes
Adjunct Instructor of AMAZING sophomore, junior, and senior year preservice teachers in the College of Education at West Virginia University — Morgantown, WV
Teachers are as diverse as our students. Every member of a classroom community–students AND teachers–has different backgrounds, goals, and hopes. I believe the value of the readers and writers workshop lies in the freedom allowed to both teachers and students in what, why, and how we read and write. Students and teachers in classrooms across the country and across the curriculum deserve to have choice in their literacy experiences, emphasizing trust, independence, and autonomy–traits which will produce outstanding citizens, readers, writers, and thinkers.
Memberships
National Council of Teachers of English / West Virginia Council of Teachers of English / National Writing Project at West Virginia University
Contact Email shanakarnes@gmail.com Twitter @litreader Goodreads Shana Karnes
LISA DENNIS, Co-Administrator/Writer
Lisa Dennis
AMY ESTERSOHN, Contributor
Amy Estersohn
My first experience with the workshop approach was in a math classroom, not an English one. In high school we challenged each other and ourselves come up with an elegant solution or a proof and share our thinking in front of the class. If we are going to call ourselves workshop teachers, we have to be flexible as to what workshop means. We owe it to our students and to ourselves to revisit lessons that aren’t working and routines we read about often in professional development literature but take up too much classroom time.
Jessica Paxson
JESSICA PAXSON, Contributor
12th Grade English and Creative Writing Teacher–Arlington, TX. Two quotes work together to best exemplify 21st Century teaching:
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” -Yeats
“Teaching is a cake walk, except all the cakes are on fire, and you’re on fire, and
everything is on fire.” -Unknown
My first year of teaching, I tried to use my own pail to put out all the fires, thinking, It should be tidier and more life-changing than this, right? Maybe, but it wasn’t quite the label-makers and sharpened pencils job I had in mind. The summer following my first year, I attended a Writing Institute and was reminded that the fires are not the problem–our tendency to stifle them is. I dove straight into the workshop model my second year and haven’t looked back. I fell in love with writing when I realized I had a voice. I fell in love with reading when I found that the struggles and triumphs of others brought more light to my world. I hope to extend and encourage the same opportunity for my own future world-changers.
Contact Twitter @jessjordana Email jessica.gobble12@gmail.com
Personal Website: Jessica Jordana; A PLACE FOR CREATIVES STILL FINDING THEIR FEET.
Other Contributors
Jackie Catcher, Secondary English Teacher — Exeter, NH
Contact Email jackie.catcher@gmail.com Twitter @jackiecatcher
Erika Bogdany, Secondary English Teacher — Brooklyn, NY
Contact Email MissBogdany@gmail.com Twitter @ErikaBogdany
Heather Cato, Director of Language & Literacy — Coppell, TX
Contact Email heatheracato@gmail.com Twitter @heathercato
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Hi, I am Julianne, and I am currently taking one of your workshops. I read about how you had teachers visit your classroom and observe. One teacher asked about having a student come to a reading conference with a question of his or her own. You wrote about finding the book The Fault in Our Stars. You referred to the book as being “tatooed” with sticky notes. I have taught my students to annotate a class set of book with sticky notes in the past. I also immensely desire that all of my students will develop a love of reading for the sake of reading. I also think that teaching a student to annotate is valuable as long as you say we don’t don’t do so “to death.” I acknowledge the danger of that. I remember the first time I bought my brand new college books, not knowing how much cheaper and smarter it was to buy used ones. When my professors told me to highlight in them and write in them, I thought I was going to faint. Once I became comfortable with it; however, I realized how I was connecting with the textbooks and my literature books. I was also majoring in Spanish and Journalism as well as English. Writing in my Spanish novels really helped me. I was wondering if you ever use annotation in the articles you assign if each student receives a copy? When I have my students read the books they have chosen, I do not require any written assignment with it. I just require an amount of time that they read their book Monday through Thursday. I have them do this for the same reason you have your students read; I do it with the hope they will love to read for the sake of reading.
Sincerely,
Julianne
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I find this blog inspirational and helpful. Thank you so much and keep up the great work.
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Hi all,
Apologies. I didn’t mean to do it again, but obviously I am a big admirer of your blog.
As I wish to let others know how much I enjoy reading your blog, I have (re-)nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award.
You can check out the nomination in my post http://wp.me/p3O5Jj-k4 .
Participation is your choice. If you wish to nominate bloggers who inspire you, the rules are provided there.
Thanks for sharing so much wonderful content on your blog.
Best wishes, Norah.
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Hi,
I have nominated you for The Very Inspirational Blogger Award as I enjoy reading what you have to say about education. You have a lot to inspire other teachers and their students.
You can check out the post in which I made the nomination here: http://wp.me/p3O5Jj-iM
If you wish to pay the compliment forward, go to this post for the rules of participation: http://wp.me/p3O5Jj-hI
Best wishes,
Norah
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