Reflections on the 2017 Mahoning Invitational Summer Institute
TC Nikki Mathias, who led the 2017 Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) at the Mahoning ESC, is a veteran of many NWP-KSU workshops. Yet every experience brings fresh ideas and a new group of lifelong friends who share a passion for becoming ever better at the teaching of reading and writing. Here, Nikki shares her memories of this summer's ISI.
#NWPmvalley17
Could all that we learned through the Mahoning ESC cohort of the summer institute be summarized in a hashtag? I’m afraid so. Just writing out the hashtag caused memories to flood my brain.
Eight different schools comprised the 2017 Summer Institute at the Mahoning ESC. However, by the end it wasn’t about being different, but being writers.
My 12 colleagues, some of whom began not even realizing this was THE National Writing Project, quickly embodied all of the ideals of NWP. We worked together; we read together; we shared together. Above all, we wrote together. We learned that test-taking writing is not the same as authentic writing. Writing that comes from the heart and forces you to be a writer even when you didn’t know how. We shared. We laughed. We cried.
It was an absolute honor to have been a member of the first-ever Mahoning ESC cohort. These teachers spent hours of their summer working for their students, trying their best to see that writing matters in all classrooms. Just like our book, The Red Bandanna, states, “Effort counts. Attitude matters. Hard work wins.”
#NWPmvalley17 are all heroes in my book. Due to the success of this group, we are ready for Summer 2018 as well. Look for information coming soon!
#NWPmvalley17
Could all that we learned through the Mahoning ESC cohort of the summer institute be summarized in a hashtag? I’m afraid so. Just writing out the hashtag caused memories to flood my brain.
Eight different schools comprised the 2017 Summer Institute at the Mahoning ESC. However, by the end it wasn’t about being different, but being writers.
My 12 colleagues, some of whom began not even realizing this was THE National Writing Project, quickly embodied all of the ideals of NWP. We worked together; we read together; we shared together. Above all, we wrote together. We learned that test-taking writing is not the same as authentic writing. Writing that comes from the heart and forces you to be a writer even when you didn’t know how. We shared. We laughed. We cried.
It was an absolute honor to have been a member of the first-ever Mahoning ESC cohort. These teachers spent hours of their summer working for their students, trying their best to see that writing matters in all classrooms. Just like our book, The Red Bandanna, states, “Effort counts. Attitude matters. Hard work wins.”
#NWPmvalley17 are all heroes in my book. Due to the success of this group, we are ready for Summer 2018 as well. Look for information coming soon!
