The NYC Writing Project has always been a source of inspiration and affirmation for me. As a fourth year teacher of English at a large vocational school, I designed lessons purely by instinct, some may say, by the seat of my pants. I loved writing and taught from that love - just following my instincts: lots of reading and writing; lots of talk; and many, many conversations with my students. This is what helped me to understand why I became a teacher. But that was not all I needed to grow as a professional.

In my fourth year of teaching, a NYCWP writing consultant came to my school and offered us an opportunity to take part in an after-school graduate seminar in teaching writing. I was exposed to theory and to ways for drawing from that theory and enacting it in my classroom. I definitely had good instincts, the what and the how, but not the why. The NYCWP gave me that. I continued studying with them, and learned numerous ways for improving my students’ comfort level and artfulness with writing. This truly was professional development that allowed me to grow as an educator and respected me despite how much I had to learn. My students’ written work- analytical or personal, wise or silly - was wonderful affirmation that what I learned made a difference.

Several years later I became a teacher-consultant for the NYCWP. Alongside teachers and administrators, I held conversations about why taking students through all the stages of the writing process would strengthen their skill for everything from college readiness and standardized test taking, to being actively engaged in their communities.

I now work for a network team that supports thirty schools. I draw from my WP experience as I support teacher teams and administrators. And when the call comes for professional development that moves schools into the 21^st century, I know who to call - the NYCWP. There are five NYCWP teacher-consultants working in my network schools. That is no accident.