I am a teacher-writer.
I write something every day.
I make my writing public even though hitting that publish button is always an act of courage for me.
Yet, if I am going to be a better teacher of writing, then I need to put pen to paper often. I need to take risks in the same way that I want my students to take risks.
So I can experience what my students might experience.
So I can offer suggestions or ideas for when they get stuck, which they will.
So, I can offer encouragement and let them know that whatever they are experiencing as writers is OK. That they have something to say. That they may not yet know what that is, but that they will know. As long as they write. Something. Anything.
I remember reading somewhere that if you write even one line a day, you will have 365 lines by the end of a year. That is better than nothing. That is something!
I am trying to follow my own advice even as I doubt myself. Just like my students must be feeling at times.
And, I remind myself: I have something to say.
What about you? How is being a teacher-writer helping you be a better teacher of writing for your students?
I hope you’ll leave a comment below.
Elisa Waingort 
Being a teacher writer has changed my teaching in every way. I write with my students sometimes, especially when they have quick writing. I make sure they see me as a writer, share my journal pages with them and encourage my fourth graders to also journal everyday (at home). There are numerous benefits of writing that make my teaching of writing meaningful to me.
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I’m wondering what kind of journaling your do with students. Do you provide prompts for those who might have trouble getting started? Do you model your journaling process for them? I would like to have journaling as an option for writing time, but given past experience I’m hesitant to just do that without a little bit of modeling and conversation about that. Thoughts?
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