Speading the Word| Professional Development

Spreading the Word

Story and photos by SUZIE BOSS

PORTLAND, Oregon — The chairs were hard, with no cushions. Desks were too small for spreading out papers. There wasn't even a window for framing daydreams or catching a breeze. But when the 47 teachers who shared this space for a week last August describe the experience, they use such words as "magical," "inspiring," "awesome." For that one week, they weren't teachers separated by classroom walls or grade levels. They were a community, drawn together to focus on writing.

For the past three years, Community of Writers (COW), a sponsored project of the nonprofit Portland Public Schools Foundation, has been creating opportunities for teachers to connect with their peers, draw inspiration from professional writers, and develop new skills for teaching their students how to write. Improving teachers' classroom practices is a step toward a bigger goal: improving student achievement in writing. "I think of this as a teacher support group," explains program founder and director Larry Colton. "We change attitudes about writing — for teachers and kids."

Working in partnership with Portland Public Schools and Portland State University, COW gives teachers in grades three through 12 much more than a summer shot of inspiration. After the intensive workshop, where they hone their own writing skills with the help of people who write for a living, teachers can look forward to scheduling four guest writers for weeklong residencies with their students. Their schools get to host Family Write Nights, where kids and parents work together with a guest writer. Teachers receive $400 apiece to spend on books for their classrooms. And throughout the year, they have opportunities to get together with fellow participants, and recharge.

"It's hard to explain," says Ron Norman, a fifth-grade teacher with 25 years of classroom experience, "but it just feels good to be with this group. We get time to talk, to connect as professionals. That's valuable, and we get so little time during the school year to do that."

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