Write Beside Them

At the beginning of the year I told students that one thing I could promise them this year was that I would write with them.

Today I had a student say to me, "Mrs. Shaum, remember when you said at the beginning of the year to call you out if you weren't writing with us? Did you do the article of the week that you assigned us today?"

Oh, you mean this article of the week?

I have been a scattered mess of a teacher this year. I'm ill-prepared, unorganized, and impulsive. But I have remained consistent with one thing and that is that I write with my students. And I am better for it.

I recently read a wonderful blog post by Pernille Ripp called "Before You Assign That Homework - What Students Wish You Knew" and everything in that post is what I practice as a teacher - particularly doing the assignments I dish out to my students. Do you know how you show your students that the work you assign them is valuable? You do it with them.

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