Glimpses into the Summer Institute Experience

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 7, No. 3
Date: May-June 2002

Summary: Selected quotes about the invitational summer institute.

Selected quotes about the invitational summer institute from the May-June 2002 issue of The Voice.

"I can now write faster than a speeding bullet. Okay, I cannot write faster than a speeding bullet. However, I have always been one of those writers who stares at the paper for a long time. . . . After so many quick-write opportunities, I find myself `getting something down' to work with."
—Sherry Holloway, Purchase Area Writing Project

". . . as I enter another year of teaching . . . I feel an excitement that I haven't felt in a long time. I am armed with a fresh approach to teaching, not just within writing, but within all the subjects."
—Heidi Williams, Purchase Area Writing Project

"Through the sharing of our writing and the stories of our classrooms and our lives, we have become a family of sorts. . . ."
—Mary Nicolini, Indiana Teachers of Writing Writing Project

"There was time to read, time to write, time to discuss, time to think, time to
. . . question myself as an educator."
—Kristen Beck, Northern California Writing Project

"As I share . . .
all I learned,
as my
students
experiment
with voice and form; as
they risk themselves in
a safe place; as they
begin to know who they
are and what they
believe, I will
remember
that the chance to learn
another nuance of
myself lies here, too,
within pen and paper. . . ."
Rose Marie Bechtel from the poem, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," West Texas Writing Project

"The writing project summer institute changed my teaching through writing. As I began my professional writing journey . . . I began to reflect on my teaching practices. Not only did I reflect on the curriculum and my teaching techniques, but my philosophy as well."
Janice Hillskemper, Northern California Writing Project

"We came because of . . . our love for our students and our craft. We stayed for our commitment to something old yet fresh. We leave transformed, more ourselves."
Maria Rollin, Rhode Island Writing Project

"I have a renewed desire to write on my own. . . . I may never publish a novel, but I will write everyday."
Sally Coffeen, Purchase Area Writing Project

"My greatest learning experience has been with the Oklahoma Writing Project. Being able to present to other teachers and to learn from others is an invaluable experience."
Beth Hammett, Oklahoma Writing Project

"I have become part of a regular writing group, which is a constant reminder for me of the fundamental philosophy behind the writing project—that effective writing teachers are writers first. When my students lament about the difficulty of writing an opening paragraph, I'm right there with them with horror stories and triumphs of my own. When I share a piece that needs work and ask their advice, I reinforce their confidence in their abilities. When I grapple for the right word or phrase, when they see me slash out false starts again and again, then they understand that the process is similar for everyone. . . ."
Gail Hayes, Swamp Fox Writing Project, South Carolina