Last night, I received a generous welcome to Westport Writers' Workshop, where I am now teaching nonfiction workshops. With fellow VCFAer Liz Matthews directing WWW, I'm instantly at home among these amazing writers and teachers. Linda Gibson, me, Doug Moser, Jessie McEntee, Charles Rafferty, Laura Pochintesta Even a 25-minute drive to an evening event can…
My whole career, twenty years now, has been in education. My love for and passion about writing—about all good writing and helping people figure out how to do it, no matter their purpose—partly overlaps with education and partly stands on its own. As a teacher, writer, shop daughter, and now a parent, I believe in…
My former student M. interviewed me about becoming a teacher. She's in Manhattanville's awesome Atlas program, which helps students define their motivations and create a direct, personalized path from college to career. (The program offers so much more than choosing a major.) M. plans to be a teacher and, in the long run, a teacher…
Today on Edutopia, I list my 12 fundamentals of teaching and encourage other teachers to try the same exercise. I first crafted The List—which includes items like “flexibility” and “a community of mutual respect and safety”—when I started teaching an education intro course a couple of years ago. As a happy coincidence, Edutopia chose to…
Each semester at this time, I read drafts of personal narratives by education students. The assignment asks them to dig into formative educational experiences that may have led to their decision to become a teacher. Aside from all the hallmarks of good writing—clarity, coherence, organization, detail, and more—I want them to consider what it felt…
Suzanne Farrell Smith 