Participants in a NVWP Young Writers workshop

The Northern Virginia Writing Project in the Valley has scheduled two workshops this summer at Shenandoah University.  Students get to work with a published author in the morning and then attend genre sessions in the afternoon.  Students get to choose from a list of genres for their afternoon session where they will work with our staff of Northern Virginia Writing Project Teacher Consultants.  We welcome interested and motivated rising 5th-12th grade writers.

Students can choose to attend one or both workshop days. The cost for one day is $65.00, and the cost for both days is $130.00. An application for scholarship funding is available for download below.

Dates:
Thursday, Jun. 27, 2013 - Friday, Jun. 28, 2013
8:30 AM  - 3:30 PM

Location:
Shenandoah University, Brandt Student Center
1460 University Drive
Winchester, VA 22601

Marc Tyler Nobleman

Special Guest Authors
Our guest author on the 27th will be Marc Tyler Nobleman author of more than 70 books including the picture books “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman” and “Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman.” Both are the first standalone biographies on their respective topics, and both are Junior Library Guild Selections. ”Bill the Boy Wonder” has been covered by “Entertainment Weekly,” “Forbes,” NPR’s “All Things Considered, “Washington Post,” “WIRED,” and MTV; the bombshell it reveals led to a TED Talk. ”Boys of Steel” is an ALA Notable title that received multiple starred reviews and appeared on the front page of “USA Today.” Marc blogs behind-the-scenes tales of book research, promotion, and more at http://noblemania.blogspot.com/.

Candace Fleming

Joining us on the 28th will be Candace Fleming.  Candace is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than twenty books for children, including the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!; and the beloved Boxes for Katje. Visit her website at http://www.candacefleming.com/

Register online now by clicking here.

You can also download a pdf registration form and application instructions for scholarship funding.

If you know a teacher who would benefit from the Invitational Summer Institute, it is not too late to encourage them to apply. You can nominate the great teachers you know, and we’ll write to them with application information. It’s going to be another great summer with the NVWP!

NVWP Invitational Summer Institute class of 2012

Invitational Summer Institutes 2013

ISI in Spotsylvania County
June 17 to July 12

ISI at George Mason University
July 8 to August 2

ISI in the Shenandoah Valley at John Handley High School
July 8 to August 2

For thirty-five years, the Northern Virginia Writing Project has been improving writing and learning in schools through a unique model of professional development that begins with the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI), a four-week intensive professional development program focused on improving the teaching of writing across all grade levels and content areas.  Every year, the NVWP selects twenty-five experienced and talented teachers from all disciplines and grade levels to attend each intensive four-week Invitational Summer Institute.

The ISI runs for four weeks in the summer, and fellows attend from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Thursday evening seminars run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Every fellow will be required to attend one session on a Friday morning (9:00 am – 1:00 pm) during the week in which that fellow presents.

Leading to Well Being 2013 conference attendees at the Mason Inn.

As writing teachers, we attend countless workshops, seminars, and conferences learning how to teach writing better, how to improve reading comprehension scores, how to flip our classrooms, how to use technology, how to create interdisciplinary lessons, and on and on.  All of which are valuable.  But, and you knew there would be one, what if we, as teachers, don’t take care of ourselves? And this goes beyond getting enough sleep.

There’s a saying in many a house, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  That’s because Mama is the leader of the home (sorry Dad).  So, who is the leader of a classroom? The teacher.  “If teacher ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  I recently learned this is backed by scientific research and brain studies.

The fourth conference on Leading to Well-Being, titled Facilitating Leadership for a Well-Lived Life, was held at George Mason University’s Mason Inn on Friday, April 12^th.  This was the fourth conference hosted by the Center for Consciousness and Transformation, and it was sold out again.  This year CCT partnered with MasonLeads, a campus-wide program fostering leadership across the George Mason community.

The conference featured three keynote speakers and two breakout sessions, each with seven choices of speakers.  It was a day packed with information, so the optional yoga and meditation sessions offered before the start of the conference were ideal for preparing attendees for the avalanche of insights headed their way.

Dr. Annie McKee, author of Resonant Leadership and Becoming a Resonant Leader speaks at the 2013 Leading to WEll Being Conference.

The first keynote speaker, Dr. Annie McKee, author of Becoming a Resonant Leader (2008) and blogger for Huffington Post, reminded us that, “Resonant leadership is common sense, not common practice.”  She shattered some common myths.  For instance, good leadership goes beyond “smart is enough”; instead, emotional intelligence makes the difference.  A leader’s mood doesn’t matter.  Not so! Emotions are contagious.  In addition, we often think that great leaders are tough enough to take constant pressure, well, not without daily renewal.  Effective leaders can’t sacrifice day in and day out and still lead well.  Invariably, they crack.

I can’t help but filter this information through my experience as a teacher, specifically into my writing classroom.  Teachers are leaders, whether we realize it or not. Some of us lead four year olds, others hormone-crazed teenagers, and still others hyper-stressed adult learners.  Guess what? We don’t impact our students simply because we know the content, through our smarts, because of that degree on the wall.  Our emotional intelligence and how we use it to build rapport with our students influence results.  We can’t walk into our classroom carrying a bad mood or lousy attitude about yet another standardized test and expect our students to be oblivious or unaffected.  If emotions are contagious, we need to bring enthusiasm, resilience, warmth, tolerance, and hope to the classroom every day.  Furthermore, great leaders can’t thrive under constant pressure.  How, as teachers, are we renewing ourselves, daily?  If, as McKee says, “How you use your emotions matters,” then shouldn’t we as classroom and school leaders be paying attention to our own well being more than ever?  Good leaders have to work on themselves first.

Then, McKee asked, “What if you are the problem?”  You might come to this conclusion because your home life is falling apart, or maybe your health is deteriorating, or maybe you do not enjoy activities that you used to, or maybe all of these things.  The answer is renewal.  Use mindfulness to create calmness and openness.  Look to hope, a theme many presenters embraced at the conference.  Build the attitude that “Tomorrow will be better” or “I can do something about it.”  Lastly, focus on compassion.  An “I care about you” attitude will renew your spirit.  Hope and Compassion are contagious.  Two things everyone could use more of, especially our students and colleagues.

It was not surprising that the afternoon keynote speaker complemented McKee’s morning talk well; Dr. Daniel Goleman and McKee have often worked together, including the groundbreaking book Primal Leadership (2002).  Goleman is known the world over for his articles and books, such as “What Makes a Leader?” and his 1995 game-changing work, Emotional Intelligence.  His latest book Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence equates to a rock star’s greatest hit album with excerpts and summaries of his ideas on leadership.

Daniel Goleman thought leader on emotional intelligence speaking on leadership and well-being.

Goleman began by defining leadership: “influencing other people for the common good”.  Shouldn’t this be emblazoned above every classroom door?   When Goleman spoke about “getting into the flow” at work, I thought about being a teacher and a writer and, most specifically, about working with the Northern Virginia Writing Project.  Goleman noted that a leader or boss facilitates his employees by setting clear goals, allowing them freedom to accomplish the goals in their own way, providing immediate feedback, and encouraging assignments to stretch people to grow.  Now insert teacher for boss and students for employees, and you have the formula for an inspiring writing teacher. Students should be given clear goals or objectives.  They should be given the ability to choose their topics (freedom to reach a goal their way).  They should be given immediate feedback – the beauty of writing workshops, peer collaboration, and student/teacher mini-conferences.  Lastly, they should be given assignments to stretch them — a reason my beloved TC friends dare to explore authentic types of writings, such as reflections, profile pieces, letters to editors, and more.

It was the next part of Goleman’s talk, however, that drove home teachers’ roles as leaders.  He dove into the study of Social Neuroscience.  This is brain-to-brain linkage.  This is about mirror neurons, when a person’s neurons activate neurons in another person.  We have to, as teachers and leaders, be aware that nonverbal chemistry is very real and very powerful.  How does this look in action?  Goleman points out that the “best leaders are secure-based; they accept values, see the potential, remain calm, listen and dialogue, and they are accessible,” all the hallmarks of a master teacher.

I have attended three of the four Leading to Well-Being Conferences and have never been disappointed. I walk away with as much to bring to my teaching and writing as I do from any subject specific conference.  This is simply and clearly and inevitably because this conference focuses on how I am taking care of myself.  I’m forced to ask myself how I am bringing the best of me to the classroom or to a piece of writing or to my colleagues.  Our success as leaders and teachers depends on how we help others, but it cannot come at the expense of ruining ourselves.  Goleman summarized it best; “Well being is what we can do for ourselves and for others in every interaction.”

Transformation from the Center: 3rd Annual Secondary School Writing Center Conference 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013         7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

George Mason University, Johnson Center

Chris Crapco, second year tutor at Oakton High School, presents “Tutoring for the Real World.”

Building on the success of the last year’s tutor presentations, at this year’s conference we are continuing to invite new and experienced tutors and teams of tutors to lead 20-minute or 40-minute presentations.  As this year’s conference theme is “transformation from the center,” think of ways that you can offer ideas, insights, or strategies that relate to the transformations that occur within your writing center. Some guiding questions to consider when choosing a focus for your presentation:

• What does transformation mean in relation to writing, teaching, or learning?
• How have you transformed through your work as a tutor?
  • What training or realizations facilitated this transformation?
  • How has this transformed other aspects of your life?
• What transformations have you witnessed in your tutees or in your school?
  • What made these transformations possible?
  • Are there any non-writing-related transformations you have observed?
• How has your writing transformed through being a writing tutor?
  • What caused this transformation?
• What transformations have you witnessed since your writing center first opened?
• When is transformation fulfilling and fun?
• When is transformation challenging or painful?

Possible formats for proposals include, but are not limited to, panel presentations, individual presentations, roundtable discussions, and workshops. Also, alternative formats will be considered, so feel free to be creative in your proposal. Please make sure your presentation will be completed during the allotted time-frame.

To submit a proposal please click here and complete our online submission form. 

Please email JGGoransson@fcps.edu with any questions about the tutor presentations.

The 3rd Annual Secondary School Writing Center Conference 2013

Hosted by George Mason University, the Northern Virginia Writing Project,

and Fairfax County Public Schools

Tutors at the 2012 writing center conference

Friday, October 11, 2013

7:30 am – 2:00 pm

at George Mason University

Sessions for Student Tutors, Writing Center Directors, and Secondary School Administrators to include:

• Writing Workshops from NVWP Teacher Consultants 

• Nuts and Bolts from Writing Center Directors and

• Tutor Presentations* 

*Click here for the 2013 Tutor Presentation Guidelines / Call for Proposals

Registration begins June 1st 

For more information about the conference, go to nvwp.org/youngwriters/writing-centers-and-tutors. If you would like to be on the regional writing center listserv, please email Amber Jensen at anjensen@fcps.edu

Click here to read about the 2012 Northern Virginia High School Writing Center Conference. This second annual conference took place at George Mason University on October 12, 2012.

On October 29th, 2011 writing tutors representing writing centers from 11 Fairfax County Public High Schools gathered at George Mason University for the Northern Virginia High School Writing Tutors Conference. See video from the 2011 conference below.

DATES: The summer institute sessions at Mason and in the Shenandoah Valley will run from July 8th through August 2nd.  The Spotsylvania County ISI will take place June 17th – July 12th.

For over thirty years, the Northern Virginia Writing Project has been training teachers to be Teacher Consultants, creating a ripple effect in improving the teaching of writing that moves across all disciplines and grade levels.

Each year, NVWP selects twenty-five experienced and talented teachers from all disciplines and grade levels to attend the intensive four-week Summer Institute. Fellows share their expertise and develop their writing abilities during the Institute, and later serve as Teacher Consultants in their schools.

At the Institute, teachers will:

• examine issues in the teaching of writing
• improve the use of writing to deepen and extend learning in all curricular areas
• present and demonstrate approaches to the teaching of writing
• study current and past research in the field
• write in various modes and from different points of view, including a position paper on teaching and using writing to improve instruction

Participants receive six graduate credts in English or Education from George Mason University, the equivalent of 180 recertification points (the minimum needed for teacher certification renewal). Most school districts will pay all or some of the tuition.

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

Thursday evening seminar 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Every Fellow will attend one session on a Friday morning (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Credits Earned: Fellows earn six graduate credits in English or Education (180 recertification points). Fellows receive a $500
stipend to help with books and other expenses.

Cost:  $2,000 (the cost of six hours of graduate tuition at George Mason University). Many schools and/or districts will pay or reimburse the tuition costs.  All fellows receive a $500.00 stipend.

Applications: We will continue to receive applications to the Invitational Summer Institute until all spaces are filled.

Acceptance: Acceptance into the Institute is by invitation only. Candidates must apply, interview, and be invited into the program.

Interviews: Applicants will be invited to interview on an afternoon in March or April.

Notification Date: Fellows will be notified in early May 2013.  A Fellows’ dinner will be held in late May.

Click here to apply to the 2013 Summer Institute.

The Johnson Center building is #30 on the map, and all visitors should park in the Mason Pond Parking Deck, #41 on the map, where the rates are $3/hour or $14 for the day. Parking for 15 minutes or less is free of charge, so you can walk your students in. You can view our own written directions.

The Young Writers’ Workshop is divided into three sessions. In the first two sessions, students will be writing according to their choices selected on the registration form. The third session will be a reading/writing group where students will share their writing from earlier in the day. We’ll provide paper and pens for everyone, as well as a snack around 11:30. (Parents: our snack usually features cookies or crackers and juice. If your child will need a more substantial snack, please feel free to pack something additional for your child to bring along.)

Our schedule looks like this:

• 8:30-9:00 a.m. Check in at Johnson Center Bistro
• 9:00 a.m.-9:15 a.m. Orientation
• 9:15-10:25 a.m. Workshop Session I
• 10:30-11:40 a.m. Workshop Session II
• 11:45-12:55 p.m. Workshop Session III
• 1:00 p.m. Pick up in front of Johnson Center Bistro

Free for all parents:

There is an optional free discussion for all parents from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the Johnson Center Gold Room. The discussion focuses on writing at home.

Paid Options for Parents and Families (pre-register or pay at the door):

The Paid Parents’ Workshop ($20/parent) will take place from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Johnson Center Gold Room. The topic for this workshop is Poetry.

The Family Writers’ Workshop ($20/family) will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Johnson Center Meeting Room A (Please note that this is a change in location from previous communication). The staff will take a lunch break between workshops and reconvene at 2:00 p.m.

Note: The Gold Room is on the lowest level of the Johnson Center, near Dewberry Hall.

Still want to register? Online registration will remain open, and walk-in registrations will be accepted.

Questions? Contact us.

Click the image to download and share the 2013 SSI application brochure.

The NVWP is now taking applications for the 2013 Student Summer Institute, a program for enthusiastic young writers who will be in grades 5 through 12 in the fall of 2013. The priority application deadline is May 1, 2013. We will continue to accept applications after this date, and they will be considered on a space-available basis.

This year, we are taking online applications through the free service Submittable. To apply online, simply make an account, fill out the online form, and upload your writing samples.

You can also download and mail the PDF application.

The 2013 Student Summer Institute will take place on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University from July 8 through 19, Mondays through Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

View Video Highlights from the 2012 Student Summer Institute

If you have any questions, you can write to youngwriters@nvwp.org.

NVWP Invitation Summer Institute class of 2012

In partnership with Spotsylvania County Public School System, the Northern Virginia Writing Project is pleased to announce our first-ever Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) to be held in Spotsylvania County!

The ISI is a four-week intensive professional development program focused on improving learning and writing across grade levels and content areas.

After completing the ISI, participating teachers gain the distinction of becoming Teacher Consultants for the NVWP.  Participants in the ISI are strong teachers from all grade levels and all disciplines throughout Northern Virginia.

The ISI in Spotsylvania will run for four weeks from June 17-July 12, Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m and Fridays from 10:00-1:00. Participants receive six graduate credits from George Mason University in English or Education.  The priority deadline for applications is April 10th. Qualified candidates demonstrate teaching excellence in the classroom, integrate a student-centered curriculum, and have a passion for learning and growth.

Applications are accepted online, and interviews will be held with candidates in April and May. While the cost of tuition for the ISI is $2,000.00, Spotsylvania County Public Schools has generously funded a number of full scholarships for teachers in the Spotsylvania County Public School System. All participants will also receive a $500.00 stipend.

For more information about the ISI please visit http://nvwp.org/isi/ or contact NVWP Director Paul Rogers directly at progers2@gmu.edu.

View Video Highlights from the 2012 Invitational Summer Institute

For thirty-five years, the Northern Virginia Writing Project has been training teachers to be Teacher Consultants, creating a ripple effect in improving the teaching of writing that moves across all disciplines and grade levels.

Each year, NVWP selects twenty-five experienced and talented teachers from all disciplines and grade levels to attend the intensive four-week Summer Institute. Fellows share their expertise and develop their writing abilities during the Institute, and later serve as Teacher Consultants in their schools.

At the Institute, teachers will:

• examine issues in the teaching of writing
• improve the use of writing to deepen and extend learning in all curricular areas
• present and demonstrate approaches to the teaching of writing
• study current and past research in the field
• write in various modes and from different points of view, including a position paper on teaching and using writing to improve instruction

Participants receive six graduate credts in English or Education from George Mason University, the equivalent of 180 recertification points (the minimum needed for teacher certification renewal). Most school districts will pay all or some of the tuition.

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

Thursday evening seminar 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Every Fellow will attend one session on a Friday morning (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Credits Earned: Fellows earn six graduate credits in English or Education (180 recertification points). Fellows receive a $500
stipend to help with books and other expenses.

Cost: Approximately $2,000 (the cost of six hours of graduate tuition at George Mason University). Many schools and/or districts will
pay or reimburse the tuition costs.

Applications: Apply between November and March.  April 10th is now the Priority Deadline. 

Acceptance: Acceptance into the Institute is by invitation only. Candidates must apply, interview, and be invited into the program.

Interviews: Applicants will be invited to interview on an afternoon in March or April.

Notification Date: Fellows will be notified in early May 2013.  A Fellows’ dinner will be held in late May.

Click here to apply to the 2013 Summer Institute.

Amber Jensen, Writing Center Director at Edison High School, NVWP TC, and conference co-coordinator

On February 28, 2013, site leaders and writing center conference coordinators from the NVWP discussed the power of student-run writing centers with the National Writing Project on NWP Radio. The one-hour radio show, titled “Investing in Leadership: Student-Run Writing Centers,” features NVWP Director Paul Rogers and Teacher Consultants Amber Jensen and Allison Hughes as well as Beth Blankenship, Ellen Reilly, and student tutors from Edison, Centreville, and Oakton high schools. Jensen, Hughes, and Blankenship are high school writing center directors among the coordinators of the annual high school writing center conference from George Mason University, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the Northern Virginia Writing Project. Ellen Reilly, Principal of McLean High School, has overseen the development of several writing centers in Northern Virginia high schools.

You can listen to the program by clicking on the play button below:

See the National Writing Project’s post announcing the event here, and access the show on NWP Radio’s blogtalkradio channel here.

Airdate: Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. EST
Edit: the one-hour show is now available as an mp3 download