Atwell "In the Middle" Chapter 1

I enjoyed doing the reading homework assigned in this book. Nancie Awtell seems to be a down to earth teacher who wants the best for her students and other teachers reading her book. She addressed many issues in the first chapter that I have questions about. One of the first things I liked was that Atwell admitted her beginning strategy to teaching writing was not what works best. It took her a long time (7 years) to figure it out, but she did. Atwell thought telling students what to write about would produce the best results. But, this is not true. When students have the freedom to write about whatever they want to, they are more committed to their writing and the writing process.

It took Atwell a lot to realize all of her students should be working at a "big desk" and not just herself. She needed to let go and watch her students come up with topics they are passionate about-subjects she could have never came up with on her own. Her students went on to actually do things with the pieces of writing completed in class. Some students won awards, others made a difference in their local community, and some student work was even published.

I would like to know how teachers find out about student publication. I would love to offer this option to my students when I have my own classroom. I feel that it is rewarding and shows students that their work is worth something.