Teachers Who Write: Are Teachers Real Writers?

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Nov 1, 2009

Irene Taylor is the editor of Suite101's Education & Career section. A long-time educator, writer, and editor she explores the teacher as writer in her blog series "Teachers Who Write".

Are you a teacher? Are you a writer? You may be surprised if you answered "yes" to both questions, but teachers who are also writers are everywhere!

The Teacher Writer

Why do teachers write? There are many reasons, as varied as the kinds of writing we do each day. Teachers are naturally good communicators, that's why we are teachers in the first place. We're good with words, which we love. We teach writing. We share it with our students. We put pen to paper and write lesson plans, reports, notes to parents and colleagues.

We aren't graduates of J-Schools, but many of us have degrees in English or writing. Some of us have taken online courses. Some of us blog or keep a journal.

But are we "real writers"? Ask the many talented teachers who write here at Suite and the answer will be a resounding "Yes!"

From Teacher to Writer

So, what takes us from "teacher" to "writer"? Why do we write?

I feel that I have always been a writer, from the days of stapling paper to make books to my first front page article: the lure of the printed word was the same, the thrill of seeing my ideas come to life.

But that's just me. To find out more about why teachers write and how we make the transition from teacher to writer, I asked some of our Suite experts. This blog series will look at the thoughts and ideas of four of our teacher writers.

Thoughts on Being a Writer

Suite writers Barb Abromitis, Susan Caplan, Jennifer Wagaman, and Peggy Williams all agree on one point; they have all always been writers and see writing as an expression of who they are.

Says Barb, "I have written my entire life as a way of processing experiences, using my imagination, communicating ideas and just thinking on paper. I cannot help myself, and if I do not write everyday, I get a little crabby!" Susan's thoughts echo those, "Writing has always been my way to figure out the world. I like connecting with people through the written word."

Jennifer sees being a writer as intertwined with being a teacher. "Writing is the ultimate teaching job, and I absolutely love it", she says.

Peggy sums it up this way: "I write because I can't not write. It's how I think."

Teachers are Real Writers

Another Suite writer, Sheila Gaquin, offers food for thought for those teachers who may be thinking of writing on a more formal basis in her article "Why Teachers Should Write for Publication" . Her premise is that teachers have a unique perspective on many education-related issues. Writing about what you know is a great place to start.

So, we write, we scribble, we take notes and doodle on the side of workshop notes. We write serious tomes and flights of fancy. We're poets and essayists. Some of us are trained to write, some of us aren't. But we are all writers, in love with words and their power to shape our thoughts so others can share them.

Join us for this blog series on the teacher-writer. Barb, Sue, Jennifer, and Peggy will share their thoughts on writing, their process, and their advice for new writers, some of whom may just happen to be teachers too!

For more information on our featured teacher-writers for this series, please see this blog post.