Teachers Who Write: Why Teachers Become Writers

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Nov 10, 2009

Education & Career editor, Irene Taylor, speaks with teacher-writers to further explore the connection between teaching and writing.

Teachers write for many reasons. When you ask a teacher if she writes, she'll likely say yes and then list writing things like lesson plans, bulletin board ideas, or reports. Some teachers write to model the writing process for their students, or to "test" writing assignments. But many teacher-writers find that there is more to their writing than these "school-related" types of writing.

Our first blog, Teachers Who Write: Are Teachers Real Writers? gave some insight into why teachers may also be writers. Here our panel of teacher-writers offered more thoughts on why they write.

Becoming a Writer

My first question for our panel of writers was "When did you think you could become a writer?"

Answers to this question were nearly universal, Barb Abromitis, Susan Caplan, Jennifer Wagaman and Peggy Williams have all written throughout their lives, even if they didn't all think of themselves as writers at the time.

Jennifer had wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. She has early memories of writing short stories for her dad as Christmas gifts, but she did not consider herself to be a professional writer until after she had been writing on the internet for about a year.

Having mentors is important. Peggy always assumed she could be a writer and always had teachers who made her believe she could write.

As a little girl Susan knew she wanted to be a writer and to tell stories in spite of receiving discouragement from her parents ("get a job", "be practical") and from some teachers ("writing stories is 'fluff' compared to reading literature").

Barb says, "I always knew I would be a writer of some sort. It is just what I do, good or bad. I can't help but want to write about the things I experience."

Relationship Between Teaching and Writing

In my mind, teachers who write belong in a unique niche in the writer's world. But is there a relationship between the two?

To get to the heart of this question, I asked, "Were you a writer or a teacher first? Did one help you become the other? Has being a teacher made being a writer easier or harder?"

Barb: "Definitely a writer first, as I began that as a child.

I think teaching and writing go hand in hand in a lot of ways, although because I spend so much time on work-related writing, I don't always have the time or mental energy to pursue the other (fiction) writing I would like to try."

Jennifer: "I wrote in a journal from a very young age, but I did not become a professional writer until after I had taught in the school system. Being a teacher gave me the knowledge and background for what I write about, so teaching definitely helped me become a better writer."

Susan: "I think teaching gives me a better sense of communicating to particular audiences. I envision how I'd talk about the same topic to adults, preteens, or preschoolers. Through teaching, I've learned that a lot of what I assume people will know or 'get' doesn't happen the way I imagine."

Peggy: "I was a writer first because I began writing as a child. In junior high my friends and I teamed up to write the sequel to 'A Hard Day's Night'. In high school I wrote for my high school newspaper for three years. I also earned a scholarship to help pay for college by winning an essay competition. In terms of a profession, I'd have to say I was a teacher first, and have always viewed my writing as part time freelance work."

The whys vary from writer to writer, but the message is clear. The lesson for teachers: you are probably already a writer, whether you think you are or not!

Next week our panel will share some tips on getting started as a writer and some insight into the process they use. In the meanwhile, read Sheila Gaquin's article, "Write Successfully for Educational Journals" for some ideas on getting published.

Irene Taylor