Here, here.
This has been my steady mantra with my students (and parents) this year. Of course my version is not as eloquent as Tess’s, but the sentiment is the same. I love that two teachers whom I respect are saying this, as well. I certainly didn’t come up with the concept (researchers and practitioners far more versed in pedagogy than I imparted this wisdom), but I do know enough to realize that it’s true for all kids, of all ages, at all levels. And if I’m understanding the meaning of “all,” then my students are certainly included.
Want to create successful writers? Want to raise them from seedlings, make them strong and resilient and capable of writing oak trees of essays, not saplings of deadwood? The key has nothing to do with writing. If a teacher wants to help their students to become successful writers, they must make their students into successful readers. If a student isn’t a reader, they’ll never be a writer – no way, no how. The reading should be both academic and for pleasure: students need to bask in the glow of words for fun, and struggle with a snarling sentence when needed. They should delight in diction and syntax, but never be quite satisfied with them as-is – every student should always ask, “why this way?” and “why not like this?”. And no, they probably don’t need to know what “diction” and “syntax” mean: we don’t need to understand the nuclear reactions…
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Along for the Write 