Finding your voice is one thing, but realizing you have something to say is

something completely different something altogether new. The current semester has been
important in for my professional development, as well as in for my own personal
validation?-growth?. I have discovered much (word choice) about myself as a writer. In
the past, I identified myself as a teacherthat lowly scourge, viewed by many as being
just above the mud dirt on the totem pole. I felt who as if my hard work often went
unnoticed, as is the case for most educators a consummate bleeding heart rarely if ever
was noticed.
Educating Teaching is a changing? (word choice) profession. Subsequently
Ironically, attacking teachers has become an increasing activity for some politicians and
policymakers is in growing prevalence. Respect for teachers and their importance
significance has diluted (word choice) waned in recent years. Teachers are often
characterized as being lazy or inept. Teachers are viewed as simply living off the system,
some people say. Teachers are viewed as being little more than babysitters. High-stakes
standardized testing, along with added-value teacher evaluations, offer provide
ammunition to detractors by connecting poor test scores to supposedly poor (word
choice) educators. This is a teachers reality in the present day. Walking into CI 677, I
was emptied depleted of all confidence in having something to say about the profession
of teachingthe profession that I love.
CI 677s first assignment tested me as a writer. I broke ground (word choice) in
my own self-awareness. This would become a theme throughout the semester for me. The
Literacy Autobiography reconnected reignited my with my passion for teaching and selfconfidence as a writer inner-voice. It reminded me how far I have come and where I plan

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to go. People often forget to stop and smell the roses take a satisfied moment amid the
hustle of daily life. Often we focus on the distance left to travel, rather than focus on the
progress we have already made.
It is exceptionally gratifying to picture the child who once saw on a blank page as
an empty sea of waves (word choice) and who then went on to put down something write
something worth reading. This assignment gave me real perspective in my own progress.
Sharing this assignment in writing groups showed me that my words held value. While I
once felt beat down as a modern day contemporary teacher, the fact that my professor
said I had something worth reading helped replace my insecurities in writing with
confidence in my pursuit of being recognized as an expert in my field.
It is important in writing to have something to say. A consistent stance. Some
knowledge for evidence. Trying to write something well, however, is attempting to send
the transmission as clearly as possible (word choice). William Zinssers On Writing Well,
the second reading/writing task text in the course, taught me that all writing has a starting
point and that rewriting is the essence of writing (Zinsser, year, p. 4). In all honesty,
prior to this course I was a writer who worked in small spurts hit it and quit it kind of
writer. I poured my heart into my work like a pitcher of lemonade, I laid it before the feet
of Microsoft Word for its editing expertise, and by the grace of the Save As button on
Microsoft Word, my work finalized; this was my process.
Zinsser then gave me tools for writing. He relays bluntly that there is no excuse
for losing readers through sloppy workmanship (Zinsser, year, p. 25). I learned this
semester to simplify and to organize my thoughts in order to better reflect relate to my
readers who I am; a beginning writer. This is both exciting and frightening. Zinsser

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showed me writing is a process that asks of me practice and imitation, while bestowing to
me the many benefits of pursuing proficiency in writing.
CI 677s second text was Mary Renck Jalongos Writing for Publication: A
Practical Guide for Educators. I found guidance in Jalongos connection with her reader.
Jalongo made me comfortable in beginning writing for publication. She offers sensible
advice with descriptive figures for the publication process.
In Chapter 5, I recognized a deeper sense of purpose for publication writing. Page
108 examines four general reasons to write journal articles. The deeper purpose struck
with as that Jalongo described the potential influence on the field reasoning. I realized
that I want to write for publication, not only for myself, but also in bettering my field of
education profession. Avoiding the grandiose and the clichs as much as I can in my
writing, with all my conviction I seek to make a difference in education. I want to do
more. I hope to make an impact and to leave more to on the field than what I take away.
In Chapter 2, Jalongo writes about the authors role and internalizing a writers
strength. In class we used the Venn diagram on page 24 analyzing our own writing
strength. This activity revealed to me my passion for writing about best practices. I
always knew I loved teaching. As the PLC facilitator at my school, I would probably live,
eat, and breathe my job if my life would allow it. This passion would inspire fuel my
major writing task for the course.
In CI 677, the major writing piece was writing for publication. This originated as
a book review publication piece, but then evolved to include the option of writing a bestpractice piece. I decided to write a best-practice piece about a strategy I used last year
with my fourth graders. I was encouraged by the quality of the piece once I had written it,

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but I believe the assignments primary objective was learning to trust a community of
writers to help with revisions.
As a very private person, I find it difficult trusting others with my writing. To me,
writing is an intimate transaction between a reader and myself. Past writing experiences
most often were comprised of passed beneath the coursing red needlepoint of teacher
corrections all over my papers. Jalongo writes, most professional people are capable of
writing for publication when provided with appropriate opportunities and support. Those
who find writing aversive often have been mistreated by teachers who are not writers
themselves (Jalongo, p.29).
As I remember them, my experiences in writing did not include the positive
effects that criticism can impart on a writers development. Editing and peer-reviewing
drafts are not to foster inadequacy. Jalongo then writes, a real teacher of writing will be
able to diagnose writing difficulties, nudge you a bit, and offer concrete suggestions
(Jalongo, p. 72). This is what I experienced when I began writing for publication.
Conditions for writing changed. No longer was I expected to draft out a publishable piece
on the first attempt run. Jalongo and Zinsser describe writing as a medium with different
starting points for each individual participant. I have accepted the task of writing poorly
in order to improve. In further developing order to improve, I must also trust my writing
community and objectively consider others suggestions.
Throughout the course, I learned to value peer-review. Also, I learned that I can
further my strengthen own proficiency just by reading about writing. This class has
taught me that I need to read more. I also need to read more quickly. I need to become a
voracious reader of all kinds of books.

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As an expert (word choice), I must read other experts contributions to the field.
Zinsser and Jalongo were excellent authors who offered edified me a great deal. I have
made it a goal to familiarize myself with other important authors in education so to stay
current in the field. I am excited to build a library about writing. I am interested in
learning about word usage, different foci of prose, and also about sentence structure and
variation. I want to know more so I can grow.
This course has inspired me to develop myself as a professional. It has
encouraged me to put myself out there and build my CV. This semester has also offered
me validation. So often will society condescend toward teachers and ignore their valuable
roles and purpose. This course reinforced that I am a professional, as well as an expert in
my field, and resultantly my words do matter. I have been directed to avenues of
contributing to education through writing. I believe the process of writing for publication
has been broken down to its nuts and bolts bolts and screws, and this course has given me
understanding of its overall and procedural inner-workings. Ultimately, this course has
equipped me for the future of writing for publication.